Title: Criminal Macabre: Supernatural Freak Machine (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Steve Niles (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Sam Moyerman (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" This book may be the perfect showcase for a writer displaying his love for his characters and their world."
Review:

Steve Niles brings his hard living, foul mouthed monster-investigating private eye back to IDW with incredible results.

Monsters…Check. Drugs and alcohol…Check. Guns…Check. A hard boiled detective and his ghoul assistant…Check. Welcome to the wonderful world of Cal McDonald, the world’s foremost paranormal investigator and self destructive human being. This issue sees Cal return to IDW, for the first time in comic book form, for his 7th publication (2 novels, 2 collections of short stories, and 2 other comic miniseries). In this first issue of Super Freak Machine, the reader is first teased with the return of an old nemesis as Cal and his ghoul assistant Mo’lock discuss life, women, and the possibility of a return to the old stomping grounds of Washington, DC. But trouble seems to just find Cal and Mo, as their attempts to purchase a car are met with strange results.

Steve Niles is considered the premier horror writer in comics right now. And to say that Cal McDonald is his pride and joy may be a bit of an understatement. Throughout the first six books/stories in the Cal McDonald Mysteries series, Niles has weaved incredibly vivid and entertaining tales. He owes a lot to the old hard boiled detectives of pulp magazines as Cal seems to be the kind of private detective that could sit at a table with the likes of Sam Spade and Mike Hammer and hold his own amongst them (before getting drunk, saying some dumb things, and having them beat the crap out of him). And the juxtaposition of him as a paranormal investigator is brilliant. It not only gives a reason for Cal to be shouting some of his riotous dialogue, but also gives reason to his drinking and drug abuse. Although, reading through the stories, one could be left wondering if Niles actually enjoys writing the deadpan stylings of Mo’lock even more. Like his character’s dialogue, Niles keeps his pacing tight throughout the book. This book may be the perfect showcase for a writer displaying his love for his characters and their world.


Kelly Jones’ work on the last Cal McDonald series left me feeling a little empty. But that may have been due to unfair comparisons with the previous artists who worked on Cal, Ashley Wood (illustrated the books) and Ben Templesmith (illustrated the first miniseries). The work looked far too cartoonish when compared to these other masters. However, over the course of that miniseries, Jones began to come into his own with the book and by now, his depiction of Cal and his world at the least stands with and is almost preferable to the others. Whereas Templesmith was at his best creating a great mood and setting with his artwork, Jones goes right to the heart of the characters. The drawings of Cal capture all the different elements of the character; from the angry discussions about his current girlfriend to an alcohol induced vomiting, this is definitely Cal McDonald. Jones’ monsters are a little more cartoonish than previous artists, and are easily identifiable from the regular humans. One other thing that Jones seems to handle with great aplomb is the action sequences. Of course, all of this would be moot without praising the fantastically stylized colors of Michelle Stewart. Vivid and contrasting, these colors really help to bring out the almost conflicting humor and horror elements of the story.

Cal McDonald is easily one of my favorite modern literary characters. While each individual element of the story may not be unique, putting them together to such great effect is. And though it may give greater understanding of the character to have read the previous stories, knowing the characters’ histories is unnecessary as each story can stand on its own; even with this story that contains the return of an old villain.

More info:

Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Kelley Jones
Cover Artist: Tim Bradstreet
Colorist: Michelle Madsen

Publisher:

 

Title: Criminal Macabre/The Goon: When Freaks Collide (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Steve Niles (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Big Tim (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Since reading it, I’ve added Criminal Macabre to my regular pull list; I don’t want to miss another issue. "
Review:

I haven’t read a lot of Criminal Macabre. I read the FCBD story, but that’s about it. As for The Goon, I’d like to think I’m a bit of an expert in that department, having religiously collected the book since issue #2.

So I felt I had a bit of an idea what to expect with Dark Horse’s Criminal Macabre/The Goon: When Freaks Collide. Monsters, horror, and humor. And yeah, it delivered.

For those not in the know, Criminal Macabre tells the tale of Cal McDonald, a paranormal investigator and his assistant Mo’Lock, the ghoul. And The Goon is all about a depression-era thug who likes to smash slack-jaws with his best buddy Franky. Tough guys fighting monsters. What’s not to like?

The two creative geniuses behind Criminal Macabre and The Goon are Steve Niles and Eric Powell respectively, and together they’ve come up with this fun, little, unique one-shot. Nile is credited with the story while Powell is responsible for “Farts and Negativity” and it seems to me they gel together well.

I love this kind of team-up. I know cross-0vers and guest stars are all too common in some of the bigger comic book universes like Marvel and DC, but on the more independent scene these kids of things are few and far between. And having been a huge fan of books like The Goon #7 and Beasts of Burden/Hellboy this book was very quickly on my radar.

Reading this issue, I must say it seemed a whole lot like a lot of filler. Now hear me out, I’m not saying it’s bad. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But as far as the story was concerned, I found myself three-quarters the way through and feeling as if the story was still only just getting started or that it was still setting up the real story. At this point I had to double-check if it was a one-shot or maybe the first issue of a longer story. But no, it’s definitely a one-shot.


But having said that, the end of the comic is fully worth the price of admission. I was correct in thinking this entire issue was building to something else. I don’t want to give it away, but if you’re a fan of Dark Horse’s supernatural characters you cannot miss Criminal Macabre/The Goon: When Freaks Collide. There is something brewing on the horizon and you don’t wanna miss it.

