I know I’ve gotten the Browncoats’ attention, and Warship Jolly Roger should have it, as well. Spinning a tale of redemYou can’t take the sky from me.
I know I’ve gotten the Browncoats’ attention, and Warship Jolly Roger should have it, as well. Spinning a tale of redemption and daring do, Sylvain Runberg has gathered the kind of core characters that can interest and fascinate anyone, while Miquel Montllo brings animation-caliber artwork to the game and gives it a beautiful and moving sense of life. Four convicts who owe nothing to each other must find a way to survive and even thrive while they deal with the fallout from their lives and their removal from it.
This is a crew that any fan of Firefly or Blake's 7 will thoroughly enjoy: a captain whose drive, focus, and gravitas help to continue on under the weight of his sins; a wild layabout whose flirtations with morality never get in the way of him getting what he wants or needs; a rebel with mommy issues for a cause that borders on the fanatical; and a mysterious young man with a power that goes beyond comprehension. All we’re missing is a guy in a fat suit for no purpose and a brilliant young doctor to guide the weird kid. There’s an incredible chemistry between them all, and I’m referring more to the severe exothermic kind, like when phosphorus meets oxygen. (Look it up, kiddos.) The outside forces are dire, but in the classic Star Trek fashion, it’s more about the crew’s handling of the situation more so than the situation itself driving the narrative.
This book is gorgeous. Every panel looks like a still from an animated movie, with incredible attention to detail providing an insanely immersive visual component to the story. Every character shows the time and care that was put into designing and motivating them, with incredible moments highlighting each in turn, whether for good or ill. The action is tense and exciting, and other than the fact that paint seems to drip “down” in zero-g, the world is consistent and well thought out with ship layouts that are all at once familiar and new and seem to take on a life of their own in majesty and power. There’s visual poetry happening here, and it’s really enjoyable to see.
This is the great kind of space adventure that will make you yearn for the black as much as any of the mega-franchises that we laud today. With a very human-driven story, there’s much more here than just blasters and fighter crafts; there’s intrigue and surprise to make the story become independent of the setting in the best way. The technology may be different, but we’re still fundamentally the same. Jump for the stars when this hits shelves. You won’t regret it....more
Dead Eyes was a criminal, a pretty damn successful one if the TV documentary playing over the opening pages is to be believed, but he disappeared in 1Dead Eyes was a criminal, a pretty damn successful one if the TV documentary playing over the opening pages is to be believed, but he disappeared in 1997. Speculation about his fate ranges from retirement with the millions he stole, to a murky death, the corpse never discovered. The truth is resolutely mundane: Martin Dobbs is a middle-aged man in a dead end service job caring for his wife Megan, who’s confined to a wheelchair. Gerry Duggan makes it clear from the start that physical restriction hasn’t impaired her mentally, and when Dead Eyes makes a brief comeback she knows. Circumstances dictate, though, that Dead Eyes has to pull another job, and his sudden reappearance awakens the interest of a very powerful man who’s not forgiven being robbed in the nineties.
Duggan and John McCrea show how criminal activity during someone’s twenties is a very different proposition from picking up the trade again after a twenty year absence. The senses are dulled, and the reactions are that bit slower. The story told over the opening chapter ensures we realize Martin’s a sympathetic character, but acquired criminal knowledge can only take him so far.
Despite being involved with several high profile series, McCrea’s versatility remains under-rated. He’s best known for slightly goofy, comedic pages, but even when working that style his storytelling and mood shines through. Here he’s taking a straightforward noir crime approach, heavy on the black ink even in daylight, and not overselling the comedy. There’s a fair amount of that despite Dead Eyes ostensibly being a realistic, although imaginative, crime story, noting that Duggan’s humour is a dry and bleak form of comedy, and he’s especially resentful about the American healthcare system.
Each of the four chapters in this opening volume tells a complete story within a larger tale, supplying some respect for readers who still prefer their individual comics. Anyone who enjoys a sharp crime drama with a few points to make along the way is going to love Dead Eyes....more
Thrice Marked for Death checked every box for me as a comics reader. Lifelong fans of Conan the Barbarian will eat this story up, and newcomers will eThrice Marked for Death checked every box for me as a comics reader. Lifelong fans of Conan the Barbarian will eat this story up, and newcomers will enjoy it, too. The writing, the art, and the colours were all fantastic. Sadly, the lettering did not grab me as much as it should have, but this is not a detriment, and hopefully, my review will showcase why. So grab a snack, sit back, and prepare for a wild adventure with Conan the Barbarian.
Jim Zub knocked it out of the ballpark with the writing for this volume. Having been a Conan fan for years, I went into this review with high expectations. Everything about this book was outstanding. Not having read Volume 1 could be seen as a hindrance. Thanks to Jim, I did not get lost, bogged down, or confused. He handles potential plot holes through careful narration and an engaging script. An outstanding job for Jim Zub all the way.
I’ve been a fan of Doug’s artwork since I was a kid. Anyone out there who is a Marvel fan should check out the Universe X and Paradise X comics. Doug understands the importance of providing readers with a rich visual landscape to enjoy, and this volume is no exception. The attention to detail is evident throughout the book. Any budding artists would do well to take notes when sitting down to enjoy Thrice Marked for Death, because Doug is one darn talented, artistic individual.
Diego did a dynamite job as the colourist—such a glorious and vibrant palette to bring the script and artwork to life. The choices of shading for the shadows and dark scenes were excellent, mainly when used in contrast to different aspects such as skin tone, clothing, or even outrageous ‘dream sequences’. Based on how much I enjoyed this SC, I will be checking out other work where Diego laid a keen colourists hand on things; count on it.
