The Comics Herald

Review: Deadpool #8 – Duggan, Posehn and Hawthorne

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Shawn Warner

Deadpool, ‘The Merc with the Mouth’ could more accurately be called the Merc with the Mouths now that he is sharing the space inside his head with Agent Preston, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who hired him to kill the reanimated presidents in the first story arc. She was killed before she could cross over to the other side, so her consciousness was trapped inside Deadpool’s head by a bumbling necromancer named Michael. Now Deadpool is on a quest for revenge and money owed to him from S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Gorman, however before he deals with that there is the matter of getting Agent Preston out of his head.

In an ill-conceived plan to visit Agent Preston’s family, Deadpool hijacks an ice cream truck, hog ties the driver and shows up at her home in the middle of the night. Armed to the teeth he climbs up a tree leading to Agent Preston’s young son Jeff’s bedroom window. He enters the child’s room, waking him to the sight of a crazed masked man in head to toe red and black spandex with twin katana blades strapped to his back. The child is understandably shaken. Deadpool silences the kid by placing a hand over his mouth and then attempts to explain where his missing and presumed dead mother is. To add to Jeff’s confusion Deadpool tells him that his mother is not only alive but that she is here inside his head. Jeff asks if he can speak to her and after a short chat she tells Deadpool that he needs to get out of there before her husband Shane wakes up. At this point a shot-gun wielding Shane enters the room and opens fire on Deadpool.

Deadpool hauls his buckshot riddled butt out the window and away to the waiting ice cream truck. He then frees the hog-tied driver and speeds from the scene. A safe distance from the house Deadpool discovers he is not alone in the truck. A demon named Vetis, who had previously made a deal with Deadpool to get Tony Stark drinking again, reveals himself and the two begin tussling. Vetis refers to the the satisfaction guaranteed clause in their contract and states most ardently that he was anything but satisfied. He then hands Deadpool a scroll upon which is written five names, one of them is the name Michael, the necromancer and quasi-friend of Deadpool. Vetis then tells him that if he kills the other four Michael will get a reprieve.

Now in The East Village of New York City, in a dingy dive of a diner, Deadpool, Michael and the re-animated Ben Franklin occupy a corner booth. Ben Franklin tells Deadpool that the names on the list are of men who have signed their souls over to Vetis in exchange for various abilities beyond those of mortal men. When asked why he did this Michael explains that he was about to wash out of the experimental S.H.I.E.L.D. program for magic users when Vetis found him and offered him the power he needed. Agent Preston joins the conversation and it is discovered that Ben Franklin is acquainted with the very first Sorcerer Supreme called The Ancient One and he knows the location of his hidden writings. They decide that the answers they need to defeat Vetis may be in these writings. They also decide that they need a dead body to send Agent Preston into and since her body is no more they will have to come up with one. Deadpool is of the opinion that one of the names on the list will work just fine.

The first name on the list is located in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Corrado Coloruno is one of New Jersey’s most wanted, responsible for bank robberies and murders up and down the state. He traded his soul for invulnerability. Deadpool spots him leaving the scene of a robbery with a gym bag full of cash in his hand. The getaway car is waiting but unfortunately for him so is Deadpool. He runs a sword through the roof of the car clean through the drivers head killing him instantly. Coloruno then flees on foot which doesn’t work out any better for him. Deadpool lassos him around the neck with a chain. He then speeds off in the getaway car dragging Coloruno behind. His ill-gotten invulnerability is now working against him as Deadpool drags, chokes and shoots Coloruno all the way to a metal recycling plant. He tells Deadpool that as long as his body drew breath he could not be hurt. To remedy this Deadpool coats Coloruno’s head in molten metal sealing his mouth and nose thus effectively shutting off his airways. Once the body is good and dead he offers it to Agent Preston. She promptly turns it down and requests that Deadpool give her some time to think about their next step.

Deadpool is approached by a young woman who asks him if he would walk her home. She tells him that some weirdoes are following her. While she engages him in conversation her accomplices open fire on Deadpool. His attention now thoroughly occupied, another thug approaches him from the rear and tazes him unconscious. Now the entire group sets up a makeshift operating room and begins an impromptu surgery. They are after his liver and a kidney. They get the kidney and two pints of blood but their time runs out before they can get the liver sample. It is not clear who they are or for whom they work but it is implied that they do in fact work for someone as they leave Deadpool lying lifeless on the side of the road.

