[Trade Winds] Help Is On The Way

Posted by Graig on September 26, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Though comic book makers are slowly embracing the internet as a different storytelling avenue, it’s the comic strip creators who have really triumphed in exploiting the world wide web for creative satisfaction. The conventional newspaper comic strip world is even more difficult to break into than the comic book industry, with the newsprint medium waning as people turn to the internet and television for information, traditional comic strips no longer reach the audience (children or adults) like they once did. As such, syndication agents controlling who will and won’t succeed demand an almost generic quality that appeals to the broadest audience possible, altogether making the likelihood of achieving any sort of For Better Or Worseor Ziggy-like (nevermind Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes) popularity almost nil. If you actually have something to say or are trying to appeal to a specific audience, you didn’t have much of a chance to do so until the internet came along. Now, the creators of strips Penny Arcade or The Perry Bible Fellowship or The Rack or even our own Adam Prosser’s many creative endeavors can be made in a format of their choosing, on a schedule of their own design and for a potentially limitless international audience.

If you take even a lazy look around, you’ll find there’s certainly a lot to consume, all at varying levels of quality, but it’s also almost all at no cost, which is the bargain of the century, I’d say. However not all of us can make the daily or weekly, or even sporadic commitment to checking in on favored web-comics or checking out new ones. As the end result of having a day job spent in front of a computer, I confess that unless I’m creating it, I have a hard time consuming on-line content. So, what’s the next best thing? Paying for it in printed form!

Reading a web comic, especially a good one, will make you want to read more of it, all at once. Sometimes this can lead to head-splitting hours in front of a computer screen, not wanting to leave until all is consumed, else you might forget where you left off, or worse, never return. I find the paperback collection is perhaps not the most cost effective, but easily the preferrable way of consuming the bulk of someone’s web comic output. And when it’s good stuff, it’s something you’ll want to have on your shelf, beside your bed, or in your bathroom magazine rack for repeated reading, all places where a laptop is remarkably inconvenient/inflexible.

Help Is On The Way is that good stuff, the kind of funny you don’t want to end, the kind of funny you want to revisit over and over again, the kind of comic strip you want your friends to read, the kind that inspires quotable quotes like “Your hair is resplendent, like the mane of a hirsute Quebecois” or “Your hide will make a fine poncho”.

Help Is On The Way presents a dense collection of comedian Scott Meyer’s Basic Instructions web-comic, each one a four panel “how to” on a particular topic. Each panel features instructional narrative below which is a cartoon of Meyer exchanging some snappy repartee with friends, co-workers, his wife or some kid to either highlight the “how to” or contrast the instruction with a “how not to” example. They’re illustrated in a style Meyer’s wife calls in one strip “Photocartooning”, which Meyer himself refers to as “tracing”, so it’s not necessarily the peak of illustrated comedy, but the use of repetitive imagery is a skill in upon its own and Meyer uses it to great effect here.

Although characters are rarely, if ever named, you start to get a sense of the cast of the strip after the first dozen or so. Every strip includes Meyer, and key players are his wife, his mulleted, mustachioed boss and his self-absorbed asthmatic friend Ric (who provides the preface), each of whom are equally as capable of dishing out the sarcasm.

Devising the formula for an effective comic strip can be tricky and take some time. The same way the early episodes of a sitcom can be rough, so to can the early days of a comic. So, instead of starting from the very beginning, this collection begins at a point Meyer feels confident that the formula is down. A few of his earlier entries are present providing an interesting look at the early manifestation of the strip.

It’s quite difficult to explain to someone why something is funny (perhaps there’s a strip in “how to explain why something’s funny”?), so I’ll just say go to the site, read a few for yourself, and decide. Even if you read it all for free, you might just want to have it in a handy, accessible at-your-disposal version (like having watched all of a TV series then purchasing the DVDs for repeated consumption), or as a convenient gift for people you like.

If I were more adventurous I would have written this review in the vein of one of Meyer’s strips, but I’m not as smart nor witty as Meyer, so it’s probably best that I didn’t.

4 out of 5 Vikings

The Helm #2

Posted by Max on September 24, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Whoa, a second review for the same series? What madness is this!? I’m typically loath to do back to back reviews of any series, simply because there’s rarely a change drastic enough to warrant a second review. Good series are good, bad series are bad, and while there may be a significant change down the line (especially with a switch of artist/writer), typically the first issue of a title is a good indication of what you’re in for. So why the change of heart? Well for one, Helm creator Jim Hardison actually contacted me personally after my last review, a rare occurrence even when the review is glowing (which this one was not). Honestly, I was expecting him to tear me a new asshole, but not only did he thank me for the review, but offered to send me the next issue of his book free! Not just some fancified digital version either, but an actual paper copy, signed, sealed and currently sitting on eBay in my private collection. What a cool guy huh? What’s more, Jim didn’t even care if I actually reviewed the book, he just wanted to get my opinion (clearly the man is incredibly desperate). Still, while Jim may not be a manipulative, insecure attention-whore, I certainly am, so I figured I’d use this opportunity to once again force my unwanted opinion on the masses.

Alright, I know what you may be saying to yourself: Nice creator + free comic + significantly improved score = sell out. Well I’m here to assure you that absolutely isn’t the case. I’m not saying I couldn’t be bought; heck, look at the weird ass crap we advertise on the site (Our motto: Anything but porn!). No, I’m just saying Mr. Hardison didn’t do a good enough job to warrant such a high score. Here, take a look at the official Rack Raids Integrity Manipulation Pricing Guide:

1 Viking: Free comic

2 Vikings: Pizza with our choice of toppings.

3 Vikings: Prostitute and/or gigolo

4 Vikings: Attractive prostitute and/or gigolo

5 Vikings: Attractive prostitute and/or gigolo with pizza (toppings optional)

As you can see, Mr. Hardison’s attempts at bribery simply wouldn’t have been enough to garner him a 4 Viking rating (that prostitute he sent was average-looking at best). So where did those extra 1.5 Vikings come from? Well, while I stand by my review of Issue #1, this second issue is such an improvement that I would be remiss if I didn’t bring it to your attention.