In past reviews, Richard Starkings’ contribution as a letterer has always been one of my favourites of the form. He has made a name for himself as one of the premier letters worldwide; the same goes for his Comicraft company. Unfortunately, this time, he falls short of the mark. I chalk this up because the lettering doesn’t add thrill or zest to the book this time. That is sad because it should have been epic, heroic, and thrilling, but instead, it was bland and left me feeling empty inside.
Conan is a character who continues to impact pop culture even decades after his creation by Robert E. Howard. Whether it is novels, movies, cartoons, or comic books, the world always wants more from this wild and legendary warrior. This latest instalment of the new comics from Jim Zub and company proves that whether it is the 1930's or the 2020's, fans will always welcome Conan with open arms. I encourage everyone to pick up Thrice Marked for Death and add it to your libraries....more
On the surface, the idea of a genie appearing before each and every one of the people currently alive on Earth and offering them one wish would be somOn the surface, the idea of a genie appearing before each and every one of the people currently alive on Earth and offering them one wish would be something miraculous and full of wondrous possibility.
Think of the things that could be righted – world hunger, climate hunger, war, pestilence and disease … the list goes on and on, and if the wishes were used wisely then what manner of perfect paradise would come into being?
But there’s the clincher in that last phrase – “used wisely”; have you seen the state of the world lately? Been on social media? Watched the type of people pushing for continued use of oil or voicing support for actual or incipient dictators? Seen what passes for discourse in certain toxic quarters of fandom?
The creators of Eight Billion Genies, Charles Soule and Ryan Browne have, and they know that what would result is not the hoped-for paradise but an Alice in Wonderland-meets-your very worst nightmare of wishes used in the most impetuous and darkly mischievous and often quite cruel ways.
Turns out, and no surprise news headline here, that left to their own devices, that humanity would wish for very dumb sh*t, and while some calmer, more thoughtful hearts and minds would use their wishes selflessly and with an eye to the betterment of those beyond themselves, a great many others would not, and you’d be left with a world in absolute, death-spiralling chaos.
Except for one small bar, The Lampwick Bar and Grill in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, where the owner ———- SPOILER AHEAD !!!!! ———- would near instantly wish that any wishes made inside or outside the bar would have no effect on the bar itself or those inside it.
Smart thinking, and quite miraculously selfless, and while the world goes quite literally to hell in a T-Rex carried, vampiric basket, that one bar becomes a bastion of safety, security and family, and eventually, where everyone comes to a quite surprisingly magical but deeply human conclusion.
It’s well nigh impossible to say much more without giving away the whole imaginatively superlative plot but suffice to say that Eight Billion Genies is one of the best, most creative and socially conscious but fun stories to come down the pike in quite some time.
Granted, this bundle of eight clever stories and perfectly in-sync artwork has been around for a couple of years now since its release in 2022, and was doubtless conceived before the full effects of the COVID pandemic were fully appreciated, but if you ever wanted a thoughtful projection of what might happen at the end of the world if humanity were its chief, not so much architect because that lies rather cleverly with the genies who are gods of a sort, plunger of the knife, then Eight Billion Genies is most certainly it.
It is alarming and thrillingly tension-filled, and witty and clever and fun, all while masterfully postulating what the gift of one world-changing wish would do to a fractious people who have proved themselves eminently able of screwing things up without the aid of some playfully-doled out magicality.
Put simply, you will fly through Eight Billion Genies because it has the lot – arresting, emotionally honest and fully-formed characters, power politics and the worst and best part of human nature, a story that goes way out there and actually delivers in absolute spades and the artwork to bring it vivaciously to life which actually ends up being every bit as perilous construct as you might imagine.
Each issue comes with a countdown clock of the number of people left alive, and genies left attending them, and this fast-dropping set of figures, possibly more than anything else in this wild ride of a graphic novel, illustrates just how much of a danger we are to ourselves and how much damage we can do to the human collective in a very short period of time.
Forget giving everyone a vote, a scarily democratic knife hovering over the body human; what we should fear most is what might happen if everyone could manifest their deepest, darkest, most twisted or laudable longings (far more of the former than the latter, alas) and all the architects, the genies, of this mayhem would do, is comment sagely on what’s going on.
It is riotously, astoundingly good, with Browne’s artwork, which brings the new world and the genies who expressively watch it come to pass to life, wildly, colourfully and evocatively alive, and Soule’s nuanced but out-there writing working in perfect damningly funny lockstep.
Eight Billion Genies is a hugely entertaining but incredibly unnerving thrill ride that reminds me we are but eight billion dumb decisions away from the end of the world, and all it would take is someone giving people the means for superpower-wielding, sentient freeway, fiery gigantism to result....more
Greg Rucka has spoiled me on both graphic novels and spy fiction generally with Queen and Country. Simply put, when I read this book, I lose interest Greg Rucka has spoiled me on both graphic novels and spy fiction generally with Queen and Country. Simply put, when I read this book, I lose interest in every other aspect of the genre and just want to immerse myself in the gritty, real world that he has created. I do not want the experience to ever end.
Having worked in conflict zones and in Eastern Europe for many years, I recognize both the pragmatism of Paul Crocker and yet admire his wicked sense of duty and loyalty. It is quietly and maddeningly inspiring. I marvel at Tara Chase. Her psychological make up, her cool demeanour, her quick intelligence and street smarts, even when operating in the new Russia. St. Petersburg is not an easy town and Rucka shows that here. A fabulous story, well plotted, well drawn, fabulously realized. Greg, please keep turning out this quality book, and I will remain a loyal customer for life.