The art by Christopher Mitten is perfectly suited to this book. I will admit, after ten years of The Goon being drawn and painted by Powell, I found the art a little jarring at first, Mitten’s style being so different from Powell’s. But only at first. Before long I was totally immersed in the story and the art only helped me along further. And the two different covers by Powell and Fiona Staples? I couldn’t decide which I wanted…so I bought both.

All in all, Criminal Macabre/The Goon: When Freaks Collide is a great jumping-on point for both books (since reading it, I’ve added Criminal Macabre to my regular pull list; I don’t want to miss another issue). If you’ve been a little curious as to what The Goon or Criminal Macabre is all about, buy this book.

More info:

Writer: Steve Niles
Farts and Negativity: Eric Powell
Artist: Christopher Mitten
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Cover: Fiona Staples
Variant Cover: Eric Powell

Publisher:

Title: Criminal Macabre: Drawing On Your Nightmares (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Steve Niles (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: NYXX (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" If you've already got all the other Dark Horse horror stuff, though, Drawing On Your Nightmares makes for a good light snack to tide you over until the next mini-series or graphic novel.
"
Review:

If you haven't yet sampled Dark Horse's horror line by mean of one of their mini-series or the hardcover Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Drawing On Your Nightmares provides a pretty cheap way to do so, and just in time for Halloween. The short story format is a demanding one, and none of these creators is really at their absolute best because they're forced to work in such abbreviated space, but each of the three stories is a tempting little taste of current or future Dark Horse projects, including the hilarious sleeper hit The Goon, another title from 30 Days of Night sensations Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith and a teaser of the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer-related project, Tales of the Vampires.

It will come as no surprise to most that The Goon is the strongest feature in this book. Eric Powell's twisted, scattershot sensibilities aren't really hurt by having a small space to work in, and his Goon tales tend to work in sequences of just a few pages at a time anyway. This works as a pretty good sampler of The Goon, introducing the likable deadbeat Spider, the no-nonsense and short-tempered Goon and his psychotic and blase sidekick Frankie, as well as the notion of a city where the crimelords dabble in monsters and magic. The Mud Brothers, the monstrous leg-breakers in this story, are entertaining characters who make me think of nothing so much as members of Spinal Tap turned into mob enforcer trolls, and in the space of just a few pages, Powell works in plenty of gags surrounding all of these characters. As usual, the story is accompanied by Powell's beautiful (and at times deeply disturbing) artwork, and this is definitely the gem of the bunch.


Another character making a return appearance at Dark Horse is Cal McDonald, star of three Niles novels as well as the recent Criminal Macabre mini-series. Niles crafts a fun idea of a story around a familiar (if dead) Las Vegas face, and what the story lacks in consequences, it makes up for it in style. McDonald's working class ruminations on the nature of demonic incantations, and his use of same in the story, is a pretty good indicator of the mix of weirdness and blue collar sensibilities that Niles brings to Cal McDonald stories, and while Templesmith's artwork is sometimes not the clearest to follow, he does great work on mood as well. The shadowy, suggested forms of the ghostly B.S. or the gunsels who want to prevent Cal from walking out of the club is probably more effective than a full-on portrayal, for example.

Closing out the book is a another tale set in Las Vegas, this one a story of a random vampire in the Buffy mythos. It could just as easily be a random vampire tale, as it doesn't connect with the Buffyverse at all, but it's a neat little tale of reversed expectations. Phillips's artwork, always a treat on Sleeper, has a sort of quasi-painted look going here, heavy on the blues with reds that pop out against that dark background, and it's another example of art that sets the mood. Unfortunately, it's also an example of art that doesn't always hit the story points as strongly as it could, as the pivotal turning point of the story isn't at all clear except in hindsight, rendering what could be a neat twist into a bit of a confusing moment instead.

The obvious target audiences for this one are those who haven't tried the Dark Horse horror line or for those who have already bought all the rest and want something new. For the former audience, I'd instead recommend biting the bullet and picking up a collection of The Goon, Criminal Macabre or the Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, as you'll get a much more satisfying story instead of three brief tastes. If you've already got all the other Dark Horse horror stuff, though, Drawing On Your Nightmares makes for a good light snack to tide you over until the next mini-series or graphic novel.

More info:

"Letter From B.S."
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Ben Templesmith
Letters: Pat Brosseau

"The Brothers Mud"
Writer/Arist: Eric Powell

"Dames"
Writer: Brett Matthews
Artist: Sean Phillips

Editor: Scott Allie

Publisher:

Title: I Am Legend (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Steve Niles (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: needlework addict (Review 1) and Moby Disk (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Give this book a try, you might LOVE it! "
Review:

Review 1 - Sadly, I have never had the opportunity to read Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" Novels. So I have no grounds for comparison, rather I can only rate this book as it stands on its own (and theirs nothing wrong with that). I bought this book for a friends birthday. She is a Steve Niles fan and picks up all his comics series (30 days of night, wake the dead, freaks of the heartland) as they come out. So naturally, this was a good choice. I was never a Steve Niles myself, not that his work is bad or anything, its just I never got into the whole "vampire" thing. On top of that, those comics were often accompanied by artwork outside my tastes.
I decided to give the book a try after my friend forced me to borrow it... I have to admit, it is one incredible book. Take this from a non-vampire fan. This book is presented in graphic novel format. Don't mistake it for a comic book. Though there are the occasional word bubbles, this is primarily presented with novel style paragraphs to pictures, which I might add are gorgeously rendered. Before Even getting 1/3 of the way through the book I had become overwhelemed with curiosity and fear. Often I would find my heart racing and my adrenaline up, something i should say never happens when i read. The images only help the moody atmosphere. Despite any inconsistancies it may have with its source story, this book is excelent. I place it amungst the greatest of graphic novels such as Blankets, Yossel, Maus, etc. (keep in mind it is nothing like them). Give this book a try, you might LOVE it!