First off, the art; it’s pretty good. OK, that’s a bit simplistic, but since everything from my last review still applies, feel free to go back and read that if you’d like more detail. What I’d really like to focus on, and what elevates this issue above it’s predecessor, is its writing. While the first issue had it’s funny moments, a lot of the humor felt flat to me; recycled jokes that had been done better in films like Clerks (and much, much worse in films like Clerks 2). Combine nerdy guy with pop culture reference, and you’ve got instant comedy! It was a shame, because the book already had a great comedy angle built in. After all, anyone can make nerd jokes, but a asshole talking hat is something special. Fortunately, Issue #2 shifts the focus firmly onto the relationship between Mathew and Helm, with hilarious results. I don’t want to spoil anything, but both the training montage and the Helm’s attempts at cock blocking are worth the price of admission on their own. What’s more, while Mathew was a totally pathetic slob in the first issue, here he’s a totally pathetic slob trying to become a regular slob. It may seem like a small difference, but for me it was enough to turn Mathew from an object of scorn to a guy you can relate to (a must for any dweeb hero). Sure the guy’s not perfect, but at least he’s not a total loser.

My one big problem (hopefully addressed in future issues), is the fact that despite his new attitude, Mathew still hasn’t done anything particularly heroic. Yes he’s killed a monster and battled wraiths, but both were cases of self-defense. Heck, even the “evil sorcerer” he killed was simply defending his home (which Mathew and the Helm had broken into in order to swipe some magical goodies). It’s a bit odd, and while the hint of a new master villain at the end of this issue suggests a change in the status quo, I’m still not quite on the bandwagon. On the other hand, I think it would be brilliant if Hardison is pulling a fast one on us, and it turns out the Helm is actually a malevolent force. Wherever this book goes though, I plan to be along for the ride, as The Helm has suddenly gone from middling to superb in my eyes. Don’t believe me? Fine. Buy your own copy and see for yourself you paranoid bastards!

4 out of 5 Vikings.

[Trade Winds] Herbie Archives, Volume One

Posted by Adam on September 12, 2008

(Dark Horse)

“Comic books” in general are known for being pretty weird, but as any connoisseur knows, the Silver Age is legendary as the wildest and weirdest era for comics. What I’ve always found interesting is that the weirdness was, in many ways, a practical response to the limitations of the medium; under the draconian standards of the comics code, writers and artists were restricted from using certain basic dramatic elements, particularly those that might have made things too “edgy”, and they had to get around them in unusual and creative ways. Unable to build tension or thrills or chills, they instead threw out zany plot twists and far-out visuals to keep the reader engaged.

On the other hand, some of the people who make comics book are apparently just drawn to the weird no matter what conditions they’re working under. You can’t explain a book like “Herbie” by placing it in the context of comics history. Actually, I don’t think you can explain Herbie, period.

Herbie Popnecker, one of the oddest comic book characters ever published by the mainstream, first appeared in the early 60s. In that first story, Herbie’s dad attends a lecture emphasizing the need for kids to be active and energetic, apparently a big movement in parenting at the time. Dad (no name ever given) then goes home despairing for his “little fat nothing” of a son, Herbie, who does nothing but lie around all day sucking on lollipops. At dad’s urging, Herbie is sent (with immense reluctance) to play outdoors, whereupon, in the span of a few pages, he tackles an escaped tiger, saves a shipwrecked senator, and foils an alien invasion, before heading home to his unimpressed dad. Over the course of several more stories, Herbie reveals that he’s pretty much omnipotent, able to walk on air, turn himself invisible, reinflate himself like a rubber ball after being squashed, talk to animals, seduce any woman, fill in for Ringo Starr, ingratiate himself with world leaders, and travel through time, all with the barest minimum of physical exertion. In fact, not once does he lose his utterly blank, bemused and apathetic expression.

Humour doesn’t usually age too well in comics, but Herbie bucks the trend through sheer, unadulterated weirdness. Writer Shane O’Shea has a knack for the absurd, such as Herbie’s reasoning when he’s hunting for a monster: “Monsters come from the unknown, so that’s where I’ll go.” In the next panel, Herbie’s walking up to a big gate on a cloud marked “Unknown”. Or there’s the fact that Herbie is always being summoned by world leaders for help, particularly Lyndon Johnson, and always has to fight off the advances of the first lady. Or the way Frankenstein’s monster is always showing up for little or no reason. But it’s Ogden Whitney, the artist, who really makes this comic shine–he underplays even the most bizarre elements, making them timelessly funny, when most comics of the era feel the need to reduce every joke to a corny, “cymbal crash” punchline. Even Herbie’s signature gag, in which he wordlessly waddles off into the air whenever he needs to, remains funny the 12th or 57th time.

Herbie’s bizarre abilities are just one of many things that are never explained about the book, and that’s probably its strongest virtue. A deconstructionalist, Alan Moore type (Moore is on record as a big fan of Herbie, by the way) might try to rationalize what we’re seeing as a pre-Calvin and Hobbes-style look into the imagination of a pathetic little kid, driven by his frankly dickish father to imagine a world where he’s nigh-omnipotent and beloved by all. Certainly that was a subtext that I couldn’t help reading into it at times, but of course I’m looking back with modern eyes. There’s no denying, however, that Herbie is a very slyly subversive poke at everything from superheroes to parents to the overly wholesome suburban world that dominated comics in the pre-Woodstock era. And it accomplishes all this not with overly clever, sophisticated writing but just by being one of the most unapologetically imaginative and gently insane comic books of all time.

5 out of 5 Vikings.

[Raided] Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1 (of 4)

Posted by Sean on August 25, 2008

(Dark Horse Comics)

Meh. I’m excited to see the return of original Indiana Jones stories to comics, but this is a lackluster start to things. After receiving a mysterious note from an antiquities collector requesting assistance, Jones finds himself in New York City, immediately in over his head and on the run from Nazis, as all parties chase after the MacGuffin de jour — an ancient stone tablet that pre-dates recorded history and (possibly) also predicts the end of the world. We’ve been here before, and unlike Dark Horse’s Indiana Jones Adventures - which features a very different take on Indiana Jones in the early years of his carrer (an arrogant thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie) - writer Rob Williams does nothing with this character that we haven’t seen already…yet. To his defense, it’s still early, and this issue, more than anything else, is really just exposition heavy set up. The issue is not entirely without some surprising twists - such as the unexpected appearance of a competing tomb raider - but by and large, I was hoping for a little more.

2 and a half out of 5 Vikings

Conan the Cimmerian #1

Posted by Adam on July 28, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Conan’s back! And is a guest star in his own book!

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, this issue is largely taken up by a flashback sequence drawn by Richard Corben. The story involves Conan’s grandfather, who (according to the new backstory furnished by Kurt Busiek) was Conan’s main inspiration in deciding to head out and explore the lands to the south, so it’s not like there’s a lack of barbarian action involved here. But despite the coup of getting Richard Corben to illustrate, this is a very weird choice for the putative issue #1 of this series (even if this is, in reality, issue #51 of a previous series.)

