Harlan Ellison’s Phoenix Without Ashes #1 – Review

Posted on August 23, 2010 by dfstell

By: Harlan Ellison (writer), Alan Robinson (art), Kote Carvajal (colors) & Robbie Robbins (letters)

The Story: Something weird is going on in this comic adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s long out-of-print novel Phoenix without Ashes.  A young man named Devon finds himself getting crossways with the Puritanical leaders of his community except this isn’t the 1600′s, it is set in 2785!

What’s Good: I enjoyed the basic concept for this comic book: small town is shut off from the outside world, set in the future but has a 1600′s Puritanical leadership and the leaders seem to be taking orders from a funny computer.  That’s all cool stuff and I actually didn’t realize that this was adapted from a novel of the same name until after I read it.  Ordinarily I don’t enjoy comic adaptations of novels.  Call me closed minded, but prose works should be enjoyed in the theater of the mind.  But, in doing my crack research for this review (i.e. searching on Amazon) it appears that Phoenix without Ashes is sooooo out of print that you cannot even buy it from the Amazon.  So, I’ll give it a pass on being a relatively novel story.

The characters in this story are pretty incidental (more below) because the primary hook for this tale is the series of questions that the story begs: Why is a city 700 years in the future being run by Puritans?  Why are they taking orders from a computer?  Do the leaders have an ulterior motive?  Why does this city seem to be inside of a sphere?  The list goes on and on.  In a lot of ways, this is similar to the recent Wildstorm series, Sparta USA.  But, whereas Sparta never hooked me and I dropped it after one issue, I’ll keep getting Phoenix to learn the answers to the mysteries.

From an art standpoint, I’ll say this is “competent”.  I can’t give it bigger praise than that, but it certainly doesn’t stink.
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DC Universe Legacies #4 – Review

Posted on August 23, 2010 by jtmazz

by: Len Wein (writer), Scott Kolins (artist), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (penciller), Dave Gibbons (inker)

The Story: Paul Lincoln continues his narration of the history of the D.C. Universe to, as of yet, and unknown audience, but for the time being, us, the reader.  After the emergence of the Silver Age of Superheroes, vigilante crime fighting is in an upswing, as we see heroes back on the streets, fighting to protect the people.  And this time, they’re back with sidekicks.  But is it possible to have too many heroes?

The Good: I don’t know how Len Wein does it, but with such a vast array of history, he really narrows down the high points of the DCU history and presents it in a clear, concise manner that is easy to follow.  This particular issues brings back some of the Golden Age heroes, the Silver Age heroes and introduces the next generation, the Teen Titans.  One would think that this would be too much for one book, but Wein is a talented writer and really does a good job, combining them into one issue.  Not great, but good.

A definite highlight of the book is the pairing of the Golden Age heroes fighting alongside of the Silver Age heroes, perhaps a nod to the ideology of Kingdom Come.  Wein continues to map out the ground work of DCU on every page of this issue, keeping it interesting and entertaining.  Thus far, I haven’t had the feeling of rolling my eyes as I relive some of the greatest moments of the DCU history.

Scott Kolins’ artistry of the first two pages of the issue is very reminiscent of the style of Alex Ross, which is a nice touch to the nostalgic tale of the story.  The detail is so strong that I feel as though I’m looking at photographs with word bubbles drawn on them to better tell the story.
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Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender #1 – Review

Posted on August 22, 2010 by tonyrak

By Onrie Kompan (writer), Giovanni Timpano (artist), Adriana De Los Santos (colorist)

The Story: In his maniacal quest for power and dominion over Asia, the Supreme Warlord of Japan dispatches General Todo to Korea to subjugate the country, which is already on the verge of ruin from a lack of military leadership. In the midst of such ruin, Admiral Yi Soon Shin of the Korean Navy rises up to inspire his country and defy a nation.