Greg Rucka is the Le Carre of the comics world....more
In High Society, Dave Sim pulled off the ambitious task of writing an actual graphic novel, one concerned with politics and the abuse of power and at In High Society, Dave Sim pulled off the ambitious task of writing an actual graphic novel, one concerned with politics and the abuse of power and at a length almost unknown when he began serializing the story in 1980. With Church and State he attempted something even more ambitious as he examined religion. The story is so mammoth, running to 1,220 pages, that it required two volumes to gather it.
With Cerebus the aardvark having become Prime Minister of Iest in High Society, he suffers the same fate again. This time, wiser and more cynical, he is most reluctant, and has to be forced into accepting the post by the manipulative President Weisshaupt. Before you know it, the Machiavellian machinations are coming thick and fast, and the book moves into religious territory, when, in an attempt to undermine Weisshaupt, his enemies nominate Cerebus as Pope. Unfortunately, this sets Cerebus off on one, and he demands that everyone gives him all their gold or perish as a divine consequence. Then hints occur that his prophecy could be self-fulfilling. And that’s when things start to get really strange.
However, it’s not all political intrigue and metaphysical weirdness, Sim also excels at comedy, whether it’s Marx Brothers-style satire or the broader parody of Wolveroach. This prompted a ‘cease and desist’ order from Marvel, something that earlier parodies – of Moon Knight and Captain America – hadn’t.
In one of the many great scenes Cerebus exhorts the masses to give him all their gold, and to illustrate the point that you can get what you want and still not be happy, he blesses someone’s child and then tosses it into the distance like an American football. This upset some readers. So Cerebus later kicks a crippled old man off a roof. The lesson: one less mouth to feed is one less mouth to feed. Many of these scenes provide some of the finest comedy in the book, with Cerebus showing what an imaginative, vindictive and greedy little bastard he can be.
This volume ends on a literal cliffhanger, with Cerebus, much like the aforementioned baby, being tossed into the air by Thrunk, a giant orange rock-monster (sound familiar?) that Cerebus had encountered back in the early Conan-parody days. This was to be a recurring theme in Cerebus, with characters who’d appear to be mere throwaways returning to become important elements in Cerebus’s life. Nowhere is this more true than with Jaka, the aardvark’s one true love. She abruptly reappears and Cerebus is ready to drop everything and go with her, but, as is so often the case, it’s not quite that simple. That moves us onto another topic, unrequited love, which is among the themes explored in detail in the next novel: Jaka’s Story.
Gerhard, who, like Prince or Madonna, apparently only has one name, came on board during this book to assist Sim with backgrounds, tints and the like. After some experimentation he settled on a distinctive style that would be an invaluable contribution, and some of his artwork is superb. By this stage Sim was an accomplished artist and writer, as adept at comedy as drama, constantly pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable in comics, both in form and content.
If nothing else, this may be the biggest book in comics, in terms of sheer size. It is often challenging, and makes no attempt to wrap things up neatly. For that, you’ll have to read the conclusion: Church and State 2....more
When the first issue of Void Rivals, the latest comic from Oblivion Song creators Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, was published, it dropped a maWhen the first issue of Void Rivals, the latest comic from Oblivion Song creators Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, was published, it dropped a major bombshell with the appearance of a certain Transformer. This was to announce the series as part of Skybound Entertainment’s Energon Universe, which combines new comics based on Hasbro brands Transformers and G.I. Joe, both properties were previously published by IDW. Considering there were plans for a Hasbro cinematic universe at Paramount Pictures, who eventually cancelled such plans, will Kirkman succeed with his comic book empire?
The first volume of Void Rivals certainly isn’t hiding itself as being part of the Energon Universe, as seen on both the front and back covers. War rages around the Sacred Ring, where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war. However, when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet, these two enemies must find a way to escape together.
Whilst the story itself focuses on these two original characters, each representing the opposing side of an intergalactic war, it is not far off from another Image title, Saga. This may lack the shock value of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ comic, or even Kirkman’s more popular works like The Walking Dead, but there are some interesting ideas going on.
As Darak the Agorrian and Solila the Zertonian find themselves in a Hell in the Pacific scenario but in space – with the addition of Darak’s Handroid, serving as the humorous third wheel – it’s only when they unmasked in front of each other that they are revealed to have the same racial features. Despite a weird reference to the Marvel character, the Vision, this opens the door for an uneasy alliance between Darak and Solila, who delve into the conspiracy behind their war, whilst going through their own personal issues.
Regarding its role in this shared universe, Kirkman may have shot himself in the foot with the inclusion of the Transformers. Whilst you have the main narrative going on, there is a funny subplot involving a Skuxxoid – an alien species introduced in the original Transformers cartoon – trying to sell a Quintesson, just to support himself and his family. With the numerous Easter Eggs throughout, such as the cameos of Jetfire and Shockwave, it makes you more excited about what Daniel Warren Johnson has planned for his current Transformers comic.
While the few characters from the Transformers lore are greatly represented, resembling their G1 incarnations, artist Lorenzo De Felici’s priority is to showcase a whole new alien world. Starting with the two leads themselves, even in their initial robotic armoured appearances, the art conveys so much expression, including the Handroid that has a mind of its own. Along with Matheus Lopes’ subdued colouring, the art nicely evokes that Star Wars sensibility of a used space future, even with the presence of giant robots.
Void Rivals has a compelling enough main narrative, but the expansion of the Energon Universe is a more enticing prospect with the various titles being published now....more
“Operation: Dandelion” (illustrated by Mike Hawthorne) is much more deep in internal politics. C, the head of SIS, is being replaced. The most likely “Operation: Dandelion” (illustrated by Mike Hawthorne) is much more deep in internal politics. C, the head of SIS, is being replaced. The most likely prospect has a personal grudge against Paul Crocker since Prague and a couple of other operations that they blame each other for the failure of. A government minister offers Paul support if his agency will produce a plan to allow a rebel to take control of Zimbabwe. Crocker realizes he needs to get more information on the rebel before making the plan, and the man is conveniently in London, so he sends Tara Chace to do the femme fatale thing.
However, Crocker’s team isn’t supposed to operate domestically, and “Box”, the division that is, is also investigating the man. They don’t appreciate the intrusion.
In a subplot, there’s another opening for Minder Three, and a surprise candidate is found. He’s SAS, but has been outed as gay, which caused a fellow soldier to engage in “friendly fire.” Rather than lose his skills, couldn’t he do intelligence?
This is tense, gritty stuff. There’s a lot of “shades of grey” as both our agents and their opponents do morally repugnant things in the service of their country or their personal goals. Some of the characters let personal ambition or grudges guide their actions more than seems wise. There’s little compunction about manipulating others to get desired results, and less regret if it goes wrong. Hawthorne's art is the best the series has seen so far and it enhances the impact of the story. Highly recommended. ...more
Originally published in 1983/1984 by Pacific Comics, these six issues adapting the first Elric novel (Elric of Melniboné) have been enhanced and re-edOriginally published in 1983/1984 by Pacific Comics, these six issues adapting the first Elric novel (Elric of Melniboné) have been enhanced and re-edited for this new hardcover collection. It is a testament to the strength of the original material that the 40 years since this adaptation hasn’t seen an effect on the story – it is more about the execution of the adaptation and what it says about the time in which it was created.
These comics stick closely to the novel, which sees emperor Elric of Melniboné betrayed by his crazy cousin Yyrkoon and Elric’s quest to save his beloved Cymoril from Yyrkoon, and does a grand job of evoking the spirit of the novel in both narration and art. Roy Thomas was the man who brought sword and sorcery to Marvel comics with his run on Conan the Barbarian, so he was a natural choice to adapt the book. His style matches Moorcock’s prose and dialogue, of which there were naturally more in comic books from 40 years ago, but it doesn’t affect the storytelling and seems apposite to the genre.
The most intriguing aspect, appropriately, is the art. The art is by Gilbert and Russell, but the collaboration is a fluid one – the first three issue credits have pencils and colours by Gilbert, and layouts, inks and colours by Russell, but the order is swapped around; the last three issues have ‘art & colours’ by both but with the order swapping each issue. There are some pages that feel more Russell than Gilbert – particularly the last third of the first issue, with the full page being used to tell the story with few other panels and art nouveau touches to the panel design – but it is difficult to see where one artist ends and the other begins.
I’m more used to Russell’s art from his many collaborations with Neil Gaiman, and less used to Gilbert’s, whose Mr Monster stories are the only work that I’ve read; however, his style here is very different to what I remember of the Mr Monster stories. The fusion between the two produces a style that echoes what I consider an art style of the 1970s – elaborate, ornate, Gothic, arch – and very different from the style common in superhero books from that time. There are times where the characters are grotesque, such as Yyrkoon and Dr. Jest the torturer, with strange close-up panels and the violence of the battle scenes.
Then, there are times where art takes on an artistic beauty, large panels beautifully drawn to illustrate a small moment in time, or where the detail is in the composition and framing. The colours can veer into the slightly garish at times – strange pinks and yellows and greens that seem harsh on the eye, so much so that the limited drab palette of the chapter set in the plane of dimension that contains the city of Ameeron is something of a relief (although Rackhir the Red Archer’s costume stands out somewhat).
As a fan of Chris Claremont’s original run on The Uncanny X-Men, I was delighted to see in these comic books the lettering of Orzechowski – his ability to squeeze in many balloons of dialogue and narration into beautiful artwork, honed by years of working with the notoriously verbose Claremont, is put to good use here and helps to make the book an enjoyable read. The art of lettering is a little different nowadays, with computer fonts and the ability to change things more easily, so it’s a joy to see a gifted professional working in the old-fashioned style doing a marvellous job of making the lettering an unobtrusive part of the artwork.
This collection is an interesting artifact of a different time – Pacific Comics was one of the first publishers to back creator-owned work, although liquidation of the company would occur later in 1984 after the final original issue of Elric Of Melniboné was published, and this adaptation can be seen as part of the early wave of independent comic books that didn’t have to adhere to the Comics Code Authority (there is some nudity and the aforementioned battles are quite bloody) and which would pave the way for books in the mid-1980s that turned the industry around. If you’re a fan of Moorcock, Elric or the art of Russell and Gilbert, this is a book that you’ll want as part of your collection; for others, it’s an intriguing curio and cultural document....more
"Operation Storm Front" is the fifth volume of Greg Rucka's "Queen And Country" series, reprinting issues #16-20 of this increasingly dense, gripping "Operation Storm Front" is the fifth volume of Greg Rucka's "Queen And Country" series, reprinting issues #16-20 of this increasingly dense, gripping spy-thriller saga. This is the best story line to date, a tense, grippingly violent story that revolves around a kidnapping in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. British secret agent Tara Chase is sent in to settle old scores, but finds herself (and her new partner) overwhelmed by the ruthlessness of the locals. The real action, though, is back home, behind the scenes, as we delve into the office politics of the spook house Chase works in... Things are really heating up for Tara's beleaguered boss: will she be in for a promotion, soon? I'm sure future volumes will tell!...more
Father Wilfred has been reassigned to a new parish after issues with drinking. His new home will be the rural town of Gideon Falls, where their last pFather Wilfred has been reassigned to a new parish after issues with drinking. His new home will be the rural town of Gideon Falls, where their last priest went missing and is presumed dead. His first night in the priest’s quarters of the church leads to an encounter with the absent father and the corpse of Mrs. Tremblay; the church secretary/housekeeper found bled out in a cornfield. Wilfred swears he saw a black barn in that field, but the police find no traces of it and suspect Wilfred was involved in the murder. Meanwhile, in a city far away a paranoid schizophrenic man named Norton scours the back alleys and dumpsters for fragments of charred wood and rusted nails. Norton believes the city is revealing a larger cosmic truth to him, that all of these pieces when assembled will make a construct that answers questions he has repressed. The stories of these two men living great distances from each other slowly become entangled and promise to lead to genuinely dark places.
