It's PART FOUR of the BACARDI SHOW NEW COMICS REVUE!
In which I assay my observations on various works of sequential fiction I have perused from October 31 to November 8, some of which, I understand, may still be available from your local comics retailer. Scroll down AAALLLL the way to the bottom for the Best in Show and Dog of the Week(s).



JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER 225
S: Denise Mina; A: Leo Manco (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Mostly a can't-be-arsed Constantine wandering around, being argued about and yelled at by kinda-sorta friends and family, and encountering characters that have played various roles in Mina's interminable "Empathy Curse" story arc- and it's very bit as dull and lugubrious (and often unintentionally silly) as it sounds. Even worse, actually- "yelling" would seem to suggest passion, but this is as rote an exercise as you'd ever care to come across. Manco does nothing to enliven it, and he's defeated before he starts by the Standard Murky Vertigo Color Palette a la Lee Loughridge. How many more issues of this do we have? If the Powers That Be at DC have any empathy for me at all, they'll pull the plug early. D+

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED 2
S: David Lapham, Brian Azzarello; A: Eric Battle, Prentis Rollins, Cliff Chiang (DC, $3.99)

Didn't make it much farther than the opening splash page on the lead; if I wanted to read a mid-90's Spawn comic, I'd go hit the quarter boxes. No, main attraction here is the Dr. Thirteen backup, which is quite possibly the most fun and imaginative thing the previously humor-and-imagination challenged Azzarello has ever written, and it's nicely illustrated by Chiang, who hits all the right notes and makes it an even bigger success. Love that Kaluta cover, too...too bad they can't get an artist team on the lead feature that can channel some of his magic. B+

JACK OF FABLES 4
S: Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges; A: Tony Akins, Andrew Pepoy (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

In which our Jack makes his escape attempt from the Prisoner-like Golden Boughs Retirement Home, and of course complications ensue. I've been kinda critical of Sturges here in previous reviews; this was the first issue where everything broke right for him, especially the character interaction/dialogue, and his (probably Willingham-suggested) spins on these characters were well-handled. I'm still not sold on the inconsistent art, though, so I still can't give this anything higher than a B+.

THE BOYS 4
S: Garth Ennis; A: Darick Robertson (DC/WildStorm, $2.99)

I'm probably never going to completely fall in love with this mishmash, but I will say that Ennis still has enough left in the tank to get me interested in where this is going. Of course, the "Supers" are all cretinous assholes, even though one or two of them manages to get some dialogue in that shows us that perhaps they have a tiny shred of perspective (if not humanity)- I'm thinking of the Homelander beatdown of A-Train here- and he's also savvy enough to show us that Butcher's "ends justifies the means" attitude isn't exactly all that different from the opposition. Balance and shades of gray, no matter how faint they may be, are always welcome in a Ennis book. B-.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE PHANTOM STRANGER
S/A: Various including Mike Sekowsky, Robert Kanigher, Len Wein, Neal Adams, Jerry Grandenetti, and Jim Aparo (DC, $16.99)

Say, why don't I abandon all pretense to professionalism (since I'm no professional anyway, something I'm sure you're all painfully aware of) and hold forth with another of my typically rambling reminisces about one of my all-time favorite DC characters? Okay! The first time I saw the Phantom Stranger was in one of those old DC house ads for Showcase #80, which featured a new framing sequence for a handful of reprints from the short-lived 1950's initial iteration of the character, and is reprinted in this volume. I liked the Neal Adams cover, which depicted the Stranger huddled with a group of children, one wearing his fedora even, in a defensive stance against floating phantoms which beckoned to them from the left hand and bottom areas of the panel. Typically dynamic Adams...but I guess I never saw the book itself on the racks because I never owned a copy, not even years later when I became a fan of the character via his appearance in 1972's Justice League of America #103, set against the backdrop of the annual Rutland, Vermont Halloween parade, and which featured cameos by then-PS-writer Len Wein, Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, and others. Eventually (over a year later- no, I don't know why), I decided I should check out the character's own title, which I had managed to avoid doing all those years- but unfortunately, my first issue was #28, by Arnold Drake and the underrated Gerry Talaoc, which came out well after the primo Wein/Aparo issues- a fact I was ignorant of until one day a few months later when I was trawling the back-issue comics box at some little bookstore on Bardstown Rd. in Louisville and came across a copy of #24, by the Wein/Aparo team. It was also their swan song, and while I liked #28 enough to keep buying, I could tell that this had been something special- heck, if nothing else for the excellent Aparo art (which I had already been digging on Brave & Bold, as one look at the Comic Treadmill will verify) and the fact that unlike the Drake/Talaoc books I'd read so far, the Stranger was an active participant in the story, and in fact had a small supporting cast of sorts, even a love interest! After this, I collected Stranger going forwards and backwards, kinda stalling out going back and failing to obtain many of the single-digit issues in the run, but I did continue to pick up the book until the bitter end with issue #41 in 1976...the first time a book had been announced as having been cancelled while I was still reading it regularly. I was very sad, let me tell you. So now that I've established my bona fides in regards to the Stranger and his exploits, I'm sure you're wondering when I'll get around to telling you if you should drop your hard-earned coin on this. Of course, I think you should- if nothing else, this thing is a cornucopia of outstanding art, from Aparo in his absolute prime (he drew #'s 7-25) to some really good Mike Sekowsky on a couple of stories (including a full-length written-and-illustrated #6), to one (uneven) interior story and a host of fine covers by Neal Adams and some good stuff by the overlooked and underrated Bill Draut early on. And you know I can't go without mentioning Grandenetti's contribution- he did the Showcase framing sequence in that fabulous 60's hallucenogenic style you know I love so much, and it was a treat for me to see. And of course Aparo, who really blossomed as he did this comic, culminating in the incredible cover and first page splash for #21 (the b&w doesn't do it justice here, click on the lnk to see the original). If anyone doubts that he was one of the all-time best, I'll gladly point them to his work in this collection. Script-wise, it's kind of a mixed bag early on- it's pretty obvious that no one had a real good handle on exactly what they wanted this character to be, so they sort of threw stuff at the wall for about a year. The Stranger began his career as a mysterious supernatural detective of sorts, then became more of a supernatural figure himself when revamped for the late 60's, encountering all sorts of typical DC horror book-style menaces and bickering all the while with supporting character professional skeptic Doctor Thirteen, who was determined to prove the Stranger as a fraud, and never succeeded no matter how hard he tried. Whatta stick. Eventually, an arch villain of sorts was introduced in Tala, a sort of magical mischief maker who wanted to rule the world with the Stranger at her side (she's constantly planting big kisses on him). Tannarak, a sorcerer, got his introduction not long after and eventually the pair united to cause more trouble down the road. Most of these early issues sported Robert Kanigher (except for the aforementioned Sekowsky haunted house and hippies tale) scripts, and they're every bit as idiosyncratic, stiff, and wacked-out as Kanigher scripts could often be. No Egg Fus or that sort of thing, but wacked-out just the same. Eventually he gave way to pre-Marvel Gerry Conway, who was working his way up through the ranks and of whom (truth be told) I've never been a fan. He did turn in some solid efforts, however, especially compared to Kanigher's lame House of Mystery retreads. Wein showed up in issue #14, and while he recycled a lot at first, eventually he hit upon the idea of giving PS a girlfriend in blind psychic Cassandra Craft, and teamed up Tala and Tannarak as well and created a malevolent cabal in the Dark Circle, the affair of which came to a climax in that aforementioned #24, and isn't included in this collection. For once, the Stranger was an actual character rather than a mysterious bystander in a mystery story or even worse, a Rod Serling narrator type, and Wein gave the book a purpose and direction for a little while. Of course, it isn't perfect; Wein's dialogue style, like that of his peers Wolfman, Englehart, and others was heavily infuenced by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas' shuck-and-jive patter and was often floridly melodramatic to boot- not as much as Wolfman's on Tomb of Dracula, but very hammy just the same. In a way, he was just honing his chops in advance of his Swamp Thing (his first issue, #14, even features a Swamp Thing prototype of sorts that Adams draws to look like more of a Man-Thing proto) where he corrected a lot of these tendencies and made a little magic (just ask Mike Sterling!) before sinking into the Marvel quicksand of irrelevancy and obscurity. And oh yes, most issues had backup stories starring Doc Thirteen solo, many drawn by Tony (Jonah Hex) DeZuniga, and written by various scripters; they, too, recycle DC House-style tropes but the difference is usually Dr.T comes out ahead, rather than being made to look like a jackass by the Stranger. At the end of the day, it can be said that the Stranger is perhaps the most difficult character in all of comics to write- make him too mysterious, and you lose reader identification; make him to obvious and transparent, and you lose a lot of what makes him special. For almost forty issues, a handful of writers wrestled with this very predicament- some won handily, like Wein, Sekowsky and later Paul Levitz, and some just couldn't do it like Kanigher and Drake. Contained within this 500+ page collection are 21 issues' worth of shots in the dark, and when they hit, they hit in a really satisfying way. Plus, when the story lags, you can take in some excellent artwork by Jim Aparo. So your mileage may vary, but for my money (and I did buy this, I didn't get comped) it's well worth it- none of the tales are dull (contrived as many of the early ones may be) and I also get that extra nostalgia buzz. You may disagree, but I don't think you'll be bored. A rock-solid B+, for the Wein/Aparo issues and the Grandenetti story if nothing else...

DAREDEVIL 90
S: Ed Brubaker; A: Michael Lark, Steven Gaudiano (Marvel, $2.99)

***SPOILER ALERT*** (In the unlikely event you haven't read this already)

Other than the revelation that poor Matt is getting played again, there's a real sense of wheelspinning going on in this issue, which isn't to say that nothing happens- the scrap with Tombstone, a 70's Marvel badguy that never really made much of an impression on me until now, is handled well, and we do get some small revelations throughout. It's just more gradual plot advancement, well done as far as that goes, and it amuses me no end how Brubaker can make the Matador cool in that Antonio Banderas way, such an obvious idea that I'm surprised it hasn't occurred to someone by now. Also, this is yet another showcase for the Lark/Gaudiano art team; beautiful mood-establishment in the heavily photo-referenced opening scenes as well as the middle-book Paris episodes (In my mind, I kept seeing John Leguizamo as Toulouse-Lautrec sitting on the ledge on page 16, drinking absinthe), and good fight stuff throughout. Although I miss Lark's clean-lined inking style on his own, he and Gaudiano have become quite the dynamic duo. This book is going in a good direction, and it's perfectly fine with me if it wants to amble along the way. A-

THE AUTHORITY 1
S: Grant Morrison; A: Gene Ha (DC/Wildstorm, $2.99)

It's like some old goofy Silver Age DC comic: some mad doctor has switched Grant's brain with that of Warren Ellis! And then bade him go out and write an issue of Authority as if it were Planetary! Anyway, it comes across as a bit too much like Grant is trying out an exercise in writing styles, rather than telling a good story for its own sake, and one does miss the usual explosion of ideas...but taken on its own terms, I was engaged all the way through as it slowly built up to the big climactic shot at the end, and damned if I know what any of this has to do with Jack Hawksmoor and Co. I'm assuming Hawksmoor is still a part of this team; I've only read one issue since Millar left, the awful Robbie Morrison-scripted Vol. 2 #1, so I don't know a lot of what's happened since, or even if it matters. One thing in this book's favor is the outstanding Ha art; he contributes a lot to the mood and dynamics as he works that nine-panel grid with a vengeance, right up to one small climactic full page shot just before the final full-page money shot, and it was enough to elicit a small "yes!" from me. Anyway, not what one would expect, but readable just the same and pointing towards better later on. B+

DESOLATION JONES 7
S: Warren Ellis; A: Daniel Zezelj (DC/Wildstorm, $2.99)

Zezelj's art, which is stark, jagged, and dark and reminds me a lot of woodcuts, is going to take some getting used to after the boundless innovation and fine-line filigree of J.H. Williams...but it brings the story a certain brutality, a rough edge which fits Ellis' Spy Who Came in From the Cold-inspired account of a former spook named Asher whose orbit once included Jones, and now shows up wanting a way out of the biz. Thing is, Jones had just received a phone call informing him that Asher was dead...and the game is afoot! Typically terse Ellis script, with piles of dry humor and colorful characters, and while Jones' future is always cloudy, for us the reader our outlook is bright. A

CREEPER 3
S: Steve Niles; A: Justiniano, Walden Wong (DC, $2.99)

I must have been in a good mood when I read this one, because while I still deplore this take on Ditko's colorful character, and especially despise the whole Giffen-conceived notion of Paranoid Schizo Monster Creeper, I actually kinda liked this one. Well, actually, I kinda liked the use of Batman in this one, to be precise. The whole bit with him using his fantastic arsenal of computer gimmicks to ascertain the Creeper's identity reminded me about why I like that character (even though I don't buy any of his regular titles right now). The art, I still don't like. It's just too stylized, too sloppy, too unnecessarily detailed in the wrong places, and just too too much. Blah. So as I bid this misfire a not-so-sad farewell, I leave on a mostly good note, and move on accordingly. C+

CASANOVA 5
S: Matt Fraction; A: Gabriel Ba (Image, $1.99)

Ah, now we're getting somewhere! Finally, after four issues, Fraction has stopped trying to impress us with how clever he is, and coincidentally gives us one of his best ideas yet- Coldheart Island, which is populated by the "last tribe of Pre-Neolithic Man" on the planet- or is it? And the answer, along with Casanova's involvement, is a clever one...also, for the first time, I actually finished an issue without having to go back and re-read and cross-reference. The lack of puzzlement was a refreshing change, let me tell you! And the best thing is, he still messes around with the same reality-time-and-space-twisting ideas of previous issues, but this time didn't leave behind probably his slowest-on-the-uptake reader, namely me. Hopefully this trend will continue before the first hiatus, but the way my luck goes Mr. F will think he's done something wrong and try harder to be more opaque and confusing. One thing I know for sure: the text pieces in the back, which have unequivically sung the praises of Mr. Ba's outstanding art, amounts to little more than preaching to the converted, as far as I'm concerned. A-

PLANETARY 26
S: Warren Ellis; A: John Cassaday (DC/Wildstorm, $2.99)

The remaining members of the Four get what's coming to them in Ellis' typically terse and clever fashion, and we're set up for the further adventures of... that we're not 100% certain we'll ever get to see, given this issue's penultimate designation. One thing I've noticed over the small eternity that this title has taken to unfold- John Cassaday's art, always meticulously detailed and satisfying, if a bit static, has gotten more and more expressive over the course of the series- I'm not so sure he would have attempted the variety of facial expressions we're given over the first half dozen or so pages back when this all started, and good for him. As far as I'm concerned, this title has always been worth the wait, and once more I'm not diappointed. A

CATWOMAN 60
S: Wil Pfiefer; A: Los Lopez David y Alvaro (DC, $2.99)

Film Freak re-enacts King Kong as Selina attempts to bust Holly out of Police HQ. All the subplots and main plots progress nicely- Pfiefer is really in a groove right now, with characterization a particular strong point. Even though I'm a smidge disappointed that the big monkey FF liberated out of S.T.A.R. Labs wasn't Gorilla Grodd (like I first thought after seeing last issue's final splash page), it was still a clever play on the original and best giant ape film (I've sure the Freak hated Jackson's version) and a lot of fun. Next up, Dr. Strangelove. Artwise, the Lopezes are doing a fine job as well- their work is still not as fluid as I'd like to see, and the net effect is more DC Art Drone-ish than it should be, but they still tell the story with the right amount of fuss and to be honest, I like what they're doing as much as I did the Cameron Stewart era. A-

SHADOWPACT 6
S: Bill Willingham; A: Cory Walker (DC, $2.99)

Signs of life! For once the action isn't as pro forma as it so often has been, and I'm beginning to sit up and take notice of this Walker kid, who seems to have a little Chris Sprouse by a very roundabout way of Mignola in his style. Every issue I'm on the bubble about continuing, and I do believe I'll make it at least one more. B

UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS 4
S: Graymiotti; A: Daniel Acuna (DC, $2.99)

Acuna is a skilled artist whose brain seems to be giving him conflicting signals on how to properly finish his work. Figures are all uniformly excellent- naturalistic looking but still stylized and very expressive, but after he's done Photoshopping the hell out of it everything tends to blend into a brown and yellow sludge, with events and characters only being discernable by virtue of the thick black ink line he tends to place around anything he wants to emphasize...and this very murk makes it harder to parse than it ought to be, for sure. And jeez, is that Black Condor revamp ugly. Oh well. Script-wise, I find myself wondering more and more about how the Graymiotti partnership works- this team has turned out the delightful Daughter of the Dragon mini, then only scant weeks later come across like they've forgotten everything they know on Heroes for Hire using mostly the same characters and setup but with much less satisfying results. Jonah Hex, Monolith are/were almost as schizo in the hit-or-miss department. Perhaps Gray is writing the good stuff, and Palmiotti's lacking, or vice versa. Who knows. Fortunately, since we're concerned with only this title right now, they seem to be in Daughters mode, giving us a well-done sci-fi/spandex flavored political intrigue thriller as well as their extremely charismatic version of Uncle Sam, who comes across like a cross between Davy Crockett and the Spectre, an amusing and clever take for sure. I'm liking, but others' mileage may definitely vary given on their tolerance for this sort of thing. A-

SECRET SIX 5
S: Gail Simone; A: Brad Walker, Jimmy Palmiotti (DC, $2.99)

I've been making a lot of jokes about DC Art Drones lately, to mostly puzzled silence across the Blogosphereiverse, but is it me, or does every other illustrator DC brings along bear the last name of Walker or Lopez? Shades of John Jackson and his bitter rival Jack Johnson! Anyway, you may be asking yourself (to my extreme amazement) "Say, Johnny B, didn't you drop this book after only one issue months ago?" To which I can only reply, "Yes, but DCBS screwed up and sent me THIS instead of SEVEN SOLDIERS 1!" Talk about getting a rock in my Halloween comics box. Be that as it may, I went ahead and read this anyway, and boy, was I sorry. Look, I know this is a miniseries about the exploits of a group of super-villians, so a dark tone is to be expected. And y'know, I've been an admirer of comics in the last four decades that dealt with more explicit, undesirable, and vulgar characters and situations. But I can't recall the last time that I felt, after finishing a comic, that I needed to go take a hot shower for about six hours. There's just something seedy and slimy and unpleasant about Simone's script and characterizations, something I can't quite put my finger on and can't cite any one thing in particular- and I congratulate her on skeeving jaded ol' me right the fug out. But her dialogue rarely rises above Stock Comic Book Scripting 101, and honestly, is this really any better or different than any number of DC mainstream titles right now? Isn't this just another Suicide Squad story, with the yuck factor amped up a notch or two? It might have been helped by an artist with some sort of spark to enliven all these lugubrious proceedings, but that Walker guy ain't it- his storytelling and figure drawing were awful, and not even a seasoned pro like Palmiotti can help it much. That splash on page two is one of the most inept action pages I've ever seen anywhere- needlessly convoluted and confusing. As far as I'm concerned Simone's following remains a mystery, I don't want to see anything else this particular Walker draws ever again if I can help it, and DCBS owes me big time. Too slick and professional for an F, but I don't think D- is excessive.

CHECKMATE 7
S: Greg Rucka, Nunzio DeFillipis, Christina Weir; A: Cliff Richards, Bob Wiacek, Dan Green (DC, $2.99)

Speaking of the Suicide Squad, here they are again in a tale written by three scripters, no less, just like last issue- and the fact that I can't tell who did what is either a marvel of homogeneity and mediocrity, or a triumph of Team Comics Scripting in its most efficient form. Either way, there's lots of talk talk talk, par for the course for this most talky of comics (not Rex Libris text-heavy, but you know what I mean), but there was also a little more action this time around which leavened it a bit and enabled me to enjoy it more than I did #6, and #5, and so on. About the art, well, it's better than the art on Secret Six, let's let it go at that. C+

100 BULLETS 77
S: Brain Azzarello; A: Ed Risso (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Before I cut and paste my standard review of this commentary-defying title, let me say that it's never as lively as it is when Lono and Megan Dietrich get to have conversations...Azzarello really gives them some spark together. Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't ride off into the sunset in #100, arm in arm. Aw, who am I kidding... I also loved the Dave Johnson cover- he's been getting all sketchy and minimalist over the last year or so, but this one takes a good idea and runs with it. Best in ages. Anyway, here goes the Standard 100 Bullets Review: Another well-done issue what will engage the already engaged, baffle the uninitiated, and even baffle the initiated upon occasion. I think I'll just cut and paste this review for the next 23 issues. A-

NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E. 9
S: Warren Ellis; A: Stuart Immonen. (Marvel, $2.99)

Oh, that Ellis. He's absolutely barking mad, isn't he? Forbush-Man...not even Grant Morrison would have brought HIM back, let alone worked him into the best Morrison-flavored Doom Patrol issue in over ten years! Ah me, it made this old Not Brand Echh reader very happy to see, no doubt. If only we could have also had Magnut: Robot Biter, Scaredevil, The Silver Burper, and the Mighty Sore along with Knock Furious, Agent of S.H.E.E.S.H.. Oh wait, we do have him- he's called Dirk Anger here. Artwise, Immonen continues his transmogrification from Alan Davis into Wassily Kandinsky, giving us a great Frank Miller satire on the side when we first meet ol' Forby. We'll miss this book when it's gone, you know...well, I will, anyway. A

MAD MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2006
S/A: The not-so-usual gang of idiots. (DC, $3.99 cheap.)

Just like nearly everyone else who has received this comp of the venerable humor magazine, I must point out how long it's been since I've read an entire issue of Mad. Think decades, not years- my interest kinda petered out when I reached double figures age-wise, approximately 1970. I have read the occasional issue in that interval, mostly ones found in a waiting room somewhere, or at somebody's house who had kids that had a copy, or other random places...but I dare say it's been a hell of a long time since I actually parted with coin for the privilege. And thanks to the fine folks at DC, that streak remains intact! But what did I think, you may be impatiently asking? Well, first thing I noticed was all the color. Last time I read Mad, it was still in black & white, and that's a bit of an adjustment. Second thing was all the cartoonists that I'm used to seeing in more, shall we say refined surroundings- Peters Kuper (on Spy Vs. Spy no less) and Bagge, and Ted Rall. They wouldn't have let those guys in the office back when Mort Drucker, Dave Berg and Paul Coker Jr. walked the earth! And where's the movie/TV show satire? Guess it moved on with Drucker and/or Angelo Torres. Otherwise, not much has changed- the general feel of the humor still aspires to junior high school-level. Of those for which I had high hopes, Bagge's Halloween feature was kinda obvious and disappointing; he just doesn't seem to have the fire in his belly anymore that made Hate so essential in its heyday. Old reliable Sergio Aragones is still on board, and excelling, and it's good to see Al Jaffe still plugging away. Kuper's style worked well on "Spy", as I said, and once I got acclimated to it the color was OK. I also liked, purely from a design/art appreciation standpoint, the "Red State/Blue State Monopoly" feature- even though it was as subtle as a bag of hammers, it was cleverly illustrated. Heck, if Time Warner was on the ball and wanted to make some quick bucks they'd strike a deal to have this come out in a real game edition! Be this as it all may, I still got many a lowbrow chuckle from many of the gags- dated as the Mel Gibson shots were, I couldn't help but snort at the unused cover, for instance. Guess my sense of humor never progressed much past Junior High, either. Which is not to say that I anticipate becoming a regular Mad reader; Entertainment Weekly is still the best bathroom read for my money. But the old warhorse still has a pulse- and some very talented people working for it- and is apparently still worth a look every now and then. So tell me why, DC, is Evan Dorkin not deemed worthy of writing for Gaines and Kurtzman's venerable love child? Just wondering. B

JONAH HEX 13
S: Graymiotti; A: Jordi Bernet (DC, $2.99)

Look, fellas, when you've seen your character backshot, stuffed, and mounted and placed on display in a traveling carny, there's very little else "shocking" that can be done with him. Oh well. Having grown tired of having Jonah take on corrupt town authority figures, we are now given his retroactive origin, which proves once and for all that he didn't cut himself shaving. And it's well done, for the most part- Graymiotti have gotten Hex's character down pretty well, the actual turning-point event is brutal, if not especially shocking, and if it's more than a little inspired by The Beguiled, well, all's fair. Besides, they could have Jonah being mutilated by Teletubbies for all I care, as long as the assured, expressive, graceful and all-around excellent art of Jordi Bernet illustrates it. After being introduced to it in his issue of the lamented Solo, I've been looking forward to what he can do with the Eastwood-influenced old west milieu, and he does not disappoint. B+

AMERICAN SPLENDOR 2, 3
S: Harvey Pekar; A: Various. (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

What do this and Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall have in common? Well, on Planet Dave anyway they are both more interesting as art appreciation exercises than actual reading enjoyment. You see, and here's where I wear my Philistine hat, I've never really been an admirer of Harvey Pekar's previous slice-of-life offerings, back in his self-publishing and Dark Horse-distributed days, and the sad part of it is simply that I just didn't care about Harvey's life and his presentation of it for our reading pleasure. And no matter how much the Comics Journal told me I should, I just never could make myself give a damn. I guess that I was just looking for something a bit more escapist, a bit more imaginative perhaps, in my comics reading- and as is so often the case, I'm sure I missed out on something quite revelatory and wonderful. He was cute on Letterman, and managed to make Dave look like as much of a horse's ass as he tried to make Harvey look, but that didn't make me want to pick up the comics, even as they got grimmer via cancer stories and the like. Before you condemn me completely, though, I would like to interject right here that I watched and liked the American Splendor film quite a bit- it had a lot more of what I was looking for, imagination and presentation-wise, than its print antedecent did. So here we are, years later, and Harvey is finding himself with a most unusual bedfellow in the Vertigo imprint...and my reaction to these vignettes is pretty much the same, except the art is a heck of a lot more interesting more often as not. And now, apropos of nothing, a personal note of my own: tonight, for the first time in my life, I ate two spears of broccoli. Never cared to try it before, but Mrs. B steamed it and served it with rice, chicken and carrots, and it was quite good. I might eat more one of these days. Now, was that gripping or what! No? Didn't think so. Now you may see where I'm coming from with my attitude towards Splendor and most others of its ilk- you see, I, too, have had epic battles with toilets and have had to pick up children several miles away in snowstorms, and while I may fervently wish that I could get top-flight talent to illustrate my accounts of these events, and even get people to cough up three bucks to read them, that doesn't mean I am impressed, enlightened, edified, or even interested in others' experiences doing the same old ordinary everyday things that I have done many times over in my short, wretched existence. Anyway, now that I've spent several lines of type trying to explain why I've never really been that big a fan of Pekar's previous offerings, I will tell you now that after all is said and done, I did, as with 1001 Nights before it, enjoy seeing wonderful art turns by Dean Haspiel (who was born to draw Pekar's stuff), Chris Weston (his story is so detailed and precise as to almost be maniacal), Ty Templeton, Leo freaking Manco, believe it or not; and Hunt Emerson. Some were not so good, more so for inability to enliven and enhance the dull material more than anything. Richard Corben's turn was fine, but he totally fails to capture Pekar's likeness whatsoever. I guess you can infer that I got comped on this; I'm happy to have the opportunity to check it out (I had been curious about Haspiel's contributions, being unable and unwilling to drop the large coin on The Quitter, not that I would have knowing my attitude), but I don't know if I would go as far as to hunt up #1 and get #4 when it comes out. I didn't hate this at all, so if that carries any weight with you then by all means hie thee to your comics shop and then you, too, can share in the ordinary-life trials and tribulations of Mr. Pekar, drawn by some of the best and brightest. B+


FINISHED! Well, except for the Scout trade, and that's coming- I haven't finished rereading it yet. Heh. Anyway, here's

BEST IN SHOW: Gotta be DESOLATION JONES 7, although the other two Ellis books aren't far behind. Is the Intarwub Jebus on a roll lately or what?

DOG OF THE WEEK(S): Close race here, but I'll have to go with the repulsive SECRET SIX 5, the book I got by accident, over the merely dull and silly HELLBLAZER 225.

Thanks, everyone, for hanging with and reading as I post. Coming this weekend: My next DCBS box, with Seven Soldiers 1. I hope. Coming sooner, looks at the aforementioned Scout, as well as The BLVD Sketchbook Volume 2.0 and Keith Knight's Are We Feeling Safe Yet? collection.

UPDATE 10/14, 10:30 am: The problem seems to have abated for now, with only a handful of searches for EEP showing up. Weird.

Hello!

I'll be finishing the reviews soon, as well as something kinda...different...which I have yet to scan.

But I've had something happen that freaks me out a little.

You may recall a while ago I had posted a couple of entries, not far apart, about a series of animated commercials with a lead character whose initials are E doubled, as well as a brief entry about Neil Strauss and Bernard Chang's latest published effort. Neither post was related to the other.

I have, however, had several Google hits on my referrer page since looking for E.E. and a word which starts with "p" and ends with "orn", which of course I never mentioned, nor do I know where to find same. Not an extraordinary amount of hits, mind you, perhaps three or four per night.

Until now.

Looking at my referrer page before bed tonight, I noticed where I had suddenly been deluged with almost 100 hits, maybe more (my referrer only lists the most current 100), looking for that phrase or some sort of combination thereof. This is not good, I don't think.

I'm not the most web-savvy person out there; I know how to post links and pictures, and even how to write enough code to change a color or something...but when it comes to something like this, which has to involve "spiders" or "bots" or some sort of nefarious activity about which I (obviously) know almost nothing, I am clueless.

This kinda reminds me of a year or two ago, when I suddenly got a ton of hits on Google image searches for a certain (non-nude) pic of the actress who plays the lead in an NBC series that makes its 2006 premiere Wednesday night (I'm really trying hard not to name things specifically, cant'cha tell?). Eventually, this activity died down and went away.

So here's my question to the web-savvy among you who still read this blog, if any of you are left- should I be concerned about this? Or will this, too, pass? So far it's more annoying than anything, but if it is a threat to something, what can I do?

I've got what seems like a five foot stack of comics to review, but it won't be tonight. It will be soon, though, so please bear with.

I've also not forgotten about Hammerlocke; indeed, how could I with the incredibly overwhelming response I've had so far to the first post in the series? (Thanks, Scott!) But issues 2 and up will have to wait a little while longer. Please try not to let your disappointment bring you down.

Actually, the main fact I'm posting at all tonight is to point you to something which you've probably already read- a D.C. Johnson interview over at CBR about what is certainly one of my top five favorite comics series of the last ten years, Chase. It's got several page scans, too! So go, already!

And please check back soon; I'll be inflicting my opinions upon you again in short order.

A Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting is in order for one of the titans, Sturdy STEVE DITKO, who turns 79 today. Ditko's work regularly blew my young mind in the 60's and 70's, not only on his stellar runs on Spider-Man (including one of my first and most favorite issues ever ('cause it's just so damn funny- maybe one of Stan's finest hours as well), #16's Daredevil team-up) and Doctor Strange, but also his beautifully inkwashed efforts for the early issues of Warren's Creepy and Eerie as well as the odd Charlton Comics title such as Captain Atom and Blue Beetle. In fact, I had planned to scan and post one of Ditko's finest hours, artwise, of the 60's- his story Demon Sword from Eerie #8...but I have apparently placed my yellowed, coverless copies of the two issues of that title I own, one of which is that esteemed #8, in a box or something somewhere and can't find it. I had also planned to scan one of the Grandenetti stories in those same magazines and post them on scans_daily, but that's a no go until I locate them as well. Like Myron and his Voodoo Doll, I gotta find those books! Anyway, please make do with the above cover for Beware the Creeper #1, and if I ever come across those mags, scan them I will!



Also, today marks the 25th anniversary of the death of another of the titans, my old pen pal, WALLACE WOOD. I hope he's in a better place.

Time once more for the BACARDI SHOW NEW COMICS REVIEW, in which I inflict my opinions upon you in regards to various works of sequential fiction I have perused from October 24 to October 30. Here we go:



FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL GN
S: Bill Willingham; A: Various (DC/Vertigo, $19.99)

I'm of two minds about this handsome collection: really, if you get right down to it, it's just a collection of backstories that could have probably been better served as backup features in the monthly, such as those that have been appearing for the last few months already. But the art lover in me is very pleased to see so many excellent illustrators assembled in one place, in service of some of the most open-for-interpretation characters in the history of literature. If you're not a regular reader of Vertigo's would-be Sandman successor, then I would imagine you'd be quite perplexed by all this; of course most of the names are familiar to nearly everyone, but the various twists and spins that Willingham has put on them over the course of the seventy some-odd issues of the monthly will more than likely go right over the uninitiated head, or at least not make as much sense as they will to the converted. However, since I am coming from the latter viewpoint, having drank the Kool-aid about issue #7 or so, I did enjoy this book. Not as much as I would have hoped to; honestly, the twists here aren't really all that twisty and are actually kinda obvious to the longtime reader, which prevented me from becoming all that engaged by any of these tales. Still, there's no way I can turn up my nose at Mike Kaluta's gorgeous-as-always text framing illustrations, albeit ones unnecessarily embellished by Charles Vess- whose style is not dissimilar to MWK's, but I prefer my Kaluta uncut- still a nice job by both men. John Bolton's up next, and his account of the breakup of Snow White and Prince Charming is muddled- he's striving for that golden glow of old Maxfield Parrish fantasy paintings, and mostly succeeds, but damn near shoots himself in the foot by being so maddeningly inconsistent with his figures. Some are lavishly rendered, like Snow and the Prince, some are done with a gnarly sloppy fat ink line, giving a Corbenish effect, and backgrounds are done the same way. I've seen better work from Bolton before; he's capable of a Hal Foster style when he's inclined, but here he comes across as wanting to experiment, and I would prefer that he experiment on his own dime. Regular series artist Mark Buckingham turns in a better job than I would have expected; on the monthly I'm not wild about his work but here, away from Steve Leialoha's inks, he seems to be working in a different style. It's colorful enough, but looks washed out. Quite the opposite from cover artist extraordinaire James Jean's turn next; by choosing to color his nicely drawn story in mottled grays and browns he makes it a lot more of a slog than it should have been. Mark Wheatley is an artist I haven't paid a lot of attention to; I'm mostly familiar with his 80's collaborations with Marc Hempel. Here he gets arguably the central feature, Bigby Wolf's origin story, and while I've never been a fan (and his is the most "comic booky" of the set) he acquits himself well with a nice stylistic energy that I appreciated. Derek Kirk Kim's is a lavishly illustrated one; I didn't see that coming based on what I've seen of his work before. It's really good but short. Fables' resident Wicked Old Witch, Frau Totenkinder, gets her spotlight in a tale-within-a-tale which sports lovely work by JBS favorite Tara McPherson- like Jean, if she's done interiors before I've never seen them. Her work in service of an actual narrative is a bit stiff and mannered, but it's so imaginative and pleasing to the eye that it gets by famously. It frames a story with art by Esao Andrews, whose work here didn't grab me at all. It's rough and looks charcoal-ish, plus his figures are really awkward looking and oddly proportioned. Finally, Jill Thompson is fully in her element here as she closes the book with a wonderful account of how King Cole escaped to the Mundy world- I couldn't help but reflect on how much more enjoyable the monthly would have been if she'd been on art for its duration. Anyway- that's how I saw this one, as more of an art showcase than anything else and on that account it succeeded...not as completely as I would have liked, but still very nice indeed. Is it worth it for you, especially if you haven't fully invested in the monthly like I have? Probably not. But you might want to wait for the softcover, because it's rare to have so many great artists in one place these days. A-

SEVEN SONS GN
S: Alexander Grecian; A: Riley Rossimo (AiT/PlanetLar, $12.95)

As you may know by now, basically this is an new take on the old folk tale about the Seven Chinese Brothers, recast in the Gold Rush era more or less, with a fateful encounter with the residents of a nearby town. It's a clever idea, and fully realized- it's easy to mess this sort of thing up by striving to be too relevant or cynical or something...but Grecian manages to strike the right tone and maintain it throughout. Nice text piece in the back as well, citing and recalling the various iterations of the legend over the years. Although at first I was a bit reluctant, I came to really like Rossimo's loose and over-rendered art, it's reminiscent of Ted McKeever but a little clearer in its storytelling style. It's been a while since we've seen something new from the House that Larry (and Mimi) Built, and this one was worth the wait. And if you didn't hear R.E.M.'s "7 Chinese Brothers" playing over imaginary end credits when you finished the story, you're a better man than I, Gunga Din. A

ROCK BOTTOM GN
S: Joe Casey; A: Charles Adlard (AiT/PlanetLar, $12.95)

Joe Casey updates The Man Who Turned to Stone for the Aughts...giving us a Twilight Zone-ish account of Thomas Dare, a footloose El Lay musician who discovers one day that he is slowly turning, well, into stone. Apparently it's hereditary, and despite the best efforts of the medical community, especially after he becomes a celebrity of sorts by saving a child from being hit by a truck, he soon comes to realize that it's incurable. Dare does a lot of soul-searching, friendships are struck and reinforced, and various issues get resolved with his estranged wife...and by the time this concludes, in (thankfully) less melodramatic fashion than I expected, this reader at least realized that while he was engaged and committed all the way through, admired how Casey downplayed the melodramatics, and hoped against all odds for the best for the somewhat crusty (poor pun, I know) Dare and in turn was kinda saddened when it became obvious how it was going to turn out for him. When I closed the book, however, I realized that what Casey has given us is a straightforward account of a man who turns to rock, the end. No apparent moral, no pretense, no overarching message about, say, hardening up inside in response to life's troubles or sealing oneself off from his fellow man, no Paul Simon singing "I Am a Rock"...nothing hightoned or cerebral at all- just "Man turns to concrete. People react. The End." Which was kinda puzzling, and a little disappointing. I know, I know, sometimes it's all about the story and the telling of it, and not everything has to have metaphor piled on top of subtext with context sauce...but I was vaguely unsatisfied, expecting a bit more...oh, I don't know, enlightenment, perhaps- and got none, just like Mr. Dare. Oh well. When life gives you concrete lemonade, make sure you end up as a statue or something like that. Interesting art job by Adlard, who chooses to render everything in coloring book fashion, except for the creeping gray tones on Dare's body- ostensibly so he can highlight the transformation, I suppose, but also giving it an undernourished, incomplete look. Still, his figure drawings, straightforward ink line and storytelling choices (with the exception of that coloring book gimmick) are first-rate, and while I still have a hard time reconciling this Adlard art with the guy who gave us White Death and Warlock, it's a fine job. I liked this enough to say that between this and Seven Sons, the reports of AiT/PlanetLar's demise have been greatly exaggerated. B+

TAG 2
S: Keith Giffen; A: Kody Chamberlain (Boom!, $3.99)

Another of the seemingly endless legion of comic-book dead men keeps on walking and surfing the 'Net in this somewhat tardy second chapter of Giffen's patch on Thinner, and slowly finds out more about why he came to be what he has come to be. Even though I'm coming across a bit snarky, this is still smartly written, and it's nice to read dialogue about blogging and the internet that sounds like the writer has actually had experience with the whole thing. Chamberlain's art is solid but murky- his "Imaginary Friends" don't help at all by "coloring" everything in shades of mottled gray. Still interesting, but might read better collected. B+

PIRATE TALES
S/A: Various. (Boom!, $6.99)

Nice art turns by Fabio Moon and Rafael Albuquerque, among others, enliven this attempt by Boom! to replicate the success they've had with their zombie and Lovecraft anthologies. I don't know, I'm not really crazy about pirates actually- sure, I loved The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood, but I think it's just because I've always dug Errol Flynn flicks, liked Cutthroat Island for all the wrong reasons, and was mildly entertained by Pirates of the Carribean- but at the end of the day I really didn't get my mainsail hoisted by any of these tales. They weren't dull or bland, but just kinda went in one eye and out the other (or something like that). I was often reminded of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' distracting Tales of the Black Freighter from Watchmen, which wouldn't have made me unhappy if it had been omitted completely. If pirates shiver your timbers, however, you could do worse than to check this out- there's a real sense of at least trying to do something different, and that counts for a lot as far as I'm concerned. And as usual with Boom!, the production values are first rate- nice paper, coloring and so on. B

ACTION FIGURE: FROM THE JOURNALS OF RICHARD MARZELAK 1
S/A: Richard Marcej. (Baboon Books, $3.50)

Office Space-esque hijinks, somewhat autobigraphical, as Richard Marcej the writer/artist gives us "Richard Marzelak" the character, who labors, unappreciated and unhappy, at a large toy company as a concept artist and is given to occasional red-tinged daydream sequences as he yearns to get out of his predicament and become a full-time cartoonist. As an artist, Marzelak is a nice conceptualist- his figure drawings are stiff, awkward and often crude, but he's able to tell a story and cram it full of dialogue and never make it seem cluttered, and there are many other, far more facile and accomplished illustrators that haven't mastered that trick yet. Said dialogue, while rarely witty or clever in itself, is still natural-sounding and sometimes amusing...you can't help but sympathize with "Richard", especially if one has ever felt underappreciated and overlooked at one's job, particularly one that would seem to be a dream job for many. If you're curious, you can go visit Richard the creator's website, where he has many other publications for you to sample. B+

HEROES FOR HIRE 3
S: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti; A: Billy Tucci, Francis Portela, Tom Palmer. (Marvel, $2.99)

Last issue's big cliffhanger is resolved in very contrived fashion, there's lots more fighting and posturing and dreary Civil War-related shenanigans, and only at the end with the return of Otis and uberbitch Riccadonna are we reminded of how enjoyable the Daughters of the Dragon miniseries was. The art's somewhat better, but that's not saying much. I find myself wondering, more than anything, about this Tom Palmer that's inking- there's no way that it's the Tom Palmer of yore, who embellished the titans like Adams, Colan and Buscema. There oughtta be a moratorium on using legendary names, like retiring numbers in sports or something. Maybe he could, as so many artists are doing even as I grind my teeth, call himself "Palm". C+

MYSTERY IN SPACE 2
S: Jim Starlin; A: Starlin, Shane Davis, Matt Banning, Al Milgrom. (DC, $3.99)
All right, Starlin, some of us were alive in 1975, and if I wanted to read Warlock again I'd go to the source instead of this half-assed update. If you can't think of anyting else to write, why bother? And by the way, in regards to Star Hawkins, I've read Twilight, too, so no soap there either. C-

More later, when I've made it through my newly-arrived-as-of-yesterday comics box...

From all of me to all of you.

So...you may be wondering what I thought about Hellboy: Sword of Storms. Short answer? I liked it. I didn't love it, but for what it's worth I liked it better than the film.

The animation style, once again that Westernized anime style, managed to not be too derivative of any one particular strain, but wasn't quite in that Justice League Unlimited/Teen Titans Go! style either. It was actually quite lavish, with many beautifully detailed backgrounds. Expressions were very good. The character designs themselves too a little getting used to, not so much Hellboy and Abe, who were pretty close to that Mignolaesque canonical look, but the young and hawt Liz and especially Kate Corrigan, who looks to be in her mid-thirties as drawn by Mignola and Guy Davis. Many of the actual facial expressions, oddly enough, reminded me a lot of Davis' work as seen in the B.P.R.D. series that he's become such a mainstay of. The Japanese characters especially had the Davis touch. The animation itself was fluid and lively, and the fight scenes benefitted from that a lot. That said, there was some dodgy editing going on- one or two scenes ended rather abruptly, especially at the end, and Cartoon Network didn't help by breaking away for commercials every five minutes.

Story-wise, I wish it had been a bit more original; the doomed lovers and storm-gods thing has been done here and there in other places. I especially couldn't help but be reminded of the aforementioned Titans' Thunder and Lightning twins, and more often as not there were strong elements of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers all over. I was happy to see that the film's embarrassing and silly "Hellboy crushing on Liz" subplot was not in evidence; and I liked Abe much more here than his prissy cinematic counterpart. I think that it also felt a bit padded and stretched-out; there just wasn't enough story to justify a 90-minute runtime. That said, I did enjoy the straight-from-the-comics floating-head Japanese vampire sequence; lotsa fun for those of us who love the source material.

Altogether, I thought this was a success, although a qualified one; a lot of time and care went into the design and animation and it showed. I hope to see the other one soon- I hope that a bit more thought is put into the story this time!

Hello! Good evening!

I have a metric ton of comics stuff I want and/or need to write, but it probably won't be tonight (Animated Hellboy coming on soon) or tomorrow (NFL, plus radio station tomorrow morning). Maybe Monday, who knows.

Typical- I get a boost from all the kind words on the occasion of my blogaversary the other day...then don't post the rest of the week! Thanks especially to Neilalien and the Eye of Agamotto for the special boxed-in shoutout, and all the rest of you who cared to post as well!

My NFL picks are up, in case you care.

I didn't get my comics box yesterday; DHL says it's still in transit, and should be delivered Monday. Oh well, like I said up there I still have a shitload of new books to review anyway, like Mystery in Space 2 and Heroes for Hire 3, as well as that gorgeous Fables hardcover graphic novel.

So be patient with me, and I'll be patient with you, mkay?

Time for Hellboy! See ya!

Even though I still haven't finished writing about my LAST shipment, I know many of you out there are asking yourselves "Exactly what is Dave going to get from DCBS this week?" And I'm here to set your collective minds at ease. My box, if you please:

CHECKMATE #7
CREEPER #3
CATWOMAN #60
CASANOVA #5
SHADOWPACT #6
AUTHORITY #1
SCOUT VOL 1 TP
SHOWCASE PRESENTS PHANTOM STRANGER VOL 1 TP
DAREDEVIL #90
NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE #9
SEVEN SOLDIERS #1
DESOLATION JONES #7
100 BULLETS #77
HELLBLAZER #225
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #4
THE BOYS #4
PLANETARY #26
JACK OF FABLES #4

Pretty big haul, eh? I'm hoping that Seven Soldiers will ship; it's still on my invoice, and they haven't notified me otherwise, so I'm assuming that it will be there. But as we all know, as Steven Seagal's scriptwriter for Under Siege 2 so cleverly put it, "Assumption is the mother of all fuckups."

I'm also looking forward to rereading those collected issues of Scout; I had a pretty good run of that Tim Truman title back in the day but didn't keep them when I sold most of my original collection back in 1987. It's too bad that the backup feature for many of them, J.K. Synder's Fashion in Action, won't be included. The Showcase Presents Phantom Stranger collection is also something I'm anticipating; many of those really early issues I've never read, or haven't in at least two decades, maybe more. Of course, I'm always happy to get new issues of Planetary, Desolation Jones(I've liked what I've seen of new artist Danijel Zezelj in the past),Catwoman, Daredevil, and Nextwave. Not so eagerly anticipated are titles I've already decided to bail on and am just playing out the string: Creeper, Checkmate, and Shadowpact. I'm liking Uncle Sam OK so far, and I'm still making an effort to get into Casanova, just because something tells me I should.

Oh, and I also got the Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall HC! And uf cuss I'll review it soon.

And yes, I crossposted this from the LJ. Just because.

OK, thanks for your time, you may now resume normal activity, whatever that may be.

IT'S ABOUT TIME, IT'S ABOUT SPACE, IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR THE BACARDI SHOW NEW COMICS REVIEW! In which I inflict my opinions of comics that I have read in the interval from October 4 to October 24 upon anyone who'll care to read...some of which may even still be on sale in your local comics shop!

FINAL EDITION!



THE LEADING MAN 3
S: B.Clay Moore; A: Jeremy Haun. (Oni Press, $3.50)

The plot thickens as our hero is captured by the enemy, and his right-hand man, another superspy and an actress who got a bit too nosy are left to figure out what to do next. Although sometimes it comes across as slick as a TV series pitch, it's still a good read- fast paced and never dull, with great dialogue and good art by Haun, whose motto remains "Background detail? I don't need no steenkin' background detail!". Actually, I like this better than any other BC Moore project to date save for Hawaiian Dick, so if that tells you anything, go out and get this. Or wait for the trade, if you must. A-

THE WINTER MEN 5
S: Brett Lewis; A: John Paul Leon. (DC/Wildstorm, $2.99)

Raise your hand if you remember what happened in #4, which seems to have come out a small eternity ago. You know me- I've always been on record as saying that I'm more than happy to wait on creators to get their books out, regardless of Philistine solicitation dates and such...better late than a fill-in! But a comic this dense and elaborate probably shouldn't be this late if it knows what's good for it. Oh well- I didn't really know what to expect from this by now; first, it's a nine-issue series, then it isn't, then it's five issues with a big double-sized grand finale next issue...whoo-eee. It starts out with a brief recap of the fragmented Winter Men squadron storyline which may never get fully explored, becomes another of the delightful Soviet-based crime stories that have been done well in the previous issues (the "Mr. Boss" scenes are hilarious), then abruptly becomes a Christmas story (!), all with the great dialogue and involved plotting that has been a hallmark, no pun intended, of this series so far. And, of course, Leon is as solid as always, especially as he helps us navigate the chaotic Christmas party at the end- he does a great job of depicting all the craziness that goes on. Winter Men ISN'T an easy read, which I'm sure you know by now, but it's enjoyable just the same- especially if you're a fan of Russia-based fiction, sly humor, well-done dramatics, and outstanding art. And really, aren't we all- at least three of the four? A

POWERS 20
S: Brian Michael Bendis; A: Michael Avon Oeming. (Marvel/Icon, $2.95)

Against the odds, this has become quite the compelling storyline with principals Walker and Pilgrim both dealing with their superpowered crime beat even as they struggle with newly acquired powers of their own. Sure the plot, at least the bare bones of it, reminds of previous story arcs in this series, but he's managing to dress it up so it's not so familiar. Bendis wore out his welcome with me on Daredevil, but to his credit he's still in there pitching on this, and the effort is gratifying. As always, Oeming piles on plenty of mood and black ink, and even though his style seems to be getting more and more stylized each month he's still hitting on all cylinders. If you bailed on this some time ago, like I almost did, you might consider checking it out again- you might be pleasantly surprised. A-

DR. DEBUNKO, DEBUNKER OF THE SUPERNATURAL 1
S/A: Chris Wisnia. (Salt Peter Press, $3.95)
DORIS DANGER SEEKS: WHERE GIANT MONSTERS CREEP AND STOMP 1
S: Chris Wisnia; A: Wisnia, Dick Ayers, and a host of pinup artists. (Salt Peter Press, $9.95)

In Dr. Debunko, the Vincent Price circa 1949 lookalike title character makes it his calling to disprove all manner of "alleged spiritual, supernatural, psychic, superstitious, folkloric, or government conspiratorial beliefs", which usually means that he comes upon or is called in to some sort of weird occurrence, and manages to explain it away in tongue-in-cheek, and often amusing, fashion. I'm not wild about the art- it's very grubby and sloppy, kinda reminds me of Tom Sutton after a three-day bender, and doesn't help the story very much. So what's poor Mr. Wisnia to do? Why, get Timely/Atlas/Marvel stalwart Dick Ayers (I didn't even know he was still with us!) to ink his pencils on the oversize Doris Danger stories! And this stuff is right up his alley, too- basically sendups of those old Lee/Kirby/Ditko pre-Fantastic Four Marvel giant monster stories, you know the ones, with monsters that had names that sounded like noises one's stomach makes after eating too much chili or something. These are pretty funny as well; if you like the remixed satire comics Marvel and Boom have been putting out lately, this is a lot like that...except with all-original art instead of relettered public domain comics stories. The tabloid-sized format adds a lot, too- it's strangely fitting to read about big creatures with names like "Fuggabluh", "Aaahblaah" and "Scrohtu" twice-up normal size. It's rounded out with pinup pages by some pretty good artists, like Mike Mignola, the Hernandez Bros., Gene Colan (an especially good piece), Tony Millionaire(!), and others. Not a bad deal for your ten bucks, kids! For more info on this and Wisnia's other publications, go to www.tabloia.com, and tell 'em Johnny B sent ya! Dr. Debunko: B-; Doris Danger: B+.

THE BOYS 3
S: Garth Ennis; A: Darick Robertson (DC/Wildstorm, $2.99)

This interesting-in-spite-of-itself ripoff of Ennis' own Hitman continues as Tommy, I mean Butcher, meets the reluctant Wee Hughie at the airport and introduces him to Natt the Hat and the rest of Section Eight, I mean "Mother's Milk" and the bad-guy ass-kicking team. And just because it's not derivative enough, he mixes in a generous helping of Rick Veitch's Brat Pack, not to mention one of the subplots of Alan Moore's Top 10 series. Ennis can write this shite in his sleep, and probably does. C+

DMZ 12
S/A: Brian Wood. (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Wood felt the time was right for a Fodor's Travel Guide to the DMZ NYCNY, so that's what we get. And while it's great to see so much Wood art in one place in service of a story of sorts, that doesn't necessarily make this interesting reading...although I can't help but think that further on down the road this will come in handy. B

STRANGE GIRL 11
S: Rick Remender; A: Nick Stakal. (Image, $2.99)

Even though Remender's trying pretty hard, I think, giving us some lively new characters in former demon buddy Bloato's hairy-legged daughters, and a clever sequence in which our Girl summons up a quite unexpected visitor...there's still something about this book which remains uninvolving to me. Can't put my finger on it- maybe next issue. I like Stakal's sloppy but solid art; it reminds me a lot of Duncan Fregredo's early Vertigo-era stuff like Enigma B+

NEIL GAIMAN'S NEVERWHERE 9
S: Mike Carey; A: Glenn Fabry. (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

This one's been a bit of a problem to review on a monthly basis- Carey has done a marvelous job of adapting Gaiman's novel, and Fabry has done a superlative job of illustrating it, and that's pretty much what I've been saying for the last six or so months. I think it's saying something when a comic book adaptation of a novel can enhance and exceed my enjoyment of the source, which almost never happens, and let me encourage you to get the trade, which will soon be released. If you have any stomach at all for this sort of high-toned urban fantasy, you'll love it. A

AGENTS OF ATLAS 3
S: Jeff Parker; A: Leonard Kirk, Kris Justice. (Marvel, $2.99)

Spotlight's on Bob the Marvel Boy and his Uranus (hey- Parker didn't resist, why should I?) as our boy Jeff takes it upon himself to tie up six decades' worth of convoluted backstory in the space of 18 pages, and pretty much succeeds. Halfway in, it's become kinda apparent to me that this is what this miniseries is all about- not so much the group of reunited superheroes facing off against the Yellow Claw and the Atlas Corporation, but stage-setting, tying up of loose ends, and consolidation, all paving the way for what I hope will be many more issues of the ongoing series that has not been announced but I, for one, hope will be coming up when this is concluded. Great job all around on script and art, and in case you're keeping score at home, like I am, even more Venus. A-

FABLES 54
S: Bill Willingham; A: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Mike Allred (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

The Adversary Strikes Back continues as we meet Hansel and Gretel. Oily Hansel's a real piece of work, a former Matthew Hopkins type who was exiled from Fabletown for his crimes years ago but now has diplomatic immunity as the "Emperor"'s ambassador, which causes no end of consternation among the Fabletown Powers That Be. Most of the issue is taken up with Willingham's by-now typically clever twist on the old Hansel & Gretel fairytale, and it has some surprising wrinkles. Leialoha doesn't ink all of this, some of it's done by DC Art Drone Andrew Pepoy, and it makes me sad (for Leialoha, who used to do such idiosyncratic, clever work on his own) that I can't tell where one starts and one stops. Backup story's by Allred, and it revisits Mundy writer Kevin Thorne, who knows about Fabletown and its residents but won't/cant tell anyone. Why, I can't remember- nor can I recall where he first appeared, but for six pages of a man walking his dog and reflecting on Fabletown justice, it's pretty darn good. A-

DORK! 11
S/A: Evan Dorkin. (Slave Labor, $2.95)

30 pages' worth of throwing crap, the GOOD kind of crap that is, at the wall, and lo and behold, 95% of it sticks! You'd think Dorkin would mellow with age, but far from it- his rapid-fire, densely-clustered, nothing-sacred joke strips and panels are as acerbic as ever. If you're a fan, this will be like manna from some rancid heaven, and if you're not, well, you owe it to yourself to check this out. I guarantee you'll get a laugh from something on every page, and that's a hell of a thing in these troubled times.
A

Here's a veritable explosion of Boom! Studios titles...

SAVAGE BROS. 2
S: Andrew Cosby, Johanna Stokes; A: Rafael Albuquerque ($3.99)
SECOND WAVE 6
S: Michael Alan Nelson; A: "Chee" ($2.99)
X ISLE 3
S: Andrew Cosby, Michael Alan Nelson; A: Greg Scott ($2.99)
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!: MONSTER MASH-UP
S: Keith Giffen, Joe Casey, Kevin Church, Stokes; A: Steve Ditko, various ($3.99)

The second issue of Savage Bros. is as funky and fun as the first; Albuquerque is doing a nice Jock-ish job on the art chores and Cosby is writing the Bros. in fine Mad Max-meets-Dukes of Hazzard form, with a generous helping of surreal weirdness to boot. A-. I continue to be completely indifferent to Second Wave, or whatever they're calling it this month; I have noticed that the art has simplified and cleared up to the point that I'm reminded of Bob Burden, especially on the double-page spread of pages 12 & 13, which features Martian ships that look like cow heads. D+. I don't watch Lost, I'm just not interested in what seems, from the outside looking in, to be one of the most convoluted and excessive opuses to ever air on the Tube. So I have even less of a reason to care about X Isle, which covers too much of the same sandy ground to provoke any reaction from me. Greg Scott is still doing a fair John Paul Leon imitation, though. C+ Finally, there are some chuckles here and there throughout Monster Mash-Up, Boom!'s latest remix comic, and some nice primo-era Ditko art ( as well as a shorty from Rocco Mastroserio, whom I remember from many 1960's issues of Creepy and Eerie) to gaze upon as well...so while I wasn't convulsed with laughter, I was mildly entertained, and that's par for the course for these What Were They Thinking!? comics. B

CRIMINAL 1
S: Ed Brubaker; A: Sean Phillips (Marvel/Icon, $2.99)

I was almost afraid to read this; I just didn't think it could live up to the hype, not to mention the anticipation I had built up in my own mind. But after putting it off a day or two, I finally said to heck with it and dived right in...and I'm delighted to say that it not only meets expectations, but exceeds them as well. Brubaker's no-frills script is as solid as it comes; he gives us a handful of interesting characters who are interesting right off the bat; there won't be any two or three issue stringing-along and getting acquainted. And I'm dead certain that these characters will only get more interesting as time goes on. And like all good collaborations, Phillips' excellent, thoughtful art enhances and amplifies this strong script; the first scene which really brought this out as I read was the aftermath of our introduction to main character (so far) Leo's friend (and friend of his late father) Ivan...Leo's despair and frustration was palpable thanks to Phillips' outstanding mood-setting illustration work (with an able assist from colorist Val Staples), and Sean also excels at enhancing the feel of the city and lowlife scenarios in which our Leo walks through and narrates to us, the reader. I have a feeling that we might be looking at the apex of his already-distinguished career. I still have concerns that the subject matter just isn't "sexy" enough to capture the attention of the vast majority of fanboys and fanmen, who seem to turn up their nose at practically anything that doesn't have costumes or zombies it it, but that will be their loss, and I hope those who have a more discerning bent will enjoy this ride (as we all did with Sleeper) until its all-too-quick conclusion. A

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED 1
S: David Lapham, Brian Azzarello; A: Eric Battle, Prentiss Rollins, Cliff Chiang (DC, $3.99)

I was in my LCS a couple of days ago with some time to kill on my lunch break, and thought I'd pick up something off the rack to read. I had seen this out, but declined to buy right away because I don't like one single thing about the whole post-IC Crispus Allen Spectre state of affairs, even though ol' Spec has always been one of my favorite characters. The Doc Thirteen backup was intriguing, but I didn't want to drop tree-fitty on what I perceived as a slight showcase for a character that I always at best kinda-sorta liked, back when he was serving as straight-man to the Phantom Stranger in the Seventies (I did think, however, there was a ton of potential there if someone was sharp enough to realize it). When I paged through this, though, I noticed that the Doc Thirteen tale was no less than 16 pages long, plus I found nothing else that piqued my interest, so I said to heck with it and picked it up to read with my Taco Bell burrito and Mountain Dew. Glad I did, mostly- the Spectre lead is crap, pure and simple; whoever the heck thought it was a good idea to resurrect the McFarlane-era Spawn style of comics in 2006 deserves a visit from the Mike Fleisher/Jim Aparo Spectre of yore. But the Doc Thirteen backup is actually a very nice tale, as the Doc investigates mysterious phenomena that happened to the passengers of a plane that crashed in the French Alps, with his snarky daughter in tow, and encounters an oldish, obscure DC character, the revelation of whom at the end becomes the first time the title lives up to its name. I've always been kind of hot-and-cold on Chiang's art; sometimes he's capable of doing solid work in a Dave Mazzuchelli-mode, and sometimes his work can look staid and dull. Here, it's quite good...and compared to the art team on the lead feature, he looks like Alex fricking Toth. I'm also a bit surprised at how straightforward and uncluttered Azzarello's narrative is; based on 100 Bullets and Loveless, I usually expect an endurance test worthy of Matt Fraction. But here, he tells his story with a minimum of fuss and got on my good side by having Doc T refer to his kid as "peanut", which gave me fond memories of Dead Like Me even though I'm sure nothing could be farther from his intent. Even though he finally resorted to the hoary groaning cliche of having the character refer to himself by the title of his comic book adventures (at least he didn't say House of Mystery presents..., which is as close to a spoiler as you'll get from me), I didn't mind all that much. As long as we get an Azz/Chiang Doctor Thirteen, I'll continue to get this. I'd give the Dr. T story an A-, but the Spectre lead drags it down to a B+.

JONAH HEX 12
S: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti; A: Paul Gulacy (DC, $2.99)

The Wheel of Art continues to spin, and this time lands on a winner. Even though I had liked some of Gulacy's efforts in the 70's and 80's, I absolutely loathed his crass approach to Catwoman; especially after the Darwyn Cooke-style look the book had tried to maintain prior to his coming aboard- it was just awful and wrong. But here, he's slightly more in his element in this tale of double crosses and (slightly understandable, for once, if such a thing can be) religious intolerance as Jonah takes up with a band of Mormon settlers who just want to buy provisions for the winter from a small-town big-fish general store owner, who in turn blames the Mormons for a massacre which had happened previously, to the point of hiring a band of oddball mercenary killers (each with a peculiar quirk- shades of the Wild Wild West, the TV show, not the horrid film) to get rid of all of them. The story could have been a contrived mess, but never crossed that line, and Gulacy really brought home the glum, bitter rancor at the heart of it. Great job, says I, and I would love to see him do more Hexes. After Jordi Bernet gets his turn, of course. A-

DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH 1
S: Brian Vaughan; A: Marcos Martin, Alvaro Lopez (Marvel, $2.99)

Here's another one which was hyped to the heavens, mostly because of a clever opening sequence involving Iron Fist and one of Marvel's legion of Spider-Girls, and had me a bit apprehensive because I may be second only to Neilalien in my desire to see a good Doc Strange story. The recent Dead Girl mini came close, but as far as Doc went it was blunted a bit by the apparent perception among Marvel decision makers that the reason why Doc doesn't catch on to a wider audience is because he comes across as pompous, arrogant, and stiff- so as far back as the Giffen/DeMatties/Maguire Defenders, we get a somewhat smart-assed Doc, who's as likely to make a quip at his own expense as he is to hurl a Ditkoesque force bolt. Vaughan, who (as I'm sure you know if you've read me any length of time at all) has underwhelmed me completely via the books I've tried (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, all of which left me cold) straddles the line pretty well here, and his dialogue is as natural and unforced as I've ever read it. Even so, Vaughan still toes the editorial mandate and gives us Absent-Minded Doc, who also misquotes the Hippocratic Oath and fails to inform Night Nurse that "Master of the Mystic Arts" was a title that was bestowed upon him (by Stan Lee or Steve Englehart, if no one else- Neilalien- Where and who gave him this honorary?), and not one he gave himself. At least we were spared the ongoing hemorrhoid jokes of Pete Milligan's take. And if it sounds like I'm being hard on ol' BKV, I'm not- actually, I've quite happily surprised that I admired the clever idea for a story arc, liked most of the back-and-forth banter, and was impressed by the depiction of Doc being tormented at his inability to help Wong with his terminal condition here. But make no mistake- it's the art that I love the most about this. As with the Batgirl: Year One series a while back, Martin's layouts and pacing really enliven the script, and Lopez' line is as deft and sinuous as ever. Together they are one of my absolute favorite art teams, and if the story has anything going for it at all (unlike the recent Breach), I will buy it just to see them do their thing. A very good start for what could be the best Strange Tale since the 1970's came to an end. A

BEST OF SHOW: gotta be CRIMINAL #1.
DOG OF THE WEEK(S): SECOND WAVE. Love those Boom! guys, but that title sucks all the air out of the room.

Getting a new shipment on Friday, plus I've received some more Boom! books and other stuff, so coming very soon- more reviews! This time of NEWER books!

With this post, I began something which has certainly turned out to be a lot more than I thought it would ever be. I've made friends, online though they may be and thus ones I'm unlikely to ever meet, but I'm no less grateful for them...and have had the opportunity to hold forth about the things I enjoy in front of a good-sized audience of people, and have felt a great amount of satisfaction and gratitude when someone out there saw fit to link to a particular post, or this blog in general.

Of course, there have been disappointing and sad times as well- my link being dropped from someone's page for no apparent reason and leaving me to assume that they just don't like what I'm doing or just don't like me period, perfectly valid but no less saddening, as well as a couple of higher-profile writing gigs which just didn't work out for this or that reason. None of these, for good or ill, would have come to pass if I hadn't launched this blog.

But on this, the occasion of my FOURTH BLOGIVERSARY, I remain inclined to continue regardless. My posts have become more and more infrequent over here, and it's pretty much turned into a comics only blog instead of the movies, music, sports etc. one that it's been in the past. I'm compelled to write, and still plan to do so whenever I can, but work and life pressures are making that more and more difficult as time goes by. All I can do is thanks you all for reading, and hope you continue to check in with me over here from time to time.

Some interesting news for me, longtime and backsliding Hellblazer fan that I am...

...Andy Diggle will be the new regular writer on HELLBLAZER, the imprint?s longest-running series, starting with issue #230, hitting stores in March.

Diggle, best known for lengthy and acclaimed runs on titles such as THE LOSERS, SWAMP THING, LADY CONSTANTINE and ADAM STRANGE...

Only one of which really grabbed me, and I flat out hated the third one in that list. But what the hey- I'm so unimpressed with Denise Mina's efforts that I welcome the change and will keep on buying the book just to see if he can channel that Losers magic again.

Here's the CBR article from whence the above came.

I know, long time no blog. It's like Christine Lahti's character said on last night's Studio 60: "Lately, I haven't had much interest in being interesting."

I'm working on the next Hammerlocke overview, as well as the next New Comics Revue, none of which will be up tonight but hopefully before the week is over. Just in case anyone's checking. Sorry it's been so dead around here; I sincerely hope nobody's been concerned about it all that much. My four-year blogiversary is coming up next week, so you can rest assured I'll have something up by then!

Until later, may every song you sing be your favorite tune...

Good evening! A couple of quick notes:

First, look below this one for the second mammoth Hammerlocke post; there will be at least four more. %$#@!$# Chipper didn't update my listing (you know, the Comics Weblog Update site), so I don't know how many of you are aware that I have indeed finally gotten this overview off the ground.

Second,



There's SPX. Of course, you know I won't be there- I'm too broke, as usual, to drive across town, let alone to Maryland...but if you're going to be there, stop by and check out the Fatalsyia table, which will be manned by writer Liam Kemp, and who will have a brand-spanking new edition of his supernatural fantasy story, with art provided by "U!" and my good friend Chris Tabor, who does covers and an interior pinup page or two. And one other person was involved- me! No, not like that- heaven forbid I should draw anything. But they chose the print shop where I work to do the printing honors, and I did the prepress. Why not toss some coin his way if you get the chance? Tell 'em Johnny B says hi.

Finally, I think I just might be going to see an artist I've been wanting to catch for decades now- Maria Muldaur! Over the last few years, she's played mostly on the coasts...but she's going to be doing a "Woodsongs Old-Time Radio" radio/web broadcast on Monday night in Lexington, KY, about an hour and a half or so from here. It's only 5 bucks to get in, so I'm thinking I should take advantage of this opportunity. You may recall a couple of years ago I went up there and caught a performance by the Acoustic Strawbs, and enjoyed it very much, even getting to meet the guys after the show. Right now Maria's done an album of Bob Dylan (she's a contemporary of his- they used to play a lot of the same venues in the early 60's) love songs, so I guess I'll expect a lot of Zimmy tunes. Betcha a dollar she'll do "Midnight at the Oasis", though. Also on the bill is Nashville musician Will Kimbrough; I've never met him myself, but I have friends who are friends. I've heard some of his stuff over the years, it wasn't bad. Looks like a good evening, if I can just afford to get up there and get there on time- I'll have to leave work early.

That's all I got for now. Good night.

Hammer Locke, Part Two.

Before I begin, I suppose some character bios are in order, because there are plenty of players in this little opus- not as many as in a year's worth of X-Men, mind you, but plenty just the same.


SIR ARCHER ("HAMMER") LOCKE. The man whose vison and engineering skills created the Starbridge, enabling the Olympus project. Lost his limbs in a mysterious accident as he was inspecting the Bridge- when he came to, his arms and legs had been replaced by cybernetic technology, making him super strong but robbing him of what he perceived as his humanity. Distraught over this development, and disillusioned with the project and his life, he abruptly vanished, leaving his wife Miranda in charge. As the events of #1 begin, he has decided to return for equally mysterious reasons, unaware of recent events which will affect his life in grave fashion.


MIRANDA ALVAREZ-LOCKE- Head of the Olympus Project, and estranged wife of Archer Locke. A tough, no-nonsense Latina, she hates Archer for up and leaving like he did, without a fare-thee-well, and is not particularly happy to hear about his return; she thinks he's grandstanding, and coming back like the cavalry to save the day as the beleaguered Project fends off terrorist attacks by Hugo Tharn's Ecotechnic League. She also is a longtime friend of Webster Christie, how close the two may have been pre-Archer is only inferred.


AMANDA LOCKE- Daughter of Archer and Miranda, and a unwitting pawn of Tharn's vendetta against her father and his creation.


WEBSTER CHRISTIE- Close friend of the Lockes...I think Joseph Cotten, and the type of roles he used to play, when I see him. Christie was head of the research team that created GALT, the supercomputer that runs the daily operations of not only the Starbridge, but the city that surrounds Olympus. He's quite British and fond of quoting Shakespeare and Byron at the drop of a hat. He is also beginning to suspect that GALT is developing an intelligence of its own...


LIEUTENANT PATRICK NEKEMTE- Assigned by Peacegarda, the military arm of the Hammerlocke Earth, as a escort/liaison to Sir Archer upon his return. The two men strike up a lasting friendship, cemented by the events of this tale. Eventually he becomes an Admiral, and spends his later years overseeing a terraforming project on Mars, where he is interviewed by Felicity Von Starben, who's writing a story about the Starbridge crisis many years later. Lt. Nekemte is quite young when these events take place, and is a bit naive sometimes, but is no less capable. Plus, he has sweet Stevie Wonder cornrows.


JACOB KINGMAN-RHEE- Not a Guardian of Oa, but head of UNICORN ("It was an age of acronyms", says Nekemte), which stands for United Nations International Covert Operations and Research Network, Rhee has his fingers in many not-so-nice pies. It was he who authorized Sir Archer's cybernetic augmentation, as well as overseeing the creation of a number of genetically enhanced operatives. Cool and calculating, and not someone to be trusted although his actions can be justified from an objective standpoint.

HUGO THARN- Mysterious leader of the Ecotechnic League, a group which seeks to stem mankind's advancement at the expense of Mother Earth by any means necessary. His base of operations is under Antarctica, and it is his special vendetta against Sir Archer which spurs the events of this series. He is also able to transfer his consciousness into the computers of his lair, as well as animate any number of robots of various sizes. At one point in the narrative, it is revealed that he used to be a fantasy fiction writer, whose work "Tales of Faraway" is a favorite of Sahara Skyhawk.


CACTUS JAQ- one of Kingman-Rhee's special operatives, Jaq (short for "Jacqueline") is described (on the official Miscmayhemproductions Hammer Locke site, started by Tom Joyner but not updated since 2003...more on that later) as a "Psi-talented 'techno-savant' whose affinity for machines is augmented by cybernetically enhanced strength and reflexes and data-jack hardware for direct brain-to-computer linkups". She's also a crack shot, and likes to play cowgirl...making her seem like, among those who are inclined to make such comparisons, as a grown-up Sheriff Ida Red. She is Sahara Skyhawk's partner in more ways than one, and together they are one of UNICORN's most effective teams.


SAHARA SKYHAWK- another genetic creation of Rhee and his scientists, Sahara is a childlike young lady who was endowed with metallic, razor-sharp wings in place of arms and hands. She's capable of flying at high speeds and is very dangerous when needs be. She's also devoted to her best friend with benefits Jaq, although she does have a brief flirtatious relationship with Lt. Nekemte.


THE PHADE- Another of UNICORN's genetic experiments, the Phade, real name unknown, is a special operative in charge of security at the Olympus Project. His abilities are similar to those of the Vision- he can become intangible at will and phase through solid matter. Unlike the Vision, he's not an android. Plus, he's quite ruthless and efficient, as we'll find out later.


KING HENRY IX- Hugo Tharn's other captive, and quite possibly the last King of England. His role in this isn't immediately apparent, nor is it clear how long he's been Tharn's prisoner.

OK, that's nearly all the major- and some not-so major- players. Shall we begin? And just in case you might want to go to the trouble of hunting these comics down in your quarter bins someday, let me sound a ***SPOILER ALERT***...I'm going to spoil the heck out of the next nine issues- but hopefully I won't spoil everything, so just be careful and keep that in mind. Go!

ISSUE 1 begins with a meeting between Felicity Von Starben, a freelance writer who is in the process of composing a holotext report on what she describes as "Hammerlocke and the Starbridge Crisis of 2033". Her interview subject, Admiral Nekemte, who is the last living witness who would consent to an interview. He begins with an account of the kidnapping of Archer Locke's daughter Amanda, a Broadway actress, by mercenary soldiers hired by Hugo Tharn, insane would-be "Avatar of Gaea" and leader of the Ecotechnic League, who is determined to stop the advancement of humanity to the stars by any means necessary. The soldiers set a trap for Amanda as she enters her apartment building after an evening out with boyfriend Geoff. Things look bleak for Miss Locke when suddenly agents of UNICORN, Cactus Jaq and Sahara Skyhawk, intervene.Apparently UNICORN had been warned about the impending kidnapping and dispatched their best team to prevent it. One of the mercs gets off a lucky shot, winging Sahara, and they escape with their target. Next up is an interlude that features Jacob Kingman-Rhee being debriefed on the kidnapping; apparently he intends to turn these events to his own end, and gain control of the Olympus Project for UNICORN. Flash forward to the future, or actually the "real time" that we're getting these events from Von Starben and Nekemte, and an explanation of the whys and wherefores of the Starbridge.

Next, we meet Webster Christie and Miranda Alvarez-Locke, as Christie breaks the news to her that her husband's returning, which sends her into a rage at how it all seems to be slipping through her fingers. Christie gives her a pep-talk, and renews Miranda's resolve to stay on top of things.

Hours later, Miranda's inspecting the "Yard", or the trains that are set to go up in the Starbridge to carry goods bound for various extraterrestrial destinations. The Phade flies in through the wall, scaring the heck out of everyone, and announces that all the munitions trains seem to be in order, but he's wary that the Ecotechnics are planning something...just as he notices marks on one of the trains' access doors, right on cue a large cargo-carrying robot goes on a destructive rampage nearby. The Phade and Miranda manage to blow the 'Bot up, but the train in question has already gone on its way.

Next scene, we see two men helping each other climb up a mountain outside the Olympus colony. We soon find out that it is none other than Sir Archer Locke and his escort, Lt. Nekemte. Locke wished to be dropped off close to the mountain so he could scale it and look once more upon his creation- it's just a brief glimpse of the title character, but there will be more. Moving on, Webster and the Phade greet Kingman-Rhee, Jaq, and Sahara as they arrive at Olympus. Rhee calls Christie aside and delivers the news about the kidnapping, and the latter, in turn, informs Miranda, who's feeling invigorated at being in danger and taking matters into her own hands earlier. As she asks "Where's Archer", we finally get to see a full-on shot of Hammerlocke himself, standing atop the mountain with Lt. Nekemte and reflecting. As this goes on, we go back to Miranda's apartment where the Phade is informing her that there's more to the day's events than meets the eye- someone used the rampaging robot as a diversion, using another man's security code, which is impossible unless one has access to GALT without the computer's knowledge, and that's not supposed to happen. As Nekemte, on the mountain, tells Locke what Peacegarda High Command wants for him to do- for him to help return Olympus to full operational status after the terrorist attacks, even offering him a commission. Locke doesn't want to get involved and tangle with Tharn and his League...he's got his own agenda and informs the Lieutenant in no uncertain terms. Back at Miranda's, the Phade goes on to inform her that the departed train was carrying munitions, and since other trains have left they can't recall it.

At this, we go back to Locke and Nekemte as they disbelievingly witness a huge explosion that wracks the side of the Starbridge!

And that's where issue 1 ends.

See? Like I said. A large cast, and lots going on- after only one issue! The first thing you'll notice when you crack open this issue is the extraordinary amount of text; in fact, this first issue is one big infodump. Ordinarily offputting, but in this case it's tolerable because most of it is written as dialogue, sharp and naturalistic as opposed to cookie-cutter standard comicbookish. There's an awful lot of worldbuilding that's already gone on before we come along, and Joyner & Wilson have to get us up to speed somehow. Throughout most of the nine issues, we are also given text pieces which provide background, and it's very thoroughly done- I get the strong feeling that Joyner & Wilson could have gone on for three times nine, they had that much cooked up. Back to the dialogue a second- two of the three pages I scanned and posted above I chose as an example of the refreshingly mature dialogue style employed by J&W. These characters didn't talk like imitation Chris Claremont or Marv Wolfman- this is non-mannered and natural, more like film dialogue. And the relationships eschew the typical comics relationships of the time- not a lot of bogus Roy Thomas hand-wringing, but shaded and nuanced.

Artwise, Sprouse and inker Wilson were just getting used to each other, I think. Considering this was the first time Sprouse had done a project of this magnitude, he can be forgiven the occasional stiff pose...and he gets much better as each issue goes on. Wilson is credited as the principal inker, and I've no doubt he did most of it...but several other artists are cited as helping out on finishes, not only backgrounds but elsewhere, in the last issue's letters page- and that's understandable, again given the length of this series. One surprising thing I noticed for the first time while rereading this to prepare to write: Issue #1 is a staggering 38 pages, not counting the text piece that finishes the book! Subsequent issues had a substantially smaller page count, but this was a heck of a way to get started. While there are times that the effect of the fledgling art team is to invoke the work Richard Case was doing over on Doom Patrol, we can easily see the Sprouse style we all have come to love gradually asserting itself, as it will more and more beginning in #2.

OK, that's all for #1. Since this was a nine-issue series, I figured I'd do one issue by itself to even it up so I can do two at a time in future posts. I'll probably try and sum it up after I've done #9, so bear with me on that point...but would I be wrong in saying that right off the bat we have nods to Ayn Rand (in the form of Sir Archer, engineer and self-made man who walks away rather than gives in to compromise) and Robert Heinlein? I think not. Here's the first post in the series; since I posted #1's cover there I decided to scan one of the B&W full-page ads for the book that appeared at the time, and that's what's at the beginning of the overview.

Stay tuned, #'s 2 and 3 coming next.

I've been working on the overview of Hammerlocke #1 & 2 on and off for the last couple of days- a few scans and a lot more is left to do, Since it's too late to get going now (9:23 CST, to be exact), how about that former staple of the JBS, now making a triumphant return:

What I'll be getting via DCBS this weekend:

NEIL GAIMAN'S NEVERWHERE #9
THE WINTER MEN #5
LEADING MAN #3
STRANGE GIRL #11
BOYS #3
JONAH HEX #12
POWERS #20
DORK #11
CRIMINAL #1
AGENTS OF ATLAS #3
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH #1
DMZ #12
FABLES #54

Plus, I got comp copies of four Boom! Studios offerings:
SAVAGE BROS. #2, X-ISLE #3, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?: MONSTER MASH-UP #1, and SECOND WAVE #6.

I'm really looking forward to several of these, especially Winter Men, Criminal, Dork! and Doctor Strange. I'm digging Neverwhere (a really good adaptation of the Gaiman novel, as I'm sure you all remember from my constant praise for the last year or so), Agents of Atlas and Leading Man as well. Of the Boom!ers, I liked the first Savage Bros. OK, the What Were... titles have been mildly amusing, and the other two, well, the less said the better. X-Isle isn't terrible, but the title formerly known as War of the Worlds: Second Wave has left me ice cold since the start.

Oh well, you may now resume normal activity, whatever that may entail. Thanks for your patience.

The preceding has been crossposted from my LJ. In case you care.

Today would have been the 66th birthday of JOHN LENNON. For last year's list of surprisingly Rock 'n' Roll-heavy favorite Lennon solo songs, go here.

Hammer Locke, Part One.

Warren Ellis' Ocean was, in my opinion, a bit of a disappointment...but it still was worthwhile to me because of the art by Chris Sprouse, whose assured sense of layout and perspective along with his dynamic figure drawings, even very early in his professional career, added a lot. I've been a fan of his work since I first saw it in the early '90s on the Bierbaum Legionnaires, and the strict Sci-Fi of Ocean takes me back all the way to the dim and distant past of 1992, and one of his very first pro jobs, DC's nine-issue limited series HAMMERLOCKE.

Written and co-created by Tom Joyner, pencilled by Sprouse, and inked by co-creator K.S. Wilson, the first issue of HammerLocke was cover-dated September of 1992, which would suggest that it was actually in comics shops in May or June of that year. DC was not exactly in one of its most high-quality phases- Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns had been in the previous decade, Alan Moore had left Swamp Thing, the Helfer/Baker Shadow was long canceled, the "bwah-ha-ha" Justice League had been popular, but was winding down, and the flagship titles were, by and large, mired in mediocrity. The titles that would soon become the first Vertigo offerings were going strong, such as Hellblazer and Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, and in all fairness 1992 saw the debut of a few series that would go on to be quite interesting eventually: the Ostrander/Mandrake Spectre, Robert L. Fleming's Eclipso, as well as the excellent one-shot Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution by Chaykin, Mignola and Craig Russell; but the Image-esque "grim and gritty" Liefeld-style super-hero comic, especially the team book type, was the order of the day. Here's a timeline of DC offerings from that period. Anyway, someone at DC must have felt the time was right to throw a Sci-Fi title at the wall to see if it would stick, and thusly Hammer Locke was born...but DC hedged its bets and promoted the new title with a campaign that made it seem like yet another cookie-cutter superhero team like L.E.G.I.O.N. or one of the many Justice League spinoffs. "Tomorrow's Superhumans are Here!" cried the full-page ad copy, with a random gathering of the book's principals arranged as if ready for battle against the forces of evil or somesuch, on the rare occasions when it appeared in the inside front covers of DC books of that time. But that was totally misleading in regards to what the book was actually about.

On the surface, it's easy to see how the large cast of Hammer Locke could be misinterpreted as a superhero team- they were a interconnected group of people, and some had meta-human abilities. The titular character was a burly, gruff cybernetically augmented man named Sir Archer Locke, nicknamed "Hammer", hence the title, who was the chief architect of a wondrous mechanism named the "Starbridge", essentially a very massive elevator which enabled man to travel to destinations extraterrestrial in a dramatically shorter time.

And there's where I'll leave it for now. Longtime readers will remember that I've been promising this post (or series of same) for almost two years now, and haven't quite been able to get it off the ground for various reasons...but I love this series and want to spotlight it too much to just let it lay fallow in draft status. So this is my plan: as I did with Beowulf: Dragon Slayer, I'll profile each issue, outlining its events without spoiling too much (I hope), and providing three page scans so (among other things) you can see how good Sprouse's work was. This will take me several weeks, since this is a VERY intricately plotted nine issues, with multiple storylines involving multiple characters, and it's not something I'll be able to breeze through. So stay tuned and be patient...this WILL be happening. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but it will be done. I wouldn't post this if it wasn't!

Good morning! It's a beautiful cool-and-clear October morning here in my old Kentucky home, and I'm up in time to watch The Legion of Super-Heroes.

The plan is to finish the reviews I started the other evening sometime before the day's over, but I wanted to bring your attention to a couple of things I've noticed on the ol' World Wide Intarwub lately, specifically the Comics Blogosphereiverse sector.

First, the redoubtable NeilAlien has written a statement regarding Fraction and Ba's Casanova that sums up my feelings very nicely:

Neilalien's been enjoying trying to take a sip from the $1.99 raging garden hose that is Casanova...

Like the Guinness fellas say, "BRILLIANT!"

Second, something not-so-nice: True Story, Swear to God's Tom Beland, or someone claiming to be Beland, going postal on Greg Burgos in the comments of his column, in which he wrote a non-positive, "non-constructive" review of TS:STG on CBG. I know that criticism stings sometimes, but if this is indeed Beland, it would behoove him to develop some thicker skin or tilt at more fitting windmills, because Burgos didn't cross any lines as far as I can tell when dealing with his work. He didn't like it as much as many have so far, and he said so- and in the process tried to keep the tone light. I've read far, far worse. Hell, I've written far, far worse myself, and Burgos didn't deserve such a temper tantrum- not once, but twice, including "Beland's" responses to the responses to his original tirade. Me, I've liked TS:STG in the past- on paper, Beland's self-effacing and likeable writing style, coupled with his graceful drawing style and ink line, have made the trades a fine read. But this has certainly left a bad taste in my mouth. Heck, "Beland" even pulls out the old "How many comics have you written or drawn" saw when slamming Burgos, which has always struck me as disingeneous at best. I hope that it was someone posting as the writer/artist, but it doesn't seem likely.

OK, now to the TV! Cheers!