Deadpool has been one of my favorite characters since the first ongoing series, however when he first showed up in the Marvel universe I paid little attention to him. This is because he was created by Rob Liefeld and I tried to avoid anything even remotely related to Rob Liefeld. This is a rule I still live by to this day. Having said this, I did read The Deadpool Corps book that Liefeld did a few years back. It was awful. But it is not my intention to trash Rob Liefeld here – I mention him merely to show how this character can be misused. When in the hands of a capable writer who understands the comedic aspects of Deadpool, he is so much fun – but when the opposite is true Deadpool is just another gun crazy mutating sword swinging jackass in tights. In other words, he is every character churned out by Image in the early 90s.

Fast forward to the 2000s and thanks to writers like Daniel Way, Andy Diggle, Victor Gischler and Fred Van Lente, Deadpool is thriving and entertaining. Now enter crazy man Brian Posehn, known more for his roles in such films as Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects and the voice of Murray the robot in The Haunted World of El Superbeasto but is now along with Gerry Duggan the writer of Deadpool. And they are doing an awesome job. The humor is there, the action we have come to expect is there and so is the trademark snappy dialogue. This is a consistently well written book. I know we are only 8 issues into the run but every one has been a gem. I hope Posehn and company stay on this title for a good long time.

Mike Hawthorne was the artist on this issue. He did a four-issue mini-series called Three Days in Europe for Oni Press in 2002. His art is clean and intelligible. Hawthorne is a good visual storyteller able to convey a wide spectrum of emotion through his characters’ body language and facial expression. His page layouts are clear and understandable adding to his ability to keep the pacing of the story kinetic and entertaining. I’m looking forward to seeing more work from him.

Overall Deadpool is back on track in the hands of a very capable creative team. I hope to see the level of quality kept high and not seeing Deadpool dropped into any book that needs a boost in sales. This title is not for everyone, but for those of us who love irreverence and biting satire, Deadpool is definitely worth a look.

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

Posted in Marvel | Tagged deadpool, duggan, hawthorne, posehn | Comments Off

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

Posted on April 26, 2013 by David Holloway

Ahhh, the best time of the month when my monthly stash of non-digital comics arrives. Here’s my brief thoughts on what I’ve read:

Hoax Hunters #9: I’ve been threatening to stop reading this for a few months now and this flip-book doesn’t do much to convince me otherwise. It’s a ghost hunting story this month so at least it’s easy to follow and I like the flip-book concept (one half shows the TV show version of events, the other what actually goes down). That said, the resolution of the story is lame. I’m done with this title as of issue #10 unless something amazing happens.

Judge Dredd #5 and #6: I was starting to waver on this title but these two stories have me back on the wagon. New stories told in the classic Dredd way. Think of it like a 2000AD Mag in a glossy comic. Speaking of which: who’d like to see IDW do a Rogue Trooper series?

Todd The Ugliest Kid on Earth #4: Three words: strength-to-strength. Now with talking cockroaches.

Posted in Image, Other Companies | Comments Off

Webcomic Wednesday – Hark! A Vagrant

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Sean Robinson

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’m checking out one that you probably all have read, but I’m going to tell you about it anyway. It’s Hark! A Vagrant, courtesy of mastermind Kate Beaton.

Hark! A Vagrant has been a favourite of mine for some time now. Beaton often takes famous literature or events, and makes it her own. It’s brilliant – in a space where webcomics too often rely on video games, movies or comic books, Hark! A Vagrant takes Jane Austen, Shakespeare and Jacques Cousteau for a spin. It’s wholly original and unique.

That’s not to say that she doesn’t delve into more traditional territory – in fact those are some of my favourite. The Aquaman one above or Sexy Batman always make me smile.

Beaton seems to take on a more literal approach when she tackles characters. In the blurb of her Aquaman comic, she points out that this man who talks to fish and lives in dark caves shouldn’t be anything but crazy. It’s incredibly amusing because it just makes sense.

If you want to check out this comic you can do so here. There really isn’t much more I can say other than it is truly fantastic. We need more comics based on historical events.

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.

Posted in Webcomics | Comments Off

Review: The Golem #1 – Goldstein and Timpano

Posted on April 24, 2013 by David Holloway

One of the things that has amazed me in the months that The Comics Herald has been running, is the level of quality in independent and smaller company comics. My colleague Sean reviewed Hoodlum #1 from Hilary Goldstein back in March, and he’s back with a very different title this time. The Golem #1 is also from Alterna Comics and is a 4-part mini-series launching tomorrow on Comixology.

