Michael Deeley has been reading comics since he was 12 years old. His first book was an issue of Silver Surfer by Jim Starlin, leading him to see all comics as ideological conflicts with big-ass fight scenes. At the very least, he expects a comic to be entertaining in some fashion, which is why he thinks Secret Wars II is better than Dark Knight Strikes Back. He has never work in the comics field, but he does have a belligerent attitude and a lot of free time.
During his brief intervals in the real world, Michael looks for a paying job that should, (theoretically) lead to a better life involving more comics, privacy, and women.
He currently lives between Pittsburgh, PA, and the Pittsburgh International Airport, in a suburb so new, it only has one McDonalds.
“Comic books are unlike any other form of entertainment, and it takes a company that truly understands the art form to allow the medium to flourish in today's market. Top Cow understands this medium better than anybody, which is why you find most Top Cow books on the best sellers list. It's also why Top Cow characters strike such a chord with fans all around the world, and why Top Cow has set a new standard in today's comic book market. In doing so, Top Cow has helped to keep this "classic" medium a vital form of entertainment in today's "modern" culture.” -from the Top Cow comics website.
For my third all-company review, I wanted to do a smaller yet well-known company that I hadn’t read before. Top Cow Productions Inc. was founded by Marc Silvestri as one of the original studios formed under Image comics in 1992. ‘Cyberforce’ was Top Cow’s first comic, but ‘Witchblade’ has been the company’s greatest success. ‘Witchblade’ was adapted into a short-lived TV series and is considered one of the most popular characters in comics. They also published the critically acclaimed ‘Rising Stars’ series by JMS. Currently, Top Cow publishes the ‘Tomb Raider’ comic, ‘Battle of the Planets’, based on the anime of the same name, and the original series ‘Darkness’ and ‘Magdalena’.
Prior to this week, I read exactly 2 Top Cow comics. One was the ‘Tomb Raider’ comic they gave away at last year’s Free Comic Book Day. While the story was a nice adventure, the art resembled soft-core porn, (especially that pointless pin-up-style page of Lara under a waterfall). The other was the ‘JLA/Witchblade’ crossover special. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. One of the worst comics I ever read. These books, plus the “alluring” comic book covers, have given me a low opinion of the company as a whole. But, since I’m exploring different reading experiences, I decided to bite the bullet and give the company a fair shake.
One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of Top Cow books is how they all have a built-in mythology. They’re not just about some guy/gal stumbling into powers. They’re the “chosen one, destined to wield an ancient force passed down through history”. That’s probably why Top Cow books don’t interact much with other Image comics
I went out and read any and all Top Cow comics I could find on the shelves. Each one is listed and reviewed below. Keep in mind that I did not pay for any book. That means I didn’t have as much emotional investment as other readers. If the comics was bad, I didn’t feel ripped off; just bored.
Witchblade #68 -
Sara Pezzini is taking a week’s vacation to tour Civil War battle sites. While driving through Pennsylvania, she picks a hitchhiking girl looking for her brother. One quick call to the local police finds the brother dead of extreme old age. Confused but curious, Sara takes the girl back to her family and their creepy old mansion. The Witchblade gives Sara visions of the brutal murders the family’s committed. Suddenly, the girl has Sara’s gun and threatens to kill everyone. Sara tries to stop her, but gets shot. Meanwhile, the scientists monitoring Sara’s apartment see Ian Nottingham breaking in and get very angry about a picture of Sara with a man.
This was the first issue of the ‘Witchblade’ series I ever read, so I don’t know what the deal is with Nottingham. It seems like he’s attracted to Sara. It’s clear that the weird family kills hapless strangers and sacrifices/feeds them to some creature for immortal life. That much was clear. The next issue will probably reveal the nature and/or identity of the monster. It’ll probably be killed, the family will crumble to dust, and the teenage girl will thank Sara for “freeing” her. Yawn.
Frankly, I was expecting Paul Jenkins to write this issue. He’s done good work in the past, and I was curious to see how his ‘Witchblade’ compared to his Spider-Man. I was pleasantly surprised that all the women in this comic are fully clothed. Sara never goes into Witchblade mode, nor do we see any women in bikinis or underwear. The women are all beautiful, of course, but they’re also all decent. Overall, not great, but not as bad as it could have been.