The main story has Conan ambushed by a band of Vanir (essentially, Viking) bandits on the outskirts of his homeland, Cimmeria, to which he was returning. Rescued by the timely arrival of a mysterious hermit, Conan takes advantage of his hospitality and finds himself hearing a story of his grandfather Connacht, who the hermit apparently knew. In this tale, Connacht found himself forced to flee his tribal grounds over a dispute and coming upon a group of “bog people” in the midst of a sacrifice. After seeing a woman being throttled and cast into the swamp (a real ritual ancient Northern Europeans seem to have indulged in, by the way) Connacht finds himself unable to stand by when he realizes the woman’s two sons seem about to be sacrificed as well. Leaping into the fray, Connacht soon finds himself with two young charges for whom he’s ill-suited to look after — especially since there seems to be something distinctly wrong about the boys.

Tim Truman and artist Tomas Giorello (who illustrated the last four issues of the previous series) have been drifting further and further from Kurt Busiek’s vision, and with the launch of this retitled and renumbered book they make several more breaks, like getting rid of the typescript font used to suggest Robert E. Howard’s authorial voice (which is a shame, I liked that touch). I wonder, will Truman continue to build story arcs that weave Howard’s original stories into a larger chronology of Conan’s life? Howard never wrote about Cimmeria except as a poem (which was quoted in the previous “#0” issue), which gave it, and Conan’s past, an effectively dreamlike and ambiguous feeling. That’s partly why I wasn’t crazy about Busiek’s “Born on a Battlefield” stories, which made Conan’s history all too literal; now we’ve got an entire extended plot arc that seems to deal explicitly with Cimmeria and Conan’s past. In fact, I can’t help but wonder if the entire series is going to be this way. Heck, for all I know, Truman’s only planning a temporary stint as writer, Busiek’s going to return in a year or two, and this whole series is just an extended fill-in while he’s off writing Superman.

Not only does the structure seem to be different, but Corben’s art creates an entirely new vibe. It’s moody, dark, ominous and oddly still, even when Connacht is laying waste to his opponents. In a strange way, it captures the tone of a dark, ancient, lost world far more effectively than Giorello or Cary Nord, but at the expense of the pure vitality of the previous issues. It works, probably because this is a story of the past, even within the context of the book itself, but it’s still a big change even from the earlier pages of this issue.

Of course, obviously the basic elements of this series are never going to change: barbarian warrior romping through a landscape of dark magic and corrupt civilizations, stealing, killing and seducing women, and just basically making the cast of “300” look like a bunch of latte-sipping, turtleneck-wearing wussies. But this book is taking a marked 90-degree turn from what it was. It’s going to be interesting to see Conan filtered through a new sensibility for a while. The question remains, where do we go from here?…

3.5 out of 5 Vikings.

[Raided] The Helm #1

Posted by Max on July 20, 2008

(Dark Horse)

(Sorry this is a little late folks, was watching the Affliction PPV. Man, Emelianenko’s a cyborg!)

Way back when I reviewed a pretty cool book called Fearless, and though I loved its concept, I felt that both the art and writing, while good, didn’t live up to the potential presented by the premise. Well prepare for some deja-vu, as I’m afraid Dark Horse’s The Helm falls into similar territory. The Helm tells the story of pathetic slob Mathew, who in the course of a few minutes (and pages) manages to get dumped by his fiancée AND fired from his job as video store clerk. However, on his way home Mathew comes across a yard-sale hosted by a mysterious stranger, where he finds a magic talking helm who believes him to be a chosen hero of prophecy, only to realize his mistake the minute Mathew picks him up, linking the pair unto death. Long story short, Mathew grabs the helm, and is now the proud owner of a talking hat who hates his guts. It’s a great gimmick, and the fact that the helm is actively trying to kill Mathew (all while spouting off insults in ye-olde Thor speak) allows the book to move beyond the usual grumpy side-kick shtick into pleasantly dark comedy. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Trade Winds] Indiana Jones Adventures (Volume One)

Posted by Sean on July 6, 2008

(Dark Horse Comics)

Generally, I find “all ages” books to be anything but. However, Dark Horse has established a solid reputation for sophisticated, thoroughly entertaining and genuinely “all ages” comics with their Clone Wars Adventures digests, and they further strengthen that reputation with the thrill-a-minute Indiana Jones Adventures. Unlike the anthology style format of the Clone Wars Adventures though, Indiana Jones is a full length story, and a damn good one that follows Jones from Sweden to London to Marrakesh as he tracks down an ancient Nordic scroll thought to contain a formula for making Berserker super-soldiers! Naturally, certain armband wearing fascists with global ambitions have also taken an interest in the scroll, and have hired a certain French tomb raider to get it for them. Indian Jones and Viking artifacts! Peanut butter meet jelly.

This is an exciting read, filled with globe-trotting action and adventure. But it’s worth noting that this isn’t “Indiana Jones Paint-By-Number.” By setting the story in 1930 (earlier in Jones’ career than in the movies), writer Philip Gelatt creates a setting that allows us to see Jones at a different stage in his career - one where he’s more a tomb raiding adrenaline junkie than a renaissance man, a little more committed to “winning” than knowledge. It’s an interesting take on the character.

Artist Ethan Beavers clearly did his homework before beginning work on this. There are several times in this book where he frames Jones in such an iconic way (putting on the hat for the first time, the look of frustration after being bested by a competitor) that you could swear he was taking cues from Spielberg, and you can just hear Williams’ score in the background. Top-to-bottom this is a very good Indian Jones story, recommended reading for anyone that needs to get the taste of Kingdom of the Crystal Paycheck out of their mouth.

4 out of 5 Vikings

[Raided] Conan the Cimmerian #0

Posted by Jeb on July 1, 2008

(Dark Horse)

“Know, O Prince, that the Chronicles of the warrior named Conan continue to fatten the coffers of Dark Horse Comics. But in latter days, the darkness of complacency fell upon its disciples, and in order to revive their allegiance, Conan the Barbarian was foully slain. Behold, then, the emergence of its successor: Conan the Cimmerian.” Not that I blame Dark Horse, mind you: if the comic-buying audience is more inclined to cough up their hard-earned cash for a book with a #0 or #1 on it than a #51, then why not give it to them? So, there’s now a new Conan title, introduced here with an adaptation of Robert E Howard’s poem (!), “Cimmeria,” interspersed with a typically bloody encounter between Conan and a band of Vanir marauders. Basically, though, this is just a continuation of Dark Horse’s careful managing of the Conan license: writer Tim Truman remains Kurt Busiek’s successor while artist Tomas Giorello continues the Frazetta stylings that have been the book’s trademark. I’m of two minds about the series: on the one hand, as I say, no one can fault Dark Horse’s stewardship of the property, or the care they’ve lavished on it. On the other hand, an ongoing series framed and signposted by stories as familiar as Howard’s Conan tales tends to feel as though it’s marking time as it moves in and out of adaptations of stories that have already been told and re-told (and are still available to be read in their original format): it becomes a kind of closed system, with less room for innovation (not as though that’s a hallmark of most comics anyway). But if you’ve a love for Conan of old, or if Dark Horse is providing your introduction to the character, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s business as usual here; but that’s business of a high order, indeed.