The Good: Hey, I’m as much a fan of superhero comics as the next Geek, but sometimes I like to vary my reading experience with…well, SOMETHING ELSE. It’s why I read 300, Criminal, and Scarlet, and you know what? It’s why I dug the hell out of this comic. I fully endorse any comic that’s willing to explore new genres, and to find a historical fiction comic that can deliver the kind of widescreen, epic action that you would expect from a quality foreign film is a rare, but very good thing. This story delivers the shit in a way that would make Kurosawa happy, and in all the ways that count, this is a quality that is sincerely cooler than the latest issue of Avengers Bendis is willing to excrete, due in no small part to the fact that you immediately understand that Kompan and crew care about the story they’re crafting. I sense that this is a story that Kompan has meticulously researched, and the passion he clearly feels to share this historical tale is apparent in every well-crafted page, and he frames that story around a plot that is palatable and easy to follow. The story of Yi Soon Shin is the story of a man who has had the burden of Greatness thrust upon him, whether he likes it or not. It is the story of a man who, by sheer necessity, has taken it upon himself to rise to the challenge of leading his nation through adversity and chaos. I like this. I admire this. I identify with this. And frankly, as a reader of the form, these are themes that I enjoy experiencing. Timpano brings this tale of war and honor to life with a style that is gritty enough to make war look like the atrocity is, and intricate enough to lend an air of authenticity to the time period. Fun to read, beautiful to look at, this is a good comic that doesn’t need to rely on men in tights to sell issues, and I rather like that.
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Fables #97 – Review

Posted on August 21, 2010 by paladinking

by Bill Willingham (writer), Mark Buckingham (pencils), Steve Leialoha & Dan Green (inks), Lee Loughridge (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Rose Red gets out of bed, clandestine meeting for control of the Farm take place, and Rose’s sabotage of Snow’s first marriage is illuminated.

What’s Good: I’ve been somewhat aggravated by Fables over the last couple of months.  After the fantastic “Witches” arc, Fables had regained it’s momentum and the sky seemed to be the limit.  Then Willingham inexplicably squandered this through spending two straight issues in a flashback that was only tangentially relevant and a thematic left turn.  I’m happy to say that this month, Fables is righting itself and taking a big step back in the right direction.

Of course, a big part of this is simply due to the fact that halfway through the issue, the flashback ends.  Suffice it to say, this alone was enough to have me overjoyed.  When Rose got out of bed and started cleaning up and preparing herself for action, I almost felt like it was representative of the series itself; after months of wandering listlessly, Fables is preparing itself to get back to firing on all cylinders.  There’s a lot of excitement, as a result, in seeing Rose suit up and it left me very eager for what’s coming.

It’s not just Rose either; the power struggle in the Farm is also more interesting than ever.  The meeting in the forest, and the fragile coalition between Ozma, Stinky, and Geppetto is very interesting and foreboding as well.  It’s a volatile and unlikely mix of personalities, all of whom are combustible elements.  It’s the sort of thing that you know is going to blow itself, and maybe a great deal else, apart and, like with Rose, it really left me wanting to know what’ll happen next.  I’m especially interested in Stinky/Brock who is getting weirder by the second; he manifests some very weird magical properties this month and their source is very cool.
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Hulk #24 – Review

Posted on August 21, 2010 by joelopez101

by Jeph Loeb (writer), Ed Mcguinness (artist)

The Story: World War Hulks comes to a close as the Red Hulk faces off against the Green Hulk (who’s in his Planet Hulk incarnation) in a fist-fight to end all fist-fights!  Meanwhi– Er, wait. Nope, that’s it.

What’s Good: Take as many digs at Loeb’s Hulk run as you want, but the one thing that cannot be disputed is that as long as McGuinness has been at the art reins, it’s been freaking beautiful.  McG is a “big” artist whose artwork thrives in splash and double splash page form, and while that mode of pencilling can sometimes be frowned upon, it works wonders here with this particular set of characters.  What is essentially   twenty something pages of punching, head-butting, and kicking just sings.  The weight and energy he throws down in every panel is palpable.  The artwork alone makes this issue a must-buy.  If they sold this in a non-Loeb edition with just “silent” artwork, I would be all over this.  Can we please get a Hulk series penciled by McGuinness and written by Greg Pak?  Pretty please?
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The Bulletproof Coffin #3 – Review

Posted on August 21, 2010 by dfstell

By: David Hine (story/script), Shaky Kane (story/art) & Richard Starkings (letters)

The Story: Steve Neuman becomes the Coffin Fly and teams up with golden age comic characters.

What’s Good: It is no secret that I LOVED the first two issues of The Bulletproof Coffin.  Seeing this comic fan guy whose job was to clean up the belongings of the dead get sucked into a world where he has some connection to these “Golden Nugget” comic characters was just cool as hell.

What I’ve really loving is that as this 6-issue series moves into its middle issues, the story still has enough weirdness that the novelty isn’t wearing off AND the story itself is become entertaining in its own right.  That is no small feat because we’ve all read series that had a neat hook, but either failed to be wacky enough to maintain the weirdness OR just never had a story to tell (or both).  So far, that is not a problem here.