Magdalena #2 -
The Knights of Malta have secretly trained one woman to be the Magdalena, an agent of the Catholic Church, chosen to battle the forces of evil. Patience is the newest, albeit reluctant, candidate. In this issue, she discovers the power to repair the Spear of Destiny, her sacred weapon, and uncovers a traitor within the Knights. Now she must face the pagans who seek to revive the old gods and sacrifice her friend.
As a former Catholic, I can tell you the Catholic Church is a great source of story ideas. From the real-world political intrigues, to the fantastic stories of the saints, not to mention the conspiracies involving the Church, you can write hundreds of stories about the Catholic Church will little embellishment. So considering the source material, it’s a little disappointing to see Magdalena went the typical “secret society against evil” route. I mean, wasn’t that the plot behind DC’s ‘Night Force’? And “Star Wars”?
This comic has a little more sex appeal than ‘Witchblade’ #68. The ending has a woman in a low-cut sacrificial gown. That’s not so unusual. Magdalena’s costume, however, seems impractical and unlikely for a defender of Catholicism. Go to www.topcow.com and see for yourself. It’s a halter top, bikini briefs, and armored gloves and boots. The armor makes sense, but the briefs? Why not a complete body suit, or full armor? Hell, a pair of pants would be more sensible. Can we really believe this costume was designed by the same people who designed priests’ gowns and nuns’ habits? If the Magdalena is going to be working with men who’ve taken a vow of chastity, she shouldn’t be wearing something so “distracting”.
All right, enough of the comedy. We do get a decent action story. Magdalena doesn’t kill anyone, though she does beat up a lot of guys. Patience goes from thinking it’s all too much for her to feeling like she’s right where she belongs. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.
The Darkness: Wanted Dead #1 -
This was the only Top Cow comic I bought, because I didn’t have time to read it. I wanted to read an issue of The Darkness, but no one had an issue of the new series. ‘Wanted Dead’ is a one-shot by Frank Tieri and Mark Texiera about two Federal agents assigned to watch Frankie Estacado. Frankie was part of a Mafia family who decided to turn states evidence. Now the leading Don in NYC has put out a million dollar contract on Jackie to make an example of him. Unknown to everyone is Jackie’s access to The Darkness, another dimension of evil demons and living shadows. It’s kept Jackie alive for this long. Will it help him survive an all-out assassin war?
Telling the story through two agents is a nice idea. If you don’t know about Jackie’s powers, it lends an air of mystery and confusion to the story. This mood is broken when we see Jackie alone, talking to the Darkness demons about how to end these attacks. So if you don’t know who Jackie Estacado was, and you didn’t read the little text at the book’s beginning, now you get the whole thing explained before the books’ climax. Defeats the purpose of the agents’ narration, if you ask me.
I’ve always know Mark Texiera to be a good penciller, but his skill is completely obscured by the colors of Mat Milla. The book looks muddy and washed out. In some scenes, the shading emphasizes the dark mood. In others, it hides the colors and the action. There are many panels where people appear “squished”, like the vertical hold on your TV has shrunk the image.
Overall, not a great comic. I think I wasted $3.00 on this. Anybody want it?
Witchblade Animated #1 -
This one-shot comic by Paul Dini and Darwyn Cooke features Witchblade, The Darkness, and The Magdalena in an “animated” style. Sara Pezzini is investigating the murder of a priest when she meets Patience. Patience believes the priest was killed for a cursed artifact that holds a piece of The Darkness. Both of them are attacked by Jackie Estacado, host of the Darkness, under the control of the artifact’s new owner. In the end, a traitor is revealed and a poor alter boy assumes a terrible burden.
