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Mini-Reviews: Daredevil, Judge Dredd and Todd The Ugliest Kid

March 31, 2013 by

daredevilendofdaysHaving completed reading all my monthly pull list, here’s some brief thoughts on each:

Daredevil End of Days #6: Dreading this series ending in two issues. Is there one good reason you haven’t bought this yet?

Daredevil #24: The current story arc could have lost its way but it’s done far from that and the Foggy health scare storyline is as good as anything else going on in the book.

Todd The Ugliest Kid On Earth #3: Still delivering great art, interesting story and a couple of legit belly laughs an issue – doesn’t get much better than that.

Judge Dredd: Year One #1: New mini-series looking at stories from Dredd’s first year as a Judge. Enjoyable, and love IDW’s print quality on these.

Hoax Hunters #8: Frustrating me more and more as time goes on. It meanders, the story remains hard to pick up each month. Some silly sense of loyalty will keep me going to issue 10 but I’m done after that.

Filed Under: Marvel, Review Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Age of Ultron #3 – Bendis & Hitch

March 30, 2013 by

Review: Age of Ultron So here we are three issues into the Marvel event, Age of Ultron and this is the story so far:

After being rescued by Hawkeye, he and a battered and unmasked Spiderman join the group of surviving heroes in the burned out remains of a helicarrier in Central Park. A pervasive sense of gloom permeates the meeting as individual members convey their grief over the loss of those closest to them. Emotions run high and tempers flare. When Tony Stark opines that the Ultron problem is not Hank Pym’s fault Hawkeye becomes irate. Captain America intervenes and points out that it is time to formulate a plan. He suggests that since Ultron is bartering for heroes that they offer one of their own. Once inside Ultron’s world this Trojan horse of sorts would wreak havoc from within. There is no shortage of volunteers but we see at the beginning of the book that the mission is given to She-Hulk and Luke Cage. After slugging her and knocking her out Cage approaches the Ultron stronghold with an unconscious She-Hulk over his shoulder.

At this point we see a devastated Chicago skyline where atop a badly damaged building we find the unlikely trio of The Red Hulk, Black Panther and Task Master. They are monitoring the activities of Ultron. It seems they are out to retrieve an Ultron head and spinal column. The Red Hulk successfully acquires this, tearing it from the robot’s body and tossing it to Black Panther. He continues to throttle the robots, pulling them apart limb from limb. Black Panther and Task Master flee with the head, however an explosion sends them flying. Black Panther appears to break his neck. When Task Master finds him unresponsive he takes the Ultron head and continues on his way.

Back in New York, Luke Cage is permitted entrance into the Ultron stronghold. He is led deeper into the structure through corridors lined with golden red-eyed sentries, into the inner sanctum where he is confronted not by Ultron as expected but instead by the floating upper body of Vision. Bendis uses this entire issue to set up the last page. Short on action, this is a dialogue heavy issue but that’s not a bad thing.

The interaction of the characters as they devise the plan to infiltrate Ultron is quite enjoyable. The verbal sparring between Tony and Clint, the father like guidance and wisdom of a world-weary Steve Rogers as he proceeds to dissuade an all too willing Wolverine from jumping into certain doom – through all of this we see the human side of these heroes. The personalities and qualities that have endeared these characters to us come shining through. They are the definition of grace under fire. Bendis is concise but not overly simple, instead he lets each character’s words build upon the others, driving the plot forward through conversation. Even though there is a minimum of fisticuffs in this issue it is extremely fast paced. Bendis doesn’t bog us down with flowery prose and inane rambling – each word is essential, thus the dialogue rings incredibly true. You feel like you are listening to people speak more than reading scripted lines.

The pace is so fast that the book feels much shorter than it actually is. Bendis accelerates toward a shocking reveal and one heck of a cliff hanger.
Bryan Hitch is a master at drawing devastation. His attention to detail is obsessive. It is evident in each twisted girder and exposed beam. The same detail is employed to convey an expansive spectrum of emotions in the facial expressions of the characters. For example the confusion turning to rage on Clint’s face as he argues with Tony comes across very clearly in Hitch’s lines. His lines are sharp and clean but not sterile. There is an urgency to his work that vibrates off the page.

Paul Neary’s inks and Paul Mounts’ colors are equally impressive. Neary is a consummate professional and his work is always meticulous. Paul Mounts’ colors give this book a cinematic look. There are pages that literally glow, appearing almost illuminated in contrast to the darker moodier scenes inside the burned out blackened husk of the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier.

