Title: H2O (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Grant Calof and Eric Eisner (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: lifesend (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

H20 is the latest original graphic novel (64 pages) from Liquid Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, a sci-fi adventure tale set in 23rd century Earth, where all the nations in the world are on the brink of collapse due to a lack of water on the planet. The book opens up with a series of pages chronicling "the great draught", with clean and vibrant illustrations of baron landscapes and toppled cities. We learn that an attempt by a scientist to create rain not only fails, but creates worse conditions for the planet by destroying the evaporation cycle. Periodic radiation storms occur as an additional result, setting architecture and people ablaze, which is nicely portrayed by artist Jeevan J. Kang. The southern hemisphere is eventually abandoned and the world is divided into three nations, the North American Union (USA, Mexico, Canada), the Allied International Union (Greenland, Europe, Ukraine), and the United Socialist Republic of China (all of Asia and Russia).

This brief intro leads us to the present, when a NASA scientist discovers that there is a glacier in the Andes, buried deep beneath a volcano. He and others are sent to the site to test and capture the water, but unbeknownst to them, the USRC has been spying on them and they as well send a team to obtain the water. These two teams eventually meet and what happens afterwards you'll have to read for yourself.

STORY - The story isn't so great as to deserve a 5, but it has a number of good, interesting ideas that would have earned it a 4, however there were a few problems that caused me to give it a 3. Given the length of this OGN, characterization is expected to be minimal, but we do get a glimpse into some of the characters' pasts, the majority being of the protagonist. I can accept this, but there were some actions by a couple of characters that left me wanting to know more about their motivations. There were also times when the story seemed rushed, particularly towards the end. It didn't greatly affect my enjoyment of the story, but it is an unfortunate consequence of telling a story like this in only 64 pages. Other than these two criticisms, the story was solid and it'd be remiss not to mention that the opening pages were really well done, setting up the world and how it came to be as it is. If you like sci-fi, you may enjoy the story, but don't expect much in terms of characterization or a smoothly flowing narrative.

ART - The art is the best part of the book, particularly shots of destroyed cities and once-oceans with destroyed, abandoned ships. All the characters have a unique look, which is always greatly appreciated. I really liked the coloring as well, especially of the scenes where radiation storms plague cities and send people and buildings up in flames. My only real problem with the art is that at times it's a bit inconsistent, but not greatly so, and many times the acting and motion can come across as stiff. Other than that, I really enjoyed the look of the book and the cover is also really nice, with an excellent layout of New York, with really nice, ominous, yet optimistic coloring.

LETTERING - This'll be brief, but at times the reader has to go from the far left of a panel and read a balloon, then the next balloon is at the far right of the panel, followed by another in the far left. It doesn't exactly flow very well all the time, although it is rather clear which balloon to read next.

FINAL WORD - I recommend the book to fans of realistic Earth-based science fiction, but if you don't fall into this category, I don't know if you'll enjoy the book much. It definitely starts off more strongly than it ends, but it is enjoyable throughout and when I finished I was ultimately satisfied with my purchase.

More info:

Story by Grant Calof, Eric Eisner
Art by Jeevan Kang
Cover by Jeevan Kang
Publisher Dynamite Entertainment

 

Title: CVO 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Alex Garner (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Lee Stone (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Infestation has overtaken several of the universes of IDW's licensed comics properties. From Star Trek to Ghostbusters, from G.I. Joe to Transformers... Zombies have caused a big uproar and with the help of the CVO (Covert Vampiric Operations) these worlds have put up a good fight.

The CVO 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR presents four tales to give readers a better understanding of these agents and their organization. As far as content goes it's pretty hefty and, if you'll pardon the pun, a lot to sink your teeth into. However, two of these stories are parts of a bigger whole and the quality varies accordingly.

In the first feature, a reprint of the original CVO one-shot from 2003, we meet the main stars: Cross, Bools and Britt. What we learn about them in the next several pages pretty much sums them up for the rest of the book. We do get a nice back-story for Britt, which borrows a little from La Femme Nikita, and Cross has a similar treatment but with an added level of severity. Bools never really progresses beyond raging and impulsive.

It starts off very promising with Britt doing a bit of undercover work that I thought was the best part of the story. Unfortunately, things quickly spiral downward with a plot twist that triggers a shift that totally lost me. The bodyguard that comes along halfway through the tale also brings more elements to the world they live in that I felt should have been established earlier. Everything seems to just go along haphazardly from there and it feels like the writer was trying to find a way to reach an ending. With that said, I have to say the fight was pretty spectacular, but the whole thing seemed to come from leftfield.

In the next part of the book we have a reprint of AFRICAN BLOOD #2. This was one of the two stories that were parts of a previous mini-series. It gives the impression that it would be good to read on its own up until the cliffhanger ending. The events happening here were pretty interesting, with the team being confronted by a stronger African variety of vampire. However, there was one key component that made it a chore to read. The lettering constantly threw me out of the story with the wrong word often being emphasized in dialogue. Several times I had to re-read a line because it didn't sound right the first run through. I knew what the characters meant to say, but it just didn't read right.

Later we are treated to ROGUE STATE #5, the other reprint from a multi-part story. This time it's the concluding chapter where we see the agents dealing with a supernatural foe that’s taken control of the President and branded the group as outlaws.

Inserted between these two was "Kiss of the Vamp". Surprisingly, with no dialogue to speak off and only six pages long, I felt it was the best piece of the book. I may never know who the main woman was in this story, but it was exciting to see and it had a nice finish. I think that perhaps, like the Aeon Flux cartoon, Alex Garner's CVO tales are better in smaller doses that have a single purpose that wrap up before it lingers too long.