The story is as simple as the art work. It’s very straight-forward with no mystery. You identify the murderer right away. Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone do a good job artistically. The book is shadowy and mysterious, yet still easy to read and follow. I’m disappointed in Paul Dini, though. From his previous work on comic based on the Batman cartoons, I know he can give characters subtle personalities. Here, Sara is just another tough cop on a case, and Jackie is just a party boy played for a fool. Patience is portrayed as more experienced and confident than in her own comic. (She’s more practically dressed too.) Long-time fans of these characters might enjoy seeing them all in an out of continuity dust-up, but I don’t care either way.
Tomb Raider #32 -
Lara gets a magic painting away from some bad guys, briefly feels guilty about using a man’s feelings for her, and thinks about another man she once trusted who now wants her dead. Confused? So am I.
With all due respect, I thought all Top Cow would be as bad as this. My opinion of the company has risen, but my feelings for ‘Tomb Raider’ have soured even further. Lara’s moment of guilt for taking advantage of a man’s unspoken love for her is put aside because such feelings might slow her down. Then she strips to her panties. I’m serious. She does this on two facing, full-page splash panels that have Lara in exactly the same position. I’d swear the artist just traced the same page.
Speaking of the artist, his name is Tony Daniel. His work reminded me of Scott McDaniel, but with thinner lines, and a certain Todd McFarlane “jagged line” quality. There were a lot of big panels, lots of action, but very little story. I finished it in under 5 minutes. It reminded me of the comics Image first published in the 1990’s. And no, that’s not a good thing.
But the book’s biggest flaw is the “revelation” of the trusted friend who betrayed Lara. He’s shown at the end of the book in another full-page splash, but he’s never named. Not once. I never read the book before, so I don’t recognize the guy. This is one of the reasons why an editor tells the creators, “every comic is somebody’s first comic”. I picked up this book for the first time, had no idea what was going on, wasn’t impressed by the art, and felt no compulsion to get the next issue. If I had paid for this book, I’d be feeling royally screwed. But since I didn’t I’m going to be nice and give this:
Battle of the Planets #10 -
G-Force has successful repelled Spectran invaders from the city, but thousands are still suffering from the narcotic virus released by Zoltar. Anderson, chief of G-Force, meets with a Spectran who’s taken over the body of a recently deceased army official. He gives Anderson a cure for the virus and reveals the secret origin of the Spectran race. Meanwhile, a disgraced and abandoned Spectran plans to raid secret weapon caches hidden around the globe to launch a new offensive.
For one issue, we’ve got a lot going on. The presence of aliens is being kept secret from the general public; the aliens turn out to be advanced humans taken by the Spectran leader; a member of G-Force is reunited with his new girlfriend; and G-1 pulls the Batman bit.
I never saw the original “Battle of the Planets”/”Starblazers” cartoon, so I have no nostalgia for this book. It did remind me of the 80’s, as the art is similar to the Panzer Bros. work on ‘Grendel: Legacy’. The art looks more Mexican than Japanese. This issue seems to be resolving a few plot threads from the last arc and setting up the next major storyline. Not a lot of G-Force in action, but I get the feeling “Jason” is growing so intense it worries his teammates. The team itself seems to operate entirely in secret, as G-1 reminds himself the public shouldn’t know they exist.
Overall, I’d say this was worth 4 bucks. It’s a good adventure comic with nice art and plenty of ideas to keep me interested. I might read the next issue to see G-Force in action.
So what did I learn this week? I learned that not all of Top Cow’s books use sex and violence to sell themselves. (Maybe I should have taken a closer look at ‘Witchblade’ #67, featuring a serial killer cannibal.) I’d call them adventure/fantasy books more than superhero books. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed ‘Battle of the Planets’, and very disappointed in ‘Tomb Raider’. Then again, the Tomb Raider video games have succeeded almost completely on Lara Croft’s sex appeal, so why should the comic be any different. I came in expecting a lot of crap, and only got a little. Top Cow books aren’t great, but they’re not so bad.
The company as a whole gets . Here’s hoping the rest of ‘Rising Stars’ comes out soon.