The story is set in a future Paris and centres around a mother (Danya Ben-El’azar) and her son Jonah. The mother just happens to be a highly trained former covert military type, and her young son works alongside her to form the team know as The Golem. Danya’s a good-hearted vigilante who’s willing to shed some blood where needed, and once her back-story is revealed you can see why she’s in that position.

The back-story itself is efficiently told and holds interest throughout. The overall story arc is interesting and I’m definitely keen to see what happens after the first issue’s cliffhanger. The backdrop of Paris is also well written in and provides some great ambience to the story, plus it’s great to see a story like this set outside of the United States or a fictional city. The dialogue is crisp and moves the story along nicely. I’m actually caring about Danya and her son and I like that their lives are painted starkly, reflecting the ambiguous situation they are in.

Art-wise, I love Giovanni Timpano’s work here – it’s a perfect fit for the story and he does a brilliant job of defining key locations with colour (the purples for the safety of home being the more obvious one). It’s just plain nice to look at throughout and Garry Brown’s cover is worth hanging on a wall.

The Golem is off to a cracking start and I’m hanging out for #2 before #1 even hits Comixology. I also regret I was unaware of the Kickstarter campaign that got this book made – I would have more than happily kicked in for a TPB of this. So do check it out on Comixology tomorrow – it’s a very engaging read indeed.

Posted in Independents | Tagged alterna, Goldstein, Timpano | Comments Off

Review: Noctua #1 – Andrew M. Henderson & Orlando Baez

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Sean Robinson

At one point it seemed vampires were everywhere – they had the seat that zombies had once occupied and were intent on being a part of every form of media. Now that the “Twilight madness” as I liked to call it, has calmed down, zombies have returned to being the supernatural creature of choice. Noctua fills this void of vampires, by producing its own take on the monster, mixing in elements of racism, mob drama, and a little bit of Batman to create something unique – if not a bit rough around the edges.

Noctua is set in 2051. Vampires (known in this universe as trans-humans) and humans co-exist tentatively, with strong xenophobia extending from both sides. After an owl-like vigilante known as Noctua raids an illegal human blood trafficking ring, killing a mob boss’ son in the process. He finds a young girl and takes her in, and as news of Lucinius death reaches not only the leader of the mob, Alucard Constans, it also reaches a couple of police detectives as well, who take it upon themselves to find out what went wrong.

If that synopsis seemed like it had a bit much going on, it’s because the first issue kinda does as well. Henderson introduces many different plot-lines without letting the reader having time to grasp the previous one, as the story bounces from character to character without slowing down. I can’t help feeling that this dialogue heavy issue would have been better spread out over three, letting the reader take in bits and pieces, and giving more time to flesh out the character of Noctua, before throwing in the rest of the world.

Where Henderson does succeed is in his portrayal of vampires. Less monsters of the night, and more like the X-Men, Henderson manages to make this new race sympathetic. They are just real people, some are good and some are evil. At the end of the issue, I’m not entirely sure whether I should be rooting for Noctua, who initially comes across as a more violent Batman, only to seem more like a killer with a personal vendetta against a race, rather than someone who seeks justice. It’s a nice twist on the vampire fiction, and it seems to set up future moral conflicts for the characters of this world.

On the subject of Baez art, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. His character work is fantastic, with the vampires looking suitably feral and savage, and thanks to Eagle Gosselin’s dark colour palate it sets a depressing and violent tone. But Baez environments at times lack any detail at all, never quite giving the comic a sense of place. I could never tell where exactly the action was taking place, and often the background was just a swirl of colours, leaving me to guess where the characters were, or if they were even inhabiting a physical space at all.

Noctua comes out of the gate swinging, introducing many different plot points that can leave it feeling cluttered, but thanks to it’s interesting premise and themes, still manages to keep me interested. If this book manages to slow down and focus on only a few plot-lines, this could definitely be one to watch this year.

Posted in Independents | Tagged noctua | 2 Comments

Review: Nova #3 – Loeb and McGuiness

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Shawn Warner

Sam Alexander’s first flight after putting on the Nova helmet lands him on the moon, but not alone. He looks up from the moon’s surface, and towering over him is a giant bald man dressed in a Romanesque toga. He is known as The Watcher. He stands silent as stone refusing to respond to Sam’s rapid fire succession of questions. Instead he only raises a hand to point ominously out into space. Sam’s gaze follows The Watcher’s indicating finger to see a vast fleet of alien spaceships. This does little to clear things up for him – quite to the contrary Sam fires off another salvo of questions. These too go unanswered by The Watcher. Realising that further inquiries would be futile, Sam bids farewell to The Watcher and rockets toward Earth. Re-entry proves tricky as the immense build-up of heat turns Sam into a veritable fireball. However he is unharmed by the incredibly high temperature much to his surprise and delight. He touches down safely in his own backyard.

Sam makes his way into the kitchen where he finds his mother waiting up for him. She has a thousand questions of her own for him but Sam understands very few of them as she is speaking Spanish. However he understands enough to ascertain that she is mad. He calms her enough to sit down and have a conversation about his father. She tells him that his dad used to disappear like this from time to time but that after Sam was born he tried very hard to be a good father. Although he appreciates his mother’s willingness to talk about his father, Sam senses that she is not being entirely forthcoming. To her credit as a mother she likewise senses that Sam may be keeping something from her. She leaves her son alone with his thoughts.

Sam places his father’s helmet upon a shelf, where he begins to speak to it as though he were able to question his father through it. But it is the green skinned Guardian of the Galaxy Gamora who answers. She and fellow Guardian, Rocket Raccoon appear in Sam’s house. They have come to explain exactly who Sam’s father was and the importance of the helmet and what it means to his future. It is immediately apparent that Rocket Raccoon, who holds Sam’s father in the highest esteem, has feelings of an entirely opposite nature for Sam himself. Gamora is somewhat less critical of young Sam Alexander but still tells him that his behavior is an insult to Richard Rider also from Earth. He and the rest of the members of Nova Corps made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. She and Rocket Raccoon tell him to suit up for training.

His performance in the training session is less than spectacular. Sam is not especially pleased about being fired upon by Rocket Raccoon, who is even less pleased to lose his favorite laser pistol when Sam blasts it to pieces. Gamora enters the training at this time, swinging her broad sword at Sam’s head – from this point on it’s Sam being relentlessly pummeled by the two superior combatants. Beaten and defeated, Sam surrenders at the point of Gamora’s blade. She informs him that actual enemies will not be as forgiving as she. The two Guardians begin an impromptu lesson on the various warring alien species, focusing on the Chitauri who have gained control of a weapon called The Ultimate Nullifier. They plan to use the weapon on Earth as its test case. This prompts Sam to recount his encounter on the moon with The Watcher and the glimpse of the Chitauri armada he was shown. Rocket Raccoon surmises that it was the Nova helmet that allowed Sam to see the alien warships. The helmet logged the coordinates which would allow Sam to return, mark their position in the quadrant and allow them to make arrangements for reinforcements. However in order to do this Sam will have to “Space Jump” to get there. This involves reaching a certain velocity to complete the jump. Sam is more than willing to do this, so he leaves Earth and begins building up speed until the proper velocity is reached. The “Space Jump” is successfully executed. He finds himself right in the line of fire of the Chitauri armada, who waste no time blasting him.

Sam Alexander is not a reluctant hero. He has the courage to save the world but lacks the training and discipline. Not unlike Luke Skywalker, Sam’s father casts a long shadow over his life. One must learn the ways of the Force, the other the ways of the Nova Corps. The fate of many hangs in the balance for both of these young men. Jeph Loeb’s Sam Alexander is very human, his father is very human complete with frailties and flaws, but it is in overcoming these frailties that Sam becomes heroic. The more Loeb reveals about Sam’s father the more we see those heroic attributes come to light in Sam. Jeph Loeb is taking us on a journey of discovery – we are learning about Sam Alexander and the Nova Corps as the character learns. We make these discoveries page by page with Sam. Incredibly well paced, the story unfolds quickly and moves of its own volition but still leaves us wanting more. I read this issue three times – admittedly one of them was to more fully appreciate the excellent artwork.

Expertly rendered by Ed McGuinness this book is gorgeous to look at. The pages of Sam’s encounter with The Watcher are amazing. Without a single word McGuinness gives The Watcher a complete and undeniable personality. His facial expressions speak volumes. The training session is so cinematic that you can almost hear the 80’s rock as the montage plays out. His Gamora and Rocket Raccoon are superbly rendered. This book is beautifully executed from start to finish. It is exciting, fast-paced, action packed and visually stunning – everything a good comic book should be. We are only three issues into this series, so if you have been on the fence about this one, I suggest you make room on your pull list for Nova.

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

Posted in Marvel | Tagged loeb, mcguinness, nova | Comments Off

Review: Iron Man #8 – Gillen and Land

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Cory Thrall

For reason I don’t totally understand, the Marvel NOW “Iron Man” title seems to get no love from comic fans – to the degree that I never see it mentioned except for a few cases where it was complained about and dismissed as a horrid book. Maybe it’s the upcoming film giving people this negative attitude towards it, I don’t know. What I do know is that this title is in no way a lead-up or hyped-up film-related project. Throughout the title’s eight-issue run they have kept the Iron Man world as it’s been for some time. I am really into this book and, while it may not be the best on the shelf, it’s a satisfying read each month, which is something to be said nowadays with the ‘Big 2’.

This issue is the conclusion to the recent ‘Godkiller’ arc, and is more or less a decent closer to this story. As a lot of Marvel NOW titles tend to be, this comic also ties in with the events and aftermath of the whole ‘Avengers Vs. X-Men’ debacle, but in an interesting way.

We begin the arc with Tony Stark creating another new armor and, with the capabilities of the suit and its new P.E.P.P.E.R. AI system, he decides to head off and explore outer space. He realizes that with the power he has within his armor he can experience more in his life, things he wouldn’t have found otherwise. For a man and hero who, by this point, has seen quite a great deal, this is quite the statement. As he begins his travels, he happens upon a Pirate attack, and in true hero style busts his way into the battle, defeating the Pirates and being taken in as a victorious warrior by the alien race he helped – the Voldi, a seemingly peaceful race. The celebration of Stark’s help and win begins, and things are going great until it is revealed that Tony had a hand in the destruction of the Phoenix Force during the ending parts of ‘AvX’. The problem? The Voldi worship the Phoenix as one of their gods, and they are not happy in the slightest to learn of Stark’s actions.

Stark is tossed into a cell to await his trial, when he is approached by Recorder 451, who looks to be a robotic lifeform of some kind. He tells Tony there is a legal loophole in the Voldi system which allows Tony to request a ‘Trial-by-Combat’, giving him a better chance of survival – if he can live through the fight. 451 promises Tony that he will get the Iron Man armor to him as soon as he can, Tony just needs to stay in the fight long enough for 451 to do so. The clever Voldi call upon their own loophole, and instead of a fight with “no enchanted combatants” who are to battle “as nature finds you”, they bring out the 30 foot tall cyborg Death’s Head. First off, it’s awesome to see Death’s Head, who is one of those side characters that I’ve always enjoyed.

Tony and Death’s Head begin their battle, and Stark is obviously losing very quickly. When he brings up the fact that Death’s Head is in no way the type of fighter promised, even with the loophole, Death’s Head calmly tells him that since he isn’t using his ‘upgrades’ (such as rockets and the like) it is completely fine. The fact that the Voldi see most any creature, robotic, cybernetic, or whatever as actual living beings helps, as well.

Death’s Head is smearing the arena with Stark, who is almost completely naked – his bare chest glowing a light blue – when we cut to 451, somewhere within the ‘Chamber of Evidence’. After moving something into a waiting spacecraft, he finds the armor and – with the addition of the new AI – he is able to talk with it, letting it know that Tony is in some major trouble. As the suit takes off towards the arena, we see 451 climb into the ship and escape. This, of course, makes one curious. Where is he going? What was his actual plan?

Back at the arena, Death’s Head is about to smash Tony with a large boulder, no doubt to break his very exposed bones and flesh. As he raises the stone above his head, the P.E.P.P.E.R. driven suit blows its way into the fight, finally giving Tony the opportunity to suit up. This does not sit well with the Voldi, who scream that Tony has forfeited his case. In true Stark style, he basically ignores them all as he jets out of the Voldi’s hold and back out into space. As he attempts to fully escape, he finds that he has been chased down by a batch of Voldi battle drones, who waste no time in engaging him. Iron Man speeds off to a nearby location, where a weapon is waiting for him, and he locks it onto his wrist. Pointing the fully integrated weapon at the drones, he takes most of them out in one quick burst.