The art by everyone involved was really good; even if some of the characters didn't maintain their appearance bewtween stories (Britt in particular). Suleco Studios did an outstanding job inking AFRICAN BLOOD and ROGUE STATE and made the comic really jump off the pages. But again, the highlight was Garner's art on "Kiss of the Vamp".

The CVO group has potential but for various reasons I just couldn't get into it with this selection. The short piece by Garner was quite enjoyable but the rest of the book seemed to get bogged down with stories that were either incomplete or had no direction. I don't think that this would be the best introduction to new readers as it was intended to be. Perhaps it would have been better if it was a regular sized comic with several small tales highlighting each character instead. As it is not much is revealed of the cast and anyone reading for the first time would come away feeling disoriented, if anything

More info:

Written by Alex Garner
Story by Jeff Mariotte
Art by Alex Garner, Gabriel Hernandez, Mindy Lee
Cover by Alex Garner.

Title: The Lone Ranger – The Death of Zorro (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Ande Parks (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Doug Zawisza (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: The Lone Ranger & Zorro: The Death of Zorro #2

The stakes in this series are high, real, and undeniable. Death has become a humdrum standard in comics, but when addressing the demise of a fictional character as legendary as Zorro, the story needs to rise up. Ande Parks brings a strong story with vibrant characters to this meeting of legends. Unfortunately, as is revealed in the preview for this issue, “Death of Zorro” isn’t a mere marketing ploy. Zorro is truly dead.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto ride into California to reclaim Zorro for a proper burial. They bury the man’s body, but in doing so discover they must also set out to deliver justice for the way that Zorro met his end. Parks tells the story of why the Lone Ranger should care about Zorro and the significant influence Zorro had upon the fate of the Reid family. It’s a compelling story that seems to have been waiting to be told for generations now. Parks does the story justice without making the link between the two legends feel forced or unnatural.

Esteve Polls and Oscar Manuel Martin make the story earthy and rugged. The people shown here – Don Diego, Reid (elder and junior), Tonto, and the many lives crossed by them – are depicted with detail and filled with character. There are no generic figures or faces here. Even moving in silhouette, many of the characters are discernible. Martin’s colors fill the pages with splendor of the Old American Southwest. There are purple mountains majesty, blazing orange sunsets, and splendid costumes filling the panels of this issue. The art is a well-matched suitor to the story, which is building up steam here.

The sides in this battle are drawn. The characters are moving into place and the odds are stacked against the heroes, just as they should be in any dramatic story of yesteryear featuring Zorro or the Lone Ranger. The end of this issue adds a nice surprise that is certain to have impact to the remaining three issues of this series. This issue, however, is well-crafted and worth reading, even if you’ve somehow missed the first issue. Parks’ story is clear and strong. The legends certainly deserve no less.

More info:

Story by Ande Parks
Art by Esteve Polls
Colors by Oscar Manuel Martin
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Francesco Francavilla
Publisher Dynamite Entertainment

Title: Plague of the Living Dead (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): John Russo (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Kevin L. Powers (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Published by Avatar and created by John Russo (one of the two names behind the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD film), PLAGUE OF THE LIVING DEAD #1-6 is a sequel of sorts to Russo and George A. Romero's NOTLD (1968). Russo has written several sequels to the Romero film to capitalize on the name for a few bucks and nothing feels more truncated than this here series.

The story begins a few years after the original outbreak in '68 and everything seems to be normal other than the fact that many of our troops are being sent over to the war and people at home are protesting. This is where this story takes place as we see a group of three soldiers, who have been witnessed to a covert military operation in which zombie soldiers were used to fight the war, risk death and court marshal to get home to their wives and girlfriends when they hear that the zombie outbreak has happened again in their home town. At the same time their loved ones are planning a huge protest in the middle of no where when they are attacked by a horde of zombies. Now both groups try to fight their way into town where they believe they will be safe from the zombie apocalypse.

Sounds like an interesting story except that they stretch what should have been at 1-2 issue series into 6 (on average) 11page issues just to make people buy more issues. There just isn't any story in this tale of zombie mayhem. The story actually starts in PLAGUE OF THE LIVING DEAD SPECIAL #1 before going into the regular limited series but even that issue really doesn't add anything. There is a lot of zombie violence and nudity in the comic (in every issue) which is saying something if that's all you're looking for in a comic book but there are far superior zombie comics out there then to waste your time on this one (i.e. THE WALKING DEAD).

The series was a sequential adaptation by Mike Wolfer (based on Russo's story), pencils by Dheeraj Verma, inks by Lalit, and color by Andrew Dalhouse. Although there is great artwork for the covers there are way too many to both with trying to collect (unless you're a die hard fan).

More info:

Andrew Dalhouse colorist
Dheeraj Verma penciler, cover
Jacen Burrows cover
John Russo writer
Mike Wolfer writer

Title: Koni Waves (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mark Poulton (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Karyn Pinter (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

You know when I used to watch Scooby-Doo, I would always think that the show had an explicit lack of drinking and short shorts. Well not to worry, because Koni Waves: Ghouls Gone Wild has got all of that covered.

This book is definitely in the same genre as Scooby-Doo or The Chan Clan--campy, over-the-top, and kitchy mystery solving . . . but with more cleavage!

But is it good? Well, sort of.

Koni and her breasts revolving gallery of pals fight mysterious, otherworldly demons. However, unlike Scoob and the Gang, there are no rubber masks or scheming businessmen involved. All the demons are real. Jinkies!

I’m new to this series of comics, but I think this collection falls somewhere in the middle of the run. Although there are some mentions of events that must have taken place in past issues, you won’t be too lost if you start with this book.

The main character, Koni, solves mysterious happenings in Hawaii, and all the happenings are supernatural--which mean Hawaii is a pretty dangerous place for tourists. The comic is pretty corny. I mean it’s almost just like the mystery-solving cartoons from the 60s but with more blood, booze, and boobs.