[Raided] Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 #15

Posted by Graig on June 6, 2008

(Dark Horse)

The wife and I went to see the latest Indiana Jones movie last week. Both of us had the same reaction: too much. Surviving an atomic blast in a fridge: too much. Indie Jr. swinging through the jungle with monkey friends: too much. Interdimensional psychic alien archaeologists: too much. Similarly Drew Goddard’s contribution to Buffy Season 8, “Wolves at the Gate”? Entirely too much. Buffy’s dabbling in gay sex: too much. Xander’s burgeoning relationship-come-loss: too much. Giant robot Dawn: too much. Tremendous lack of anything to do with the main season storyline with the sole purpose of jerking the characters around emotionally: too much. The overabundance (even by Buffy standards) of pithy exchanges: way too much. Oh, and the “wolves” mentioned in the title, completely metaphorical (no werewolves to be seen). I did enjoy Xander’s reunion with Dracula, and the idea of robbing the Slayers of their power was a good one (although by this final chapter it’s so much less a threat amidst the spectacle of lesbian-loving/robot-fighting/tragic-romance/pause-for-witticism), but overall it felt like Buffy on acid, to the extreme, maxed out. It’s not anything to outright hate, but there’s a lot less to like than there could have been had Goddard shown just a little restraint.

2 out of 5 Vikings

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull #1 (of 2)

Posted by Jeb on May 27, 2008

(Dark Horse)

I would disagree with those that call the latest Indiana Jones film unwatchable. It’s true that it’s visually uninspired, and that the script is an appallingly lazy piece of hackwork, but for most of the film, Harrison Ford does his best to rekindle our affection for Indy, and with the aid of Shia LaBeouf and Karen Allen, bring some life to the otherwise dire proceedings.

Sadly, of course, the qualities of personality and life that those actors bring to the film aren’t available to the comics writer. All he has to work with is David Koepp’s script, and I hope it’s true that Koepp cobbled the thing together from other writer’s drafts in a desperate race to beat the writers’ strike deadline, because at least that would offer some excuse for its being so terrible. None of that, though, helps comic writer John Jackson Miller, since he’s stuck with that script as his starting point. And, unlike some previous film adaptations, where the use of an early draft resulted in a different and interesting take on the material, this is a painful scene-by-scene slog through the finished version of the film.

And where the first part of the movie (which is basically what this first issue covers) is occasionally livened up by some decent-to-adequate action scenes, the pacing of the comic relegates them to a panel or two here and there. Which, really, is crazy: the only virtue in adapting this thing (well, the only artistic one, anyway) would be to try and bring some level of kinetic detail and excitement to those scenes. Instead, they’re given equal weight with pointless standoffs and dreary exposition, and fall completely flat. And speaking of flat, the omniscient narration draws bullet points and exclamation marks around the few bits of story that, in the film, are allowed to unfold gradually for the audience, thus making each turn of the page more deadeningly dull than the last.

Given that he’s not called on to do much action, artist Luke Ross is left trying to approximate the bland look of the film, and of the actors… and therein lies another problem. The 64-year-old Harrison Ford can still move like a man twenty years younger, and his facial expressions, carriage, and line readings all combine to make his older Indy nearly as vital as the younger one. On the page, though, the facial lines and white hair, with no animation at all, just lie there looking ancient and ghastly (I positively dread Marion’s appearance next issue). I won’t say that Ross had much of a script to work with, but apart from one or two splash panels, there’s nothing in the visuals here that would make you want to know what the characters were saying if the word balloons weren’t there.

I’m probably being too hard on Miller and Ross. I’m sure it’s a good paycheck, and who wouldn’t want to help contribute, in some way, to the legend of Indiana Jones. It’s not their fault that they were given the worst of the films to adapt, but its eventual inclusion in the Dark Horse version of the Indiana Jones saga will be something less than a high point.

Serenity: Better Days #3

Posted by Adam on May 25, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Ah, the noble spinoff. To what depths you have sunk. Well, OK, maybe not depths exactly, but there was a time when comics spinoffs were often the equal, and occasionally the better, of the movies, TV shows and cartoons that inspired them. Tarzan’s adventures in the comics remain a high watermark for newspaper strips. Part of the reason for the Universal movie monster lineup’s continuing endurance is their appearance in the comics, with Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula a particular highlight. And Donald Duck wouldn’t be much more than a corporate icon if it hadn’t been for Carl Barks’ amazing adventure comics featuring (and in several cases, introducing) the Duck family members. Then there’s the sometimes bizarre Star Wars comics of the late 70s, the well-done Aliens and Predator comics upon which Dark Horse built their brand name…the point is that for most of the time that comics have been adapting properties, they’ve done it with a free hand that has usually made for better stories.

Somehow, like so many things about comics past vs. present, this is no longer strictly the case. It could be the focus on continuity, or simply the protective nature of comics fans, but a modern comic spinoff is usually expected to adhere faithfully to the source material. Long gone are the days when the radio version of the Shadow could have a completely different secret identity from the comic book version, for example. And the usual result is that the comic spinoff ends up being considered an inferior, irrelevant appendage to the main story, an attitude that often ends up being self-fulfilling. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Trade Winds] Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus

Posted by Graig on May 22, 2008

(Dark Horse)

There was a plethora of new superhero universes created in the 1990’s, thus there was sea of capes and tights in that chromium age to wade through. It seemed that during the speculation boom everyone was trying to get in the game: Malibu’s “Ultraverse”; DC’s Milestone and Impact imprints; Image’s various creator-owned universe; Valiant-come-Acclaim’s universe; Jim Shooter’s Defiant; Neal Adam’s Continuity and I’m sure many others I’m completely forgetting about. Dark Horse had made itself a name by respectably handling such cinematic properties as Aliens, Predator and Terminator (certainly much better than subsequent cinematic outings would), while also providing a home for writers and artists to try their hand at creating their own properties (Sin City, Hellboy). That they too would toss a hat into the superhero ring wasn’t much of a surprise, but the manner in which they did was.

Sure each publisher had something different to offer, a different theme or hook to separate themselves from the rest, and Dark Horse’s “Comics Greatest World” (CGW) wasn’t much different. Like Valiant or the Ultraverse, CGW aspired to weave a tight continuity, the main difference was Dark Horse had put together a brain trust (Mike Richardson, Barbara Kesel, Chris Warner, Jerry Prosser and Randy Stradley) that spent two to three years planning the universe and its characters, rather than bringing disparate creators together and seeing what they came up with then striving to tie it all together.

What came out of CGW was four different, compartmentalized environments for the character to inhabit and cross-over into, and it was noticeable almost from the get-go that these environments, and not the characters, were really the stars. Arcadia was a degrading city scape, an average big city which had begun to decay due to political corruption and its mafia scene. Golden City was an experimental utopia that no doubt wouldn’t last, either from pressures internal or external. Steel Harbor was a sludge pit, a city overrun by gangs, and where the divide was obvious between the haves and have-nots. Cinnibar Flats was a military base where, in the late-1930’s, a UFO embedded itself into the Earth, and subsequent to 1940’s nuclear testing, became the epicenter for the paranormal population eruption.

The original “Comics Greatest World” mini-series told a somewhat unified tale over 16 issues, each locale receiving a four-issue focus as written by one of the CGW brain trust (with Richardson providing a single page prologue set in the 1940’s that spanned the entire series), and each issue introduced a new character. It was evident that some of the characters were undeniably more interesting than others, that some were created to lead their own series while others were strictly conceptual or background figures, and that some were just better designed than others.

CGW started off with one of their strongest figures, X, Arcadia’s hardcore vigilante (melding the aesthetic of Batman with the ruthlessness of the Punisher), following up with the Pit Bulls (easily the weakest concept introduced in CGW), Ghost (which would prove to have the most longevity as a concept) and Monster (self-descriptive). Golden City featured Rebel (the ugliest superhero design you ever shall see, a mullet AND a mowhawk?), followed by Mecha (the first of many man-with-symbiotic-alien-entity characters in the line), Titan (the obligatory Captain Marvel/Superman analog) and finally the team book Catalyst: Agents of Change led by Golden City’s matriarch, Grace. Steel Harbor followed, leading in with the notorious Barb Wire, the Machine, Wolf Pack and Motorhead, all of which I remember being much cooler 15 years ago. Finally there was Cinnibar Flats, housing the creatures of Division 13, the Japanese giant robot-inspired Hero Zero, demon hunter King Tiger (the sole magic-based character), and the Heretic from Out Of The Vortex.

Each character/team is competently introduced, a difficult task given the 15-page span the writers had to do it in, also saddled with the over-arcing story of aliens investigating the after-effects of the Heretic’s experiments from the 1940’s (ie, the superpowered beings inhabiting the earth). X, Catalyst, Barb Wire and the Heretic each dominate their respective locales, and that they would each subsequently have their own series was obviously by design. Golden City and Catalyst were, at the time, the weakest concepts, given that the marketplace was skewing towards grim and gritty rather than the struggles of maintaining a Utopia, but now days as a concept it fares quite well. In fact Arcadia and, moreover, Steel Harbor seem more trite, given how well worn dark and dangerous has become. The artwork for the first mini-series was provided by numerous sources, most solid contributors, like Eric Shanower, Doug Mahnke, Adam Hughes, Paul Gulacy, and more. The covers were even more impressive, by mostly superstar talent from Frank Miller, Art Adams, and Mike Mignola to Jerry Ordway, Dave Johnson, Walt Simonson and more.

Overall CGW remains an engaging project, both from a comic-book history standpoint, and as a story, the unfortunate side is it’s meant as an introduction, leaving dangling threads everywhere for the respective series’ that sprang from it to pick up, including no finite resolution to the overall story arc that continued in the 12-part Out of the Vortex series.

The follow-up mini-series to CGW was Will To Power, a more character-focussed tale centering around Titan, who is extremely powerful but also naive and easily manipulated. Much in the same manner as CGW, Will To Power was presented as 12 weekly 16-page chapters, each locale (written by their respective brain trust writers, again with Richardson providing a one-page prologue for each chapter) receiving a 3-issue arc where Titan faces off with the heroes of that area. The overall story is quite enthralling, as Titan’s power grows along with his dementia, he becomes apparently unstoppable. Richardson’s 16-pages of prologue give the greatest sense of where his character is coming from - slowly revealed over the span of the mini - while each of the writers does a good job escalating the threat level Titan provides. The weakest link, however was the need for Titan to be transitioned to each of the different locations, abruptly ending any real conflict until the finale (although each sub-arc picks up nicely upon his arrival).

Again, if not more so, Will To Power, strongly presents the CGW design, the four-landmarks structure of the “Dark Horse Heroes” universe, and when read together it truly does highlight that fact. The artistic angle comes together somewhat tighter with the 3-chapter structure getting a dedicated artist in most cases (Mike Manley in Arcadia, Terry Dodson in Golden City, Chris Warner for the Vortex).

It may not have had the decades of history behind it DC or Marvel had, and it may not have blossomed into lasting or, frankly, highly memorable creations, but surprisingly, it all holds up pretty well and remains solidly entertaining. I have a personal bias towards dead universes so I find CGW to be even more intriguing now than I did 15 years ago, and some of the loose threads from the first miniseries have piqued my interest enough to hit the bins. The Omnibus provides a very concise and affordable place to begin if you ever were curious about Dark Horse’s superhero line, and its a great place to start if you’re looking for some back-issue bin-diving to do.

Full disclosure: I didn’t actually acquire a copy of the monstrous 488-page collection, but rather I shuffled off into the cellar and retrieved the original bagged-and-boarded issues of Dark Horse’s “Comics Greatest World” and Will To Power mini-series. Yes, I purchased these series on their initial release, in a weekly, 16-page, $1 ($1.25 Canadian) format (do the math, here: there’s essentially 28 issues here, which in 1992/1993 dollars was worth $28. At a cover price of 24.95, you’re already saving $3, not accounting for inflation or interest. Not bad at all).

3 out of 5 Vikings

[Trade Winds] The Facts in The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch

Posted by Jeb on May 21, 2008

(Dark Horse)
The Facts in The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch is the latest repurposing of an old Neil Gaiman story into a new graphic novel, in this case the original is a short story from his Smoke and Mirrors collection. The new script is an adaptation by letterer Todd Klein (that’s one way for letterers to get more of the credit they deserve!), with painted art by Michael Zulli (once one of Gaiman’s Sandman collaborators).

The story’s classic Gaiman: young moderns in London and their encounter with the spiritual realm that underlies the world they think they know.

Like much of Sandman, the story is not so much about questions and answers, as it is impressions, feelings, color. In its original story form, it has the matter-of-fact disquiet of one of Poe’s less sanguinary efforts (William Wilson, say); brought to life in Zulli’s lush paints, it loses some of its sense of mystery, but it makes up for that by presenting its ambiguous ending entirely straight-faced: Zulli’s work is most impressive in giving flesh and life to a concept that, once visualized, could easily have been bland or just too on-the-nose.

I won’t go into too much story detail, so as not to spoil the fairly slight plot: our unnamed narrator is a blocked American writer, in London to get away and restore his muse. He’s contacted by a pair of old friends who desperately need him to complete a reluctant foursome: he’s to be a sort of blind date to one of their acquaintances, the evidently unwelcome “Miss Finch.” Naturally he agrees, and when we finally do meet Miss Finch, she’s certainly difficult and abrasive. But as the evening progresses from cab ride to sushi restaurant to a visit to a most unusual and mysterious “circus,” Miss Finch begins to interest, then perhaps nearly charm, our narrator. And that’s when…

Well, as I say, I’ll let you read it for yourself. Even if you already know the original story, Zulli’s painting, which veers from the mundane to the macabre to the sublime and back again, will delight you. And while I’d always relish new original comics work from Gaiman, it’s hard to complain about an adaptation as well-crafted as this one.

Conan #50

Posted by Adam on May 14, 2008

(Dark Horse)

It is the end of an era. I guess this falls somewhere between the time the seas drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, huh?

Well, maybe not. After all, Dark Horse’s best-selling “Conan” book may be coming to an end with this, the 50th issue, but it’s going to start right back up again in a month with “Conan the Cimmerian” #1. Why the change in title and the artificial cancellation? You got me, except that it’s probably the usual distributors’ lust for #1 issues. Sigh. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Raided] Serenity: Better Days #1 (of 3)

Posted by Graig on March 15, 2008

(Dark Horse)

There is almost no point in reviewing this book, since the fans of the still much lamented Joss Whedon-spearheaded television program turned cinematic space opera Firefly/Serenity will no doubt pick up this new mini-series regardless of what any reviewer states about its quality. Unlike Buffy or Star Wars, Firefly market penetration remains fairly slim, no matter how vocal or loyal the Browncoats are, leaving this book a niche product amidst niche products and there’s only the slimmest of possibilities that this book will attract anyone new to the property. Thankfully, comics are all about satisfying niche demands, and a three-issue mini-series will no doubt sate the raving fanatic, even if it isn’t very good. “Better Days” sits within the gap between Firefly (the show) and Serenity (the movie), which makes it a quaint self-contained story, oblivious to the fate set to befall certain characters. I’m sure Whedon and crew are saving the post-film happenings of Serenity’s crew for the slim hope that they can do more theatrical/ direct-to-video/ made-for-TV releases, so the fans will really have to take whatever stories they can get. This story is co-written by Whedon and Brett Matthews, and is complete with violence, sex, thievery, clever quips and a theoretically game-changing cliffhanger. It’s truly your standard western-tweaked-sci-fi Firefly fare, which actually leaves me a little disappointed. The mini-series format leaves the writer unable to do long-form, serialized story arc building, and it’s three-issue size means it’ll wind up with more of a one-off episodic feel rather than a larger cinematic sensibility. I know, I know, comics aren’t movies or television, and I have to give Whedon tremendous credit for embracing and investing himself in the comics medium so wholeheartedly to continue the adventures of his other media characters, and in keeping with the theme and tone of the source (which comic book spin-offs, adaptations, and extensions so rarely did until recently). There’s nothing in this story that going to wow the Firefly fans (certainly it won’t impress any non-fans). It’s at best a decent placater, leaving hope that the franchise is still alive and that better days are coming down the pipe.

2.5 out of 5 Vikings

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #6 (of 6)

Posted by Adam on February 24, 2008

(Dark Horse)

The observant may have noticed that I didn’t join in last year’s “year in review/best of” series here at Rack Raids. This is at least partly because I don’t feel that I read enough mainstream comics to be able to pass judgment. This might be a bit silly, since after all no one could read every comic, or even most comics, produced in a year, but still, my tastes lie enough outside the mainstream that I feel I’m not fully plugged-in to the comics scene sometimes.

It’s not that I don’t have my own opinions, though. I just feel the need to qualify them the way I just did. Well, qualification over. Here’s an opinion: the first issue of The Umbrella Academy was my favourite single-issue comic published last year. And now that the first storyline is completed, I feel safe in stating that this is absolutely my favourite superhero comic currently being published–yes, even more so than All-Star Superman. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Fell #9 and The Goon #20

Posted by Jeb on January 20, 2008

Yeah, I wasn’t sure it was ever coming back, either, but this week marks the long-awaited return of Fell, Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith’s sharp and slightly supernatural police procedural comic. Once more, detective Richard Fell manages to buck his superiors in Snowtown, and handle a macabre situation on his own. This time, he faces a deadly hostage crisis, one that reaches a conclusion that feels surprising at first, but upon reflection is sadly inevitable. The highlight of this issue (and one nicely detailed in Ellis’ notes at the back) is the portrayal of Fell’s mental analysis of the situation. It’s a visual trick that would wear out its welcome quickly if overused, but as a representation of the reasoning process, it beats the “thought balloon” by a mile. Now that Ellis and Templesmith have some other commitments behind them, they’re promising us a much more regular dosage of Fell, and that’s cause for celebration: sixteen densely-packed pages of done-in-one storytelling for two bucks. It’s also going to be interesting to see if they can maintain that structure when they begin to open up the storytelling, filling in blanks and backstory, as Ellis has promised.

Also back from an extended hiatus is Eric Powell’s The Goon. Last year, Powell focused his time on the self-contained Goon graphic novel, Chinatown, a tough and heartbreaking noir story, with none of the Mad Magazine grossout touches that have won The Goon so much of its popularity. In its wake, it was reasonable to wonder if Powell had decided to take his creation in a more “serious” direction. That question is quickly answered, as the story begins with an Eisner-type prologue, introducing a secondary character… and it’s among the most disgusting things Powell has yet put on paper. With that reassurance out of the way, he moves forward with another tale of murder, mayhem, and monsters as The Goon and Frankie take on a mutant gorilla in a derby, harpies, zombies, and the personnel of Madame Elsa’s Burlesque show. Not only is the art as stellar as ever, but the brilliant Dave Stewart has been recruited to color the book. That’s a great thing… not that Powell doesn’t do a great job coloring the book on his own, but because turning over that task to Stewart is freeing up Powell’s time to start putting out The Goon monthly!

More Fell and more Goon? Keep this up and 2008’s gonna be great.

Both books:

[Raided] Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #5 (of 5)

Posted by Max on January 8, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions. Some folks promise to quite smoking, or drop a few pounds. I personally have vowed to never again drink liquor out of anything larger than my head. Yet these resolutions should also be about helping others, and so, in order to enrich the lives of our vast stable of readers, I, Maxwell Patterson, promise to double my review count for 2008! Or at least I would, if that didn’t leave me with a mere 12 reviews. Even a trained typing chimp like myself should be able to pump out more than 1 review a month, and so, I shall instead quadruple my output, starting now! That’s right folks; one review a week, until they pry my dead, Mountain Dew bloated corpse out of this chair. WOOOO!

First up on the chopping block, we have the finale of the latest Lobster Johnson adventure, Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus. My second favourite hero named after crustacean wing-wang (after Crab Junk, Private Eye), Lobster is the latest spin-off from Mike Mignola’s Hellboy series. An homage to classic pulp heroes like The Shadow, Lobster and his team battle Nazis and various super-natural phenomena with the power of communication and understanding. I’m kidding of course, as over the course of the series various opponents both human and otherwise are alternatively shot and fisty-cuffed into submission, a fact made all the more impressive considering Lobster’s only super-power is his swank fashion sense.

WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

The End League #1

Posted by Graig on January 5, 2008

(Dark Horse)

Personal gripe: “Northern Canada” is not a very specific description of where events are taking place. Canada, the second largest country in the world is frickin’ huge, and, quite frankly, the bulk of the country is “Northern”. Now, I see in one of artist Mat Broome’s panels some decimated high rise apartment buildings and in another what looks like an oil drilling platform, so I assume that it’s Northern Alberta, likely Edmonton. As a reader though, I shouldn’t have to suss out where a story is set, and a description like “Northern Canada”, quite frankly, is just lazy writing. Maybe I’m just being tetchy ’cause I’m Canadian (but I’m sure a story set in “Western America” or “Central Japan” would be equally annoying).

But I digress. The End League is writer Rick (”Fear Agent”, “Sea of Red”) Remender’s foray into the world of superheroes, and a particularly nihilistic one at that. In the early 1960’s the Earth’s primary champion, Astonishman, made a big mistake, attacking an alien spacecraft that was actually benevolent. The ship exploded, knocking the Earth out of orbit and unleashing radiation all over the planet. In moving the planet back into position only caused environmental chaos, and in the end the bulk of the populace was dead from the catastrophe. Much of the remaining populace were transformed, given superhuman abilities. But it wasn’t the dawn of a new age of heroes, instead it was a free-for-all, with most of the “magnificents” using their abilities for their own personal gain. The End League, formed by Astonishman, is the only beacon of hope, but it’s a dim one, facing such overwhelming odds. This is the intensive set-up for the world of “The End League”.

Astonishman is, forty years later, still addled with guilt, and his conviction to making things right is diminishing. His spirit is waning, as is his belief that there’s any hope left for humanity. His team is small, barely a dozen of the worlds magnificents, and as their leader’s faith fades, they’re left to lead up the crusade. But the League has had their share of defeats, and it seems only a matter of time before there’s no good guys left.

I appreciate Remender’s set-up, depressing as it is. It’s a post-apocalyptic set-up but instead of mutants or zombies it’s superheroes, and things are supposed to be bleak. It’s not 90’s-style “grim’n'gritty”, thankfully, since it’s not striving for “edgy” and it’s heroes aren’t Punisher-style anti-heroes. The remaining group of champions are a rag tag bunch, although, aside from Astonishman, we’re not given a lot of insight into their personality or their abilites in this first issue (however, as an ongoing series, there’s plenty of time to spotlight characters).

I typically enjoy post-apocalyptic stories and I have a very strong affinity for superheroes, so it’s disappointing that I didn’t enjoy this first issue more. I think revealing the whole back story of Earth’s decimation, particularly Astonishman’s involvement in it, deprives the story of two needed elements: mystery and discovery. We’re handed the entire conceit on a platter via a first-person narrative from Astonishman, and it’s through this narrative that we’re informed of his guilt regarding his involvment in what the Earth had become, and his burden to try and make amends. A key element of this story is the fact that Astonishman has yet to reveal his culpability to anyone, teammates especially, but how much better would it be if the reader were in the dark about this as well, to reveal a few issues, or more, Astonishman’s role.

At the same time, the shape of the world, held in the hands of the greedy and the selfish, is told, rather than revealed over time. As a reader, we don’t get to discover anything in this first issue, everything we need to know is doled out to us via narration, and it keeps us at a distance. Had the book openend in the thick of the battle between the League, on a food-liberating mission, and their nemesis, Scarecrow Sinister, with only the vague knowledge that Sinister was reigning-in-terror over “Northern Canada” revealed, there would still be a whole different world to discover, a mystery of how some evil being came to dominate a populace, and the shock that the League wasn’t trying to dethrone him, but rather just stealing his supplies. As the reader, we should be in the dark, discovering this alternate Earth and its history along the way, and I feel almost cheated by knowing it all in advance.

That said, there’s still a whole “new world order” to discover in The End League which is what most interests me. Astonishman, and his withering optimism, and the will-he-or-wont-he question of whether he’ll go bad (or dark) at least is an intriguing posit, and the team dynamic also remains for exploration. It can prove meaty, as here’s a disparate group of characters that have come together under Astonishman’s influence, and a common objective, but may not have anything else to relate to other than that. To Remender’s credit, he’s avoiding (for the most part) standard analogs and creating his own superheroes. Of course Astonishman is a Superman archetype, but the rest of the team falls outside the Wonder Woman/Batman/Captain America/Spider-Man archetypes. Remender wisely pulls inspiration from the various comic book ages (gold, silver, ’70’s and ’80’s) to make a potentially intriguing team of differentiated characters. There’s capes’n'tight, mystical, soldiers and monsters, each pulling from a different set of influences but still fitting together as a team, which is due in large part to Mat Broome’s character design.

Broome disappeared from the field of comics for the past few years, having started out at Wildstorm and put out work for all the major publishers in the 90’s before moving to the field of video games, but only recently returned to the field. His work here is strong, showing aptitude for detail, including figures, architectural and technological. His style makes heavy use of black space (giving inker Sean Parsons a workout for sure), which suits the theme and tone of the book perfectly. His characters faces and figure movement can be stiff on occasion but overall, his storytelling and action flow well. Coming from the ’90’s there’s still remnants of the “Image era” influence on his style, but now more mature a decade later, like artists of the same era such as Chris Bachalo and Travis Charest, his work hints more towards a European aesthetic, with an equal focus on storytelling and design.