We now see Veritina – the leader of the Voldi – in her Palace, watching Iron Man’s escape on a viewscreen. She is both excited and appalled by what she’s watching, commenting on his amazing ‘heroism’. Above her, through a roof of glass and metal, we can see the large bodies of the ‘Star Giants’, also known as the Celestials. Though the Voldi worship these gods, they also have been using the ‘Heart’ to keep themselves cloaked from the Star Giants’ sight. The ‘Heart’ was what 451 had loaded into his ship in the earlier scene, so it is no surprise when the Star Giants begin to destroy the Voldi.

As we go back to Tony battling the drones, he is curious when they shut down on their own out of nowhere. Suddenly, appearing as if there were a giant screen in the fabric of space, 451’s face appears. He explains to Tony that he did, in fact, steal the ‘Heart’, and that the Star Giants have decided to destroy the Voldi because they see them as leeches who, had they not been hidden, might have been destroyed already some time ago. 451 explains how he set Tony up from the start to reach this goal, and Tony barks back about 451 letting an entire race be wiped from space just so he could get his hands on a ‘fancy cloaking device’. Finally, as 451’s projection dissolves, Tony has the suit’s new AI check for any survivors, of which there are none. Angry and blown away mentally by what has just transpired, he vows to find and stop 451, no matter what.

This title has, for me, been enjoyable from the very first issue, and has yet to let up. There are a few points here and there that bother me, such as the too-conviently placed weapon awaiting Stark out in deep space, but overall the writing is solid and straightforward. No muss, no fuss, just stories with a purpose told very well. There never seems to be a moment wasted, and it never feels like things are moving too fast. Great pacing for such an action heavy title. And, this issue itself is probably the most action-packed yet which, due to the nature of the issue in the arc, feels perfect, and like the ending of some great space epic. Tony is written like the Tony Stark we’ve known for some time, not at all like the Robert Downey Jr. film version, which Marvel seems to like doing (just watch an episode of ‘Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ and you’ll be cringing like I was, most likely). He is the egotistical yet fragile character he has been for some time, and Kieron Gillen’s scripting holds true to that fact. As mentioned, this may not be the best book on the shelves, but the writing is well tuned and flows well.

I know a lot of people seem to have major problems with Greg Land’s artwork, to the point of videos being posted showing his artwork up against the actual magazine photo, etc. that Land based his drawing on. Honestly, most of these are spot on, and some are even directly stolen from the photo in question. This doesn’t matter to me, as I’m not here to comment on his style of working, but his work as presented here. I like it, and at times even *really* lie it, but a lot of times it can feel very flat and emotionless. His Tony really only has about three expressions, and a lot of the character models look very similar to one another. I do like his work on this title, but that is the main thing that bothers me. The adventures in the suit, however, look great. This seems to be Land’s strong point – space battles and any sort of action scenes. This is where his work shines and makes it worth pulling yourself through the more Tony-oriented dramactics. So, a very uneven title in terms of art, but enjoyable, nonetheless.

Overall, I was waiting for a new Iron Man title for some time, and this is just about what I needed. It’s not 100% solid or even consistent in the production (especially and mostly in the artwork), but it has kept me reading for 8 issues so far, and I am more than excited for #9. Don’t overlook this title if you’re even a remotely interested fan. It’s still Iron Man under the hood, he just has a bit of a damaged exterior.

Posted in Marvel | Tagged gillen, iron man, land | Comments Off

Webcomic Wednesday – Insufferable

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Sean Robinson

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’m checking out a web series known as Insufferable, courtesy of a lesser known team known as Mark Waid and Peter Krause.

I’m kidding. It’s freaking Mark Waid.

Insufferable is the story of a superhero father-son team, Nocturnus and Galahad, who go their separate ways after a falling out. Where Nocturnus goes into hiding, essentially killing his alter-ego, Galahad uses his status as a hero to begin a celebrity career – or as the comic blurb states, an “arrogant ungrateful douchebag”.

While there are clear ties to a Batman/Robin relationship, Insufferable stands out in the execution. While admittedly Jarod Culver’s Galahad is a bit of a twat, John Culver’s Nocturnus is hardly unaccountable for either. It’s a case of bad parenting versus bad child, and it takes the Bruce Wayne/Damian Wayne dynamic and runs in the other direction.

Where Insufferable truly shines is in its mix of celebrity status and superhero. Galahad tweets, blogs, throws press conferences, and suffers the fallout of it. I’ve never really stopped to think how celebrities handle being insulted after putting themselves on such avenues. It’s interesting stuff, as there are times Galahad seems to be pushing too much to impress his biggest detractors, which in the end only makes them worse.