Now for my reviews of comics that came out two weeks ago:
Raijin #36 -
The final weekly issue of ‘Raijin’ sees Nemuri’s distaste for Christianity, and Sakuragi’s hatred of Rukawa foils the opposing team’s defense. Tasuke is taken back in time to see the true role of the Guardian Angel Getten, and the Tanuki confesses his terrible crime in “Bow Wow Wata”. OK, we’ve got two violent samurai stories, a martial arts saga with exploding body parts, talking animals, high school basketball, young love with angels, and an adventure/sex comedy starring a horny assassin. And yet, I enjoy all these works almost equally. Do I have ADD, or am I just psychotic?
Planetary #16 -
After a kung-fu opening with Hark’s ancestor, the rest of the issue is pretty sedate. Snow asks Hark to stop helping the Four and work with him. Hey, it’s Ellis, it’s ‘Planetary’, you’re going to buy this anyway.
Beware the Creeper #5 -
I’m being kind because of the story’s twist ending. We find out who the Creeper really is. (Here’s a hint: I thought this twist might happen back in issue #3, but discounted it after re-reading only the first issue. Go back through the whole story and look for anything out of place.) Overall, nice art and a nice distraction, but nothing spectacular.
Superman: Red Son #3 -
Lex Luthor turns America into a non-Communist Utopia. (Don’t ask how. He just does.) Superman invades the USA, only to be reminded he’s become what he’s hated: a dictator. Brainiac reveals his desires to conquer Earth, Superman apparently dies destroying him, and Luthor makes everything on Earth perfect. Thousands of years later, Luthor’s descendent figures out Earth’s sun is going to explode and kill everyone. At the last minute, he sends his son back in time. Baby Kal-L lands in the Ukraine in the 1930’s.
This story shows the biggest flaw in Mark Millar’s writing. A lot of stuff happens, but little of it has any meaning. When Superman realizes he’s the bad guy, he collapses into tears. I didn’t feel anything. This scene, where a man realizes everything he’s known and done is wrong, had no impact at all, because I never got to know Superman as a person. It’s the same with everything Millar’s written; lots of big, flashy, exciting stuff, but very little heart or substance.
I’m surprised Ray Tate loved this book. I though for sure he’d take offense at Hal Jordan surviving a POW camp by building an imaginary slaughterhouse for his captors in real time. Or “Mr. Continuity Conflict” didn’t pick up how Wonder Woman miraculously went from being a walking vegetable in issue #2 to being coherent and bitter in issue #3. And I only read each book once! Besides, I’m a Modern Age fan, Ray’s a Silver Age/pre-Crisis fan. Our opinions on this book should be reversed.
And the rest of this week’s timewasters:
Uncanny X-men #160, 246-250; X-Men Visionaries, Jim Lee: UXM #269, back-up from ‘Classic X-Men’ #39; Marvel Milestone Edition of Captain America #1, (1941); Peanut Butter and Jeremy: Free Comic Book Day Edition; Hulk #58, (current series); Cowboy Bebop Vol. 3; Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1; Raijin Comics #6; The Comic Book Adaptation of the Daredevil movie, (better than the actual film); Doom 2099 #26-31; Uncanny X-Men Annual #13; Essential X-men Vol. 4: UXM #162-166; and New Mutants #1.
Damn, that’s a lot of X-Men books. Maybe I should devote a column to them.
On Saturday, Aug. 28, I tried to participate in the international Comic Book Flash Ring. Readers would gather in a public place and give a comic book to a complete stranger at 5 p.m. in their time zone. I only learned about this the night before, and couldn’t get anyone together. I read a post about some readers in Pittsburgh gathering at a mall south of the city. When I got there, I was alone and didn’t recognize anyone else. But I driven a long way to give away comics, and by God, that’s just what I did! I handed a clerk ‘Negation’ #1, ‘Mystique’ #1, and ‘Raijin Comics’ #0. He was confused, but I didn’t care! I’d like to organize a proper flash mob in Pittsburgh and try it again. Anyone in Western PA interested?
As you read this, I will have gotten my first paycheck at my new job. But I have to pay my credit card bill out of it, so I’ll do another cheap column. The Carnegie library has some graphic novels written by non-Americans. So next week, I’ll to a tribute to “foreign” comics, (foreign being relative to where you are).