Writer Jeff Lemire details the origins of Gideon Falls in the first issue’s coda. During Lemire’s college years he explored an interest in film, during this time he developed the character of Norton Sinclair, being inspired by the filthiness of Toronto. The short movie Lemire made featured the same setup, Norton scavenging through trash and dissecting what he finds in his apartment. That short ends with the protagonist finding an alien life form which Lemire admits was “silly” but states it was “probably the first steps of me figuring out my voice as a storyteller.”
Father Fred came up as the central figure of a graphic novel Lemire worked on in his last year of film school. This was just Fred, an old factory worker who was plagued by demons. This was also where Lemire tried to integrate Norton into a parallel narrative. While this attempt didn’t pan out, Lemire kept the story elements on the back burner while penning Sweet Tooth for Vertigo and writing a ton of things for DC and Marvel. After working with artist Andrea Sorrentino on Old Man Logan for Marvel, Lemire came back to this concept, and the two of them hashed out the details. Lemire states that he and Sorrentino have the entire story planned out down to the number of issues it will take to hit every plot beat. Gideon Falls is being developed for television already by the same studio behind Netflix’s The Witcher, Syfy’s The Expanse, and the upcoming Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film.
There is a strong vein of Twin Peaks running through Gideon Falls and Lemire isn’t shy about acknowledging the influence. The Black Barn, whose contents we see for the first time in the conclusion of this opening arc, is very much inspired by Twin Peaks’ Black Lodge. The Barn is an inconstant point in space and time that needs the right cosmic conditions to make an appearance; certain people and events need to be aligned to make that happen. Beyond that, Gideon Falls is a small town with a dark history borne out of the Black Barn. We learn about a secret society that’s been in operation for decades that devotes itself to the investigation and suppression of the dark forces that plague Gideon Falls.
Lemire cleverly holds back the topic of most discussion in the comic for the end. Instead, he spends his time building the mythos and letting us get to understand the characters. Like any good piece of horror media, there is an effort to create an emotional connection with the audience and to communicate the stakes before escalating things. We delve deep with Norton and his ongoing issues with mental health, learning about his regular visits to a therapist and how even she is reluctantly on the fence about his delusions. What makes that even more poignant is that Norton never disagrees that he is mentally ill and his compulsions are habituated so that he doesn’t contemplate them. They have become part of his daily instinct. I’d say Norton is a more engaging character than Father Fred at this point. Fred has spent most of the series being introduced to citizens in the town and learning fragments of the mythos. We do get character beats with the priest, but they aren’t as grounded and explored as Norton’s portion of the story.
The Black Barn is a fantastic opener that promises to develop into something great. Lemire makes the story feel like it has weight and consequence, there’s momentum developing and it causes me to want to keep reading to see how these fragments come together to make a whole. The horror is done in nuanced touches, and Lemire saves the most profound bits for the last couple of chapters. When you have a creation like the Black Barn is it easy to create in story hype around it, then fail to deliver on the expectations of readers. Artist Andrea Sorrentino meets us where we are and presents something not wholly incomprehensible but with enough familiar threads that we want to go back and learn the roots of this evil. ...more
Although the second book in the series, after Cerebus, High Society was the first Cerebus book to be collected in the format that would become known aAlthough the second book in the series, after Cerebus, High Society was the first Cerebus book to be collected in the format that would become known as ‘phonebooks’ on account of their size.
Cerebus began as a Conan parody, but this was something far more ambitious – an honest to goodness graphic novel. With this approach in mind, Sim largely eschewed the normal episodic pacing of comics in favour of a narrative that would make more sense when read in its entirety. Realising this, many Cerebus readers stopped buying the comic and just waited for the collections. This became known as ‘the Cerebus effect’, and the ramifications of it are still felt in the industry today.
By this stage in his career Sim was a confident and accomplished artist whose style had developed organically from a Barry Windsor-Smith wannabe. He retained much of Windsor-Smith’s love of the ornate, but his art had become very much its own thing. His writing had progressed even further, and High Society is a complex, mature work with important things to say about the nature of power, while often being very, very funny into the bargain.
The plot is labyrinthine and resists precis, but when Cerebus turns up at the Regency Hotel in the city-state of Iest he’s warmly welcomed by everyone because of his past associations with Lord Julius of Palnu, another city-state to which Iest owes a great deal of money. Cerebus was his Lord Julius’s Kitchen Staff Supervisor – Julius likes to keep everyone on their toes by making sure no one has the faintest idea of who does what. Before long, Cerebus is embroiled in Julius’s complicated political machinations, running for Prime Minister against Lord Julius’s goat and trying to wage wars on neighbouring countries.