The plots are simple, the threats are easily dispatched within 22 pages, and there are random celebrity cameos. However, instead of Sonny and Cher meeting Scooby, it’s Adema meeting Koni.

As for Koni, she is the only one with any sort of depth of character--and its kiddy pool deep. She looks to be in her late twenties, has an obvious drinking problem, used to be a striper, used to be a cop, and all of her one-dimensional friends seemed doomed to get involved in whatever mystery Koni ends up busting. She comes across as a slutty Buffy the Vampire Slayer on spring break.

In fact, some really great future titles for this series would be Koni Waves: Vampires Totally Ruined Cabo and Koni Waves: The Mystery of “Oh Man, What Happened Last Night?”

She’s a bit of a joke as she practically bumbles her way through saving the day and taking down the threat--which is usually in a way that is so “well, that was easy.” I mean, come on even Scoob and the Gang got chased around a little before Velma figured out that it was all smoke machines and projectors.

I’m really on the fence on whether or not I like Koni Waves: Ghouls Gone Wild. It’s not horrible, but it’s one of the biggest cheese ball comics I’ve ever read. I really, honestly can’t say if this is a serious comic that is just bad or if it really is supposed to be corny as hell.

If it’s intentionally corny as hell, then “mission accomplished”--though I still think it would need a little bit more substance to the plots. I’ve been comparing it to Scooby-Doo, and the plots here make Scooby-Doo seem like an Alfred Hitchcock production.

There is some pretty cool pin-up art in the back of the book, so I’d say if you’re a fan of the Koni Waves series, then hooray for you and you’ll probably buy this book. If you’re not a fan of the series, then you probably shouldn’t bother with it.

More info:

Writer: Mark Poulton
Artist: Stephen Sistilli
Publisher: Arcana Studios

Title: The Art of Comic Book Inking (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Gary Martin (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Jon Kemerer (Review 1) and Danno (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - First and foremost, the author states in the first chapter, first sentence, first paragraph... before you begin to ink, 'learn to draw'!

This book is absolutely amazing. The artwork and techniques described in this book are priceless. These are the same techniques pros use in what you buy in the comic book stand. It's fairly easy to ink, and the author and his talented band of contributing artists prove this through their many examples and explanations on how they achieved their results. You will learn valuable techniques, starting with the basics, how to hold the pen or brush, line weight, and pen / brush control. Also, cross-hatching, dry-brushing, feathering your lines, etc... (these tend to be my favorites). You'll learn how to translate a penciled peice of artwork into a finished inked drawing primarily. You'll learn how to ink faces and facial features, as well as backgrounds and other objects. The author also clarifies any question you may have on the duties and tasks performed by the inker, as well as finding jobs as an inker. There is alot more to be taught in this book, believe me.

The book includes a reproduced page of artwork for you practice on as well, which is great. As other reviewers have mentioned, the pencils are done by the same, excellent I may add, artist named (Steve Rude). But, I feel the author gives you enough leverage with what you learn in this book to learn fairly easy how to ink other penciling styles.

Review 2 - I know how to draw (or at least, I think I do) but I never learned how to finish a pencil drawing with ink. So I was totally looking forward to having a professional give me pointers on how to lay down a decent line.
But this book tells you nothing. For starters, it's not even a book. It's more like a pamphlet, it's so frigging short. I think it's only about 65 pages.

Secondly, you are NEVER told how to put a line of ink onto a page. Nothing. No explination. All they do is tell you what brushes or pens some guys like and give you some before (pencil) and after (inked) drawings.
But you're never told how to hold your pen or brush, how to drag your instrument, or how to actually make a good looking line. VERY FRUSTRATING since that is exactly what I thought I was paying for.

P.S. I learned later that this 'book' is apparently the 2nd of two books. I've looked everywhere for the 1st book but nobody seems to sell it.

More info:

Writer: Gary Martin
Art: Steve Rude

Title: Johnny Dollar: The Brief Candle Matter (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): David Gallaher (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Tim Hartnett (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Another item from my sweep of the Baltimore Comicon, Johnny Dollar: The Brief Candle Matter is the work of SBC's very own David Gallaher. Johnny Dollar was a serial character on the radio from 1949 to 1962; an investigator for an insurance company. Each story is an "explanation" of his expenses, which of course leads him to recount what led to those expenses.

In the Brief Candle Matter, a production of "MacBeth" falls under a legendary curse, which leads Dollar himself to investigate. What follows is a look into the background of the troupe, and what led the belief to occur in the first place.

David Gallaher is a very talented writer, using the page count as a wise strength. The story is paced very fast, yet Gallaher has no problem maintaining a consistent feel throughout the entire book. The end result is a self-contained murder mystery which reads as a short story combining a "Dragnet" tone in a Nero Wolfe manner. The solution is very logical and hidden; however, the book goes by a bit too quickly to emphasize some characters and actions. This tunes the suspense down a bit, as well as leaving this feel like a cookie-cutter drama---even though it's anything but that.

The art of Eric Theriault is in black & white for this edition, and generally does a good job of depicting a noir style which reminds me of the more impacting styles of the '70s. Eric does the job just right depicting the action, with a fair use of shadows and slick inking.

For those of you who enjoy a fun, fast-moving murder mystery with an intruiging conclusion, Johnny Dollar is certainly a good place to start, especially if you're looking for one in a well-executed comic book form!

More info:

Writer David Gallaher
Artist Eric Theriault
Inker Serge LaPointe
Letterer Vince Sneed
Cover Artist Tim Seelig
Editor Joe Gentile, Garrett Anderson

Title: Our Love Is Real (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Sam Humphries (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Ryan K Lindsay (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

“Five years after the AIDS vaccine…”

And thus the tale begins. Our antagonist (I refuse to use the term ‘hero’) riot cop, Jok introduces himself by exclaiming that he enjoys the riots. One would think he enjoys them specifically because they involve the vegisexual movement. Vegisexual’s experiment with growing plants, making them something a little more, and then engaging in sexual congress with them. Jok looks down on this sort of deviant behaviour because he’s a zoosexual. His kind only form loving relationships with animals. He even sports a dog paw print on the shoulder of his armour to show his allegiance. It appears making the beast with two backs with an actual beast is the preferred choice of relief because they are at least animals, anything else is anything less.

That paragraph should give you an idea of what sort of book we’re dealing with here. This is a tale with sexuality at its heart, and love on its mind. You could call this a warped retro-hyper-bizarro romance story. With plenty of jaw smashing violence.

Humphries writes this book so sparsely and yet he builds an entire world, a caste system of sexuality, and a lead who undergoes a fair degree of emotional upheaval. The tale is a concept and the concept is engaging. It’s fun, but in the sort of way you almost don’t want to admit. This is school boy humour taken to the level of an intellectual’s deconstruction. Within just one issue, all comes full circle. Humphries makes you care, makes you cringe, and then makes you…well, I think you’ll all feel something a little different at the conclusion.

Then there’s Sanders’ art. I’ve been a massive fan of Sanders since his S.W.O.R.D. days and he brings the same level of game to this book. For months, he’s been dropping designs on his site but not saying what they were for. They were great there but absolutely gorgeous here. This book ranges from quality world building in scope and depth to almost torturous levels of violence and then sweet moments of confusion and some blend of puppy love and enlightenment.

Jok meets a mineralsexual (a person who gets down with crystals) and it flips his world around. He suddenly has feelings he can’t punch and he can’t even use a little horizontal time to get it out of his system. And, yes, we see the horizontal time. With his dog. It’s a surprisingly sad panel, and through the conclusions you have to draw just of panel, and the outfit the dog wears, it's almost heartbreaking in a strange way most won't be used to. All I can still see is the look on Chyna's face. Be damned if Sanders doesn’t make that dog look so incredibly sad that she can’t please her man. His mind is elsewhere.

It’s a testament to these two gents that they’ve taken a puerile idea and breathed a true sense of story into it. Jok makes a move, a play that only confuses him more, and the outcome is a sad stereotype. The world might be different but the man is just the same. He uses his aggression, his might, to try to fix the wrongs in his world, the wrongs in himself. It’s not a solution and he figures that out quickly.

The switch and change of the end comes fast but it works as a perfect flip balance to the final denouement, the punchline of the entire book. It’s simple but it’s satisfying. It’s nice to see two creators who have dabbled in the mainstream still get the time and desire to put out something like this. It makes me think of the times other creators have put something out that went against the trend, that said something a little personal and a little uncomfortable.

Verdict – Buy It. This is a comic you don’t get often, and that’s exactly why you need to strike and support this book. But in the end, it’s good as well. The art is superb and the writing is tight. I love a good one-shot to invest in because there’s no further commitment. You can spot it easily on the shelf because it's a different size, more like those Archaia books. Get in on this one and expand your horizons; it’ll break the boredom of the Big Two.

More info:

Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Steven Sanders

Title: Law and Chaos (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Wendy Pini (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: F Fairley (Review 1) and incisivis) (Review 1) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - This is the second copy of the book I've purchased, as I lost the first one and couldn't bear to be without it.
I grew up reading Wendy Pini's ElfQuest graphic novels and eventually stumbled across Law & Chaos completely by accident. Pini details a highly ambitious animated film project she conceived but was never able to bring to fruition. The Law & Chaos book is sadly as close as any of us will ever get, but seeing what she had in mind makes one hunger for a great deal more. The text chronicles how Pini got started as a "comics nerd", through college and her concept for the characters and story of what was meant to be the Stormbringer film.
Fans of Pini will appreciate the intimate glimpse of the artist as a young woman, but the artwork alone is enough to make you want to pick it up and see it cover to cover. In a style all her own and with a bold experimental streak, Pini reveals her adventurous (albeit sometimes too far-reaching and impractical) artistic concepts for the film. However impractical, I sometimes find myself musing, "Why hasn't any filmmaker taken this and used it...?"
The artwork is darker, more delicate and more refined than ElfQuest fans may be used to, and definitely carries a heavy classical Asian influence. Readers will enjoy sketches, paintings, layouts, and breathtakingly beautiful full-colour spreads.
A must-read for aspiring animation artists, filmmakers, and fans of all things Wendy Pini.

Review 2 - This book showcases the remains of Wendy Pini’s aborted college project, an animated film adaptation of the main story of Michael Moorcock’s fantasy anti-hero, Elric of Melniboné. It was to be called “Stormbringer” after the first Elric novel and also the name of his cursed sword. Law and Chaos is structured very much like an “The Art of” or “The Making of” book for a completed film, containing background paintings, character sketches, character models, concept art, and character designs, many with commentary.

Pini’s designs doesn’t look that much like her Elfquest work, with overall taller, thinner characters--exceptions include her paintings of Arioch and Sepiriz, which have a strong hint of her future Elfquest designs. But her art is extremely pretty, with characters that have highly individualized features with great colour schemes and excellent costumes. The colours are vivid and warm, the backgrounds rich and detailed.

But what’s also clear from reading the text is that the Stormbringer project was undertaken by someone with a lot of love and little experience. Continuously forced to pare down her ambitions as she became aware of just how much it would take, such as considering removing voice acting altogether because of the cost of equipment to help with timing, Pini was eventually forced to give it all up, party because of how far behind she fell and how her grant money was exhausted.

Another reason for Pini’s failure might have been her close identification with the character, something which Pini herself admits. “I over-identified with the albino martyr, lived more in his world than in my own. I had no commercial aspirations for the film after its completion.” (7)

It’s also curious to note that her introduction suggests that that Pini did and still does “love” Elric in the fashion that we normally think of being applied to characters with admirable traits, while still recognizing that he is not a good person. She writes:

It was a face my own hand had drawn countless times with varying aesthetic results, the face of an old friend, companion to darkly imaginative young girls, Erlking, Pan, gentle incubus, both male and female, haunter of the introverted, the romantically inclined--I recognized him on the cover of that slick paperback, bought it, and absorbed the first story during Mr. Foster’s fourth period art class. (Pini, 2)

It’s purple when scripted out, but there’s an interesting sentiment behind it. The idea that some anti-heroes (meaning in the classical sense, not in the modern sense of a rugged, crass vigilante) can be loved as one loves heroic, smart, and/or powerful characters, has a lot of fascinating philosophical, or even moral implications. It’s much more common to appreciate anti-heroes on a purely intellectual level or to simply hate them. What does loving them mean? What did it mean to Pini?

It’s impossible to say whether this film would have been good or bad. Certainly adapting a long story (though one already presented in quick, terse prose) into a film always poses a problem, as can be seen by some Japanese animated films which attempt to condense a longer comic series and end up feeling rushed and confusing as a result. There is also Pini’s lack of experience to consider, and that budget necessities would likely mean much less spectacular detail in the actual animation than in Pini’s paintings and backgrounds.
But for fans, the idea of an Elric animated movie would seem thrilling and make this book a bittersweet read, especially since its text is in a deeply personal style. Recommended for fans of various things, including animation art, fantasy art, Elric, Moorcock, and Pini’s other works.

More info:

Text and illustrations by Wendy Pini

Title: Pat Novak for Hire (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Steven Grant (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Ray Tate (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

With spoken word narration that would make Raymond Chandler keel over and giggle like a little maid from The Mikado, Pat Novak for Hire is a hard-boiled detective fan's delight.

Steven Grant and Tom Mandrake fuse their talents for an affectionate funny twist on the Mike Hammer styled gumshoe. At the same time Grant does not succumb to ageism clichés or tropes from the genre.

Pat Novak is an unlicensed investigator working in Governor Reagan era California. In this period he trails a missing person case into a den of political corruption that leads to a suicide. Most of the book however occurs about thirty years later where the sixtyish Pat Novak looks after Malone his twentyish granddaughter and makes ends meet by renting boats.

The past comes back to haunt Novak in the form of the suicide victim's granddaughter. She leads Novak and Malone back down the twists and turns of those mean streets. She also finds a way to unwittingly and humorously silence the purple prose constantly flowing from Pat Novak's chops.

Apart from casting his mystery with rich characters demanding a sequel, Grant does something very interesting. Usually the private eye turns over rocks to uncover conspiracies run by various species of snakes. In Pat Novak for Hire Grant cleverly uses his setup to show a conspiracy that actually worked and fooled the detective. He gives his conspiracy weight by showing its staying power. It's not until the very end of the book, thirty years later, that Pat Novak finally ferrets out the truth. This technique does not only make Pat Novak for Hire a great comic book but also a great original detective novel, or novella if you prefer.

Unlike most detective novels, Pat Novak for Hire puts its pictures on the pages rather than in your head. Fortunately Mr. Grant is aided and abetted by Tom Mandrake. Mandrake cut his teeth on Batman, and he honed his shadowy style on Spectre and Martian Manhunter. In color Mandrake's artwork was atmospheric and none too shabby. In black and white his artwork reveals a masterful noir cinematographer.

Pat Novak for Hire is an intelligently written detective story filled with engrossing characters and steeped in wit. A new master of light and shadow that's beautifully captured on the perfect paper stock illustrates it.

I can't recommend this book enough.

More info:

Writer: Steven Grant
Artists: Tom Mandrake
Publisher: Moonstone

Title: Alien Worlds (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bruce Jones (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Paul Birch (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Fresh from his run on Ka-Zar the Savage, one of Marvel's first regular direct sales comics titles, writer Bruce Jones established Bruce Jones' Associates, along with his wife April Campbell, and began producing comic books for the independent publisher Pacific Comics, among the titles was the science fiction anthology Alien Worlds.

Bruce Jones has worked as an artist, writer, graphic designer and editor, bringing a fine sense of quality to the many works he has been involved in. Jones established his professional career in the 1970s, producing horror and science fiction material b/w magazine publishers such as Skywald and Warren, where he would work with world famous artists such as Richard Corben, Russ Heath and Bernie Wrightson, people who he would continue to collaborate with in later years. Colour work for DC Comics' mystery and horror series followed naturally, along with a Huntress serial that ran in Detective Comics. While at Marvel he wrote Conan the Barbarian and over 30 issues of Ka-Zar the Savage. He collaborated with Ka-Zar artist Brent Anderson again on the Hitchcock styled thriller Somerset Holmes that first saw publication at Pacific Comics.

Between 1982 and 1984 Bruce Jones Associates also collected Bernie Wrightson's work under the series heading Master of the Macabre, the limited series Silverheels, and the genre anthologies Alien Worlds (science fiction), Twisted Tales (horror), and a single issue of Pathways to Fantasy (naturally enough, heroic fantasy) before the publisher Pacific Comics folded. Featured artists on those books included John Bolton, Barry Windsor-Smith, Dave Stevens Al Williamson and a fledging Mike Mignola as an inking artist.

Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales were quality produced comics, with many commentators reflecting they were similar to EC Comics in approach, whereas Jones himself commented that it was chiefly in that company's attention towards design that he may have been influenced, plus the fact that he was producing anthologies. The stories themselves were more akin to the work Jones had written for Warren magazines but with strips pitched towards an artist's particular visual strengths.

After Pacific, Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales continued for a few issues more at Eclipse Comics, concluding the work already produced for Pacific, and including a few strips not written by Jones. A year or two later Eclipse would bring out an album sized issue each of new Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales stories written by Jones, with the promise of them being ongoing series, but this was not to be. At Eclipse Jones' previous work would also be collected in graphic novel form, he would also produce short run mini-series such as Man of War, Hand of Fate, and the adventure thriller Luger, and the company would also reprint his own old illustrated strips under the title The Twisted Tales of Bruce Jones.

Alien Worlds was reprinted at Blackthorne, a company co-established by Steve Schanes, one of the brothers involved in Pacific. Jones is credited as writing several books for that company including a Rambo 3D comic, and his Jack Hunter series (featuring covers by Joe Kubert and interior art by Delfin Barras) was collected and is worth checking out.

Bruce Jones career shifted direction and he began writing screenplays and scripts for HBO's television series The Hitchiker, alongside developing further his credentials as a published novelist. His work for comics during this period naturally petered out. But he did become writer of the legendary Flash Gordon newspaper strip, illustrated by Ralph Reese and wrote possibly his best comic book story in the Rip in Time series published by Fantagor Press.

In Rip in Time Jones and artist Richard Corben seemed to take some of the concepts they had developed back in their Warren days and push the envelope even further to take them both to a new creative high. It was a fully-realised action adventure cliff hanger time travel story with dinosaurs, heroics and thwarted love. The better aspects of the original Stargate film owe more than a passing nod of respect to Rip in Time.

The new millennium found Jones returning to the comics field, slowly at first with a few short strips in DC Comics/Vertigo's anthologies, then taking on The Incredible Hulk at Marvel leading to increased sales and critical attention on the book. His work since has been predominately at DC including books such as Deadman, Nightwing and Vigilante. News of the return of the Alien Worlds series came out of the blue recently when artist Timothy Bradstreet posted a promotional cover for the book on his Facebook page, leading to a number of delighted fan comments. Bradstreet further revealed that his art was based on Jones' story The Exterminators and it was for a relaunch of the "classic anthology" to be published by Raw Studios.

Raw Studios was created by Bradstreet himself and actor Thomas Jane, and the company has been developing a number of media projects including comics. Bradstreet is an Eisner Award nominated illustrator who has worked in many fields aside from comics, including the cover to Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life and Death, and production design for films including Blade II and The Punisher. Actor Jane has starred in film such as The Punisher and Stephen King's The Mist, directed Dark Country, took the lead role in the HBO TV series Hung, and become increasing involved in the comics field in recent years. Bradstreet commented that Alien Worlds will be: "Absolutely all new but temper that statement with the comforting knowledge that the guys doing the new stories are illustrators like Richard Corben, and William Stout, with an equal dose of later generation artists like Rafa Garres, James Daly, and me.

"Naturally all the stories are by Bruce Jones. It's gonna be sweet."

As a longstanding admirer of Bruce Jones' craftsmanship, I recommend you check out the works noted above, and look out for the return of Alien Worlds.

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writers: Bruce Jones, Jan Strnad
Colorists: Steve Oliff, Dave Stevens, Joe Chiodo, Frank Brunner, John Pound, Tom Luth colorist
Covers: Joe Chiodo, Dave Stevens cover
Artists: Al Williamson, Nestor Redondo, Tim Conrad, Val Mayerik, Ken Steacy, Scott Hampton, Tom "Thomas" Yeates, John Bolton, Paul Rivoche, Rand Holmes, Bo Hampton
Letters: Tim Harkins, Ed King, Tom Orzechowski, Carrie Spiegle letterer

Title: B1N4RY (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Richard Emms (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Ryan H. Jackson (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

This series about an average 20–something with a dead–end job who finds himself embroiled in a life or death struggle for the planet and all of existence is a fun romp. Owing more than a little to the hit film The Matrix, this story features computer created programs that have somehow come to life from the melding of light and computer code.

There is more going on in the world than meets the eye and when lead character Joe stumbles across an apparent murder, he finds out just how much he has been missing and finds the key to the digital hero, B1n4ry (Binary to you and me, but the creators chose the “kewl” spelling.)

Recommended for science fiction fans and computer geeks. From the same comic company that brought the fantasy title, Darkham Vale.

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Writer: Richard Emms
Artist: Jim Sutherns
Editor: Richard Emms

Title: Legend of the Scarlet Blades (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Saverio Tenuta (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Stephen (Review 1) and Ralph Jenkins (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - "I think you still harbour feeling for Raido and myself, yet even so, you ordered his death and have deprived me of the sun. In reality, you are not fully aware of your actions. Do not be so sure that it is you who are the puppeteer.
"That, I never believed. I only cut my own strings and imprisoned the one who controlled them in this temple."

Terrific surprise, this. I was expecting another SAMURAI: LEGEND, which was certainly very pretty but really little more than another Onimusha.

LEGEND OF THE SCARLET BLADES, on the other hand, is breathtakingly beautiful with vast panoramas of snow-swept mountains and walls snaking up to them; Japanese temples and rooftops, Acer leaves in autumn, cherry blossom petals and birds taking flight; gigantic white wolves called Izuna with ears like the lynx… but it is also an intricately woven story of cause and effect, of nature and nurture, that spans two generations in feudal Japan whose revelations eventually connect almost every event to another and everyone to each other, even if few or even any of the players involved know it until quite near the end. Maybe the wolves know. Yes, maybe the wolves know…

Lone warrior Raido has lost his memory. He's lost his arm, an eye, and something else - if only he could remember what. Instead he is plagued by voices so loud he can barely sleep. They're calling to him. He has a tattoo whose symbols don't bode well and he has a past more complicated than he can imagine which he inadvertently catches up with when he encounters young Meiki and suddenly there's silence. He sweeps her away from the clutches of Captain Kawakimi, ordered to arrest the girl by Lady Ryin, Shogunai of all that surrounds her. He knows not who they are, but they definitely remember him, as does General Nobu Fudo, the man with three eyes, the man with three arms and the man with two Scarlet Blades. Raido is supposed to be dead.

The past is revealed slowly, subtly and in all the right places, for it's not as straight forward as you'll think. For example, does Nobu Fudo have Raido's eye? He does not. He has an eye that was sacrificed to Raido after Raido as a boy sacrificed his own to feed his starving wolf cub. There'll be repercussions there. Unfortunately Raido will repay that repayment of kindness with… Ouch. It's actually pretty affecting in places.

There is a reason, by the way, why the seasons have stopped and the domain of Lady Fujiwara Ryan and Lord Totecu Fujiwara before her is besieged by ice and its raging white Izuna. There's an explanation for why the Izuna are raging, and why Lady Ryin is such a bitter and cruel mistress. It's not an excuse but a reason. The same goes for the three-armed Nobu Fudo's enmity towards Raido.

I can promise you a substantial read and as much eye-candy as you could want whether your thing is majestic landscapes, fantastical wolves or dramatic blade action. It's not easy painting driven snow, but the blue and purple lights dance off it here perfectly.

Review 2 - This deluxe hardcover graphic novel has gorgeous painted artwork, but it is let down by a serviceable story that is too derivative of Hiroaki Samura's BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL. Indeed, the title has been changed from LEGEND OF THE SCARLET CLOUDS to LEGEND OF THE SCARLET BLADES for the American edition in an apparent attempt to get the attention of BotI fans. It worked for me, but SCARLET is missing the likeable and interesting characters that populate Samura's manga epic. We are left with a book that has truly exquisite art -- the colors almost leap off the page --but that fails to really get us invested in the characters. Part of the reason may be the translation, which often feels stiff. Of course, it is relatively short, but nothing in the story will be unfamiliar to readers of BotI or LONE WOLF AND CUB. It's as if an artist for HEAVY METAL magazine decided to do a story after a long manga binge.

Pros: Excellent art, great package
Cons: Average story, derivative of other works

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Story by Saverio Tenuta
Art by Saverio Tenuta

Title: S.H.I.E.L.D. Volume 1 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jonathan Hickman (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Minhquan Nguyen (Review 1) and Chad Nevett (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 - The Story: Genius white men…and other sorry excuses for the state of the world!

The Review: In ordinary circumstances, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be the kind of title I’d fallen hopelessly in love with by now; it has fresh ideas, remarkable craft, rounded characters, and some gorgeous art. Instead I find myself surprisingly nonplussed by the series. I appreciate and respect the kind of story it wants to tell, but it just hasn’t done much to get me invested.

Maybe it’s the highly cerebral nature of the title. The whole storyline so far, after all, deals with a literal war of ideas, the smartest people in history giving way to violence strictly to defend their principles, which, I suppose, if you’re going to war over anything, it might as well be your dearly held beliefs. While the ideas at stake (determinism vs. fatalism, hope vs. resignation) do have a certain intellectual appeal, it’s no surprise they do little to capture your heart.

Then, too, the story has proceeded at a horrendously plodding pace. Forget the fact they labeled this issue #2. We all know this is really the eighth issue of the series, and considering this title launched June of last year, well—that rate isn’t great, to say the least. And even had all eight issues been released on time, that doesn’t change the minimal advances the plot has made.

The first time I reviewed S.H.I.E.L.D. (half a year ago, if you can believe it), you had Newton and da Vinci duking it out in the Immortal City, with Leonid standing by. Now, two chapters later (three, if you count the “infinity” issue), we’ve only just started our way to a resolution. Hickman has filled the yawning gaps between important moments with a lot of expository, conceptual material, but again, it’s intriguing in an academic sort of way, but hardly engaging.

I suspect, however, that Hickman does expect to blow your mind with his ideas, and he may very well have succeeded—if you could understand what in blue blazes he’s talking about. Not to rank on Hickman, but has this quality to his writing where at times you can’t tell if he’s being smart, pretentious, or purposely obscure. Excessive capitalization has that ambiguous effect: “The Quiet Math,” for example, or, “…had attempted to Solve for Everything and succeeded!”

Yet for all the abstract threads going on here, the plot strikes you as kind of predictable. You never have any doubt Newton, despite his genius or because of it, is the villain here, and once that suspiciously convenient Spirit-Truth Machine forces Newton to rave, “I have killed, and will kill again, and will race God to end man,” it’s a shoo-in which of the two prodigies Leonid will choose to believe in. Da Vinci, by contrast, can’t fail to gain your sympathy: “I am alone. I have never loved. I have never allowed myself to love…I have sacrified everything.” Poor guy!

No one breathes life into Hickman’s ideas like Weaver. He really does give a celestial beauty to everything he draws, especially with Oback’s dreamy, major motion picture colors. And then you have his inspired pages, like the depiction of the Well of the Elixer of Life, whose mandala-like appearance, with Oback’s sunset reds, gold, and indigos filling them, just takes your breath away, even before you notice the design work Weaver uses to weld it into the flow of action.

Conclusion: What should be one of the greatest titles on the stands turns out merely enjoyable. To really take it to the level it aspires to, it needs to drop the humanities lessons in favor of just advancing the story. Maybe it will do that next issue—two months from now.