Review 2 - The graphic novel is almost a word-for-word match of the book. Passages like "he turned left into the small hallway" gets one panel and drawing, then "and left again into his bedroom" get another panel and drawing. That works in a book, but it is pointless in a graphic novel. And the corresponding illustration shows a dark figure in a dark hallway, with no detail and no imagination. The authors took nearly every sentence in the book and made a corresponding illustration, even if it added nothing. This makes the graphic novel actually longer than the book (240 pages for the graphic novel, 170 pages for the book). It was really boring, and I found I could read the book in less time, and got more out of it.

The drawings are gritty and dark, but not to convey style or atmosphere: It was to hide the fact that no imagination went into it. If the book said the street was dark, the illustrator drew only darkness - no buildings or streetlights or windows or sky or cars... just darkness. I'm impressed that they remained so faithful to the book, but it defeats the purpose of a graphic novel. Stick figures could have conveyed just as much expression.

Lastly, for those who are looking at this to gain insight into the movie: This is a vastly different story. There's no hidden explanations or back-stories or secret musings that would make you understand the movie better.

More info:

Creator: Richard Matheson
Adapted by Steve Niles
Art by Elman Brown

Publisher:

Title: Kult (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jeremy Barlow (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Dustin (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" I actually like this book a lot and that surprised me."
Review: Kult #2

Kult can best be described as the Matrix meets demons, but with a dash of Midnight Nation thrown in for good measure. Essentially, as the recap tells us, the world we know is a lie created by a horrible machine that keeps the human race enslaved and realizing their potential of reaching God like status. One man is destined to save the human race by setting them free and taking control of the machine, the problem is of course that he doesn’t want that much power.

Tomas Zenk is that reluctant man and all he cares about is his daughters. He’s been torn from the “lie” and thrust into a maze created by the machine to keep freed humans from taking control. Tomas’ was mistakenly dumped into the maze by three cultists with the best intentions, but now must figure out where he is and accept his surroundings. He’s saved by a dentist that figures out who he is and reveals to him the true nature of the world by spinning him around in a chair with pictures drawn on the wall. Tomas breaks free from the world and in doing so, learns to control the machine, but makes a critical mistake when the machine adapts the world without him in it.


I couldn’t tell you when the first issue of this came out which is a shame since I was taken by surprise with it. The story is interesting and uses other stories as an outline so that you’re able to focus on the characters and the plot more than the world that they’re in. Writer Jeremy Barlow does a decent job of getting the exposition of the world out of the way quickly and uniquely. It’s an interesting idea to have drawings on a wall come alive and transform to tell a story in comic book format. It unfortunately doesn’t work that well as it just looks like flashback images commonly associated already in comic books. Perhaps if it had been animated or live action it would have stood out more and worked better, but the creativity is there and that’s what works.

Barlow otherwise does a good job of creating believable characters in an unreal world. I really enjoyed the twist on the story, but could have waited longer for Tomas’ character to discover his powers. There’s a very fine line in stories of this nature of having the character learn his powers to quickly and easily and not fast enough. This story falls into that first column as Tomas is put in one dangerous situation and instantly starts driving the machine. It’s not annoying, but it’s a bit off putting when you’ve just seen the character struggling to climb a ladder the page before.

I actually like this book a lot and that surprised me. I was expecting it to be full of ugly ass demons and it wasn’t, but that steered it into a different direction than I was expecting which was a good thing. If the story continues this fine balance of humans and demons without treading too deep in one or the other it could turn out to be another decent mini-series that 2011 and Dark Horse has produced.

More info:

Writer: Jeremy Barlow
Artist: Iwan Nazif
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Cover: Jake Murray

Publisher:

Title: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Justin Jordan (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Danny Djeljosevic (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" A promising first issue that feels like an accurate taste of what the rest of the series will probably be"
Review: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1 feels like someone finally made a version of Kick-Ass for actual nerds. Granted, James Gunn's Super is the best version of Kick-Ass -- followed by Matthew Vaughn's amazingly fun, over-the-top film adaptation and then, in last place, the comic itself -- but the new miniseries by Justin Jordan (of the Lovecraftian war Zuda webcomic Rumors of War) and Tradd Moore feels like a book that appeals more to the modern comics reading young person than the surprisingly broad Millar-Romita Jr. joint.

You see, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode follows Luther, a wiry, nerdy high schooler who manages to get superpowers from a Charles Atlas-like book called The Hercules Method, like someone refracted Kick-Ass through a Flex Mentallo prism. Soon enough, he can punch guys real good and has the reflexes of -- well, do you remember in Spider-Man when Toby Maguire catches Kirsten Dunst's lunch when she slips in the cafeteria? Like that.

In fact, there are a few Spider-Man signifiers going on in this book. There's a scene where Luther checks out his new muscles in the mirror, a redhead (this time, an attractive one) who totally wants to fuck him and a jock who wants to fuck him up. It's a lot like how Vaughn's Kick-Ass the movie resembled Spider-Man, but it also speaks to the well each of these stories are going to. Nerdy guy gains superpowers, starts fighting back, girls start to like him.