Visually, Age of Ultron is vibrant and exciting. The story is engrossing, complex and multi-faceted. It’s solid work from both Bendis and Hitch but by no means is it their best. It poses some very interesting questions pertaining to continuity as well as certain characters, especially Superior Spiderman. The return of Vision is in and of itself enough to get me to pick up the rest of the series.

So until next week, see you at the comic book store.

Filed Under: Marvel, Review Tagged With: , ,

Review: East of West #1 – Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta

March 29, 2013 by

East-of-West-issue1-coverEast of West is one hell of an interesting comic, and that’s just the tip of this beautiful iceberg.  Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta have brought us a world that, while set in what would be our history, looks more like our future…and our past.

We open on a circular arrangement of stones, thin and tall, like fingers attempting to wave their tips at the stars.  In the centre, we see a stone placement, also a circle, with four triangle depressions around the edge.  An explosion of light, bluster, energy and smoke shoot out from this, and as it slowly drops to a layer of thin smoke we can make out some movement within one of the triangle fixtures.

Small hands tear through it and eventually a body pulls itself out, abnormal tubing and the like attached to his chest.  Three others rise from the other triangles – a female and a larger male, all children of a darkly twisted nature.  These are three of the Four Horseman of Apocalypse and, as one can tell from the group of kids – they are missing a member.  Namely, they are missing Death.

We move into a perfectly fitting introduction of the universe this story exists in, and some of the major events that sent it in that direction.  A country already divided due to violent disagreements.  The formation of ‘The Endless Indian Nation’ and a Civil War interrupted by political change, morphing into a double-headed battleground.  It is in this setting that what looks to be a ‘comet’ crashes from the sky, forever changing the Earth as we know it.

We are introduced to the mysterious and unsolvable ‘Message’, one that began with a Prophet and a Chief of Chiefs telling their parts of this message, then falling dead to the ground upon completing their piece.  The final piece – an addendum to exiled Chinese Leader Chairman Mao Zedong’s ‘Little Red Book’ – completes the missing portion of the message, and thereby solving it.  The story within the message?  The story of the end of the world.

With the re-marking of territory and the forming of the “Seven Nations of America”, we leave the ‘flashback’ and are left with a prophesy – a lone man, a ‘broken sparrow’, and a ‘Son of Night’.  “The first of four…” – the end of everything.

Enter the present day, and we’re at a bar known as ‘The Atlas’.  Our lead character walks in, his two companions in tow.  What strikes one right away is their skin color – our lead in all white clothing (including an awesome hat), with bright, bleached-white skin.  A large American Indian man with similarly colored skin.  A woman with skin a dark black, contrasting strongly against the rest of the crew. The team is there on important business, finding a man who had been hired by an unknown party to track them down.  The three use violence (and a little bit of a ‘vision’, showing the man who exactly he is dealing with) to convince the man into giving up his boss, and they take the name and location of their prey away with them.  Whoever it is, they are in ‘The White Tower’, which one can already assume is the seat of some form of Government or another.  With talk about how the Tower is warded – “Bones and Bonded”, as they call it – and the fact that this would hinder any approach by his companions.  Deciding to all meet soon at the ‘Golden Bridge’, our protagonist heads off on his own, jumping onto the back of an insect looking creature and speeding away.

We return to the three remaining Horsemen, finding they have killed loads of people, piling the bodies high into a massive pile.  As they sit and otherwise hang out on this mess of gnarled flesh, they joke about killing, and how hilarious it can be when people react to being murdered by what seems in every way to be only a 5 year old boy.  They exchange quotes and laugh a good while, when they are stopped by the sudden movement of a man – still alive among the pile of carnage.  The three joke with him, asking if he knows any jokes, all while the man begs for his family and for help.  This whole scene is hilariously demented, and is made more so by the characters themselves – a group of three ‘children’.  It is here that we learn the three remaining Horsemen are Famine (a young girl with deep black almond shaped eyes and haywire hair), War (the youngest and smaller looking of the trio), and Conquest – a larger boy in what almost resembles a form of armor.  Eventually, the man learns who these three are, and point out that there is only the three of them.  This angers Famine, and she violently snuffs the voice out.

Our ‘hero’ makes his way not only to the Tower but also – somehow – into its innards, where he comes face-to-face with his prey.  After a lengthy conversation about the nature of his being there, our main character announces that he, himself, is Death, and that he is there to pay the man back for taking something from him in ‘the Badlands’.  We are left here with a scene of gore, and many, many questions left asked and unanswered.

I really enjoyed this title.  It has a similar feel to comics like “Preacher”, and this is in tone as much as in subject matter or setting.  Speaking of the setting, this world is an interesting mix of old and new, something well explored in the ‘Steampunk’ universe – but with a style and a look completely its own.  Let’s call it “Dirtpunk”.  High tech mixed with standard dress and buildings of the day, the White Tower being an insanely large mecha-city while other surrounding areas look right out of a John Ford western.  It works, and the scale is kept even, never dipping too far into either idea.

The artwork is stunning, and one of my favorite points of this book.  It’s just damn beautiful, with thoughtful lines taking full advantage of the unique and interesting character designs. The color art is outstanding, and can dip and dive in all spectrums and schemes, from the lightly phased out look of the ‘backstory’, to the excitingly bright and rich colors found in the remainder of the comic.

The script for this comic finds a nice point between beginning a story arc with rich characterizations and a strong sense of where we are – all with leaving us enough questions to want to know more, but not so many that we feel lost or confused in any way.  The dialogue is as tough and is well written, with far less ‘tough guy’ posturing than you might expect.  The characters aren’t all that layered or filled in, but this is the opening book and what we get here is more than enough to get a grasp on who these people are.

My favorite parts of this title were with the Horsemen ‘children’.  The darkly funny scenes, along with their own confusion in regards to humans and their emotions, is a sell on its own.  Add in the world Hickman has wrapped around it all, and you have yourself a damn fine comic.

Filed Under: Image, Review Tagged With: , ,

Webcomic Wednesday – MercWorks

March 27, 2013 by

Hello and welcome to Webcomic Wednesday! Each week I take a look at a webcomic and let you know what I think about it. This week I take a break from the serious stuff and looking forward to some much needed levity, I had a look at MercWorks, the brain child of Dave Mercier.

mercworks

I guess MercWorks reminds me a bit of Three Word Phrase. Dave Mercier seems to put his thoughts on the page and let it go. Unlike Ryan Pequin’s somewhat insane ramblings, which often veer into NSFW territory, Mercier seems to be a bit more… consistent, sticking to humour that is somewhat based on life, rather than sophisticated poop jokes . And that’s a good thing.

MercWorks is great – whether Mercier is trying to poke fun at his own insecurity, or if he’s creating comics about how he is running out of ideas for comics, it’s always wonderfully self reflexive. MercWorks actually feels like I’m getting to know Mercier through his work, as he comments on loneliness and the awkwardness of his everyday life. It also sometimes makes me think about myself, which only further makes it hurt so more.

You can check out MercWorks here. My favourites are this one and also this one. Check ’em out!

Have any webcomics you want me to check out? Let me know on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Filed Under: Review, Webcomics Tagged With: ,

Review: Constantine #1 – Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes & Renato Guedes

March 25, 2013 by

Constantine-01cvrI was always a huge fan of Hellblazer, and while I eventually fell behind, Vertigo’s longest running series always had a special place on my shelf. With its end last month in issue 300, John Constantine has a new home in the universe of the New 52, standing toe-to-toe with Superman and Wonder Woman. Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes, alongside artist Renato Guedes, are behind the new series Constantine, but has his move to a new home diminished everyone’s favourite anti-hero? Thankfully he’s still the same alcohol swigging cheat he always was in this solid, but fairly standard first issue.

The plot is fairly standard fare for a first issue; it introduces John Constantine, and following a remark about how the world is filled with super-beings, throws him into a case regarding one of his friends, after which he manages to antagonize a fairly powerful sorceress. Just a normal day for our dashing hero. It’s not anything drastically new; it sets up the new world that we find Constantine in now, and also an opening story arc, but it plays it safe.

Playing it safe isn’t necessarily a bad thing – this issue reads more like a proof of concept to fans and makes clear that Lemire and Fawkes understand John Constantine. It has all the elements – his true British dialogue  betrayal, alcohol, and a con job, that makes the story feel like it wouldn’t feel out of place in the realm of Hellblazer.

Renato Guedes’ art looks great, and combined with Marcelo Maiolo’s colouring, it really stands out. While not as smooth as Constantine’s depiction in Justice League Dark thanks to some rough line work, it still manages to impress, particualrly when introduced to the demonic Sargon the Sorceress. Plus, I’m seeing some colours I’d never thought I’d see in a Constantine story, as he travels to an ice hotel in Norway –  a welcome change.