As for Peter Krause’s art- it’s seriously paid-for-comic material. It’s solid art that really compliments the story, with it’s generic costumes only allowing the reader to make their own connections to other superhero material. It’s a pretty fantastic looking comic.

If you want all the bells and whistles of a paid-for-comic written by one of the best writers out there, without the “pay” part, check out Insufferable here. Also check out the other stories on the site as well, as some others were also written by Mark Waid. Seriously, you owe it to yourself to check it out – it’s Mark Waid.

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.

Posted in Webcomics | Tagged insufferable, waid | Comments Off

Review: Saga #12 – Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Sean Robinson

I don’t think I have ever encountered a series that has so consistently been impressive as Saga has been. The perfect mix of sci-fi adventure, family drama, and Lost-esque cliffhangers (which coincidentally was also something writer Brian K. Vaughan was a producer on) have lent to a tale that is original and incredibly smart. Now at the end of its first year with the release of Saga #12, this title shows no sign of slowing down. Writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples manage to prove that even in an issue that doesn’t incorporate the main cast of characters, it still manages to impress.

Saga follows Marko and Alana, two people from different sides of an intergalactic war that are fleeing their own people. That’s because of their child, Hazel, who for reasons unknown is wanted by each side. One of the pursuers, Prince Robot IV, tracks the group to Alana’s favourite author D. Oswald Heist, in an attempt to intercept the group before they get there. Don’t worry if that doesn’t make sense – go read the other eleven issues, and then come back to me.

You’re back? Okay good.

It’s to Vaughan’s credit that he can fashion an issue almost completely without the main cast, and have it still remain of the highest quality. Aside from the cliff-hanger at the end, Marko and Alana don’t feature at all. Prince Robot IV is a sympathetic villain – he’s just learned that his wife is pregnant, and he is being forced out of his homeworld to hunt people. He’s just a man who served a tour of duty and then thrust back out into the war. It grounds the character in reality, and his motivations for getting the child are purely professional – he just wants to be home with his wife.

D. Oswald Heist is also portrayed fantastically as a disillusioned author who has become a recluse, only allowing “ladies who bring him bottles” to visit. It’s great that the team chose to portray Heist as normal and sarcastic, as opposed to being a typical scholar, but I guess if you’d been paying attention to the excerpts Alana read out in previous issues you’d see why.

Despite Vaughan’s portrayal of Prince Robot IV, the real emotional content comes from a character’s introduction (and death) early on. While the character only appears in a few panels, it still stings when they finally (and gruesomely) pass on, speaking volumes to Vaughan’s ability to make readers care.

Staples’ art, per usual, is fantastic. Robot’s television head allows for Staples to use her artistic skills to convey emotions differently than making them pull a face, and it really lends to how the character thinks, and where his mind ends up in times of stress. Her character designs are also smart, as the cute creatures that Robot encounters only adds to their personality. If you ever needed an example of purely digital art being a viable concept, pick this book up.

So while Saga takes a brief hiatus, with solicitations not mentioning it again until after July, it manages to leave on a high note – as a well thought out cliff-hanger that will keep readers going until it returns. As for me? I’ll be re-reading it again, because Saga is seriously a tale you don’t want to miss.

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Review: Star Wars #4 – Wood and D’Anda

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Shawn Warner

I can almost hear that instantly recognizable John Williams score as the Millennium Falcon zooms across the star field. I am not in a darkened Cineplex, I am sitting at my desk reading Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars #4 by Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda. This team has so accurately and astutely captured the feel of the original films that it is Harrison Ford’s voice in my head as I read Han’s lines.

The issue begins with Han and Chewie being pursued by a squadron of T.I.E. fighters. As usual, the Corellian and his Wookiee co-pilot find themselves on the losing end of an Imperial proposition – until a very unorthodox solution presents itself. Chewbacca opens the Millennium Falcon’s hatch and uses his signature crossbow blaster to make short work of the menacing T.I.E. fighters. With the pursuing Imperials vanquished, the Millennium Falcon drifts into hiding more than a thousand levels below Coruscant’s surface.