What sets The Strange Talent of Luther Strode apart from other superpowered high school comics is that it's fucking insane. Jordan and Moore aren't afraid to go incredibly violent and over-the-top -- even moreso than the other similar works I've been comparing the thing to this whole time. The opening scene shows Luther at some undetermined point in the future, having physically ripped apart a whole bunch of dudes in exciting and creative ways. There are villains who can spit out their teeth as bullet-like projectiles (!). Please don't ask me to count the instances of spraying blood (there are at least several).

Tradd Moore's art is what really makes the book Under the wrong hands -- and not just a bad artist, I mean an artist with the wrong tone in mind -- the book could have been rendered a depressing mess, but Moore's art is a perfect fit for the ridiculous violence and overt-the-top cartoonishness that Jordan's script demands. There's a bit of Tony Moore (no relation, I assume) in there, but if the ex-Walking Dead mainlined some manga into those sweet Kentucky veins. Look at this dodgeball scene:


This dude's going to be one to watch.

Justin Jordan's script is solid, but it's going to take a few issues to see how his storytelling fares. Unlike, say, a Brian Bendis Spider-Man comic, Jordan gets to the fucking point and gets the guy's powers developing early in the first issue, delivers the requisite high school drama (Bullies! Girls! Dodgeball! Best friend!) and even throws in a couple of scenes with the story's apparent supervillain. He knows he doesn't have time to waste. And while I sort of glossed over the high school element, he even handles that well, bringing some much-needed humor to scenes that we've seen a million times before.

Just as importantly, I don't feel pandered to. Rather than pay lip service to geek chic like Millar did ("Hey, what's the deal with that second FF movie?"), Jordan and Moore throw in really concrete references -- issues of We3, 100 Bullets, Akira and even Dragon Ball Z posters -- that go beyond someone in a Star Wars T-shirt (even though there's that, too). Those are all things I like, but they exist as window dressing that shows keen readers just who this guy is without foregrounding it through forced dialogue.

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1 is a promising first issue that feels like an accurate taste of what the rest of the series will probably be. If Image Comics' 2011 track record holds up, the book should prove a pretty big hit, which is an exciting prospect for Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore who, prior to this book, probably weren't on many people's radars.

More info:

Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Tradd Moore
Cover: Felipe Sobreiro
Letters: Steven Finch

Publisher:

Title: Ward 6 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Kevin Fox (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Amber (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" There's a very interesting story here, one that may have been better served by a different storytelling format."
Review:

Maybe I'm just too stupid to read graphic novels, but I found this confusing. Not confusing in the ways the story was supposed to be, but confusing in that I couldn't properly distinguish the characters. Whether that's truly an artwork issue or just my failing as a reader, I can't say. There's a very interesting story here, one that may have been better served by a different storytelling format.


A word from the writer, Kevin Fox:


Ward 6 is just one of nine wards in an experimental facility disguised as a psychiatric hospital. The physical structure looks as if it was built as a Biltmore-like Estate by a robber baron at the end of the nineteenth century, then updated with state of the art security — and is meant as a metaphor for what is actually going on with our characters. I don’t want to get too much into that because it might give away some of the surprise, but let’s just say the characters have solid foundations in the past that have been updated and re-wired. The inmates being held on Ward 6 are all brilliant, with pasts that inform their present abilities, but the conceit is that in these new circumstances, people who were once villains might become heroes, and heroes, put under different pressures might turn out to be villains.

Fox: Ward 6 started out as an idea for a television pilot, which is probably where the comparison to Lost came in. I had always wanted to do something where the heroes used specific gifts that were not necessarily superpowers, but were real gifts in the real world, along the lines of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theories. The idea never fully took shape until I started thinking about using the characters as a brain trust for some nefarious group. Of course, to be used effectively, they would need to be tricked or coerced into participating, and what better way to do that than by taking away their memories of who they once were. Once I had that, I only needed the mechanism to make it work and to shroud it in mystery. I hope that when people read the graphic novel, they'll feel that I’ve succeeded.



More info:

Written by Kevin Fox
Art by Salvador Navarro
Colors by David Hueso and Alejandro Sanchez

Publisher:

Title: Witch (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Anthony Rossetti (Review 1) and Chantaal (Review 2)(Don't click it, read the review here... )

" You will be on the edge of your seat reading this!"
Review:

Review 1 - I normally don't read graphic novels but i actually got this for 3.00 at a local store after i started reading it and couldn't help but buy it to finish it. The plot is predictable but it's well done. There are constantly twist and turn! You will be on the edge of your seat reading this! Can't wait for the next one!


Review 2 - For as long as she can remember, Kylie Woods has heard a voice in her head. Now that she’s coming of age, she’ll learn she’s not crazy, but that the voice belongs to her familiar: an eight foot tall demonic black cat. You see, Kylie is a witch, and witches are nothing like you thought…

Kickstart has been coming out with some great stuff lately, the high point of which, for me, was Witch. I absolutely loved it from the very start, loved the new take on the genre – especially when her familiar turns out to be a creepy, giant, demonic black cat. Look at the cover for this and tell me that familiar idea is not kickass.

The storyline moves along very well, enjoyable where it might be entirely too cliched, amusing when it needs to be, and Matalas and Fickett handle the drama with a light hand, not making anything too melodramatic. Shasteen’s art is delightful as well. It’s a touch darker than what I truly love, but that quality lends to the general aura the book has; dark enough for the subject matter, but not too dark to turn me off.