One last thing I will bring up is the nature of magic in regards to Constantine’s introduction to the New 52. Typically in Hellblazer, it was often a battle with Heaven and Hell and anything in between, being grounded within folklore and legend. But with the less religious nature of the DC Universe as a whole, it’ll be interesting if these more traditional elements came in to play some time down the line.

The new home and new creative team may have initially made some worry about a change in quality, or if it could even hold a candle to the original series. Fear not – Lemire, Fawkes and Guedes have shown in this first issue that they get John Constantine, and have set up our hero in a new and exciting world.

The old Constantine is dead; Long live Constantine.

Filed Under: DC, Review

Sunday Snippets Issue 4

March 24, 2013 by

sunday-snippets

A regular roundup of interesting bits and pieces from the comic industry worldwide. If you’ve got an event or other piece of news to share, please drop us a line! You can view previous issues right here.

There’s been an ongoing battle for who ‘owns’ Superman and the latest instalment in that battle is covered very nicely over at CBR. They also have a piece on Neil Gaiman’s return to Marvel, bringing the Angela character with him.

Interested in geners issues and how they are played out through comics? Then have a look at this.

Marvel wants to add dynamic soundtracks to your comics via its Marvel Gamma service, although it sounds like it has some work still to do.

If you like a good historical graphic novel, then this one on the Normandy Landings may interest you

 

 

Filed Under: Industry News Tagged With:

Review: Wolves of Summer #1 – Tony Keaton & Andrew Herbst

March 19, 2013 by

Wolves of Summer #1When I was a kid I always imagined being a soldier. Many times I’d live out exciting Star Wars fantasies as I fought in my own imaginary battles in a galaxy far, far away. Now being older and wiser I know that war isn’t being a hero and getting the girl – it’s a much more dark and dangerous event.

But what if you were a child, what if you did get thrown into a war that you did not fully understand? Wolves of Summer, a new mini series courtesy of Tony Keaton and Andrew Herbst, deals with this idea of children and war, It follows John, the sole survivor of his “Werwolf” squadron of Hitler Youth and the first issue sets up a strong introduction, as we begin to find out what really happened that last summer in World War II.

Issue #1 follows John as he tries to live his adult life, haunted by the events that occured during the war. John is depressed, and following a failed attempt at suicide, wants to simply die. The action often flashes back to the events during the war, as the group of boys escapes into the forest following the death of their commanding officer Heinrich Aust. These are children who have little grasp of the events beyond the knowledge that their commander is dead, and Keaton manages to show that.

Aside from a few child-like interactions between the boys that feel somewhat clunky, Keaton has a firm grasp on how little the boys know of what is actually happening, hanging onto the words of the propoganda of their losing side. They treat this escape into the forest as little more than a camping trip, with the boys laughing and joking as they set up camp and traps as the Allied forces move onto their position. It’s effective dialouge, as this naïveté only further heightens the sadness of the impending annihilation of many members of the squad.

Herbst’s art also serves the story excellently. While at times the faces appear to lack detail to truly be expressive, he manages to slip in visual cues that add layers of depth to John’s story. Repeated motifs of wolves and panel layouts give the sense that John has done this all before, drawing parallels between his dark life now, and the life he had in the Hitler Youth. There is also a brilliant page where Josef Goebbels addresses the Werewolf, only to turn into one himself as he belts out propaganda to his men, giving him a more fantastical feel. The boys view Goebbel and the Reich as more than men, playing up the notion that these boys are in above their heads and don’t fully know who or what they are fighting for.

Wolves of Summer #1 is a fantastic first issue for tale of the doomed Werewolf squadron. With its intelligent visual storytelling, and  grasp of child-like naïveté, I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next.

 Score: 8.5/10

Filed Under: Independents, Review Tagged With: ,

The Comics Herald Needs You!

March 18, 2013 by
The Comics Herald News Desk. We wish.

The Comics Herald News Desk. We wish.

We’re only a few months old here at The Comics Herald and it’s been a hell of a fun ride already. We’re proud of the amount we’ve achieved, the number of comics, webcomics and graphic novels we’ve reviewed.

A team of two can only do so much though, so we’re putting the call out for anyone else with a passion for comics that’d like to throw their hat in the ring.