Meanwhile, the Rebel Fleet under the command of Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma have (unbeknownst to Admiral Ackbar) deployed Gray Flight, a secret squadron of X-Wing fighters which includes Princess Leia, Wedge Antilles and a grounded Luke Skywalker. The squadron is so secret that Mon Mothma instructs Admiral Ackbar to not only scrub any mention of Gray Flight from the bridge logs but from his mind as well. The secret unit’s main objective is to scout locations and gather Intel on the Pybus System as part of searching for the Rebellion’s new home – a place they can regroup and grow strong again after their defeat of the first Death Star. Princess Leia has a second agenda of her own however – it is her hope that by having C-3PO slice misinformation into Rebel data cores that she can manipulate a spy entrenched deep within the Rebellion’s ranks into revealing him or herself. A short time into the mission an Imperial Star Destroyer and an Interdictor Cruiser show up and begin bombarding the surface of Pybus. As if this isn’t bad enough, two squadrons of T.I.E. Interceptors are deployed from the bottom of the huge Imperial Destroyer.

On the Rebel command ship, Luke hears the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi warning him of impending danger for Leia. Against orders and probably his own better judgment, Luke suits up to join the fray in the Pybus System. As he retrieves a data-pad from a scolding C-3PO, we see an ominous sight. Slave One, the battered ship of infamous galactic bounty hunter Boba Fett creeps between the ships of the unknowing Rebel fleet like a stalking wolf amongst sheep.

In yet another part of the galaxy, Darth Vader meets with his Imperial admirals and commanders to discuss their apparent lack of progress in completing the second Death Star. Vader is displeased to say the least when he finds that the admiral would rather report directly to the Emperor in person than to him. In his classic fashion the Dark Lord of the Sith voices his opposition to this request by igniting his light saber through the admiral’s back. The glowing red beam exits his chest leaving the admiral quite dead.

When asked if anyone would care to back the admiral up we meet Birra Seah, a strange system designer. She explains to Vader that his reports no matter how descriptive cannot accurately communicate the details of such an undertaking as constructing a new, better and more deadly Death Star. She continues to boldly tell Vader that the work crews desire the stability that only the Emperor’s attendance could provide. It is at this point that Darth Vader senses a stirring in the force that he attributes to Birra Seah. Though somewhat taken aback by his comment she assures the Dark Lord that if she is granted temporary Moff status over the construction she will see to its completion personally. With this, Vader exits to the sanctuary of his meditation chamber to contemplate all that has transpired. He whispers one word, a name, “Skywalker.”

With their backs to the wall, the Gray Flight Squadron engage the T.I.E. interceptors above Pybus. Now armed with Proton torpedoes they prepare for what could very well be their last stand.

Brian Wood has captured the voice of Star Wars, not just the individual characters but the voice, the soul of the original films. He is writing high adventure set in an alien galaxy far, far away but near and dear to everyone who grew up with these characters. Much like the ensemble cast he created in his DV8 series for DC Comics, Wood gives each character a very distinct life of his or her own. Even though this time we have already been introduced to the characters for the most part when he does add a new member to this inter-galactic cast the way they interact with the existing characters rings true. Brian Wood is using his own thread but he is very successfully knitting into the multi-colored tapestry that is the Star Wars universe – a mosaic of space pirates and princesses, droids, wookies, Jedi and Sith Lords.

This is no doubt the assignment of a lifetime for Wood but a daunting task as well. The hyper-critical Star Wars fans can be a temperamental bunch – some of us will never be convinced that Han didn’t shoot first; we know he did and we like it that way! But I believe that if Brian Wood keeps the bar as high as he has set it with these first four issues and The Force continues to be with him, I have no doubt that this book will be a commercial and critical success.

The artwork thus far has been very aptly handled by Carlos D’Anda. His lines are very clean and sharp. His anatomy is believable and his faces are expressive – the robots, aliens and ships look exactly as they should. His backgrounds are exciting without overpowering and his page layouts flow in a very cinematic way which is perfect for this book. I hope these two stay together for a good long run, or at least until Disney says “You can’t play with our new toys anymore.” If you are not getting this book because you are afraid of the complicated timeline that now exists in the Star Wars universe, fear not. This book can be easily understood and enjoyed with nothing more than a working knowledge of the original three films. If you are a fan of those wonderful movies this is the book you should be reading. It captures the magic of the films without beating you over the head with jargon heavy convoluted stories and unresolved plot threads that leave you hanging over the pit of Sarlacc.

This is just good solid writing and dynamic top-notch artwork. You can’t ask for more than that.

Posted in Dark Horse | Tagged d'anda, star wars, wood | Comments Off