In the end, this book is fantastic. Kylie is written as a strong young woman, but not so much so that it feels forced. Kickstart is, in my opinion, at the top of the chain when it comes to strong female leads in comics right now.

More info:

Writers: Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett
Artist: Tony Shasteen

Publisher:

Title: Transformers - The Ark (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jim Sorenson & Bill Forster (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Tiffany T. Wong (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" This book contains are animation models that aren't seen often outside of animation or broadcasting studios"
Review:

First time readers may be disappointed that all this book contains is just black and white pictures of the various Transformers, locales, weapons, and miscellaneous from the early years of the franchise's cartoons. HOWEVER, what readers have to take into account is that what this book contains are animation models that aren't seen often outside of animation or broadcasting studios, short of certain types of magazines. ESPECIALLY the fact that the other half of the book contains animation models from the Japanese-exclusive Transformers series such as "The Headmasters", "Masterforce", "Victory", and "Zone". Why such importance? It's extremely useful as reference material, whether it be for those looking into the animation industry, graphics, comic artists/writers, and even writers that focus on words only! Another factor is the condition on some of the models, sometimes those from 1984 where depending on how it was store, could take hours to clean up so it can be presentable. English-speaking fans were less likely to see such material, even today, whereas Japanese fans were luckier as they have several magazines and various artbooks to showcase the models.

If you already have "The Ark" and "The Ark II" that came out prior to this, it's a good idea to pick up the Complete Ark as it has additional pages that weren't in either volumes. If you haven't picked up the first two volumes, then it's still highly recommended to pick this up.

What Jim and Bill did here is a something of treat for Transformers fans, because Transformers isn't just about the toys - it's also about the characters and how each new generation changes over the years. You don't see this type of transforming history often in the West.

More info:

Compiled and designed by Jim Sorenson & Bill Forster

Publisher:

Title: The New Avengers Transformers (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Stuart Moore (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: carl_lazarevic (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" The lack of intentional humor and fairly tedious action kill whatever cool factor this could have had."
Review:

It's always hard to figure out how to start a review for one of these major crossover titles. I always figure some kind of witty remark, or some clever quote should be used to tell all and sundry that "OH MY GOD IT'S NEW AVENGERS VS THE TRANSFORMERS!!!" Unfortunately there is nothing clever about New Avengers Vs Transformers, it never really manages to be all that witty and hell, it's not even a particularly big event in terms of the story either. So I figure, if the writers of the comic itself can't be bothered to put any thought into all this then why the hell should I bother when reviewing it either?

Now the most important things to consider with one of these randomized crossovers are what clever way are you going to come up with for merging these stories, and what are your audience going to want to see once you've achieved that? Sadly writer Steven Moore seems to have given more thought to his lunch menu than to either of these 2 crucial factors.

The story goes that a war is about to kick off between the Eastern European nation of Latveria (the place with the president named Victor Von Doom) and their neighbors Symkaria when mysterious jets start bombing the latter nation. The New Avengers (Captain America, Ironmnan, Spiderman, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Falcon and Ms. Marvel) are sent in by S.H.I.E.L.D to investigate. Arriving in Latveria they happen upon a mysterious compound, enter it, find themselves under fire from some unseen foes, witness Spiderman get captured and then flee the building like a Wily Coyote with an Acme brand rocket strapped to it's back. No, seriously, 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes', who've squared off against the likes of Magneto and Apocalypse, have defeated actual Gods in battle, and have even encountered Death herself on a few occasions, are now running off with their tails (not literally in most cases) between their legs, and are leaving a man down no less!

If that wasn't strange enough, by this point we're nearing the end of the first issue (of four, all featured here) and we haven't caught so much of a glimpse of a Transformer. We haven't even had so much as a quick shot of a truck parked near the base watching the events unfold. It's almost as if Moore wanted to gradually build up the suspense throughout the book about who was in Latveria so that the final pages big reveal would drum up interest in the second issue when it came out. Would have been a good idea too, if not for the fact that the Cover to the issue featured Captain America leaping away from Optimus Prime and had the title The New Avengers and The Transformers. Might be a bit late for slow building suspense now I think! In fact, I suspect we may have just touched upon tediously plodding predictability.

Either way the big reveal that The Transformers and the Marvel Universe have been living and fighting side by side all these years without noticing each other is now out of the way. So from issue 2 the book gets down to business as usual. The story follows along the same path as every other bad crossover (and most of the good ones to be fair) hitting every cliche along the way. Heroes have been introduced to each other, get confused and start fighting, but then realize they're all on the same side just in time for their respective bad guys to team up. It's just that in this instance none of it makes any sense at all, even after you've accepted the initial concept.

When the 2 teams meet up the fight kicks off because Optimus Prime says "Hello" and Captain America; Earth's most experienced hero I should add, screams "Attack!" Then Optimus utters the line "Standard human containment. No fatalities..." (pulls out gun and starts firing) "...unless absolutely necessary!"


So after a few pages of fairly mindless action; with The Avengers looking thoroughly weak against robots not much bigger than sentinels I might add, the Transformers manage to attach a strange sciencey thingamajig to captain America that blocks the bad chemicals in his brain from making him mad any more. As He says, "The engines of War. Sometimes they stop, and just like that..." (Dum dum duuuum) "The fog clears!" With everything now calmed down it's revealed that the Avengers were under the influence of a stolen mind altering device that would increase their aggression enough to make them run away from the potential boggiemen in the dark base, and charge head first into battle with the giant space robots outside. This is revealed by Doctor Doom, who had originally created the device for purposes unspecified. He babbles on for a bit about his technology, and about how he's got to look out for his people above anything else, before walking away to try and restore peace with the neighbors.

Optimus Prime then reveals that Megatron is the one who has stolen this technology in order to incite aggression between the 2 nations now fighting so that he can harvest some energon from the war. Meanwhile inside the base Spiderman is restrained to a device that Megatron intends to use to harvest some of his enhanced blood and create some new super energon for his Decepticon warriors. Spiderman does a bit of back talking, but this does nothing to prevent the emergence of the super powered Decpticon army. Obviously the Avengers want into the base to help their friend, but these Decpticons are going to be a bit of a handful. The autobots try and fight them, Ironman shows up in some giant Ironman armor he created due to the understandable concern that rumors of giant extra terrestrial robots hiding among us would turn out to be true, and everyone's worst fears are realized when Megatron and Doctor Doom reveal that they have realized the benefits of working together. It's never quite revealed what those benefits are exactly. Doctor Doom wants to make Latveria strong and Megatron wants Latveria blown to kingdom come so that he can harvest the wars energy. I'm fairly certain those desires are mutually exclusive or something.

So who will emerge victorious, The Autobots and The Avengers, or The Decepticons and Doctor Doom? Will Spiderman ever get to do ANYTHING in this book? Will Doctor Doom decide to do some more walking away? All will be revealed if you run out and purchase this book now. Or alternatively you could make a wild guess and would probably be just as right at a fraction of the cost.

Now considering the fact that this series was released in the same month as the recent Transformers Movie it should come as no surprise that it turned out to be such a shameless cash in. However, from experience with these kind of things, I can point out that shameless marketing scams are no excuse for poor writing. Or at the very least there's no excuse for the poor writing to be taken so serious by all and sundry. I mean, sure there's laughs to be had, but when the dialogue runs along the lines of "Cap what are your orders?" "Orders? Kill the giant robots!!!" I don't think the laughs were all that intentional. Moore really seems to believe he's got a dramatic story to tell here, and so doesn't even to bother throw in any comic relief. This makes the preceding events even funnier I agree, but still, it's not exactly a story you want to spend any of your hard earned money on.

I would like to say that the artwork makes up for any deficiencies in the plot department, but even that would be a lie. Some of the covers are absolutely fantastic in a minimalist anime kind of way. Sadly the artwork in the story itself is all very bland. It's not exactly terrible looking, it's just all generic 90's kind of artwork. Sort of detailed, but lacking any of the flash required for a story as thoroughly absurd as this. It also tends to be kind of inconsistent, with Spiderman's head changing size and shape with every frame, while Captain America and Wolverine walk around with the same constipated look on their face that screams I'm moody and hard!!! Sometimes you can look to their arms to see what exactly they're doing (running, fighting or talking are the favorites) but in frames where the arms are out of shot you're going to get pretty lost.

So all in all this is not a particularly well put together book. It's a shame, I really wanted to like it in a cheesy kind of way. It is Marvel Super heroes and Transformers afterall. It's just the lack of intentional humor and fairly tedious action kill whatever cool factor this could have had. Spiderman mocking Megatron aside the book is otherwise poorly produced and uninspired. It's not as if the old open a portal between universes and suck in heroes, make a few jokes and blow everything up, is a difficult formula to achieve. So why they went with this mess instead will be beyond me until the end of days. Don't bother with this one, unless you want to of course. Doesn't matter to me one way or the other I guess.

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Written by Stuart Moore
Tyler Kirkham: penciller
Sal Regla: inker

Publishers:

Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Origin (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Dan Brereton and Chris Golden (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Alan Preece (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" The writing lacks the punch that the ongoing series and the TV show consistently delivers"
Review:

The Origin is a three issue adaptation of Jos Whedon’s original script for Buffy: The Vampire Slayer: The Movie.

Less campy than the movie version of the story, the comic adaptation reworks the tale to fit in with the ongoing series of comics (reviewed elsewhere on this site), using the same artist and inker but different writers.

The tale revolves around Buffy, a shallow valley-girl who’s deepest thoughts are of lip gloss and party dresses, when she is approached by Merrick who tells her of her destiny. She is a Slayer, a killer of vampires and her greatest foe had risen in the form of Lothos, an ancient creature who was the true face behind such historical monsters as Caligula and Jack The Ripper.

Anyone familiar with the show or the movie knows how it turns out, so I won’t go into any further detail regarding plot. Instead I’ll say how nice it was to visit with the character of Pike, my favorite from the movie and the original prototype for Xander; a character who, nfortunately never appeared again afterwards in the show, but was used in one of the novels.

The artwork is similar to the ongoing series of the time, crisp and clean but unspectacular; and the writing lacks the punch that the ongoing series and the TV show consistently delivers. The reasons why are obvious, the characters, the lack of the triptych of Giles, Xander and Willow.

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Writers – Dan Brereton & Chris Golden
Art – Joe Bennett
Inks – Rick Ketcham

Publisher:

Title: Batman Incorporated (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Grant Morrison (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Doug Zawisza (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Most importantly, at least to me in this instance, is the fact that this issue is completely welcoming of new readers."
Review: Batman Incorporated #6

There is no denying that Grant Morrison is an idea guy. The very concept of “Batman Incorporated” fully justifies the existence of any number of Batman-centric titles, while the unlimited funds of Bruce Wayne can make new allies, new institutions, and new enemies. Sometimes, however, Morrison does push things too far: he might get too meta-textual, might have too many ideas jammed into a story, or might not fully divulge what the heck is going on in the story itself until much later. A colleague of mine holds onto the concept that comics with Morrison as the writer are never a consistently certain thing. That’s both a damning indictment of Morrison’s unpredictability and praise of the same.

In this case, Morrison makes it quite clear what is going on. Bruce Wayne is funding a global organization to fight crime and that crime-fighting is drawing attention on both sides of the battle. New characters are stepping into the fray, more familiar characters are returning and a few mysteries even have the opportunity to sprout forth.

In other words, this is a fun comic. Fun. Sure, some readers might find some of that fun to be more goofy or even annoying, but when the back cover of this issue is closed, it was still a fun read. This is a book where it appears as though Morrison is trying out some new ideas all the while playing fast and free to concepts that have been offered up previously. While reading this issue, admittedly my first of this series, I couldn’t help but reflect to “Kingdom Come” and the Batmen of Many Nations, a concept that predates “Kingdom Come” itself by forty years. Morrison even brings in the Bat-Knights, which you can see for yourself in the preview here on CBR.


The gathering of heroes appears to be setting up a showdown. Responding to the question of why he’s bringing this collection together, Bruce Wayne tells his former ward, “Why does one build an army?”

That army is only assembled in part on the cover, sensationally rendered by Chris Burnham. I’m not familiar with Burnham’s work prior to this issue, but I do recall seeing the striking image used on this cover appearing on a banner in Artist’s Alley at this year’s C2E2. Burnham’s work instantly had me thinking of Frank Quitely’s style, which makes it easy to presume how Burnham might have drawn Morrison’s attention. Burnham takes his work beyond simply aping that of Quitely. By the saddlestitch, I had cleared such comparisons from my mind. Burnham gives us a great looking book filled with wonderful personalities. Some of his expressions need a little polish, but on the whole, the art in this issue is worthy of checking out.

While standard size for DC’s $2.99 comics, this is a dynamically thick book with a great deal going on. It’s also wonderfully entertaining. And, for now, it’s the exciting, energizing writing of Grant Morrison. The story is clear in set-up and direction. The characters are inclined towards fun interactions, and the world of the Batmen continues to expand. Most importantly, at least to me in this instance, is the fact that this issue is completely welcoming of new readers. I knew of the general gist of the “Incorporated” concept before I even picked up this book, but reading this issue was quite satisfying.

More info:

Story by Grant Morrison
Art by Chris Burnham
Colors by Nathan Fairbairn
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Cover by Chris Burnham, Nathan Fairbairn, Frazer Irving

Publisher:

Title: Local (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Wood (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Excelsior (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" Easily one of the best things I've read in any format over the last few weeks. "
Review:

The series began as an experiment for Wood and Kelly; they wanted to write a limited series with each issue set in a different city in North America. They avoid the major cities like New York and L.A., focusing on mid-sized cities that offer lots of color and personality. To help with the local flavor they partnered up with artists in each city to get sketches and/or photos of key places---Bryan Lee O'Malley, for example, contributed a bit to the look of the chapter set in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Megan McKeenan---a punky twenty-something woman with wanderlust----works as the thread tying the twelve issues together. Each year she moves to a different city, and we watch her life as she finds a job, makes friends, searches for love, and tries to find herself. In the beginning Megan is primarily a device. She's the focus of the opening story, but for several in a row she functions as a secondary character.

I was intrigued by Local but not really wowed until chapter 3, a story called "Theories and Defenses". The chapter looks at a successful rock band that started in Richmond and what happens to them after their own success drives them apart. The band members return to their hometown and we see how each band member deals with their new state in life. This chapter not only displays lots of local landmarks that I know---southern row houses, the Fan, Plan 9 Records---but it really nails all the personalities you get with a band. There's the cocky lead singer who wants to do a solo album, the bass player who just wants to go out and get laid every night and the guitarist who seems perfectly happy tackling the coffee shop scene with his acoustic guitar.


But by chapter five Wood and Ryan return to Megan full force and the story becomes solely about her. She works at a historic movie theatre in Halifax, changing her name every day to confuse the patrons. In Minneapolis she develops a relationship with an odd guy who breaks into her apartment every day and leaves her a polaroid photo of himself. Later Megan has her life stolen and put on display by an art student in Toronto. As someone who switched jobs several times and spent way too many hours in my early twenties soul-searching, Megan's awkwardness, confusion and even anger come across to me as very real.

Kelly's artwork is a great match for Wood's story; the black and white indie look equates with the vagabond spirit of the story. If you are familiar with the city in a particular chapter, you will definitely see landmarks that look and feel like the real places. I also really like how he does faces; each face, be it a main character like Megan or someone who just walks by, has their own unique personality and they come across very well.

As the series develops we slowly learn the reasons why Megan moves every year, what she's searching for and what she's running from. For something that started as a quirky experiment in comics, by the end it develops into one of the more emotionally effective stories put out over the last year.