Here’s who we’re looking for:

1. Someone who reads comics regularly – you don’t need to be hard-core by any means, but a good familiarity with the area is a must. Which comics doesn’t really matter.

2. Someone who writes well – but don’t be TOO hard on yourself here. Your work will be edited for the odd typo or grammatical error, which is fine. All we ask is that you can string sentences together in an engaging way and not require extensive re-writing / correction by your friendly editor.

3. Someone who writes regularly – we’d be looking for people that can contribute a minimum of a 400-600 word article each week ideally. That said, fortnightly gigs will be seriously considered as well, as will guest reviews or opinion pieces if you can’t commit regularly.

4. Someone who has a volunteer sense of spirit: unfortunately we’re a loss-making outfit. If revenue increases beyond costs, you WILL be sharing in that equally with the other writers on the team. In the meantime, expect the odd bit of swag or attendance at a comics-related event representing TCH, if the opportunity arises. And yes, you do have a byline to tout to much richer publications than our humble selves. Finally, you’re welcome to have a link back to your own blog or related web undertaking in each of your articles.

5. We’re definitely after more people to cover the Australian and New Zealand comics scene, but also happy to have anyone apply from other countries.

So if you’d like to express interest, here’s what you do:

1. Use our contact form and provide the following info:
– ideally submit a sample of your writing or at least a pitch on what you’d like to write and why
– tell us a little bit about yourself – similar in vein to the bios on our About page.
– what day and time of the week is best for you to submit your work

2. Wait patiently for us to get back to you – it should only take a day or two.

3. See points 1 and 2.

We’re looking for multiple people, so do have a think about getting involved – and again don’t be too harsh on your writing ability. Leave that to us!

[Image via Right In Your Face]

Filed Under: TCH News

Treated Like Jean Grey

March 17, 2013 by

Some great humour and comic timing from Lauren on her Tumblr blog:

cyclops-jeangrey

If you like it, go tell Lauren so. If you’re an artist / writer and would like us to mention your work, drop us a line.

Filed Under: Humour, Webcomics Tagged With: , ,

Review: Batman & Robin #18 – Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason

March 14, 2013 by

batman-robinWARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BATMAN INCORPORATED #8

So passes another Robin. Damian Wayne, slain in the pages of Batman Incorporated #8 has left a large hole in Bruce Wayne’s life. Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason’s series Batman & Robin takes the full brunt of the fallout, exploring how Batman is coping with the loss of his biological son – but this issue is different. Batman & Robin #18 has not one line of spoken dialogue, leaving most of the burden up to Gleason’s art, which thankfully delivers on an issue that is full of emotional impact as Batman spends his first night in the aftermath of losing his Robin.

This issue shows how Batman grieves the only way he knows how- by burying himself in his work. Bruce takes to the streets of Gotham with the rage and determination of a man who has lost almost everything, and he becomes particularly violent in this case. The anger that Batman shows, which was previously reserved for only his most dangerous nemesis, comes out in full form as he appears to have his most eventful night. It’s dark stuff, and it seems that this may be the one event that could push Batman over the edge, which provides an interesting set-up for how the future of Batman comics could play out.

Where this issue really shines is when the action takes a break and the family is left to think. From the opening pages where Alfred allows himself a moment of tears, before straightening up as Bruce walks into the room, through to any time Batman looks over his shoulder expecting to see his son beside him – each of these actions speak louder than any line of dialogue could. It’s a great touch leaving out any spoken words, and shows that words could not even describe the pain that the family feel.

Gleason really goes all out with his art in this issue, as he manages to capture the full emotional impact of the grief.  While some of his character work appears to look more like mannequin than human, this issue boasts some particularly stand out panels, such as what appears as the last image (for the time being at least) where we see both Batman and Robin together. It’s obvious that Gleason enjoyed drawing the Boy Wonder, and this panel is particularly impressive, as he manages to capture  the spirit of Damian Wayne’s Robin – it serves well as a one last hurrah.

Batman & Robin #18 says goodbye to Damian Wayne in a way that is wholly unique. It’s incredibly sad to see one of the more intriguing Robins in recent memory pass, especially considering his relationship with his father was finally reaching a point of normality within this title. It’s emotional and heavy, and as the final pages play out, as the impact of the event finally hits, you’ll find yourself in a similar state of mind.

Goodbye Damian Wayne. You will be missed

Score: 8.5/10

Filed Under: DC Tagged With: , , ,
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