Review 2 - S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 - It’s not always easy to forge a clear and concise opinion of “S.H.I.E.L.D.” It’s one of the more challenging and different titles published by Marvel in a year that saw more “Strange Tales,” “Spider-Man: Fever,” and “Deadpool MAX” hit the stands. Jonathan Hickman has a large story to tell and is still in the process of setting the mood and context. But, does that mean we just ignore the lack of plot? Or the fragmentary storytelling that doesn’t actually provide a context? We’re five issues in and I can’t really say what “S.H.I.E.L.D.” is about beyond a vague description about the secret organization and some historical figures. It’s a comic you have to give a large benefit of the doubt to and, as it approaches the end of its first volume, how much longer should that benefit be extended?

Much of this issue focuses on Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards, transported into the far future after an encounter with the Night Machine, as well as a flashback to when they both joined the organization full time. These scenes are broken up by a few two-page spreads providing a quick overview of the events within S.H.I.E.L.D. during the late ‘50s, narrated in elusive, vague language. If you were asked what actually happens in this comic, there isn’t much to tell. But, that’s not all that makes a comic worth reading, of course. Still, even putting this issue into the larger context (at least what context we have), it doesn’t hold up as much as previous issues. Increasingly, there’s a sense that this could be a comic that takes far too long to actually get going. All of the promise of the initial issues is wearing thin.

The interaction between Stark and Richards in 1951, though, is very well written as they discuss the price of devoting their lives to S.H.I.E.L.D. For Stark, the idea of faking his death and leaving his family behind is a necessary cost, one he’s prepared to pay, because anything else would be too cruel. Better to simply remove himself from their lives than tease the possibility of meaningful interaction when he has more important things to do. Richards doesn’t seem convinced. It’s one of the more thoughtful and intriguing ideas raised in the series so far, exploring what it means to be the secret guardians of the planet.

Like Hickman’s writing, Dustin Weaver’s art continues to show massive potential in this series while never quite reaching it. He’s capable of breathtaking images on large scales, but his panel-to-panel art is very inconsistent, shifting between detailed, striking figures and flat, misshapen ones straight out of a third-rate X-Men spin-off comic from the middle ‘90s. The two-page spread montage pages in this issue feature a bold design, but the detail of the line work often falls apart. It’s hard to know what version of Weaver you’ll get on any given page or any given panel.

“S.H.I.E.L.D.” isn’t like any other comic on the stands, but that isn’t just a good thing. There’s almost appalling lack of plot or consistent character work, focusing more on hints and allusions to a larger picture. It drifts in and out of events, and delivers powerful and affecting scenes when it focuses like the discussion between Stark and Richards here. But, do those fragments add up to anything? That remains to be seen. For now, this is another piece of a puzzle that’s beginning to not seem worth the effort.

More info:

Story by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Dustin Weaver
Colors by Christina Strain
Letters by Todd Klein
Cover by Gerald Parel, Dustin Weaver
Publisher Marvel Comics

Title: Area 52 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Haberlin (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Paul Dale Roberts (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: Area 52 #1

What is the secret behind the mysterious Area 52?

Just to let everyone out there know I thoroughly enjoyed Area 52 #1. This first issue really gets the readers involved with the story, by acquainting us with the characters. It reminded me of the recent movie Snatch with Brad Pitt. Snatch introduces the viewers to each one of their characters and the moviegoing Audience becomes absorbed automatically to the story. This is exactly what they did with Area 52 and I salute their gallant efforts in bringing exceptional crescendo drama throughout this story and leaving the reader with a tantalizing ending. But, let's start from the beginning.

We're introduced to greenhorn Corporal Monica Lane who is sent to this out-of-the-way post in the nether regions of the Arctic. I knew it was the Arctic when the MP tells of the polar bear intrusion story. Polar bears are found in the Arctic and not the Antarctic. Captain Andrews seems quite levelheaded and has that M.A.S.H. Colonel Parker attitude. Very kicked back and casual.

It also seems that all the staff have island fever...or should I say Arctic fever, they all seem a bit on the wacko side. The MP had me laughing, because he is by-the-book and really frustrates the Captain.

I would like to know why some of the staff were making bets on newbie Monica Lane? What kind of bet is being perpetrated here? As there is an Area 51 in Nevada, it then also has a sister base called Area 52.

Perhaps we have collected so much extraterrestrial material, we need two bases to keep this material in. I see the origins start with Roswell too. Are they doing back engineering at Area 52? If not back engineering, I see they are making home-brew champagne. I told you some of the staff were wacko and the last time this champagne was made, it made everyone sick. They have an antimatter power supply, there is something definitely extraterrestrial here, besides all of their broken down droids that are stored away. Monica really does have a glorified security guard job looking over the droids. Something that she is not pleased about.

Area 52 has 6 warehouses. That's a lot of warehouses and I am looking forward to finding out what is inside these warehouses. I had to chuckle a bit, when one of the staff says they have Playstation 3, while us civilians are now able to purchase Playstation 2. With Playstation 3, they must get the newest high tech equipment to work with or to play around with. It was kind of sad to hear Monica tell her story on how she was sexually harassed by a 2-Star General and because of this was assigned to this outpost. According to Fate magazine, there may be two real life Area 52 bases in existence. One base is in Colorado, they believe that Area 51 has moved into the mountains of Colorado. There is supposingly a secret experiment base in Puerto Rico and many have blamed the Air Force in experimenting with DNA and possibly creating El Chubracapras.

This comic book also supplies the reader with a Top Secret document which builds more foundation to this story. I am giving Brian Haberlin and Clayton Henry a standing ovation for a well put together story and having beautiful artwork to go with the story. I absolutely loved this comic book and want to know why that Area 52 staff personhas his chest cavity missing? What monster lurks at this base??

If I were to ask my 2 favorite detectives Philip Marlowe and Hercule Poirot, if they found any mystery in this one story, they would say that they found mysteries and intrigue around every corner and then the 3 of us would harmonically say....wow!!

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Writer: Brian Haberlin
Artist: Clayton Henry
Publisher: Image