One thing that I found pretty fun about this issue is the parallel between Steve and his new alter-ego, the Coffin Fly.  Steve’s job consists of cleaning up the belongings of the recently deceased.  Coffin Fly drives around the post-apocalyptic wasteland in this armored vehicle (THE Bulletproof Coffin) dragging all the chains to dredge up knick-knacks (which he collects).  I find this interesting and am sure it’ll have something to do with the story.

But, the real star of this issue was the fake Golden Nugget comic about “Ramona: Queen of the Stone Age”.  These fake reprint Golden Nugget comics are just great.  They are so obviously a loving spoof of pre-comics code comic books and this one follows Sharon Sharone as she is pulled through a time-warp to become Ramona.  In this issue, we follow Ramona “as once again she falls into the clutches of LUST-CRAZED SAVAGES.  What TERRIBLE FATE have these primitive brutes planned for our helpless heroine?”  That is just the kind of stuff that you would never in a million years see in a modern DC/Marvel comic and that is mostly because when comics and movies talked about “savages” they were being incredibly racist towards people of African or Asian descent.  But, here they avoid that problem by having these savages be of unclear race (although they’re white dudes if they’re anything) and having them all wear helmets so they are almost faceless.  I love the nostalgia trip without the racial baggage!
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Web of Spider-Man #11 – Review

Posted on August 21, 2010 by dfstell

The Ex-terminators, Part 1 by: Fred van Lente (writer), Pepe Larraz (art), Andres Mossa (colors) & Clayton Cowles (letters)

Jackpot: Double-Edged Sword by: Marc Guggenheim (writer), Sana Takeda (art) & Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Story: An MJ and Black Cat team-up in the main story, plus the conclusion to Jackpot’s mission to avenge her husband’s death in the back-up.

What’s Good: The main story features a team-up between MJ and Black Cat that shows why Web of Spiderman exists.  I think WoS is a lot like a comic I reviewed yesterday: Batman Streets of Gotham.  Spidey has a pretty big rotating cast of characters and WoS attempts to touch base with them.  I like that because it makes Spidey’s universe feel more alive when these other characters don’t seem like toys that go back in the closet as soon as they are done being played with by Spidey.

And, the story for this team-up is pretty fun as Spidey is missing, leaving only his phone behind.  MJ finds all the raunchy texts that Black Cat has been sending to Spidey and uses those to get in touch with her so she can hire Black Cat to find Spidey.  As you can imagine, there is lots of catty banter between the two ex/recurring Spidey-girlfriends and that makes the issue kinda fun and the story ends with the pretty good cliffhanger.
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Deadpool #26 – Review

Posted on August 21, 2010 by SoldierHawk

By Daniel Way (writer), Carlo Barberi (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Marte Gracia (colors), VC’s Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Deadpool quits his job in Las Vegas in typical bloody fashion. While wandering away from Sin City, however, our favorite Merc runs into a creature who thrives on seeking out sin: the Ghost Rider.

What’s Good: Let me start by saying that this issue has one of my favorite Deadpool covers of all time. It contains one of the best visual illustrations of the two elements of what makes ‘Pool such a fantastic character. First, we’ve got humor—both in the old “bang!” flag joke, and the smiley face on the gun. Once you look past that initial gag, though, the expectation it sets up is turned on its head by the pile of corpses—slain, of course, with steel darts complete with little “bang!” flags attached to each one. This paints a picture of a supremely talented and supremely dangerous death-dealer, but one with a rather ridiculous (and ironic) sense of humor. THAT is the Deadpool I love, and also happens to be the Deadpool that Daniel Way writes. Thank God someone’s doing right by the poor Merc these days.
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New Avengers #3 – Review

Posted on August 19, 2010 by paladinking

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Stuart Immonen (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Avengers fight against the hordes of demons invading Earth while Iron Fist finds himself trapped in another realm.

What’s Good: Of the new Avengers books, this continues to be the best of the lot.  The characters have the strongest chemistry and there’s an upbeat camaraderie present that, to me, is generally a key component of any successful superhero team book.

While there’s a lot, a lot, of fighting in this issue, it’s not totally mindless.  The dynamic between the Thing and Spider-Man continues to be a highlight for me.  Their conversation mid-battle this month is both humorous and surprisingly meta-textual and self-aware.  The innate understanding that Spidey has for both the Thing, and what it means to be a comic book character, is fantastic; I also enjoyed how Bendis managed to use this as a means to express what I assume to be one of his own beliefs: in a book like New Avengers, sometimes giving the people what they want is more important than trying to be innovative for the sake of innovation.

Readers of my Avengers-related reviews will also know about my well-documented love for Victoria Hand.  Given that, the fact that she makes an appearance this month is already a plus.  My fanboyism aside, however, she really is put to good use.  Her gradual redemption, her awkwardness about performing a heroic deed, and her general frustration over her situation is all great to read and continue to make her as likable as possible.  Bendis’ use of Hand also remains perhaps the most solid representation of the Heroic Age, and how it marches forward from Dark Reign.
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Batman: Streets of Gotham #15 – Review

Posted on August 19, 2010 by dfstell

By: Paul Dini, Ivan Brandon (writer), Ramon Bachs (pencils), John Lucas (inks), Nick Filardi (colors) & Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: Two-Face and gang evade the cops while torturing a rat within their organization.

What’s Good: Considering that I’m a general fan of Batman’s world, some might find it surprising that I’ve never really cared for Two-Face as a villain.  I get sick of all the coin flipping and the hokey two-tone clothing.  He just looks like an ugly pimp to me.  And, throughout it all, I never really feel like he’s any sort of legitimate threat because he’s just a crazy attorney.

So, when I found out that this month’s Streets of Gotham would be a continuation of Ivan Brandon’s back-up story from last issue, I had mixed emotions.  On one hand, I think Brandon is a talented young writer and I was eager to see him get an opportunity to do this issue.  On the other, I was wishing he could do another character.

However, Brandon really did a nice job with Two-Face.  He does a great job of showing just how completely nuts Two-Face is.  At times in this story, I almost thought he seemed more like the Joker than the Two-Face I’m used to.  But, that’s okay because Brandon’s Two-Face isn’t anyone that I would want to be in a room with.  I think part of the story-telling effectiveness comes from the relationship with Two-Face has with his two minions and it is very cool how they alternate between being scared shitless of him and being sick of his craziness which leads to a pretty shocking conclusion.  I’m eager to see the next part of this story.
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Ex Machina #50 – Review

Posted on August 19, 2010 by paladinking

by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Tony Harris (art), JD Mettler (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher

The Story: Ex Machina concludes with glimpse of the years following Mitchell’s time as mayor.

What’s Good: I can’t recall feeling so sad after reading the final issue of a series, not only because of the fact that a favourite book is concluding, but due to the content of the issue itself.  Ex Machina #50 is an emotionally devastating and draining experience for long-time readers who have become tied to Mitchell Hundred’s journey.  It’s poignant to be sure, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a tragedy.

But it’s not “true” tragedy, which is perhaps why it’s so emotionally affecting.  Mitchell Hundred does end up in a good position, professionally anyway, at issue’s end.  He has more power than ever and, in a stunning final couple of pages, is revealed to have ended up very near the pinnacle of American politics.  Of course, it’s all bittersweet to the extreme, because while Mitchell Hundred the politician has flourished, Mitchell Hundred the man finds himself an isolated wreck, irrevocably ruined and alone.  In the end, it’s as though these two sides of Hundred were ultimately impossible to maintain simultaneously, particularly under the weight of superheroics and alien powers.  Mitchell gets his power, but he paid the price.  In that sense, it’s more tragic than Hundred just ending up dead in an ending that is completely dire; this situation sees Hundred trapped in his professional position and forever rueful for what he personally lost, or destroyed, in the process.

And it’s that sense of loss that this gives issue a retrospective feel that is absolutely perfect for a final issue.  In projecting into the years going forward from his battle with Suzanne and his term as Mayor, Hundred ends up dogged by his past, hounded by it as it grows increasingly rotten.  This is brilliantly personified by a dream where he’s visited by his other-dimensional enemies, who, of course, visit him in the form of a twisted version of himself.  Meanwhile, in the real world, this is shown in the form of Bradbury, who on the one hand finds himself in ruins, but also finally lets his feelings for Hundred be known.  It’s a wonderful representation of the old Mitchell Hundred and that “past life” in its current state; rotten and deteriorated, but still not barren of its sincerity.
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Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher #2 – Review

Posted on August 19, 2010 by dfstell

By: Jonathan Maberry (writer), Goran Parlov (art), Lee Loughridge (colors) & Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The Punisher, as the last “normal” hero (super or otherwise), tries to rid the Earth of infected cannibals.

What’s Good: I really enjoyed this a lot.  I’m usually a continuity whore, but for some reason I don’t mind these alternate versions of The Punisher (Franken-Castle, Max, this one, etc.).  This version of Punisher does have the advantage of being pretty true to his original form: the bad-ass and heavily armed man-with-a-plan cutting a vengeful path through the Marvel U.

There really isn’t much not to like about this issue.  We get to see two really cool little action sequences where Frank takes on Hulk and Venom.  I especially liked Frank’s method of taking down the Hulk, but both sequences show just how much planning Frank has put into taking down these various superhuman-types, so Punisher fans should be happy by this showing of their hero as the baddest badass there is.  And it’s also fun that the two main villains are both talkative heroes who annoy the piss out of Punisher in the 616 universe.  That’s well thought out.

This comic has lots of little bits of humor, but doesn’t go overboard into full-scale yuk-yuk mode.  It’s just that appropriate dark, black and dry humor that I appreciate in an apocalyptic Punisher story.  I don’t want to give away the jokes, but you’ll enjoy them when you see them.
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Secret Avengers #4 – Review

Posted on August 18, 2010 by tonyrak

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Rain Beredo (colorist)

The Story: In the conclusion to “Secret Histories”, Commander Rogers hijacks the Nova Force in order to take out Richard Ryder, while Sharon Carter and Ant-Man make a disturbing discovery about one of the Shadow Council’s agents.

The Good: To its credit, this issue of “Secret Avengers” was a huge improvement over the previous three. It was a delight to see Deodato’s art firing on all cylinders here, and the intensity of the fight between Rogers and Ryder was so furious that I practically feel the heat from the impact of their collisions. That kind of raw energy is what I like to see in my Avengers comics and this issue certainly delivers the goods! The mystery of the Shadow Council, while not necessarily clarified, is at least hinted at enough that I’m seriously tempted to pick up next month’s issue if only to learn more about what the hell Fury has been up to lately. I was also pleasantly surprised with Ant-Man’s run in the spotlight this month; I really admired his intrepid efforts against the Shadow Council’s suicide bombers, and I suspect that watching his journey as he learns to become a hero under the tutelage of living legends will have the potential to to be a hugely satisfying storyline in the months to come.

The Not So Good: Despite being a lot more entertaining than previous issues, I don’t know, this comic isn’t quite doing it for me. More to the point, I didn’t find this inaugural storyline to be quite entertaining enough for me to continue wanting to spend four bucks a month on it. This issue, for example, amounted to little more than an extended fight scene between Rogers and Ryder which, while expertly rendered, still amounted to precious little story. I was hoping to see much more espionage out of this team of hand picked heroes, but instead got more superhero slugfests–and yes, I realize that sounds slightly hypocritical when I just got done praising Deodato’s ability to render the smackdown with epic efficiency, but that’s okay because from the get go this was a book that was marketed as walking the fine line between espionage and classic Avengers action; thus far though it’s been all action and not enough covert asskicking, and I’m disappointed that this balance wasn’t reached more effectively. In a world where the Heroic Age is in full swing and heroes are more abundant, prominent, and….heroish than ever, Rogers’s team of commandos aren’t Secret as much as they are obscure and inconsequential…especially when you consider how other, arguably far more superior heroes are out there *also* saving the universe in the excellent “Thanos Imperative” storyline currently running. As a paying reader, I wanted to see these heroes stalking the shadows of some nameless metropolis, pursuing Rogers’s agenda with ruthless efficiency, not running around Mars beating down faceless, nameless stormtroopers while Rogers fights for a Macguffin that inevitably is far less threatening or interesting than it’s made out to be. For my tastes, this storyline was a weird, anticlimatic way to begin the series and seemed to go against Brubaker’s descriptions which had far more potential, although it’s entirely possible this potential has yet to be tapped. Additionally, I continued to be slightly disappointed with Deodato’s art, which seems more dynamic, yet less refined than what he achieved on “Dark Avengers”, which remains a benchmark of his abilities in my opinion. Seeing what Deodato was capable of, I feel his work on this comic seems either rushed or not always as inspired as it could be, and that’s a hard pill to swallow coming from such a talented creator as he is.

Conclusion:There are qualities I liked about this issue, and about this storyline in general, but not enough of any one of them to create that drive and need and incentive for me to want to continue buying “Secret Avengers” month after month. This can be a good comic, but I don’t think I’ll stick around to find out. Until things improve, I’m going to wait for this to be released in graphic novels.

Grade: C+

-Tony Rakittke

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