Much of the book’s plot is driven by the attempts of various characters to control and manipulate Cerebus. The main culprit is Lord Julius, who often seems to be working against himself, but also includes Astoria, Cerebus’s political advisor (and Julius’s ‘niece’) and assorted political and religious factions. However, Cerebus (who only ever refers to himself in the third person) proves himself to be not only cunning – something we had seen glimpses of previously, even in the early Conan pastiches – but also surprisingly knowledgeable in the ways of both magicians and politicians.
This book is a great starting point for anyone wanting to sample one of the most important comics in the history of the medium, self-published or otherwise. The first book, though relatively unpolished, is also worth a read, introducing many of the characters that would appear in this and later volumes over the course of 25 years, but any later books would be nigh impossible to follow without being aware of what has gone before.
And Cerebus? After Prime Minister, there was only thing left to do, become Pope, which he sets out to do in the next book: Church and State....more
Looking at a story drawn in black and white similar to the style of 1970s and 1980s British weekly comics is a somewhat surreal experience, not quite Looking at a story drawn in black and white similar to the style of 1970s and 1980s British weekly comics is a somewhat surreal experience, not quite the expectation in an era where most artists were already starting to make full use of technological advances. It does not exactly inspire confidence. Fortunately Greg Rucka’s Operation Blackwall exceeds expectations.
Billionaire Sir Colin Beck is about to buy a French telecom company when a rival businessman reveals intimate footage of his daughter Rachel and her new French boyfriend, threatening to release it if Beck does not back down from the purchase. As Sir Colin brings in an obscene amount of revenue for Her Majesty’s Government, it is in their best interests to help him solve the problem, even if some of the elite consider him a working class oik who has progressed above his station. The Minders, the colloquial term for the Special Operations Service of MI6, are sent in to address the situation partly because operative Tara Chace has a connection to Rachel Beck as an old roommate from university, perfect for getting involved without raising too much suspicion. Rachel isn’t the only one with tricky relationship issues, Tara struggling with the desire to proceed up the company ladder and a fear of eternal loneliness, her love life interfering to make this assignment more personal than it should be.
If you’ve fancied a spy thriller but never seem to make it past the first few pages, then Operation Blackwall might pique your interest. It is exceptionally well written, Rucka’s slow burning plot focusing more on human dilemmas than loud over the top action. Political machinations, bureaucracy and emotional power-plays mix with the everyday drama of disappointments and broken hearts to create a story that never relies on action or gadgets to sell it. It’s solid storytelling accentuated by Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork, revealing a gift for enhancing moods and tension through his use of shading techniques. The characters and settings are well detailed, creating a sense of murky realism even when the detail (especially in night-time sequences) becomes more difficult to make out. It is heavy on atmosphere, the frustration caused by red-tape recognizable.
The opening pages contain adult material and a little French dialogue without translation – the language confusing, but without hampering the matters, and holding out for a few pages will reward you later....more
The alternative mid-17th century Britain presented by Pat Mills and Leigh Gallagher has a zombie infestation. It’s an era of superstition where religiThe alternative mid-17th century Britain presented by Pat Mills and Leigh Gallagher has a zombie infestation. It’s an era of superstition where religious leaders are not to be crossed. Luckily there are men and women brave enough to use the still primitive technology, although advanced for the era, and set about the zombies. Titus Defoe is the most prominent and others are noted on the sample art. It’s just as well because a new breed of more intelligent walking dead have emerged, and the Diabolonians are even more dangerous.
Defoe’s fellow hunters were introduced in 1666, and the opening slaughter reinforces them all, along with their relationship to known historical people. Mrs Hopkins, for instance, is the widow of notorious witch hunter Matthew Hopkins. However, Mills’ use of history goes further this time, the grievances of the Restoration era playing into the motivations of the hunter Tomazine who’s Irish and wants revenge for Oliver Cromwell’s massacres. Mills also establishes secrets among the hunters, the emergence of which causes tension later.
We can all be grateful for Mills having a sordid imagination from which assorted horrors spring forth, zombie babies the least of them, and Gallagher draws it all phenomenally well with a great eye for dynamism. Just as there’s a density to Mills’ plot, there’s a density to Gallagher’s art, supplemented by a tremendous work ethic and a need to see every panel filled with no shortcuts taken with the viewpoints being moved in too close. There’s detail on the costumes and the machinery, while his dark inking is reminiscent of Bryan Talbot’s days on Nemesis the Warlock, another Mills exploration of religious atrocity. Here he slips in what might seem inappropriate lines about beating children, yet that’s a belief that survived well into the 20th century.
In some ways Defoe is predictable. As soon as Mills introduces automata at a society party every reader surely knows they’ll malfunction and become a threat, but anticipating that is part of the joy, and it’s not as if Mills is lacking in originality overall. A second story offers new forms of flying zombie, an angel trapped mid-transformation and twisted Biblical prophecies for the same type of brutal action with sardonic overtones.
Sadly, despite the inventive and intelligent mix of history and horror, the Defoe collections haven't proved bestsellers and four further long Defoe stories have never been collected. ...more
An old scabbard is found on an archaeological dig in Cornwall shortly before the man responsible for the find is shot and killed. Hearing the news, inAn old scabbard is found on an archaeological dig in Cornwall shortly before the man responsible for the find is shot and killed. Hearing the news, independent senior citizen Bridgette McGuire takes off from her nursing home, prompting her athletic if dorky grandson Duncan to cancel a dinner date in order to come find her. The last thing Duncan expects is to find his gran digging up a small arsenal of weapons, right before a mythological creature attacks! Gran seems to be coolly taking everything in stride, to the utmost consternation of poor Duncan, whom she’s raised not to believe in monsters or fairy tales. Now both such things are appearing before his very eyes, and he’s not sure how to handle any of it.
Gran, however, believes that violence is almost always the answer, and has him take her to Glastonbury, where she wants to intercept the people responsible for the theft before they can set in motion their wild plan to resurrect King Arthur. She knows that the prophecy of him returning in Britain’s darkest hour is double-edged: while it might mean he could come back to save them, it can also mean that his return will herald the worst era the isles have ever known. But Gran will need allies in her quest, and might not even be able to rely on Duncan once he learns the truth about who she really is.
Y’all this was so great! It totally satisfied the part of me that enjoys a good retelling, as well as the part of me that enjoys Arthurian legend, as well as the part of me that just loves reading excellent comic books! Kieron Gillen is my current favourite comics writer for a reason! He’s always so good at pacing and plot and dialog: I actually shouted in surprise at one reveal (and chortled at the historical inevitability of Arthur’s disdain for some of his first supplicants.) I loved how Mr Gillen worked with Dan Mora to make sure that every single panel made sense, or perhaps needed only a brief second glimpse to tell who was doing what and why. The expressiveness of Mr Mora’s characters was especially inspired. And wow, there’s a reason Tamra Bonvillain is credited above the line on this title. Her colours are integral to the storytelling here, and do an excellent job of conveying that slipstream feeling of travelling between one reality to the next....more
A zombie plague in 1668 has a regulator: Titus Defoe, a brute of a man able to do what needs to be done, armed with contraptions designed by Sir IsaacA zombie plague in 1668 has a regulator: Titus Defoe, a brute of a man able to do what needs to be done, armed with contraptions designed by Sir Isaac Newton, such as bellows belching fire, and a six-barrelled gun. He’s showcased over the opening chapter going about his business before Pat Mills skips back a decade to explain Defoe’s background and beliefs amid more mayhem. There are hints that Angels provided the means to fight back against zombies.
Mills is exaggerating the 17th century, but much of what he feeds into Defoe was revealed by research, and it’s fantastic stuff, unknown to most, sliding in smoothly alongside the era’s celebrities and genuine methods of employment to present a convincingly modified world. Before his zombie-slaughtering days, for instance, Defoe carried the wealthy and corpulent around in sedan chairs.
Leigh Gallagher brings the festering mayhem to stunning life, thrilling with the action, impressing with the designs, and packing the panels with detail above and beyond the call of duty. Any page shows the effort Gallagher puts into the horrors and their surroundings, and his people are personalities. Defoe himself is simply designed, almost as if a Steve Dillon character, but others are skin-crawling in their presentation, and Gallagher’s work on the technology ahead of its time is every bit as creative, with a stunning 17th century variation on the 1990s Batmobile a highlight.
Alongside the zombie-killing Mills sets up an interesting political background, with plenty feeling themselves able to speak for god, and knows well enough that the slaughter also requires some relief, so has Defoe accompanied by a reporter. At times Mills peppers the dialogue with too many period references, but importantly these may puzzle people momentarily, but don’t interrupt the action. Look some of them up for a glimpse into Britain’s appalling past. Some of it you couldn’t make up, Mills highlighting the powers accorded dung gatherers in his introduction. It’s gleefully presented, but Mills prioritizes the action, never tipping over into farce.
Defoe’s introduction occupies the first third of 1666, and is a phenomenal piece of world building. For the second outing Mills and Gallagher expand the zombie-hunting world, but there’s a greater connections with Mills’ other 2000AD features. The introduction of distinctive zombie-slaughtering colleagues for Defoe, results in a sort of Restoration Meknificent Seven. Among them is Mungo Gallowgrass, diarist and a form of disgusting Ukko to Defoe’s Slaine, and it wouldn’t be Mills without exploration of the twisted priorities of the entitled classes. The second story is interesting for having the action front-ended, preceding considerable political manoeuvring, all of it interesting, and setting up Queen of the Zombies.
If you’re looking for exceptionally drawn period-based mayhem with a solid political foundation shot through with humour, Defoe is it. There’s a lot going on, and it’s puzzling that only two collections have been issued of a feature that’s been serialized well beyond them....more
Legendary Comics has produced this faithful graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. It follows the book very closely, and it is probabLegendary Comics has produced this faithful graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. It follows the book very closely, and it is probably the most faithful comic version of the story yet published. For the purposes of this version, they chose to use Boris Karloff's face for the creature. It is an effective choice that enhances the impact of the story.
Kerry Gammill and El Garing's art is fantastic. It is very detailed and captures the atmosphere of the novel very well. Some artists take short cuts and do not draw backgrounds. That is not the case here. Each panel has a lot of background detailing.
The back matter includes design drawings, which show the evolution of the creature, as well as an interview with Boris Karloff's daughter, and an essay by culture Critic Christopher Grayling.
This is an easy recommendation for anyone with an interest in horror comics or Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. ...more
Greg Rucka's Queen & Country is the best comic book series of the 21st century. Gritty and realistic in tone, this series has never failed to disappoiGreg Rucka's Queen & Country is the best comic book series of the 21st century. Gritty and realistic in tone, this series has never failed to disappoint with its smart politics, on-the-dot characterizations of both life in Government and in the field, and the daily lives of its cast. Rucka is great at crafting dialogue that is explanatory, yet not patronizing when it comes to world affairs and the inter-personal back and forth isn't bad either.
This volume of the Definitive Edition represents the rather sad end with which the first series culminated. Tara Chace's career reaches several turning points as she grapples, at varying times, with the deaths of three of her fellow minders, the callousness international politics, and her own limits as an operative. Given that this volume ties directly in to the events within the first Queen & Country novel (A Gentleman's Game) some key points could be missed by some readers, particularly those who have not comprehensively followed the series. Mr. Rucka's many other projects obviously did not allow him to bring this series to a smooth conclusion and the last few issues are of emblematic of that fact. Regardless, the stories on their own merits hold up to scrutiny and leave the reader wanting for more.
I simply cannot wait for another Queen & Country novel or graphic series to begin anew. These characters remain real, engaging and surprisingly endearing. In terms of comics that seek to engage the reader in an adventurous plot line, within a real world setting devoid of men in tights, this tome and the series it chronicles is peerless....more
Night Fever is a rapid descent into the abyss of our souls, and an often unsavoury look at the dissatisfaction and capacity for violence that animatesNight Fever is a rapid descent into the abyss of our souls, and an often unsavoury look at the dissatisfaction and capacity for violence that animates human nature. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have left their mark on the comics industry by producing complex studies of crime and the moral ambiguity that drives us to it, but Night Fever feels especially dark, and especially nihilistic. We’re taken on a journey that starts bleak and never relents as we watch Jonathan Webb navigate a paranoid thriller in the heart of European nightlife.
The first notable difference in this work compared to other Brubaker/Phillips comics is that the entire story is set in 1970's Europe. Rather than capturing the grit of American west coast crime, we’re treated to a depiction of a European city that feels mysterious, almost haunted by history and debauchery we’ve barely scratched the surface of. Sean Phillips renders this world in rich detail, with careful attention paid to architectural landmarks and the narrow corridors created by imperfectly huddled together buildings.
An immediate contrast develops between this old world architecture and the grid based system of American cities. Destroy All Monsters, for example, is especially aware of how California travel operates, and how the layout of roads and cities may have direct narrative impact. Night Fever is far more ambiguous, with Phillips intentionally disorienting us by following curvy trails, and dropping us in locations with little to no geographic context. This adds to the paranoia at the heart of the story, and is enhanced by the use of night and day.
The reader is made aware that we are operating in the inverse realms of light and darkness. The scenes during the day are largely in crowded rooms, with the typical professionals one expects on a business trip. But during the night we’re out in the open, we’re following Jonathan down staircases and moving past dark alleyways. The people are masked, hidden or isolated. The distinction between how we choose to present ourselves during the day and the darkness we let loose in the night is painted very clearly and we’re left to wonder who we really are when we fail to reconcile these opposing impulses.
Jacob Phillips is crucial here, as his colouring perfectly captures a 1970's neo-noir aesthetic. During the night, the city is shown in dark blue and purple pastels, with glows of yellow providing the soft edge around the otherwise dark colours. The balance struck here evokes the contradiction at the heart of the story by creating a battle between the light and dark tones that Jonathan reveals to us throughout his misadventure.
This aesthetic also harkens back to Brubaker’s work with Nicolas Winding Refn on the Amazon series, Too Old to Die Young. While the opposing style of Brubaker’s writing which is designed to be short and pointed, conflicted with the long takes, and slow methodical pace of Refn’s directing, the visuals always seemed like a match made in heavy. Refn’s work in that series, and his other projects like Drive with Ryan Gosling, use similar colours to what Jacob Phillips employs here allowing for the best of both worlds in terms of neo-noir that suits a sharp, pulpy script.
Night Fever is ultimately a story about how harboured resentment cultivates an inner darkness that makes our life into a prison. That resentment stems from the inability to accept that regardless of what you have, you will always have a drive to get something else. Everything you’ve built for yourself is nothing but settling for less, you’re trapped by your own doing and everything you reach out for in an attempt to break that prison is merely paving the way to another cage. Jonathan Webb guides us down his midlife introspection, where we wonder about all the paths that we have not travelled and all the opportunities we deferred for later that are now gone forever. Webb’s life is resentful but not malicious, per se. Rather it’s an all too human resentment over the trappings of our routine and the choke hold of how basic survival prevents us from ever feeling like we’re truly alive.
Like Brubaker/Phillips’ other recent work, such as Reckless, Cruel Summer, and Pulp, this is ultimately a story about death. Not in the sense that the character is already at the end of their life, but rather that they have found themselves cut off from the future, and every action they take is in response to a feeling of they are no longer satisfied living the life they’ve found themselves in. At some point, the choices we made in the past feel alien to us, that we’ve been set upon an inevitable path that we no longer understand. Some may choose to accept their lot, but everyone harbours a longing in them created by potentiality, by “what ifs” that they have no hope of changing now. Whether we let that consume us, or whether we have any choice in the matter is left for us to ponder as this story has no easy answers, it simply posits the question and forces us to grapple with what we regret, and what we decide to do about it.
Night Fever is a bitter pill to swallow. Surely not all of us are miserable in our lives, surely not all of us are regretful of how we got here, surely this is all just projection and regular people don’t have any of these dark tendencies, right? Does resentment build merely from regret? Or is it also created by denial? Are we just as bad off if we don’t find time to reflect on our resentment? Must we admit it exists and can we ever climb back out of the abyss once we see it?
Everytime Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips release a new project, it’s difficult not to herald it as their best yet. This is a team that out does themselves so regularly that it’s no wonder they’ve developed a loyal base that will follow them anywhere, even if we aren’t always sold at first. The idea of doing five original graphic novels with the Reckless series was a risk that paid off, and had they just done that for the rest of their lives I would have been completely content. Taking a break after five books and doing something radically different is also a risk but yet again, it’s one that paid off and there continues to be no reason to doubt this team. If you adored Reckless as much as I did, then pick up Night Fever because it continues to give us everything we’ve come to expect in a Brubaker/Phillips book, while simultaneously pushing them into unique territory that leaves a chill down your spine like never before....more
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