Broome’s secret weapon, however, is his wife, Wendy, whose coloring really punches everything up. Her accentuation of shadows and even facial definition adds an impressive depth to every panel. As much as Mat’s line work tells the story, it’s Wendy’s colors that make it pop. It’s really beautiful work.

Perhaps what I want out of this book and what Remender’s objective are different, but in the end it is intriguing enough (especially visually) to give another look and understand what its focus is.

2 and a half out of 5 Vikings

Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Season 8″ #9

Posted by Adam on December 11, 2007

(Dark Horse)

I am a big fan of both Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughn–calling myself a ‘raving fanboy’ for their respective work would not be overstating the case–but even I am forced to acknowledge that their critics are not entirely without merit all the time. In particular, both these gentlemen, fanboys in their own right, have an occasional tendency to sacrifice narrative logic for the sake of the cool moment, the awesome one-liner, or the killer emotional beat. While Whedon’s and Vaughn’s work is rarely less than brisk, propulsive, and entertaining, I’d be lying if I didn’t usually (on my second or third viewing or reading) find myself noticing the authorial strings manipulating the characters. Fun, their work may unquestionably be, but natural it is not.

So why, then, does Vaughn writing for a Whedon-created character feel so damn seamless?
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Grendel: Behold the Devil #1 (of 8)

Posted by Max on December 5, 2007

(Dark Horse)

I’d like to preface this review by saying that I am in no way a Grendel fan, and the only reason I decided to review Behold the Devil was a lack of other, more interesting material. Although I had always respected Matt Wagner and his dedication to his character, it was an idea I admired but never enjoyed. The original stories never held my interest, and the few issues of Grendel Tales that I picked up only lowered my opinion both of the character and the universe he inhabited. I’m explaining this so that when you see the score at the bottom of this page, you’ll know there’s no favoritism or fan-boy love at play here. Grendel: Behold the Devil is quite simply one of the best comics I’ve ever read.

First, the artwork; it’s gorgeous. My sister’s the artist in the family, but even a layman like myself can appreciate just how good this book looks. There’s an energy, a vitality in Wagner’s style which gives his characters incredible weight and substance. It’s not a matter of realism or detail; there are numerous artists out there who I would consider superior to Wagner in terms of technique. Rather, Wagner’s work is visceral, appealing to the senses on a much deeper level. The opening scene, with Grendel standing over the remains of over a dozen mobsters, is one of the most powerful and gloriously brutal scenes I’ve ever seen. The rough, sketchy quality of the book harkens back to the days of the early pulps, while its black and white color-scheme (with the occasional red-highlight) evokes a powerful sense of noir. Ultimately, It’s hard to really do Wagner’s work justice, as there’s an appeal to his art which defies description (or at least any description I can think of). Suffice to say this is the best Wagner art I’ve seen yet.

WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Conan #46

Posted by Adam on November 27, 2007

(Dark Horse)

Issue #46 is a milestone for Dark Horse’s Conan book for two reasons. For one, it’s the conclusion of the “Born on a Battlefield” storyline depicting Conan’s origins, which has been told in a series of one-shot issues scattered throughout the series’ run, going back to #8. For another, it’s the final issue written by Kurt Busiek.

Like many people, I was fairly skeptical when I learned Busiek would be scripting a Conan book. That skepticism turned to surprised delight after a few issues. Any Conan adaptation that’s going to lay claim to being true to Robert E. Howard’s stories, as this series does, is going to have to be uncompromising, edgy, violent, ribald, and more than a little nuts; it should confront us with a primitivistic aspect of human nature that attracts and repels us in equal measure. The author of Astro City and other upbeat, retro superhero comics is not exactly the natural choice for a project like this. And yet, Busiek consistantly knocked it out of the park during his run, with the early issues especially balancing the unflinching, Nietzschean intensity of Howard’s stories with a slightly more postmodern approach that confronted Howard’s philosophy, and Conan’s simple morality, in interesting ways.

Plus, it’s got dudes with sharp objects wailing on each other. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

[Raided] Zero Killer #3 (of 4)

Posted by Graig on November 25, 2007

Dark Horse

I had said of the first issue of this mini-series that it didn’t live up to it’s potential, and two issues later it’s not managed to get any closer. Here’s the thing though, it’s not because it hasn’t gotten better with each subsequent issue - because oh, it has - but its potential also continues to increase, simultaneously. Through not just the story but back matter as well (which includes news articles and a JOCOM advice column) the richness of this post apocalyptic world and the dept of the main character continue to grow. It’s ever more evident that writer Avrid Nelson has spent a lot of time defining the New York City landscape and social structure following nuclear war, and as well the fate of the surrounding world, and not just as they all play in the story well beyond that. Though this is only a four-issue mini-series, it’s easy to see this is an environment that Nelson is looking forward to playing in again, and that’s a good thing. If there’s a major failure of this series at this point, it’s that it’s going to end… Nelson, artist Matt Camp (definitely one of THE artists to watch out for, super-clean art, highly expressive faces and figures, and awesome architectural detail) and colorist Dave Stewart should immediately plan for it’s follow-up. Perhaps best to make it a regular series.

4 out of 5 Vikings

[Trade Winds] The Goon: Chinatown & The Mystery Of Mr. Wicker

Posted by Adam on November 22, 2007

(Dark Horse Comics)

When I was a kid in school, we used to take personality evaluation tests all the time. They weren“t usually referred to that way, but at least once a year we“d end up doing a “unit” meant to categorize us somehow. I“ve never been sure what the point was; in retrospect they were either insipid or creepy, as though the powers that be were trying to label us for future reference. These tests used different terminology, but it basically broke down to four categories based on two opposing sets of terms; the one I remember most clearly had it that your thought processes could be “Abstract” or “Concrete” (basically, a realist vs. an idealist), and “Random” or “Sequential” (looking at the big picture vs. going step-by-step.) The two furthest extremes were “Concrete Sequential” (suggesting a buttoned-down, nerdy, accountant type) vs. “Abstract Random” (suggesting a creative, flaky sort.)

Yes, I am going someplace with all this. I think this methodology presents a useful way of breaking down the tendencies of comics to be surreal or realistic (Abstract vs. Concrete) and continuity-oriented or standalone (Random vs. Sequential). All these different approaches have their merit, of course, but some of the most fun comics of our time have been Abstract Random—the kind of what-the-hell, anything-goes approach to storytelling that liberates a writer and/or artist to just concentrate on packing each issue with as much crazy, cool, hilarious stuff as possible. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »