Forthcoming titles:
Doctor Fate gets a new ongoing title by legendary comic creators Steve Gerber and Paul Gulacy that spins out of The Helmet of Fate mini series. Gerber or Gulacy alone would be enough to get my attention but together this becomes an essential purchase. On sale April 18. Anticipation factor: 8
Madman Atomic Comics marks the return of Mike Allred’s creation and it starts with what could be the end of the Madman universe! Then again this being issue 1 it probably won’t be. On sale April 4. Anticipation factor: 7
Final Girl sees David Hutchinson bring the slasher film to comics as a group of young girls find themselves in a town under siege by killers. Not just any killers but Freddy/Jason won’t stay dead even when you shoot/stab/cut them into little pieces style killers. And to add to the fun you get to vote online to decide who will survive. On sale April. Anticipation factor: 7
Nova gets a new ongoing series in the wake of Annihilation and while that title failed to impress I’ll be picking this up as I have fond memories of the original series. Here’s hoping that writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and artist Sean Chen can recapture the spirit of that title. On sale April 11. Anticipation factor: 7
Runaways 25 sees a new creative team take over the title. Joss Whedon and Michael Ryan will take the group in a new direction both figuratively and literally as they head for New York. On sale April 4. Anticipation factor: 8
Justice League of America 8/Justice Society of America 5 begin a five part crossover between DC’s two big new team titles. These should be bursting at the staples with classic DC characters as the two creative teams (Brad Melzer & Ed Benes/Geoff Johns & Dale Eaglesham) join forces . On sale April 4 (JLA) and April 25 (JSA). Anticipation factor: 8
Alan Moore: Wild Worlds sees one of the biggest names in comics working on some of Wildstorms biggest characters. Featuring WildCats Vs Spawn plus Deathblow, Majestic, Voodoo and lots more in this 320 page title. On sale May 30. Anticipation factor: 8
This month’s reading:
‘68
It was bad enough being in America when the dead started rising in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, how much worse would it have been in Viet Nam? That’s the premise behind this new Image one-shot but 25 pages just isn’t enough time to fully explore the idea. Characters assume that the dead are rising everywhere without any real reason to in order to propel the story along. Writer Mark Kidwell is clearly a fan of Romero’s classic and with more time, maybe a four issue series, he would have been able to turn the soldiers into real people that the reader could care about. As it is they die every other page and we don’t give a damn, it leaves you wondering if everything was built backwards from the final in-joke reference to Night of the Living Dead. Nat Jones art is good with some nice gruesome deaths. Jones is a horror comics regular and also a fan of Romero’s work (you’ll fine a painting of Bub from Day of the Dead on his My Space page) and it’s this love of the genre that really comes through. Grade: C+
Black Panther 23
Reginald Hudlin treats us to a pointless fight between the Panther and Captain America and more black guys are good white guys are evil silliness. The perfect example is pages 3 and 4; on page 3 we see T’Challa at Bill (Goliath) Foster’s funeral with his grieving family while on page 4 we get a look at some white politicians who are mostly stereotypical bigots. I used to like the Black Panther as a character but Hudlin is really turning me off. Koi Turnbull‘s art depicts T’Challa as less lithe cat and more big ape. He’s supposed to move with feline grace but here he has more in common with the Hulk. Grade: C-
Crossing Midnight 1&2
This comes across as a sort of an adult Japanese Narnia, with talking dragons instead of lions. The two main characters, brother and sister twins, are engaging and it’s nice to have the female as the more strong willed of the two. Mike Carey clearly knows a thing or two about Japanese life and mythology and that gives the story an authentic feel. Jim Fern’s clean line work is beautifully inked by Rob Hunter in issue 1 and Mark Pennington in 2. Fern’s particularly good at faces, capturing the character with a minimum amount of work and rendering them instantly recognisable. Grade: B
Gen 13 1-3
This starts out great, with a bunch of teens being experimented on by an evil organisation, but blows all the good work in issue 3 with some of the most ridiculous villains ever to appear in a comic. I’m not a huge fan of Gail Simone but she managed to get me interested in this dysfunctional group of kids as they get to know each other and make a break for freedom. Talent Caldwell’s heavily stylised art was also a pleasure, part mainstream superhero comic part manga it gives the book a unique look. Then the villains arrive and all the good work goes out the window. Even Caldwell’s pencils take a downward turn, it’s like he knows he’s created something awful and would rather be somewhere else. I know how he feels, I’d rather be reading something else. Grade: C+
The Immortal Iron Fist 1&2
It may be a little early to call this the best martial arts comic since the Paul Gulacy/Doug Moench run on Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu but what the hell, I’m going to do it anyway. Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have crafted a tale that encompasses the history of Iron Fist, not just the current Danny Rand incarnation but right back to the beginning with the opening pages of issue 1 set in 1227 A.D. As well as two writers the book also has more than one artist with each working on the Iron Fist of a different era. Travel Foreman and Derek Fridolfs depict the ancient Iron Fist’s (1227 A.D. in No1 and 1545 A.D. in No2) and there work fits the period perfectly. Issue 2 also has the World War One Iron Fist as drawn by the legendary John Severin. But it’s David Aja whose work dominates. Dark, moody with some jaw dropping kinetic action scenes Aja is a legend in the making. This is so good I can even forgive it the cheesy Mechagorgon villain. Grade: A-
Impaler 1&2
This is another title with some exceptional dark atmospheric artwork, this time from Nick Postic and Nick Marinkovich. As you might guess from the title this features Dracula, the surprise here though is that he’s on the side of the angels. Vampires arrive in New York via ship in a scene reminiscent of Stoker’s Dracula but these aren’t your regular vampires, they can turn into shadows and the usual weapons won’t work on them. This is William Harms brainchild and it’s clearly something he’s passionate about, with each issue featuring added content much like the extra features on a DVD. Image seems to be the home of good vampire stories at the moment with this and last months Drain and I’m looking forward to more bloody action from both titles in the future. Grade: B+
Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War
This one-shot has the feel of a fill in story. While Cap and Iron Man do meet up, most of the issue has them reminiscing about the past with a lot of Marvel history crammed into just 38 pages. Everything from Tony Stark’s alcoholism to Captain America becoming a cop is covered although my personal favourite Iron Man/Cap scene (Avengers 170 in case you were wondering) isn’t mentioned. The fact that Marvel hasn’t put any of its heavy hitters on the book adds to the feeling that this is just treading water for the delayed Civil War title. Writer of the recent Union Jack limited series Christos N. Gage seems to have been tasked with cramming too much into a single issue and while some of the exchanges work many just don’t ring true. Jeremy Haun’s art is so full of flashbacks it puts you in mind of a TV show that has run over budget, forced to come up with a contrived story made up of clips from previous episodes. Grade: C
Justice League of America 0-5
This title doesn’t so much dip a toe in DC Universe continuity as wallow in it like a hippo in a mud pool. Yet it doesn’t alienate the uninitiated, instead it adds depth to the characters and their relationships and a richness to the storytelling not found in many monthly comics. Best selling novelist Brad Meltzer clearly has an understanding of the team dynamic with some well written scenes between the three cornerstones of the group, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Favourite bit – the scene where Arsenal tries to beat his dad, Green Arrow’s distance record with Green Lantern creating the target. It’s a moment that shows how you use the history of your characters to make them more human. As well as a first rate writer this title also boasts one of the best artists currently working in comics, Ed Benes. This is an epic series and the Brazilian penciller is the perfect choice, he does BIG stories that still have room for small intimate moments. Grade: B+
Justice Society of America 1&2
In much the same way as JLA this uses DC history to it’s advantage but while the League features many of DC’s best loved characters this series uses some less well known names. Mr. Terrific, Hourman and Liberty Belle may never have had a movie franchise or TV series but writer Geoff Johns doesn’t let his less that stellar cast stop him creating a team book that can hold its head up high among the likes of The New Avengers and the aforementioned JLA. In lesser hands a character like Mr. America might have come across as dated but it speaks wonders for Johns mastery that when America makes his dramatic entrance to JSA HQ at the end of issue 1 I was praying this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of the apparently dead hero. It’s nice to see that DC haven’t skimped on the art, with Dale Eaglesham’s work a match for Ed Benes’ on the League. For a self-confessed Marvel fanboy like me to be singing the praises of not one but two DC team books should give you some idea of just how good these two titles are. Grade: B+
Next month I’ll be checking out recent issues from Marvel’s big guns – Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man and The New Avengers.
Horror and Western film buff, Marvel comic geek, music lover and occasional gamer. 