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written by Brian Wood
Illustrated by Ryan Kelly

Publisher:

Title: Demo V1 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Wood (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: joey (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" And, yes, it’s highly recommended."
Review:

Demo, a collection of twelve short stories in comics form by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, reminds me of a great album by some popular alt-rock band. Like the best alt-rockers, Wood and Cloonan twist the devices of mainstream pop to unusually thoughtful ends. In the case of a rock band, those pop devices might be catchy hooks, or crunchy guitars. Think of the way that REM used schmaltzy sentimentality to hateful and ironic effect in their first top 40 hit (”This one goes out to the one I love …”). It’s pop, but it isn’t — but, yes, really, it is — but, no, it really isn’t. And so on. That’s how it’s done in music. In the case of a comic book, “pop” means superheroes. Even allegedly non-superheroic pop comics, like Sin City or Planetary, present the reader with superheroes (or supervillains) to root for and/or despise, albeit tights-less, cowl-less, capeless ones. That Yellow Bastard, for example, would be right at home in any Batman story. Demo, on the other hand, remains comparatively non-action-oriented: it revolves around characters with super powers, but in a very different way than your typical Marvel or DC comic does. Well. Okay. That’s a bit of an overstatement. Some of the stories, like the first one, “NYC,” read like subplots in a 1970’s X-Men comic (I totally imagine that the next panel — the one after the ending of this story — involves Professor X’s disembodied head, come to save the day; it has to). That is not to say that they’re not good stories. They are better stories than most stories you read in comics these days. The best stories in the book, though, the ones that actually make it worth reading, are the ones that push all the way through the pop trappings, and past them, into real and realistic moments that you’d never find in a mainstream comic book, or even in any superhero movie — moments that are dangerous precisely because they are so ambiguous, and so startlingly drab.

The fourth story, “Stand Strong,” represented the first of those moments, for me. It’s about a blue-collar guy with super strength, a crappy job, and sleazy friends. It’s also, more importantly, about how, for most people, the acceptance of a mediocre, unaccomplished life is probably the only definition of adulthood that really means anything. The last two pages and a half, where James (the protagonist) watches his father’s friends and co-workers socialize in a bar, content with their unglamorous lots in life, speak more brutally about his utter defeat (even in the midst of what seems like a spectacular moment of success) than any number or combination of words could ever hope to do. They also tell of a writer who trusts his artist to make the most important, and most difficult, moments ring with meaning.


Wood’s faith in Cloonan is not misplaced. It is true that she flaunts her influences without coyness — they range from Hiyao Miyazaki to Frank Miller and Paul Pope (each story is drawn in a completely different style) — but she does so in an accomplished, knowing way, that betrays no hint of apprenticeship or naive imitation. She’s not reaching for other styles because she doesn’t have her own. It’s neither an homage nor a swipe, when she does it, in other words, but something else altogether. It’s a part of the story. It’s integral to the structure of the book. Cloonan knows you’re going to think of Miller when you read “One Shot, Don’t Miss,” in the same way that Philip Roth, say, knows you’re going to think of James Joyce when you read The Counter-Life, or, for that matter, in the same way that James Joyce knew you were going to think of Ibsen when you read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: the meta-reference adds another layer of meaning to the text, as they used to say in college term papers back in my day, and probably still do.

Here’s one of the coolest things about the book. The stories are all about people with super powers, right? So as you’re reading them — as one does — you just accept that about them. Super powers are part of this world. Got it. Now let’s see what happens. Then, in story number ten (another of my favorites), “Damaged,” your suspension of disbelief, and casual acceptance of the whole super-power trope, is actually turned against you (and against the seeming protagonist of the story), to provide the cruelest twist of all, as if Wood and Cloonan had come up behind you while you were reading the book, and razzed in your ear, and said, “Ha! You actually fell for that super-powers-in-the-real-world crap! Sucker!”

And you love them for it. Or, at least, I do.

So, yes, it’s that kind of book of short stories: each one sets you up for the next, and it all hangs together in a meaningful way. Like a concept album. Or, yes, like a demo tape.

And, yes, it’s highly recommended.

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Written by Brian Wood
Illustrated by Ryan Kelly.

Publisher:

Title: Army of Darkness: Ash Saves Obama (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Elliot Serrano (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: randomgeek (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" I really enjoyed this series and it should have more attention than it's getting."
Review: Army of Darkness: Ash Saves Obama #4

It's finally here! The thrilling conclusion to Ash Saves Obama! The deadites are trying to take over the world by trying to turn Obama into one of their own. Overall this story is clever and well executed. The deadites are smarter than we think! They're not just brain-eating undead beings, ya know! What I think is one of the best parts of this mini-series is that a female character is the main hero that gets everyone out of the mess. I like this because most comic books treat women as inferior to men (coughbrianmichaelbendiscough) and I believe that is the main reason why not a lot of girls read comic books which is unfortunate. So kudos Elliott for giving me a little bit of hope I had once lost in the comic book industry. Also the bit where Obama burns the necronomicon comic was pretty cool, Another thing that impressed me in this book... I never thought I be buying a comic with Obama in it, but this mini-series is better than I thought it would be and I believe people who love comedy and fun team-ups should give this book a try. Humor is pretty frequent in this book as well, but it's clever and well thought out humor, so if you love potty humor stay away from this book. So I really enjoyed the writing.

Padilla's art is also nice as well. It adds to the feel of the story, but at times it looked a little different or inconsistant, but otherwise it was good. I... don't know what else to say about the art and the writing other than overall I really enjoyed this series and it should have more attention than it's getting. Well done Elliott and Ariel!

More info:

Covers: Todd Nauck, SURPRISE GUEST ARTIST
Writer: Elliot Serrano
Penciller/Inker: Ariel Padilla
Colorist: TBD
Genre: SUPER-HERO, HORROR

Publisher: