I guess we all knew this day was coming, didn’t we? It would make sense that a sacrificial lamb would need to be made. After all, there hasn’t really been that much death going on in this series has there?

The Internet spoiled it for me, so surely everyone knows I’m talking about the supposed death of Kyle Rayner. While there was initial shock when I heard the news on our message boards, I can’t say that I am upset that Tomasi did it. I’m upset at how he did it. We’ll come back to that in a sec.

When Oa started sending out green rings to all corners of the universe again, many of Kyle’s fans had to see this day coming. One of the things that made Kyle a different Green Lantern was that he was acting alone for the most part. He was the Torchbearer for the Guardians and he wore that hat well.

I don’t think I am the one who came up with this phrase, but I mentioned on the boards that Kyle was our Peter Parker. Rayner was the wisecracking, lovable loser of the DCU in the ‘90s. If you take Parker and gave him way cooler powers, you got Kyle. That was our Green Lantern. I haven’t fully come to grips with what it would mean if he actually stays dead, but I’ll wait until the end of the series to see if this sticks.

In a recent interview, Tomasi defends his and Geoff John’s treatment of the former Ion, “I don’t see Kyle as having taken a back seat to Hal at all.” Note to DC editorial: There’s a reason they keep having to defend their position on Kyle. It’s because we all see it when thumbing pages. Kyle served a purpose in his own way as a Lantern, and that purpose does not fit the current editorial direction. I get it, just be honest about it instead of trying to talk your way out of it.

Let’s get back to execution, because while many can say my rating may hinge on the fact that one of my top five DCU characters is now dead, the proof is in the pudding. Tomasi takes the opening pages of the book to address a few of the holes in their logic in the crossover. Indigo Lantern Munk has a quick conversation with Vath about how exactly their superhero team up works. To neutralize a connection between a black ring and the dead, a close-range direct hit needs to be made by a green and indigo ring. At least, I think.

Whew, that was a close one. I’m so glad you pointed that out Pete, because the rest of us had been screaming this solution at pages for at least a month. It still doesn’t make complete sense, but then again I haven’t done shots with Johns before. If I got to maybe he would make me understand this with his serious face.

The other plot hole I encountered happens after the black rings report that they are 100 percent charged. Their next directive--devour will. Knowing that the dead were merely harnessing emotional hearts to raise their true leader Nekron, it would makes sense to take out the competition once he had indeed arisen. What I’m unclear of is why wouldn’t they keep the recruiting drive alive? (Or un-alive, never mind my head hurts.)

I will say my favorite part of the art was the double-splash of all the Black Lanterns heading for the battery. Gleason outdid himself on the art chores, and has done so for all of Blackest Night. He’s one of the main reasons I still pick up this title every month.

I guess we can address “romance” between Natu and Rayner. Anyone else think it was a bit forced down our throats? I’ve seen Kyle love someone so much that he nearly went batty when Major Force shoved her lifeless body in a fridge. I’ve seen him look at Alan Scott with those doe eyes a million times because of the bond he shared with his daughter. What he shared with Natu was a fling, merely something that soldiers deployed share while away at war. I’m not upset at his choice, my boy always had good taste in women, I’m merely saying that I don’t believe what we read is actual “love.”

Even in the same interview, when asked about the connection between the two Lanterns, Tomasi tells us, “Kyle and Soranik are in love. This loss will hit her hard.” If you have to tell us that, something’s not as organic as it needs to be for readers.

The one ingenious idea Tomasi shares in the issue revolves around the idea to throw Red Lantern Vice at the undead. We’ve already learned that Red Lanterns can’t really be defeated by the Black Lanterns because of how liquid rage is flowing through their veins instead of blood, so it would make sense to just point Vice in their direction and step back. The problem is when Alpha Lantern Chaseloni steps in. We all knew the Alpha’s were a little douchey, but I thought they were a little smarter than this. Why in the world would any Green Lantern, Alpha or noob, surely one has to realize what was going on. Getting Vice back in his sciencell would have been tough, but it was a necessary risk to take. On top of that, put his own battery at stake was even worse.

Finally, let’s get to the death scene. This wouldn’t make sense no matter whom it was that died, so you can keep your snarky comments to yourself. We’ve already established that the light from a Green Lantern ring isn’t enough to bring down the dead, why are we supposed to believe the light from a battery is? I can understand the ring going to Mogo instead of finding a replacement. Kyle’s an honor guard so it’s not such a simple thing to replace him with a new recruit. Mogo will likely hold on to the ring until the Guardians or Salaak decide how to replace Rayner. I just think he dies for no reason. Wouldn’t the Black Lanterns just form new bodies and keep on trucking with the Central Battery?

As a writer, I can understand wanting your work to have an impact. To be remembered as the writer who does something significant is pretty tangible for this industry. The tough part is to handle said event in a way where people will look back and say, “well played.” I can’t say that with this issue. As much as it hurts to see a favorite of mine die (even if it doesn’t last), the best I could have asked for was for someone to handle the death in a way fitting of the character. To merely slap together another big death for a DCU character in this way says you don’t really care about him at all.

Wow, so this is what Ray Tate feels like.

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There's a widespread belief among comics fans that one of the worst comics of all time is the 1968 series Brother Power the Geek. But those fans are wrong, dead wrong.

Brother Power was a deeply weird comic, undoubtedly one of the weirdest comics that DC Comics ever released. And in fact what makes it great is also what makes it weird: the comic is the deeply personal reflections of Joe Simon to the extraordinary breakdowns of societal norms that he saw all around himself.

The comic represents the reflections of a man caught on the wrong side of a very popular phrase at the time: the generation gap. Simon at that time was in his 50s and clearly was struggling to come to terms with the strange world in which he suddenly found himself. The world was suddenly full of hippies and dropouts and rebels against the norms of society – the very norms that men of his generation had created.

At the same time, Simon wanted to embrace the values of the new generation, showing some sort of kinship to the belief systems that the kids in those days were embracing. Who could be against loving one's neighbors or finding a good way out of the Vietnam War?

Furthermore, and perhaps most basically, Joe Simon simply wanted to sell comics. He knew that the vast majority of people who bought comics in 1968 were children, and he certainly wanted very much to have a smash hit comic. Though Simon was drawing a nice salary from the MAD imitator Sick, it couldn't have escaped Simon's notice that his old collaborator Jack Kirby was the biggest star in comics at that time.

The result of Simon's dichotomous approach to the comic is a bizarre and awkward mess, but it's a brilliant mess. It's insightful and thoughtful, and, like most accidental autobiography, reveals more about the creator that he might otherwise want to have seen on the printed page. The comic accidentally tells more about Joe Simon than he probably intended, but that's part of why the comic is so brilliant.

I don't follow the DC solicits very closely, so it really surprised me to see this issue of The Brave and the Bold at my LCS. Heck, I almost jumped out of my rain-filled shoes when I saw that Batman was teaming up with, of all characters, Brother Power the Geek. How could I pass this book up, and how would J. Michael Straczynski take on the character and legacy of the Geek?

Thankfully JMS does a fine and respectful job of presenting Brother Power. In fact, he adds a level of depth and insight on the character that wonderfully added to the character's legacy while also paying respect to the era that he represented.

The issue begins with a bit of a flashback from Batman as he describes how young Bruce Wayne and his parents enjoyed watching old monster movies together. It's a clever and sweet moment that achieves several purposes. First, the scene announces that this is not a typical action-packed Batman story; this is a story intended as much for reading as for the action within. It also nicely gives readers an intriguing insight into Bruce's father and his way of dealing with the world. The poignancy and cleverness of his comment is interesting:

It's good to confront fear when there's nothing at risk, a luxury we rarely have in real life. Consider it a kind of rehearsal, so you know how to act, and what to do, when the real fear comes… and everything is at risk.

This setup also nicely sets the stage for the return of the Geek. Like Frankenstein's monster, the Geek was also man-made, and like Frankenstein's monster he was pure of spirit and tremendously misunderstood. When we see the Geek's hand emerge from rubble, there's a nice feeling of parallelism to the story. It feels like history is repeating itself on one level, which gives the story an interesting and appropriate level of depth.

Finally, readers also get a sense of Straczynski's ambition in this story with his use of parallel and overlapping narratives. JMS uses this tool quite effectively throughout the issue to amplify and deepen the most dramatic moments of the story. Like Alan Moore and Watchmen, JMS uses the beat and meter of comics to make all the moments in his story more interesting.

When Batman confronts the Geek, there's a strange and eerie disconnect between the two. Batman is of course his usual paragon of seriousness, while the Geek clearly feels completely lost in 2009, mumbling clever old catchphrases that clearly make Batman feel uncomfortable and off-guard.

It's that discomfort that forms much of the tension of this issue, which obviously makes it stand out from the vast majority of books that DC releases. Though he has essentially risen from the dead, the resurrection of Brother Power doesn't have the kind of melodramatic emotion that we've been seeing in so many Blackest Night crossovers. Instead, this issue has a kind of wistful and sad quality to it, the feeling that there's something that has been lost in our character as people, attributes that were embodied by Brother Power.

Those attributes become clear in a flashback that informs a scene that takes place in the present day. In the flashback, we see the reaction that the Geek and his friends have after the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. His friends go crazy with rage, rioting in the street. But the Geek shows real courage, choosing to walk away from the riot in a bloodstained shirt, muttering, "This is wrong. You're not just burning down buildings. You're burning down what you believe in. And I don't think anything pretty is going to grow where it once lived."

As the living embodiment of the best dreams of the '60s, the Geek chooses to walk away from violence rather than embrace it.

Flash forward to 2009 and an arson in a building inhabited by squatters with a baby. The Geek doesn't hesitate to enter the burning building, literally sacrificing his own existence to save a young baby. The symbol of the past saves a hope for the future. Nice symmetry there.

Jesus Saiz does a magnificent job with the art on this book. JMS specifically sets Saiz up to carry much of the weight of the storytelling. Straczynski's use of parallel narrative and symbolism requires an artist who can confidently carry the story forward using just the artwork. He needs a partner as strong as him to help the story flow. And the story flows wonderfully.

Saiz does a terrific job of framing the story, of amplifying the key moments with just a few specific lines or strokes. More importantly, his people – and I include the Geek in that list – have real human qualities to them, seem to really inhabit the world in which they live. It's especially impressive how Saiz draws the Geek as almost handsome but also monstrous, a creature that really bridges the boundary between human and not-human.

J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Simon are dramatically different creators, but each brings their own unique and singular vision of the Geek to the page. JMS's use of the tools of the storytelling trade are clever and intriguing in this comic, and serve to make an odd and outdated character feel interesting and relevant again.

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Plot: Just before the Revolutionary War in New York the Black Coat battles the mysterious organization known as The League while attempting to help the colonists and gain control of a serum that grants immortality.

Comments: This follow-up four part mini-series to Ape's original Black Coat series has been a long time coming. Ape has decided to publish the first two parts together in this extra sized issue, 48 pages of art for $4.50. That's a great deal of content for cash when stacked up against Marvel and DC books and even some of the other publishers.

Additionally, the artwork is very good throughout the issue. Francavilla, original Black Coat artist and co-creator handles the artwork for part one. The first Black Coat series was his breakout work and from here he has moved to Dynamite's Zorro with great acclaim. His return to the character for this part of the series is a very welcome return to me. I have been a big fan of Francavilla from the beginning. He brings a classic style and layout to the book and has a type of linework that completely pulls you into the mood and atmosphere of the time period. The transition to Kotz in part 2 is very smooth. Kotz brings a different but comparable style to the book. His work reminds me somewhat of Bernie Wrightson but the heavier inking makes it Francavilla's own and easier for the reader to follow.

Lichius does triple duty, in a sense, on this book. He is creator, writer, and also colorist. And the coloring is what really caught me in regards to the art. The first half of Francavilla's part is colored in a sepia type tone and really gives the book its own individual identity and style. I really appreciate efforts by creators to imbue a brand or identity to their books. I would have loved it they continued that palette throughout the issue. However he did change to a more typical style for the remainder of the issue. Hopefully, even though printing realities might be that production of the remaining issues are completed, future issues might find a better balance.

As to the plot, we take up pretty much where we left off from the first series. You do not have to have read the previous series as there is a recap needed information on the inside cover as well as on the back of the wraparound cover of this issue. You might think that this book would get bogged down in historical weight but it does not--there is a balance between fact and fiction. I enjoyed the inclusion of real colonial heroes like Nathan Hale and Benjamin Tallmadge in the story as supporting characters who are also pivotal to the plot and not just thrown in as set dressing. Lichius introduces many plot beats in this issue so I found it a very dense read, which is not a bad thing. A character like the Black Coat can seem as another of countless analogues of Batman or the Shadow or similar characters. However, great care is taken to show not just aspects that remind us of these characters but also separate the Black Coat from them.

The book was a very solid introduction to the storyline and overall story of the Black Coat. Solid efforts by all involved--excellent pacing and layouts and a good mix of action and story points.

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Days Missing, which apparently was dreamed up by Gene Roddenberry before he died, is an interesting foundational concept. But given that it hasn’t been fully explained, it ends up kind of overshadowing the stories in the comics itself. Basically, it’s about an immortal humanoid alien (maybe?) observer known as “the Steward,” who has been living on Earth for millennia and he has the technology to manipulate space-time in a way that can erase the events of a single day from history helping humans to avoid disasters and avert apocalypses. How he’s doing this, or why (outside of an affection for humanity), or why he chose to change certain things but leave history’s various atrocities in place, is not addressed. The series is more concerned with individual stories. This means the comic is centered around a cipher and we rarely get to spend enough time with each issue’s characters to make for much of an impact.

To make things even less focused the series has had rotating creative teams with a different writer and artist telling a story each issue. This makes the chances of any character development even more unlikely. The second issue, by David Hine and Chris Burnham, involves the Steward in the development of Frankenstein, as he watches Mary Shelley meet a scientist who plans to revive a dead, stitched together body and decides that this is something which man is not ready for. It’s not a terrible idea, but the problem with having Shelley have a real life inspiration for her novel makes it seem like she wasn’t smart or imaginative enough to come up with the idea herself. It’s kind of insulting, and possibly sexist, to posit that she must have seen the events with her own eyes and just turned it into a story.

The plot of the issue itself isn’t all that bad, but it doesn’t really do anything unexpected. No, the real travesty here is Burnham’s art, which might have looked good in its penciled form, and judging by the detailed grotesqueries he provided for the Joe Casey written graphic novel Nixon’s Pals, it was probably very nice indeed. But colorists Imaginary Friends Studios slather so many computery hues and effects on top of it that it ends up looking pretty ugly, losing the detailed freakiness that Burnham does so well.

The third issue, by Ian Edgington and Lee Moder, fares a bit better, jumping to the present day as the Steward watches a scientist (who, since this is a comic book, is a sexy lady) working on the Large Hadron Collider in Europe as she is about to discover some anomalies in space-time that might reveal his existence and activities. He is conflicted about whether he should stop her, but his hand is forced by the actions of a third party, a father whose son is dying of cancer because he can’t afford health insurance (I thought France had socialized medicine?) that decides to take out his frustration in regard to government spending with an act of violence. It ends up working fairly well as a conflict, especially in a subplot about the scientist’s relationship with her estranged husband, and Moder’s art fares much better under the coloring, perhaps because he has a cleaner, less detail intensive style.

So is the series worth a look? So far, the stories themselves have been only OK, perhaps because the writers are struggling to work around a vague concept of Roddenberry’s that hasn’t been established very well. Maybe the last two issues of the mini-series will answer some questions and attempt to tie things together, but at this point, it seems pretty scattershot, with some interesting moments or ideas, but nothing that adds up to a satisfying whole. Give any of the teams more space to work and more time to flesh out a deeper story and you might have something, but for now it’s just a shallow pond that might or might not be worth anybody’s attention.

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Money manager. Celebrity. Superhero. Jughead takes on each of these roles with amusing and unexpected results in the latest issue of Archie's Pal Jughead.

While "The Money Grab," which has Jughead taking charge of Veronica's money, is fun, has sharp dialog, and sports an amusing twist, it isn't my favorite story of the issue. That honor goes to "All Dressed Up" a new take on the "Jughead as Captain Hero" stories that Archie Comics used to publish. When all his clothes end up in the wash, the only thing Jughead has left to wear is his superhero costume. Of course, as Juggie says, "With great threads comes great responsibility," and soon he's called to duty, though not in the way you might expect. This story has some great give-and-take between Jughead and Archie. Their dialog is crisp, witty, fairly natural sounding, moves the story along, and is pop culturally aware. The plot is also clever. It's what would happen given the circumstances and so manages to be funny, honest, and a subtle lesson all at once.

Sandwiched between "The Money Grab" and "All Dressed Up" is "Rock Star: Or the Great Stone Face." This cute five page story has Jughead becoming a celebrity after a rock bearing a curious resemblance to him is found. You wouldn’t think a story about a teen and a rock could be amusing, but Craig Boldman makes it work. Jughead's reactions to his fans and their reactions to him are smart and funny. This story also has a great throwaway gag in one of the panels. Check out the newspaper headline about the pet store explosion and the resulting weather.

Of course, artists Rex Lindsey and Jim Amash can also take credit for the success of this issue. Their interpretation of the characters and their milieu is cartoony without being overly caricatured. The characters have a weight to them that suggests there's actual muscle beneath their clothes. Lindsey and Amash also do a superb job of suggesting movement by the swing of a character's jacket. Plus they do wholesome cheesecake. The panel in "Rock Star" showing Veronica posing is lovely. The expression on Jughead's face as he takes in Archie's gawking is also worth looking at.

Archie's Pal Jughead #197 is an enjoyable package guaranteed to bring at least one smile to your face.

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"Troubles by the Dozen"

It's Sonic against the Iron Queen and her minions. Wanna guess who's outmatched?

Ian Flynn and company produce another excellent issue. This one has it all: There's a fast paced (naturally!) battle; Princess Sally and Monkey Khan flirting; the Freedom Fighters flaunting their stuff; the Iron Queen going ballistic; a touching scene between Sonic and Eggman; and an absolutely wonderful moment featuring Sonic and Monkey Khan that not only provides some insight into the Blue Blur's personality, but also manages to be both heartfelt and amusing.

The dialog, always sharp, is especially noticeable this issue. It shows Sonic's brash confidence while his sighs over Eggman reveal his more contemplative side.

Although a casual reader who'd never read a Sonic book or played the Hedgehog's video game could pick up this issue and enjoy it, Flynn also provides subplots for long time readers. Snively and the Iron Queen's "romance" looks to be taking a turn for the worse, while Sally and Monkey Khan seem to be growing ever closer. Meanwhile supercomputer Nicole's problems suggest some nasty tech problem is about to arise.

Steven Butler and inker Terry Austin do a fabulous job on the book's art. The action scenes are well choreographed with the one between the Iron Queen and the Freedom Fighters being especially dynamic. The detail the artists give to expressions is also worth noting. The play of emotions across Sonic and Monkey Khan's faces during their discussion about Eggman changes from panel to panel, mirroring their words and adding depth to the exchange. Background characters also display an impressive range of expression. Snively's body language in his scenes is just beautiful. If you couldn't read the dialog, his anxiety and despair would still be evident.

The issue's backup feature, "Birthright: Part 2" has Lien-Da confronting Dmitri. Her actions are truly chilling. It's probably one of the darkest things I've seen in the Sonic comic. It's completely in character, but still--brrrrr! Artist Jamal Peppers brings her self-congratulatory smirks and smugness to life.

If you want a good, action, hero-type comic to read, look no farther. Sonic the Hedgehog #206 is the book to pick up.

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Looking for something to get the taste of the last two Transformers movies out of your mouth? You've come to the right place. IDW's new Transformers series manages to capture everything that was good about the original series while managing to improve on nearly every aspect of it.

First off, and the reason this reviewer picked the book up after a first glance, is the art. The art team has captured the design and uniqueness of the characters, while adding details that will be eye-popping to anyone who has only seen the blocky toys or flat animation of the television series. The lines are definitive and strong for the robots, while fluid and organic for the humans. The colors are bright and clean, adding to the characters distinctiveness and personality. The art is beautiful and just technical enough to be perfect for a book about giant robots.

The writing also delivers. Costa nails the characters' voices and, in some cases approves on them. Hot Rod is his typical brash self, but doesn't come off as annoying as he does in some previous incarnations. Optimus Prime is honorable, but riddled with guilt. Wheeljack is a scientist with a tendency to overly explain things, but to comrades who don't particularly care.

While it's certainly refreshing to see old characters in hands that know them, what is even better is what Costa does with the humans. Most times humans in Transformers series are, at best, incidental and, at worst, annoying. However, the writer has make the humans capable adversaries for the beings from Cybertron. It's a shame the human commander is never named. However, the Transformers team has given the humans their own giant robots to fight in. So all is forgiven.

That last part might be the largest indicator of how the plot has changed. No longer is this just a battle of good versus evil. Well, it is, but Costa has also added elements of old monster movies (humans fighting misunderstood aliens), mecha animation (human driven bipedal robots), and war movies (tough moral decisions in the face of conflict). It takes an old serial with a proven formula and improves upon it.

After Shane McCarthy's excellent run on All Hail Megatron it was easy to prepare for disappointment with this continuation, but the team behind Transformer has delivered in a big way. All hail Primus!

If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com

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To effectively assess Craig Yoe’s Secret Identity it’s necessary to establish what kind of work it’s supposed to be. Is it a historical artifact? Well, yes, this book of lost fetish art from Superman co-creator Joe Shuster unearths the heretofore unseen.

Is it a book about comic history? To a certain extent, yes--Yoe provides some fascinating background into the defunct bondage magazine Nights of Horror, which was home to Shuster’s hidden work and the political climate of the era.

What the book lacks--what prevents it from being an essential historical work--is an understanding of Shuster the man. After reading this book it’s unclear how Shuster felt about the fetish art found in these pages, and what kind of relationship he had to it as an artist.

Was it simply work-for-hire during a lean period where Shuster and his partner Siegel were effectively blacklisted from the comics industry? Were the images--which often used strikingly similar figures and faces from the cast of Superman--a dig at his former employers, or were they simply a reflection of Shuster’s own kinks and fetishes that were given life in a grubby little ‘zine that would later become the center of controversy in a sensational murder trial?

Yoe can’t be faulted for being able to answer these questions in any definitive way. He attempts to draw correlations between Shuster’s personal life and his work, such as the diminutive artist’s predilection for leggy blonde showgirls and the persistence of the same throughout Nights of Horror. However, given that Shuster has been dead since 1992, it falls to the people still alive who knew him to fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, among these people--his sister, several colleagues, and a former sort-of girlfriend--not a single one knew about this work or even that it was a part of Shuster’s life.

More problematic still is that Shuster’s career has been locked into a certain narrative at this point--he and Siegel are the quintessential creators screwed by the very system they helped create. Ultimately, any attempt to evaluate the man from any other perspective becomes an attempt to avoid hagiography--because we hate to speak ill of the dead unless they, you know, really, really deserve it.

Thus, unable to crack the nut that is Shuster, Yoe takes another tack which is to look at Shuster's fetish work in terms of its historical significance. Fascinatingly, Shuster’s lost art nonetheless caused a bit of uproar around the time of its original publication; it was cited as the inspiration for a series of torture-killings by a charismatic, Jewish neo-Nazi teen named Jack Koslow in 1954.

Later, the magazine in which Shuster's fetish work was published, Nights of Horror, became the subject of a landmark Supreme Court obscenity case that led to the outright banning of the magazine as a danger to the public health. Yoe weaves in and out of events here, showing how a confluence of a shades-wearing New York porn peddler, a low budget printer, and a down-on-his-luck Shuster led to the creation of a work that would come under the focus of Congressional hearings.

Of course, what value would Yoe's book have without Shuster’s work? It is, of course, what we’re all here for, and Yoe provides extensive samples of the art that Shuster created for Nights of Horror in all of its lurid glory.

Is it sexy? Perhaps, in an antiquated way.

The kink is there, but many of the images repeat some of the same themes over and over again with half-clothed, prostrate women being whipped, spanked, or otherwise abused by their black-clad, sometimes hooded, sometimes foreign, always energetic torturers.

Occasionally there’s a contraption thrown into the mix to run the hapless heroines (and the rare hero) through their paces, but it’s nothing frightfully shocking in 2009. However, the dated aspect of the work doesn’t diminish its actual quality. Each image is energetic and never feels phoned in, and I’m in agreement with Yoe when he compliments the strong line and layouts in the images.

Secret Identity is invaluable--if not for giving us insight into Shuster the man, then at least for giving us a glimpse at the hidden borders of his talent during a desperate time.

If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins

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Aliens exist, and the government has apparently made a deal with them--technology for test subjects--which is what brings Karl Bauer into the custody of a secret government organization that works with aliens in order to create the next big weapon.

The plot itself is very silly, as most of this book is played up for laughs. Character identification blurbs feel like a government report and then slowly become an ongoing joke that inserts a small amusing blurb in place of characterization. The book actually becomes a farce of itself as captions are played up for humor and odd crayon-like sound effects cover the page. Its funny, but the book didn’t begin in this manner, so it’s a little uneven at times in comedy and seriousness (or as serious as it can be).

Templesmith’s art is very foggy, which adds to the mystery and suspense of the book. The watercolors add texture and tone, and many scenes are draped in a new color scheme to coincide with what is happening. Sometimes the detail is inconsistent; it can be either very sketchy and misty, or concrete and defined. Thankfully, neither is a bad thing.

The way this book starts is not the way it ends. From serious to silly, the story falls into an uneven depiction of the characters and plot. However the book is still enjoyable from start to finish. Despite its flaws, it is a very amusing book.

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"AWESOME!"

That was the unanimous response of the 3rd through 6th grade students who checked out Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars when I showed it to them. Given that these children range in age from eight to twelve, are male and female, and have varying degrees of interest in drawing and/or Star Wars, it's safe to say Klutz has put together a book that will satisfy just about everyone.

Draw Star Wars is a well-designed package. The book is spiral-bound, which makes it easy for artists to keep a particular page open and flat while it's being used--though left-handers might have some difficulties, as their arms are going to rub against the spirals. Still, the dedicated artist could probably unbind the book with little difficulty.

Another nice touch is the tracing paper that's bound into the book. While artists can see through it without difficulty, it's heavy enough to stand up to normal erasures without tearing.

Also included in the package are an eraser, fine line marker, colored pencils, and a lead pencil. Unlike many beginning drawing books, Draw Star Wars has a table of contents, which allows children to find the section they're interested in quickly.

The book opens with a quick "Dos and Don'ts" section, which I thought this was helpful in that it encourages the budding artist to work fast and loose. However, the students skipped right over it in their eagerness to get to the actual drawing sections.

The tutorials in the book are easily understood. Each lesson is broken down into steps. Once the initial explanation is given, several pages of examples featuring different characters follow to allow the students to practice the same lesson without getting bored.

The Klutz editors and Bonnie Burton advocate tracing:

Tracing teaches you about curves, lines, and shapes. The more you trace your favorite characters, the more you'll figure out the relative sizes of their heads, legs, arms, hands, and feet, and exactly where they should go.

This recommendation for tracing actually created some controversy in the library. While many of the students were fine with tracing and thought it had value, more than a few considered it "cheating" and insisted on drawing freehand.

Older students thought there was too much emphasis on shapes and how they're put together to form a figure. They preferred to jump straight to the chapters on detailing. The younger students, however, found the chapters on shapes very helpful. Using circles, lines, and squares to draw the character from the "inside out" (as the book puts it) helped them see the relationships of the individual parts and made it easier for them to begin.

Besides characters Draw Star Wars also includes sections on droids and weapons. These chapters were big hits with the younger students.

As a side note, even students who aren't interested in drawing enjoyed this book. The pages are large and uncluttered, focusing on a single character. Information on each character or weapon is also included on the page, making it a perfect book for non-artistic Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans--or even children who just like looking at cool gadgets.

In the interests of full disclosure, one of my students is already a fan of Klutz books. He's previously purchased some through the school book order, so he went into Draw Star Wars knowing what to expect and expecting to like it. The others, however, found their first encounter with a Klutz book highly enjoyable and educational.

While Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars isn't something that can be kept on library shelves--it would be loved to destruction within a day or so--it is a great gift for budding artists, Star Wars fans, or imaginative youngsters of all ages.

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To be fully honest, I didn't read the first volume of Hatter M nor have I read any of Frank Beddor’s “Looking Glass Wars” novels. So, when Hatter M: Mad with Wonder arrived at my doorstep, I wasn’t sure what to expect, let alone if I was going to be able to understand what was going on.

However, the book opens with an introductory prologue that reminds fans what’s happened and that helps those who may be seeing this series for the first time. I found that exposition to really be all I needed to be able to enjoy this book. If anything, that prologue made me want to go seek out volume one to fill in the holes.

I had only heard of this series in passing--briefly on various podcasts that I listen to--and I’ve always been curious by the concept. That curiosity has been wonderfully rewarded.

Hatter Madigan (or Hatter M) is a royal body guard for Wonderland’s former Queen Genevieve, who waas ousted in a coup by Redd Heart--Genevieve’s sister, who employs the use of Black Imagination (a kind of black magic). This second volume of Hatter M continues the title character's search for Wonderland’s lost princess, Alyss (Genevieve’s daughter).

First let me say, this is a fun and interesting book. Reading Hatter Madigan’s adventures in Europe and a Civil War-torn America is fascinating--especially in seeing fictional characters interacting within historic events. Beddor’s spin on Lewis Carroll’s world has created a whole new tale of Wonderland’s people and creatures--some nicer and some not so nice.

One of the ironies I enjoyed of Mad with Wonder was the idea that Hatter Madigan is not “mad” at all. In fact, he’s a pretty tough fellow who is trying to do the right thing for Wonderland. However, his journey from a Wonderland in peril to our world, in the midst of revolutions (i.e. the Civil War) is enmeshed in madness.

In fact, Hatter M even spends a small amount of time in the world famous Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia, which was built during the Civil War. His journey in volume two is a sprawling one, but I never found myself wondering what is going on. I fully intend to see where he’s been (volume one) and where he’s going in volume three.

The art in this current volume is incredible. If you are a fan of such artists as Ben Templesmith (who did the art for volume one), then you will enjoy new Hatter M artist Sami Makkonen.

Makonnen’s artwork is moody, descriptive and emotional; it is a perfect fit for a Wonderland story.

I also have to give this book “mad” props in the extras department. Not only do readers get a 160-page Hatter M story, but they are also treated to a sneak peak of volume three, a process gallery (making of the book), a brief historic look at the actual Lunatic Asylum, and a preview of the new Looking Glass Wars novel and more.

For $20, Hatter M: Mad with Wonder is a great value for a hardback graphic novel. I recommend everyone look into this interesting take on Wonderland and its characters.

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Editor's Note: Punisher #11 arrives in stores tomorrow, November 18.

Plot: Cut to pieces and left in a sewer, Frank Castle isn't quite done punishing yet.

Comments: After the ending of Dark Reign: The List: Punisher there was really no other place for the character to go. After Norman Osborne definitively crossed an item off his notorious list – in this case the pesky Frank Castle – what other direction could the character go in?

Making him a monster in the mold of Frankenstein's creation seems like a better idea than most, a couple of steps ahead of the exhausted zombie craze and miles away from the supernatural revamp from a decade ago. The Punisher as a concept almost defies massive reinvention given that he's essentially a hard man with a gun. Tinkering with that formula too much loses the point (and ultimately your readership).

So with "Frankencastle" he's now a hard man with a gun and unfortunate rotting bits repaired and maintained by the Legion of Monsters. The group (comprised of also-rans Morbius, Jack Russell, Man-Thing, and some miscellaneous creatures living in the sewers) recruit Castle to help them in their defense against a group of monster hunting techno samurai. The Punisher is cast here as the unwilling hero who's feeling put out after being thoroughly beaten in his most recent appearance.

It's not a bad direction but it's a strange one for the character – not the Frankenstein thing but "Frank as protector." To an extent, the story plays on the awkwardness of putting Frank in this role by having him flat out refuse the task. His character has a very specific mandate and protecting monsters doesn't really fall under it. At the same time it has to go forward somehow so I'm guessing the trick will be to make him sympathetic to the monsters somehow.

I think the change speaks to a greater problem with bringing the Punisher back into the mainstream Marvel Universe: there are only so many bad guys for him to kill. Of course, it goes without saying that here comes the point where creators should be flexing their creative muscles and making new threats for the character but it seems the mandate for the new series is to keep him as involved as possible in mainstream events and not balkanizing him as he is in Punishermax. Perhaps the thinking is, then, that he needs to be put through increasingly bizarre circumstances and transformations to keep things moving.

Although I'm uncertain about the concept, the execution is fun and keeps moving along. Tony Moore has proven time and again that he can illustrate the hell out of anything and can push it into the red when he's got strange creatures in the script.

Again, I think this is an odd direction to go with the character so early in his reintroduction to the Marvel Universe but perhaps a large dose of strange is what it will take to keep the momentum going.

Final Word: The dramatic shift in tone is a little jarring but Remender gamely attempts to sell the story and Moore's art makes it easy to ignore its ludicrousness.

If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins

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Editor's Note: Black Knight #1 arrives in stores tomorrow, November 18.

Plot: The origins of the sword-wielding mystical hero.

Comments: So why wasn't this released when the Black Knight was actually in a book? Say a year or so ago when he was in the cast of Captain Britain and MI-13? Not to say that it would have generated much interest given the antiquated style of the writing and art, but it might have helped to get it out there when the character was in the spotlight.

The book tells the story of twin princes Richard and Percy, one heroic and noble, the other a flighty drunk. Tasked by Merlin to find the Ebony Blade before King Arthur's nephew Mordred gets his hands on it, the brothers set out on a quest to defend the kingdom. Of course, the blade has a curse so getting it will be easier than keeping it without trouble but…

Oh, simply dull. It's relentlessly, painfully dull, locked in the amber of an antiquated storytelling style, made even more of a chore to read with the King James-ian era speech that always feels labored. It's an incredibly straightforward story told dully, shocking for its lack of energy. The art is functional but stiff, drained of any sort of passion by the tedious script.

The reader is given no cause to really care about either of the two leads or the threat to the kingdom when it feels like the story is being told at one remove. The captions do more telling and the script does less showing of the virtue (or vice) of Richard and Percy. When one loses his life, it makes very little impact because he was a caricature up to that point. When the great threat arrives, it lacks suspense because first, it's frankly visually dull and second, because there are no particularly strong stakes attached to anything in the story.

Final Word: Unless you're looking for some throwback-style writing about a fairly unused character in a dull story, keep moving along.

If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins

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Editor's Note: Dark Reign: The List--Amazing Spider-Man arrives in stores tomorrow, November 18.

What a difference an inker makes. Having last checked out the work of Adam Kubert during the "Last Son" arc of Action Comics, I was amazed by the difference between that book and this one. "Last Son" saw Kubert ink his own pencils in a fairly rough, thick style that suited that storyline fairly well, but occasionally made the pages look a little sketchy and unfinished. Here, however, the pages couldn't look more polished, with Mark Morales lending a solidity and a sheen to Kubert's linework that really makes it sing. Just check out that opening shot of Spidey crouching sideways on a wall as a sinister mural of Norman Osborn stares down at him: it's a perfect image that not only immediately introduces the two key players of the book, but also sets the tone for a visually lush issue that will make Spider-fans instant fans of Kubert's work (if they weren't already).

But what about the story? Dan Slott takes the basic premise of these Dark Reign: The List issues--that Norman Osborn is finally going after everyone that he's ever wanted to wipe off the face of the planet, all guns blazing--and spins it into a highly enjoyable battle of wills between the former Green Goblin and his arch enemy, with an incriminating USB stick as the central macguffin that drives the battle between the two characters.

Slott is become a master of these done-in-one Spider-Man issues, and this stands alongside Amazing Spider-Man #600 as one of the strongest Spider-Man stories of recent months. Slott not only knows the two central characters inside-out, but he also dedicates a certain amount of time and attention to Amazing's supporting players, with Peter Parker's "Frontline" colleagues playing a supporting (but crucial) role in the book's delicious denouement. And, unlike many Spider-Man writers, Slott is actually able to make Spidey's quips funny. Not cheesy or groan-inducing: genuinely amusing.

It's nice to see Slott so keen to pack as much story into this issue as possible, calling upon Kubert to fill many of his pages with a large number of smaller panels (but occasionally rewarding him with the odd splashpage or two). Kubert's artwork really elevates the story from good to great, whether it's little touches like the shot of the Steve Ditko-esque half-masked face of Spider-Man, or more carefully planned elements like the pleasing symmetrical page layouts that crop up frequently. If I have a minor complaint about the art, it's that some of the faces are a little too heavily stylised for my tastes--but otherwise, this is a great-looking book.

I'm not clear on whether this is the final The List one-shot or whether the ending of this issue is going to serve to set up a final conflict between Osborn and his enemies--but it works equally well either way. Slott taps into some of the themes of Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man run to deliver a conclusion that gives Osborn a satisfying taste of his own medicine, whilst also leaving Peter Parker (in his civilian identity) more hated than ever by the Iron Patriot. It'll be fun to see how the repercussions of this issue play out in future: if it's written by Slott (and better yet, illustrated by Kubert), I'll definitely be there.

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Editor's Note: Spider-Woman #3 arrives in stores tomorrow, November 18.

Despite being a huge fan of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's long run on Daredevil, I'm not finding their collaboration on the new Spider-Woman title to be particularly compelling.

Whilst the book shares certain similarities with Daredevil--most notably the dark, noir-ish tone, the elements of moral ambiguity, the idea of a character's life being completely turned upside-down by circumstances beyond his or her control, and the sense of tension and uncertainty as to exactly where the story is headed--it's quite a different beast. Jessica Drew's world is more thoroughly infused with Marvel's more outlandish characters and fantastical ideas than that of the Man Without Fear, such as this issue's guest-appearance from Madame Hydra, the constant lingering presence of alien shape-shifters, and the airborne chase sequence between a flying car and two police helicopters that forms the action centrepiece of the book.

Yet somehow, despite the presence of so many fantastical elements, the book doesn't feel all that exciting. Perhaps one problem is that Jessica doesn't feel particularly active in the book's plot, being pushed into relationships with S.W.O.R.D. and Hydra against her will but not making much of an effort to resist her manipulators' advances. She's almost reduced to the role of spectator in her own book--which wouldn't be so bad if she had an interesting point of view or sympathetic characterisation, but unfortunately she doesn't. The long passages of self-pitying whining about how the Skrull invasion ruined her life don't really do anything to endear Spider-Woman to the reader, the history between Jessica and Madame Hydra isn't made clear enough to uninitiated readers that it'll be easy for them to get a handle on their relationship, and the book's emphasis on dialogue-heavy scenes over action means that we don't get much chance to be dazzled by her superheroic abilities, either.

Talking of which, I do wonder whether the heavy emphasis on fairly static, talky interactions was a choice that was made with a view to producing an accompanying "motion comic" that required fewer scenes of complex animation than a more action-heavy story would require.

Alex Maleev's artwork is the book's saving grace, experimenting with some vivid neon colouring choices that evoke the likes of Blade Runner, whilst also obviously having some fun depicting the sci-fi tech of which Bendis's story makes regular use. However, beautiful visuals can only do so much without a strong script to back them up, and I'm simply not feeling gripped by the story being told here.

I said earlier that Spider-Woman shares the same sense of uncertainty as to exactly where the story is headed that we saw in Bendis's run on Daredevil. However, whereas that book created a strong sense of tension as to what twists and turns Matt Murdock's life would take next--and gave its hero a strong enough characterisation that his reactions to the outside forces that were affecting his life would be as important in driving the story as anything else--Spider-Woman feels adrift and directionless, with the titular heroine stumbling in and out of difficult situations without ever really feeling like she's engaging with them. I'm still not really sure how the story so far hangs together (although I get a sense that Bendis might be trying to recreate the compelling double-agent status quo that was ruined when the Spider-Woman of the early issues of New Avengers was revealed to have been a Skrull all along), and if it wasn't for the strong visuals of Alex Maleev, I probably wouldn't have followed it this far.

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Editor's Note: Spider-Man 1602 #2 arrives in stores tomorrow, November 18.

"The Web Complete: Chapter 2"

For some reason, mainstream comics have an obsession with alternate versions of popular superhero characters. This might have been most prevalent during the heydays of DC's Elseworlds line, but it's true for Marvel as well, whether it's Ultimate versions or ape versions of their characters, or something else. That's certainly the case for the 1602 version of their continuity, which was originally started by Neil Gaiman in what seemed like something new and interesting at the time, but turned out to be just another version of the Marvel universe, with the same characters showing up, only with their names spelled slightly differently and with some variation on their origins to fit the time period. The problem with this whole idea is that while it might be fun to reimagine beloved characters in different settings, coming up with new versions of their costumes and maybe giving them some old-timey speech patterns, it's a dead end when it comes to storytelling; the only thing that can be done is to retell the same stories that have already been told.

Given that limitation, Jeff Parker actually does make this issue fairly enjoyable, with Peter Parquagh, known as the Spider due to the powers he gained from a spider bite (although presumably not one that has been dosed with radiation or genetically engineered), makes a voyage across the Atlantic (on the May Flower!), accompanying the criminal Norman Osborne to England for trial (for killing Peter's girlfriend Virginia Dare, who is apparently the 1602 version of Gwen Stacey). Along the way, the ship's crew is manipulated by Osborne into distrusting him, thinking he's "witchbreed" (1602-speak for mutant), but before they can throw him overboard, they're attacked by a pirate ship, commanded by Wilson Fiske, the King's Pin, of course. He's also accompanied by a tattooed fellow named Bull's Eye, who is quite the marksman with a cannon or crossbow. The predictable fighting ensues, but Parker is a good enough writer that it makes for a nice action scene, with some good old-fashioned banter from Peter. And then it's back to England and the rest of Europe, with more adventures in store for this version of Spider-Man, and plenty of other Marvel characters to happen across in future issues.

Ramon Rosanas' art works pretty well to make this all come to life, with the shipboard action being especially effective, along with some nice work on facial expressions, although some of the movement is a bit awkward and occasionally confusing. It's kind of surprising to see such a level of quality work on a throwaway miniseries like this, but hopefully Rosanas will be able to get some work on higher-profile titles at some point. He's certainly better than some of the artists who regularly get work on big-name Marvel books, so why not give him a shot?

So really, if you're dying to see what your favorite Marvel superheroes and other characters that fill out the line would be like in the Elizabethan era, it's not a bad read. The question remains, however, why the comic exists at all. If writers want to tell a story set in the 17th century (even one with superheroes), why does it have to be about Spider-Man? Can't we come up with an original idea, or do we have to keep parroting familiar stories we've all heard before, dressing them up in frilly Olde English drag? Jeff Parker has been shown to be an idea machine, and he can make stories work even under ridiculous constraints, but wouldn't it be better for everyone to let him really use his imagination and come up with something unique? I suppose we'll have to take what we can get for now, but hopefully one day he'll be free of these silly corporate shackles and able to express himself fully. I know I'll be looking expectantly toward the horizon, waiting for that day to come.

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Plot: It's the good old days all over again, as a new visit to simpler days for the X-Men shows a powerful team crash headlong into some immovable objects from space.

Comments: It's an odd state of affairs when Marvel is publishing two books meant to get us back into a nostalgic mood for X-Men stories that might have been in days gone by. This is the company that once cancelled John Byrne's successful X-Men: The Hidden Years series because a flashback story would be too confusing for readers of current continuity (and viewers of current movies), right? Yet not only is Claremont picking up the X-Men as if he never left in 1991 in X-Men Forever; but this title is actually capturing the heyday mood of his collaboration with John Byrne as if it were 1981 all over again.

Or maybe a little earlier. These X-Men's seem to have just survived the fall from the space shuttle to the Hudson River, or their first dinner party at Jean's Manhattan pad with Misty Knight. The Phoenix hasn't quite gauged her fluctuating power levels yet, and the Uncanny crew is chafing under the patronizing attitude of Charles Xavier.

How fun is it to see a younger, scrappy Wolverine, who isn't everyone's best friend or sworn enemy yet, but just a rough and tumble scrapper? And Banshee, the experience Interpol agent, alive and well and effective again?

Their foes, who make their presence known by attacking Professor Corbeau's Starcore space station, look a bit like the Shi'ar in style, but their power levels seem to be off the charts. Imagine if a Galactus herald, like Terrax, had a bunch of buddies that he liked to carouse with? Or if the guardians of the M'Kraan crystal liked to unwind by beating up on earthlings? It's that bad, and that much like the old unwinnable battles of the Marvel Age of comics.

Koblish and Decastro do a non-shabby Byrne/Austin impression, all clean lines and expressive shadows, but with enough style of their own to keep the visuals fresh and to make those dayglo costumes pop. The Hykonians, by the way, take on Nick Fury and his Heli-Carrier just for an added thrill. They're way too powerful to persist in this way, and I'm sure next issue Lilandra will just happen to know their one weakness, but the old formulas are sometimes the best, and this series of new adventures from the old bi-monthly era is having a lot of fun with beloved memories what once made the X-Men matter.

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Plot: An old friend of Professor Bruttenholm's uncle, Ota Benga, comes by to help deal with the demon-ridden Simon Anders.

Comments: This miniseries keeps surprising me by continually making me care about characters I wrote off in previous issues. This time it's Professor Bruttenholm, who spent most of the story behind a desk, dealing with the burden of sending men to die. By bringing the problem to the Professor’s door and introducing Ota Benga, the character finally gets something to do and someone for us to contrast him with.

Ultimately, the conflict of the final issue surrounds the Professor: does Bruttenholm follow the advice of his elder who dogmatically believes in the destruction of the supernatural or does he pave his own way by living with the demons that surround him? With Benga's beliefs at odds with Bruttenholm's the book manages to make the ubiquitous presence of Li'l Hellboy feel threatening, recasting Gabriel Bá's adorable rendition as a child demon with the potential to turn evil--a surprising maneuver, considering we already know what Hellboy will become.

Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon continue to deliver great art. As the entire issue takes place on the base, it could have been very Bá-centric, but Moon renders the exorcism scenes in the supernatural realm, and the effect is powerful. Often the two styles show up on the same page, which foregrounds the fact that two artists are drawing this book, and they have very distinct styles. One gets a sense of interaction and collaboration by having both contribute to a page. That Bá depicts Benga as incredibly old in the real world while Moon draws him a much younger man is also a clever way to show his abilities as an exorcist.

While BPRD 1947 #5 isn't the slam-bang "killer conclusion" I hoped for after reading #4, it doesn't really need to be. I'd have liked to have seen what happens to loose threads like Anders, but maybe the open-ended denouement means that we can anticipate a BPRD 1948.

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Plot: Batman blows a guy's brains out. Doc Savage, celebrity scientist adventurer, visits town and the two take a mutual interest in one another. We get our first look at DC's First Wave universe.

Comments: Brian Azzarello and Rags Morales' First Wave officially debuts in March 2010, making November 2009's Batman/Doc Savage Special the single-only release to tease the album. We can expect it to end up on the "Best of" collection--er, trade paperback. As a single, it introduces us to the sound of the universe -- a retro-modern take on some appropriately chosen DC characters all slathered with pulp and a dash of Doc Savage thrown in to taste. I guess that makes Doc Savage the beat.

Batman/Doc Savage Special is, at heart, a Batman/Superman team-up, except Superman is blond and bronze. Batman's perceived as a menace to Gotham City, Clark (Kent or Savage) is the beloved hero who hears about the Caped Crusader, they fight a bit, realize the other's not so bad, and a friendship for the ages ensues. An appropriate structure, since superhero comics are pulp and pulp stories are all about plugging in different variables into the same formula.

Azzarello's scripting and characterization make the book a proper good read. Unlike other Batman writers, Azz loves it when Batman is wrong. His reviled "Broken City" story arc (which I dug) from a few years ago hinges on the premise that Batman is fallible and capable of making bad assumptions and fatal errors. Here, those flaws are part of his youthful cockiness forcing him to assume that Savage is a naive glory hog who loves the limelight and doesn't have a bodyguard waiting in his hotel room to punch burglars. Conversely, Doc Savage's apparent perfection is his burden--a reveal that links our two heroes via their parental issues.

Phil Noto's pseudo-painterly art is mostly solid with some impressive lighting and fantastic facial expressions, particularly on drunken Bruce Wayne during the party scene, but too often he draws mouths uniform (open mouth, bearing teeth). The quality isn't always consistent, either; Noto renders a battle between Batman and Doc Savage in the dark with flat tones and sparse details, making the art feel unfinished when he was more likely trying to create the effect of darkness.

The backmatter sketches and character profiles show just what Azz and Ragss plan for the characters, which not only makes the purpose of the special transparent, but also reveals what sets First Wave apart from those 64-page Elseworlds prestige specials from the '90s. The cast includes Blackhawks, Black Canary, The Spirit (!), and Rima the Jungle Girl. Too often were the stories of those old Elseworlds books muddled in the compulsive urge to cram every major DC character because it would be cool to see what an Edwardian Martian Manhunter would look like. No, it appears that First Wave might actually contain some thoughtfulness and restraint.

The whole First Wave project is an alternate universe story, and alternate universes always bring me to the same question: do I prefer this universe because it's actually better or just because it's different from the established "official" universe? What if this was the DC's main universe? Would I still like it? Or do we need the original universe to qualify the alternate versions? Then again, to crib from Alan Moore, isn't every story an alternate universe story?

Regardless, Batman/Doc Savage Special is a fine introduction to a world full of promise that hopefully won't be squandered when the main event unfolds in four months. Fingers crossed.

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Last month when reviewing issue #2 of The Shield I had great praise for Marco Rudy's terrific artwork, heaping praise on Rudy for the massive number of Easter eggs and clever page layouts that Rudy delivered. Unfortunately this issue doesn't have quite the same amount of whizzbang Easter egg fun that the previous two issues gave us.

I have to wonder if part of that comes from the involvement of Eduardo Pansica with the art. Pansica wasn't involved in previous issues, and his presence has to make me wonder if Rudy is finding the monthly grind too heavy to manage. That's a shame, because Rudy's art really is a lot of fun, and adds a certain level of flash and excitement to this comic that would otherwise not be present.

The big villain this issue is Gorilla Grodd, and Gray delivers a wonderful take on the giant, mind-controlling ape. I love the fierce look on Grodd's face on the pages below. This is an ape that shouldn't be messed with, that's for sure!


And Gray does deliver some pages that are full of clever and intriguing layouts – notice how nicely the page below helps to add to the chaos and energy in the scene that it describes.

I love the slick and intriguing layout of the page below. I'm not sure I've ever seen an image of characters falling through panels used in this way (the closest I can remember are some pages from Ditko's "Doctor Strange" stories). It's cool and clever and adds nicely to Eric Trautmann's story.


But where the previous two issues were crammed full of intriguing page layouts like these, too many pages in this issue are full of standard, dull layouts. The second half of the lead story in this issue just sucks away all the steam and energy that was provided in the first half of the issue. There's a scene in the second half in which two military groups confront each other that just feels boring and dull and confusing, all the more so in contrast with what has come before.

See, this comic really doesn't work for me in quite the same way without the slick artwork all the way through. The story is a fairly rote super-hero story, complete with the very annoying Magog, in a battle against Gorilla Grodd and his Iraqi ally. There's no good reason for Grodd's presence in Iraq that I could discern, nor do we readers get a deep sense of what these characters are all about. I get that the Shield is a military man, and that his military background informs all his actions, but that in and of itself isn't enough to make a compelling comic.

If a character like the Shield is ever going to be anything more than a second-rater, he needs something to separate him from the rest of the heroes in DC's line. The amazing art in the first two issues was a real differentiator, but without the slick artwork, the Shield feels like just another loser. He's got a slightly different attitude and interests, but that's not enough in these days of high comic prices and crammed racks on comic stores.

The backup feature, "Inferno", also features a loser – but the fact that he's a loser is pretty much the point of the story. This story is kind of a noir chase across the state of Colorado, as a guy with fire powers is chased by the Feds and a group of villains. The story is compelling when read as a whole, though less so as a standalone story. The tale this issue has a transitional feel to it, as it takes a breath of air before what promises to be a big action scene.

The Shield without special artwork exists in that sort of uninteresting middle ground – neither especially compelling nor fascinatingly bad. Here's hoping we get more Mick Gray next month.

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In time for the holiday season comes Archie Digest #258, a collection of Christmas themed stories both new and old.

The issue starts out with a bang with Dan Parent's "Give and Take." Veronica's holiday party takes on a different air when Mrs. Lodge mandates the theme will be a "Gift from the heart - no store bought presents allowed." Dubious at first, Veronica gets into the spirit when she sees how much it means to her friends.

Without being heavy-handed, Parent gives readers a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas and within the context of the story offers suggestions for gifts for readers who are a bit cash-strapped themselves. This story works as a great introduction for readers unfamiliar with the Archie-verse. The presents given and the characters' reactions tell readers everything they need to know about the gang. I also enjoyed how Parent included minor characters such as Ginger, Frankie, and Brigitte. The art is clean and the characters display a perky energy that's contagious.

In "Santa Saga" Archie's job as a mall Santa is making him lose his Christmas spirit. This cute story features some annoying, yet realistic children and sweet moments that aren't cloying.

"Just a Little Overjoyed" has Betty and Veronica trying to get the student body into the holiday spirit - with mixed results for Mr. Weatherbee. Verbal comedy and antic slapstick make this one a must read. The panels are uncluttered and the art is attractive. There's a nice sense of weight and movement to the characters.

The "Classic" Sabrina stars in "Substitute Santa" and "Christmas Spirit," two very enjoyable stories. In the first, Sabrina helps out a clueless Harvey when Santa doesn't show up for a children's Christmas party. In the second Aunt Hilda learns a lesson about the season. Both of these are smartly written, have some humorous moments, and feature good-looking art.

In "A Toast to the Host," Archie is acting strangely out of character as he demands his friends pay for the party he's throwing. This one keeps the reader turning pages to find out what's happening next and ends with a twist. The story is probably from the 50s-60s and features bold, strong art.

While babysitting, Betty explains how Santa accomplishes all his feats to a disbelieving youngster in "Santa Confidential." The uncredited author comes up with clever, believable ways for Santa to do things and provides a sweet, non-sappy story-capper. Some panels in this one are beautiful. For instance, the one in which Santa is resupplying is gorgeous. The dark background sets off the brighter elements to a perfection, giving it a dramatic look.

The gang tries to bring some holiday cheer to Mr. Weatherbee after he fractures his ankle in George Gladir's "All Alone." The predictable mayhem results. Slapstick and heart combine to make this a fun story. Stan Goldberg's loose art style works well for the action scenes, giving them a nice sense of movement.

If you're looking to introduce someone to the Archie gang or just for something to get you into the holiday spirit, Archie Digest #258 is a great choice.

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When an enormous lesbian* menaces the seafront, it's up to Brighton's hippest team of superheroes to save the day, as Martin Eden releases his long-awaited side-project, and it is clear that the years spent toiling away at The O Men have been well spent, as both art and writing benefit from all that experience. The visuals are good throughout, with strong, clear storytelling, neat layouts, and some clever design choices, including a striking montage effect to illustrate Prowler's superpowers, and more of Eden's usual good eye for effective use of photo-reference. This issue is also in full colour, with a bright, flat palette which makes Eden's already bold art jump from the page with an almost ligne claire effect. There are a handful of mis-steps, with some shaky backgrounds here and there, and slightly wobbly perspective in places, and a certain lack of practice is evident in the return to the hand-lettering of the early O Men issues, but all in all the visuals are strong.

Writing, characterisation in particular, has always been Eden's strength, and that is true of Spandex too. Although there's definitely a classic superhero sensibility running through the comic, with plenty of nods to the Avengers and X-Men, Eden goes for a more modern and efficient approach to the script, with little in the way of exposition, and the characters instead introducing themselves through their actions and distinctive** dialogue; this pleasant economy is reminiscent in places of Grant Morrison's superhero work, without being an overt pastiche. I could argue that in terms of plot, it's a little light, but the main job of the issue is to introduce the cast and setting, which it does with confidence.

What sets Spandex apart is the social background of the cast, as this superteam is made up of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The Brighton setting is quite deliberate, as are the rainbow hues of the logo and, in a cheeky move, the team's costumes. It could be argued that some of the individual team members are stereotypes***, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing in itself, as superhero comics, even the good ones, are often filled with stereotypes. Crucially, what we don't get here is the Northstar Effect, where the story is about Being Gay, as if that's all there is to these people, and that is wonderful to see; on the other hand, since this particular issue doesn't engage much with such issues****, it is difficult not to see the LGBT elements as a gimmick. Yet at the end of the day, I suspect that it is merely my middle-class liberal guilt which makes me wonder if the LGBT community might be offended by a comic which portrays them in a positive light, simply because it is not earnest enough; that's my hang-up, and one that has nothing to do with the quality of the comic itself.

As a fan of The O Men, I first saw this title as a frivolous side-project, a sign of a creative burnout or loss of interest, and I have to admit that I was a little annoyed that Eden's superhero epic was going on hold while he explored this avenue. I am pleased to say that I was as wrong as can be; while I do wish Eden would get on and finish what he's started with The O Men, this title comes across as a distillation of lessons learned and techniques honed over the course of creating almost forty issues of that comic, while also retaining its own unique identity. Spandex #1 is a great trailer for the upcoming graphic novel, but it is also a strong and confident comic in its own right.

* That'll bump up Comics Bulletin's search rankings.
** Especially in the case of the apparently French enigma-wrapped-in-a-conundrum, Indigo.
*** Except possibly for Indigo, as I'm not at all sure what's going on there. She (he?) is destined to be the fan favourite character, I reckon.
**** Then again, the back-up strip (with beautiful, German expressionist style art) is a clever advertisement for sexual health, AIDS testing and organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust and avert.org, so there is a bit of worthy earnestness in there.

For information on this comic, see spandexcomic.wordpress.com

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“Church of the Supergod”

In the world of Supergod, super-powered humans are the ultimate expression of the Messiah complex, and scientists can build Messiahs who will fly down from the skies to save the world. Supergod is the story of how supermen killed ended the world just because people wanted to be rescued by human-shaped saviors created by science!

Paul Brian McCoy:
Chris Kiser:
Thom Young:
Dave Wallace:

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Paul Brian McCoy:

"Black Summer was about superhumans who were too human. No Hero was about superhumans who were inhuman. Supergod is about superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else. The third leg of a thematic trilogy if you like." -- Warren Ellis

Supergod #1 is a damn-near perfect first issue.

I say "damn near" because some readers might not be happy with the narrative approach Ellis takes. Rather than tell the story as it happens, following characters directly involved, we get a lone survivor telling the story for posterity.

I don't have a problem with the approach. It works thematically to keep the supergods distant and inhuman. We aren't supposed to get into their heads--or even be able to--so we get the tale told in flashback by someone with inside knowledge.

However, what I really love about this story is the assertion that our gods are man-made and have been from the very beginning of time--that the compulsion to worship a higher power is masturbatory at best and anti-life at worst. Ellis's story indicates that the projection of human emotional states onto idealized objects of worship is childlike and ultimately appalling.

Surely there's a little bit of outrage behind the narrative conceit of a country investing billions into the creation of a manifestation of religious mythology designed to cure all their nation's problems rather than investing that money in combating the problems directly?

Surely there's a little bit of outrage behind the concept of using religious symbolism in the representation of power relations between countries?

Surely there's a little bit of outrage behind the exploration of religious compulsion leading to the subversion of reason first, and finally to the destruction of everything and everyone--of leaving humanity in a new stone age?

I love this book for raising these issues--whether Ellis intended them or not.

As for the illustrations, Garrie Gastonny is an artistic find. From what I can tell after a quick Google search, he lives in Indonesia and works out of Imaginary Friends Studios. He's done some cover work, as well as the fully painted art for Radical Comics' Caliber: First Canon of Justice--a retelling of Arthurian legend set in the American Old West.

His work here is fantastic. It's realistic with a nice dramatic sense when it comes to staging scenes and orchestrating action. Gastonny's art isn't as hyper-detailed as the art by Juan Jose Ryp on the previous two series in this "thematic trilogy," but Gastonny still successfully captures the feel of other Avatar releases without losing his own identity.

This book is a success on every level, and I applaud Avatar for providing an outlet for creators to push the boundaries of what is acceptable subject matter in American comics. I can't wait to read more.

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Chris Kiser:

The atheism of Warren Ellis has long been a backdrop for his stories in comics. We’ve seen it in his final arc on The Authority and in the miniseries Ocean, where the origin of life on Earth was attributed to the implantation of extraterrestrial genetic codes.

Ellis's atheism also pervaded the pages of the beloved Planetary, which more than once sought to explain the nature of religious phenomena like angels and the afterlife in purely scientific terms. So, of course, one would expect to find an atheist worldview front and center in an Ellis book titled Supergod.

Indeed, a criticism of mankind’s belief and hope in gods is the focus of Supergod #1. Set at an undefined point in the 21st century, the issue recaps a decades-spanning arms race in which humanity builds super-powered beings instead of weapons--venerating these creations as deities. Predictably, disaster ensues.

Make no mistake, this is the Ellis of Planetary writing here, pumping the narration full of tersely and calmly explained otherworldly concepts--and Garrie Gastonny’s art strongly backs the script in this endeavor by providing clean, realistic characters and detailed geographical references that contrast well against the outlandish creatures who roam these pages.

Strangely enough, however, Supergod may be the rare book that earns a high rating from me not because it effectively delivers its message but rather because it somewhat fails to do so. If the book were merely a perfect atheist homily, it would immediately wall itself off from me and any other readers who adhere to a lifestyle of faith.

Though Ellis depicts the worship of the godlike entities in his story as undeniably foolish, these scenes are not ultimately analogous to genuine religious practice. The “gods” of Supergod are all physical beings whose natures, though complex, could be analyzed and fully known. They are not the transcendent God of Western religious texts.

I would suggest then that Supergod works best as a condemnation of idolatry--which is to say that it demonstrates the ramifications of treating lesser, created objects with the extraordinary affections properly reserved for the true God. The scientists and politicians of the story who find their world decimated by monsters are in that situation because of a misplaced trust in an ultimately flawed entity.

While Ellis and his ilk may claim that the absence of a real God means that all objects of worship are idols, this comic gives those with different ideologies some room to wiggle. It remains to be seen whether the same can still be said of Supergod once the series is complete. This is just the first issue, after all.

These initial 22 pages of setup are virtually all plot and narration, and the possible introduction of characterization and dialogue could certainly tilt the message to one side of the fence. However, until that day, Warren Ellis hasn’t completely excluded anyone from the congregation just yet.

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Thom Young:

With Steve Englehart and Neil Gaiman mostly retired from contemporary comics, Warren Ellis has long been entrenched as my third favorite contemporary comic book writer. Alan Moore and Grant Morrison constantly vie for the top two spots, and now that Moore is going into semi-retirement as well, I guess Ellis is going to become entrenched at #2 on my list of contemporary comic book writers.

However, despite Ellis's position in my pantheon of comic book scribes, his work for Avatar Press (which is where most of his stories now seem to be published) has mostly been off my radar. It's only when my colleagues Paul McCoy and Dave Wallace suddenly show an interest in a book not published by either Marvel or DC that I decide to find out what that book is about.

Ninety-nine percent of the time the "alternative press" comic that Paul and Dave are interested in is an Avatar Press title by Warren Ellis--which is how I managed to find my way to Supergod #1. (I intend to eventually buy all of Ellis's other Avatar Press collected editions that I've missed in a recent years--when I have more money.)

So . . . not knowing anything about Supergod other than it was written by Warren Ellis, I picked it up at my comic book shop with no preconceptions as to what the story would entail--though the cover of the issue I bought shows Superman (in reverse costume colors) crucified on a wooden cross with a gaping hole in his chest where his big blue "S-shield" should be.

Additionally, there seems to be a small fragment of green Kryptonite where the heart and lungs of this "reverse-costumed Superman" should be--making the character appear more like Superman's nemesis Metallo dressed in a reverse-colored Superman costume and then nailed to a cross.

Okay, after seeing the cover, I was prepared for a series that would present Ellis's revisionist view of the Superman mythos. Because of the title (Supergod), I suddenly expected to find the story of a Savior from the Heavens who came to Earth in a rocket in much the same way that Moses came to Pharaoh's daughter in an ark of bulrushes that floated down the Nile.

Like Moses (and later Jesus), I expected Ellis's "Supergod" to come into conflict with the world's reigning Empire (in this case, the United States or United Nations rather than Egypt or Rome) and to eventually be executed by crucifixion for crimes of sedition.

I allowed that this story wasn't going to be the most original superhero comic book out there, but I expected it to be written in Ellis's usual high quality of intricate plots and believable dialog. However, I then actually turned the cover and opened the book to start reading the story, and I discovered it to be something else than what I was expecting.

Oh, Supergod #1 is a well-written story with an intricate plot and believable dialog. However, it is not a reworking of the obvious parallels in the Moses, Jesus, and Superman mythoi.

Instead, Supergod #1 is a reworking of other comic book superhero mythoi--though Superman's mythos might eventually come into play at some later point in this series as well. In fact, the first page of Supergod #1 had me believing that Ellis was giving us a reworking of Jack Kirby's 1976-77 series The Eternals.

Kirby's series began with three people--an archeologist named Dr. Damian, his daughter, and a man they knew as Ike Harris--entering the ruins of an ancient Incan city high in the Andes and finding monuments to "The Space Gods." In Kirby's comic, Ike Harris was recording that archeological expedition on film.

In Ellis's newest comic, a man named Simon Reddin (who looks similar to Kirby's Dr. Damian) appears to be sitting amongst some subterranean ruins while he communicates via Blackberry or iPhone with someone named Tommy.*

The epistolary narrative technique is rarely used in comics, but it has a long tradition in literature--and I am glad to see Ellis use it here with Reddin's "Blackberry/iPhone letter/journal" approach to telling his story. I hope Ellis maintains this epistolary approach for the entire series.

As for my sense from the first page that Ellis might be intentionally evoking Kirby's opening scene in The Eternals, I admit that my assumption was extremely tenuous--and it turns out I was very incorrect. Nevertheless, the first page had me convinced that rather than strictly reworking the Superman mythos (and it's parallels to the mythoi of Moses and Jesus), Ellis might be intending to rework Kirby's The Eternals (with, of course, some of Kirby's New Gods mixed in as well).

However, I then turned that page and discovered a double-page spread on pages two and three. Suddenly I saw that rather than Kirby's concept of superbeings from space who are worshipped as gods by humans (which is also what the Superman mythos is about), Ellis was going to give us a reworking of Alan Moore's Marvelman/Miracleman series from the 1980s.

The double-page spread in Supergod #1 shows a city in ruins, but it isn't an ancient Incan city high up in the Andes. Instead, it's London, England--just as that capital of the United Kingdom looked in Moore's Miracleman #15 after Kid Miracleman went on a rampage and destroyed everyone and everything in sight.

In Moore's story, Marvelman's (Miracleman's) arch nemesis, Dr. Gargunza, was responsible for turning ordinary human boys--Micky Moran, Dicky Dauntless, and Johnny Bates--into Nietzschean Overmen (Marvelman, Marvelman Jr., and Kid Marvelman, respectively). Gargunza was the chief scientist working on the UK government's Project: Zarathustra that used extraterrestrial technology to create superbeings. Presumably, they chose children to experiment on because the kids would be easier to keep sedated and under control.

In Ellis's reworking of Moore's story (which itself is a reworking of Mick Angelo's reworking of Fawcett's Golden Age Captain Marvel characters), various governments from around the world began their own "Zarathustra Projects"--or "Super Soldier Projects," if you will.

See? Ellis's story really is just a reworking of various comic book superhero mythoi that have been reworked countless times already during the past 71 years. In fact, what Supergod #1 reminds me of the most is Ed Brubaker's The Marvels Project.

However, rather than leading to the current Marvel universe--or, more specifically, the Golden Age Timely Comics universe--it appears that Ellis's Supergod series is essentially Brubaker's Marvels Project leading to Moore's Marvelman/Miracleman universe.

In any event, all of the plot elements in Supergod #1 are things we've seen several times in the past 25 years--ever since Moore introduced the idea of greater verisimilitude into contemporary superhero comic book stories. Still, Ellis has introduced a few new touches of his own.

For instance, in Elllis's story, the UK is the first to try to create superbeings--just as that nation was in Moore's story--and you are most likely familiar with the technique the UK scientists used. In 1955, they sent a mixed gender crew into space in a rocket with inadequate radiation shielding. They wanted to see what would happen when the astronauts were exposed to cosmic radiation for seven days (or three weeks, the story mentions both spans of time).

However, when the British astronauts returned to Earth they did not emerge from their rocket as The Fantastic Four (or even The Terrific Trio, since there were only two men along with one woman). Instead, they emerged as a fused being with three faces that the UK scientists named "Morrigan Lugus" in honor of two different three-headed Celtic deities.

Another Ellis touch is to take the Human Torch android that began the Timely Comics universe in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939 and recast him as the creation of India's version of Project: Zarathustra. India's superbeing, Krishna, is an artificial intelligence spliced onto a human host augmented with a great many cybernetic parts. He doesn't burst into flames upon contact with air, but he does wipe out half the population of the country that created him in order to save it from the ravages of overpopulation.

Despite these slight twists to the Fantastic Four and Human Torch stories, Ellis is mostly just reworking comic book mythoi from the past 71 years by using the "greater verisimilitude storytelling" that Alan Moore introduced about 25 years ago.

So why do I like this same old song and dance so much?

I like it because it's a well-written story that presents Ellis's usual high quality of intricate plots and believable dialog.

Being able to enjoy Ellis's reworking of this material is no different than being able to enjoy Shakespeare's reworking of material previously presented by Ovid or Chaucer--or being able to enjoy separate Faust stories by Christopher Marlowe, Goethe, and Thomas Mann.

However, rather than Supergod, I'd prefer to have Ellis complete the newuniversal series he had been doing for Marvel before his hard drive crashed and he lost all of his work. I want to finish reading his reworking of that old Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart material. Nevertheless, Ellis seems to have another worthwhile series here with Supergod.

Finally, I don't believe the cover showing a reverse-costumed Superman being crucified is unconnected to the actual story. I think it's likely that the story will reveal that the US government created a superbeing in the form of a cyborg that is energized by a glowing green rock that is embedded in his chest. In other words, Metallo dressed in a reverse-colored Superman costume.



* This opening to the story includes an allusion to The Who's rock opera Tommy with Simon Reddin's initial lines of "Tommy? Tommy can you hear me?" Of course, The Who's Tommy is a story of a young deaf, dumb, and blind man who is worshipped as the Second Coming of the Christian Messiah, so I don’t believe Ellis's opening lines were accidentally alluding to Tommy--though there doesn't seem to be any substantial reason for the allusion other than the parallel concept of "false Messiah" that Ellis is playing with in his story.

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Dave Wallace:

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." --Voltaire

Voltaire’s famous line heavily informs the first issue of Supergod, a book in which Warren Ellis approaches the superhero paradigm from a theological point of view. Ellis’s conception of Supergod’s superhumans as man-made deities is a fresh and novel spin on a genre that is always in danger of growing stale and repetitive, and the alternate-history lesson that’s provided by this debut issue introduces some interesting ideas that I hope to see explored in more depth in future.

The issue is narrated by Simon Reddin, an apparent authority on the history of the superhuman arms race, who communicates his knowledge to an unseen American acquaintance whilst smoking a spliff in the remnants of a London that has been razed to the ground.

Having shown us the final destination that the series is leading to, it’ll be interesting to see how the events depicted in this issue lead up to Ellis's conclusion--and what role will be played by the American superhuman who is glimpsed in the issue’s final panels.

Some readers have accused Ellis of rehashing the same tired themes when it comes to his superhero work. Ellis himself has even stated that this book is the final part of a loose trilogy of Avatar-published books:

"Black Summer was about superhumans who were too human. No Hero was about superhumans who were inhuman. Supergod is about superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else. The third leg of a thematic trilogy if you like."

Whilst it’s true that Supergod has some ideas in common with those previous miniseries (the inevitability of the abuse of power, the uneasy relationship between humans and superhumans, and the notion of an alternate history in which real-life events are twisted by Ellis’s fictional superhuman additions), many of the ideas explored here are very different to those seen in Black Summer and No Hero.

Whilst Supergod still makes use of the kind of sci-fi/fantasy trappings that we saw in those books, they’re filtered through a very different worldview--one in which superhumans are revered like gods, setting them even further apart from the people whom they’re supposed to save. The book also moves beyond the boundaries of the USA to show superhuman activity on a planetary scale--helping to give this book a wider sense of scope than those previous titles.

Ellis uses his understanding of international culture and politics to his advantage, grounding the book’s more outlandish elements in something approaching the real world with asides that deal with such subjects as the side effects of Indian poverty, or the finer points of Hindu mythology--both of which prove more significant than they may have originally appeared once India’s “supergod” is born.

Garrie Gastonny’s artwork is well-suited to the book, bringing Ellis’s ideas to life vividly and clearly. It’s not quite as uniquely stylised and hyper-detailed as Juan Jose Ryp’s work on Black Summer and No Hero, but Gastonny’s crisp, clean, and reasonably traditional style is still very effective.

Gastonny's storytelling remains clear at all times as he handles both the large-scale scenes of destruction (such as the ruins of Westminster in the opening pages, the double-page spread showing the devastation in India, and the attack on Pakistan) and the smaller moments (such as the subtle reveal that Reddin is carrying an automatic weapon in his bag) equally well. Additionally, his character designs are strong--whether it’s central players like Morrigan Lugus and Krishna, or more throwaway ideas like Iran’s “angel.” Supergod #1 is a visually impressive book, and I look forward to seeing more of Gastonny’s art in future issues.

However, the big draw for me is the story’s core concepts--and Ellis is certainly playing with some very interesting ideas here:

• What defines godhood?


• Could a human being ever truly comprehend the mindset and motivations of a god?


• If humans are creating gods, does that make them superior to their creations?


• Could it be that the humans of this book are the real supergods?

Ellis doesn’t offer any answers, yet, but he sets up the questions in a compelling manner.

As he explores these ideas, Ellis also offers up some entertaining moments of out-and-out weirdness (I can’t decide whether the most memorable is Haile Selassie’s head being attached to a robotic Somalian supergod or the three-headed mushroom-being that induces masturbation among its worshippers). He also provides some fun riffs on established superhero lore--with a more cynical spin on the Fantastic Four origin story setting the events of the series in motion.

However, there’s a slight sense that the manner in which this information is delivered doesn’t make the material as engaging as it might have been if a more direct storytelling approach had been employed. The entire issue is essentially an illustrated lecture on the alternate history of Supergod’s world, and whilst the illustrations are good and the ideas are compelling, it’s difficult to shake the impression that Ellis has merely combined his notes on the series’ history into a straightforward descriptive monologue rather than actually bringing the events to life with interesting characters and dialogue.

Without these more human elements, the issue struggles to achieve any real emotional resonance to go along with the compelling philosophical questions and inventive ideas. Despite this problem, this first issue is an effective introduction to the world of this new series--although it would have perhaps been more fitting to publish it as a cheaper introductory issue (in the same vein as the setup “#0” issues of Black Summer and No Hero) or as a straightforward sourcebook for the series.

By telling his story in a more engaging manner, Ellis could have produced one of the best opening issues of a new superhero book to have come along in a long time. By delivering the issue as a straight alternate-history lecture, however, it’s merely very good.

Still, I look forward to seeing where the story leads next issue, and whether Ellis plans on tackling the theological implications of his ideas in more depth.

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In this anniversary issue commemorating the 150th issue of Scooby-Doo, the Mystery Inc. gang visits a town overran by black cats. They also travel to England for an unofficial crossover!

"The Black Katz" and "The Blackest Knight"

My dad bought me this comic book because I like Scooby-Doo and because its issue #150. In the first story, "The Black Katz," Scooby-Doo and his friends drive into a town called Katzburg and a black cat crosses the street in front of them. They find out that hundreds of black cats live in a mansion called Katz Manor that belonged to a woman who loved cats. When she died, she left Katz Manor and all her money to the black cats.

The mystery is that everyone in the town thinks the black cats are spreading bad luck and they want to get rid of the cats but they can't because the cats own the mansion. I don't know why this is a mystery because nothing was stolen and people just think all of the bad things that happen to them are caused by the cats.

Fred solved a mystery about a stolen diamond bracelet on the last page of the story, but we didn't find out about it until that last page. Also, the story didn't explain how he solved it because there weren't any clues except for an animal cage that smelled like a skunk.

Fred said he figured out the mystery with little details like there was a guy who wanted a diamond bracelet and so he poured a chemical that smelled like skunk into Katz Manor, when he got the chance to remove the skunk, he stole the diamond bracelet from the mansion and put it on a black cat as a collar. Then he lost the cat and couldn't find it, so he told everyone that the black cats were causing bad luck so they would let him catch the cats and he could find the bracelet again.

The story didn't really make sense because there wasn't really a mystery until the last page and I don't know how Fred figured it out, but I liked the story anyway because I like cats and I like the drawings. The characters look like they do in the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! cartoons, which is my second favorite cartoon show after Tom and Jerry.

The second story, "The Blackest Knight," is shorter but has more of a mystery. Scooby and his friends are visiting a castle in England that is owned by Lord Geoff. They were invited to solve the mystery of a black knight who jumps out and says, "Give me the ring." He was supposed to be a ghost who wanted a green eagle ring that belonged to Lord Geoff's family, but that was lost 100 years ago.

The mystery of the black knight is solved when a plaque of an eagle falls off the wall and hits the knight in the head. Daphne takes off the knight's helmet and they find out it wasn't a ghost but a man named Lord John who wanted the ring so he could own the castle. Then Velma solved the mystery of the missing ring by finding it in a green lantern above the door of the castle.

I like this story because I liked the knight, the illustrations, and the mystery. I also like how it reminded me about a Green Lantern story that I read in another book I have.

In Scooby-Doo, there was a green lantern hanging over the door to the castle, and the dark knight wants to get a green ring that Velma found inside the lantern. The green ring is what made the lantern shine a green light. In the Green Lantern story I have, Green Lantern has a green ring that gets its light from a green lantern.

Also, in Scooby-Doo, Lord Geoff thinks that Scooby and his friends are "born without fear," and in the Green Lantern story an alien Green Lantern with red skin gave the Earth Green Lantern his ring because he was "born without fear."

I don’t know why this Scooby-Doo story has all of these Green Lantern things in it, but it was interesting. Overall, I liked this story because there was a mystery and because the illustrations are colorful and they look like the cartoon.

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Black Terror #5

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009
By: Ray Tate

Phil Hester & Alex Ross

Jonathan Lau, Ivan Nunes(c)

Dynamite

So many super-hero books are about nothing. The dialogue, the plot, the stories, even the characters are inconsequential. The entertainment itself lacks sincerity, and the talent behind those stories feel that way, or at least they convey such an attitude. I'm sure you've picked up such a book, read it, observed its boring artwork and wondered why they killed trees for that comic. This comic doesn't fit that profile. The Black Terror's narration, his passion for justice and his disdain for the way the United States of his reality fell into a state of decay makes this book compelling.

Hester and Ross distinguish the Black Terror from his peers and even his colleagues. This is a different kind of super-hero. His experience in World War II defines his rebellion, and his sense of fairplay describes his actions.

The Black Terror's philosophy is ironically more patriotic than those that drape themselves in the flag, and he best symbolizes the "Don't Tread On Me" credo of the Revolutionaries. He's so impressive, and his thoughts are so engrossing, that he carries the entire book. The Black Terror has no sidekick, and there is no guest star in this issue, unless you count the American Crusader, who appears in flashback. The Terror's interaction with the black soldiers during this section is interesting, yet it's the Terror's pure force of thought that keep the reader rapt.

Jonathan Lau and Ivan Nunes make the Terror an attractive read, and they also grant spectacle to the proceedings. The Crusader revenants glide silently out of the night. The attacks against the Terror are violent yet graceful and weirdly in sync to further denote a robotic group mind. In the last volume of the series, the Terror acquired a cutlass with some history, and Lau and Nunes delight in making the Terror a modern day pirate, slashing steel against the sepulchral.

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Doctor Who #5

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009
By: Ray Tate

Tony Lee

Matthew Dow Smith, Charlie Kirchoff(c)

IDW

The Doctor crash-lands a Judoon prison ship filled with his ambassador allies: an Ogron, a Sontaran and a Draconian. Meanwhile, the evil Mr. Finch escalates his plan to take over galactic law enforcement agency the Shadow Proclamation.

Tony Lee writes snappy patter for the Doctor that emulates David Tennant's delivery. He also recapitulates plot points without impeding the progress of the tale in an exciting chapter of "The Fugitive."

I like how Lee has the Doctor arrive at a self-realization, and then in conjunction with artist Matthew Dow Smith, have the Doctor in the end seem to simply disregard what he has learned. In truth, the Doctor feels guilty about how he has affected Ogron and Sontaran society, but Lee boxes the Doctor in.

Smith's elegant depiction of the Doctor's reaction on the last page of this issue suggests that the Doctor cannot believe that he is about to say this again, but he's sorry, so very sorry, the monsters make it impossible for him to be the man of peace he wants to be, and he will stop Mr. Finch.

Smith creates characters with so very few lines. There's nary a photorealistic panel in the story, yet with those few lines, you recognize the players instantly. The Doctor, Finch and the Shadow Architect all come alive. Smith applies this same technique to his space ship construction, the garb and the backdrops. The consistency of the art gives Doctor Who a specific look, yet the style still coveys the slick cinematography of the television series.

Charlie Kirchoff's colors are amazing. When the Doctor and his allies arrive on the planet, the color scheme changes to reflect the alien atmosphere. In these scenes, Kirchoff draws upon brown and yellow shades as well as umbers for the Judoon armor. When the Doctor leaves the planet, Kirchoff streaks some bold primaries across the cosmic backdrop.

The creative team mesh extremely well. Lee's Doctor sounds like the genuine article. Smith's art gives Lee's words greater authenticity. The lack of busyness in Smith's linework opens the art for Kirchoff to paint. As a result, reading Doctor Who is the next best thing to watching the series.

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Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #8

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009
By: Ray Tate

Mike Mignola

Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart(c)

Dark Horse

Is Hellboy doomed to bring hell to humanity? Will he be the specter that Rasputin imagined so long ago, or does he have a different destiny?

The Wild Hunt is so named because of what happens to Hellboy on the Hunt. The Wild Hunt itself is immaterial to the story. The participants are just another group of whack jobs that want to rule the world. Hellboy's encounter with the giants was the important part of the Hunt.

I have always considered Hellboy to be a meat and potatoes heroe. He's the kind of guy that would have a brew and a meatball sandwich with Ben Grimm while watching a football game, but at the same time, Hellboy also knows exactly what kind of amulet works best against Wights.

I never saw Hellboy at war with himself, as Mignola showed him to literally be last issue. Big Red actively avoided his satanic nature throughout his life. He presented himself as a man, never as a demon.

Lately, though, evil forces reminded Hellboy of his destiny, and he hates it. Hellboy's slaughter of the giants acted as a signal. He was nearing his fate, but not in the way you thought. The slaughter did not draw him closer to hell. Rather, the bloodlust appeared to be a last ditch effort to steer him away from his destiny, which isn't Anung Un Rama but a much nobler calling.

Old friends reinforce Hellboy's faith in himself, and his decision changes reality. Hellboy holds back death, to borrow a phrase from Doctor Who, and this fairy tale ending is quite appropriate given the conflict. On the side of evil, we have the Wild Hunt, Rasputin and bizarre gods as alien as those of Lovecraft. On the side of good sits Morganne of the Fairy, the heroes of Arthurian legend and the characters from Russian folklore. Hellboy is less in the middle than the dark side thinks.

The happy ending gives artist Duncan Fegredo a rare opportunity to show Hellboy at his most playful. Once again, Fegredo gives Alice an earthen beauty, and he adds mortal wrinkles to show that her fire burns bright only for a short while. He gives Le Fey singular dignity. Usually, Morganne is the villain of any piece she's in, but Mignola went back farther in the myths. Fegredo follows his lead. He illustrates her mien as heroic, as well as regal.

Another chapter ends in the saga of Hellboy, and I can't wait to see what happens next. Alice says it best: "Well, I didn't see that coming."

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Jersey Gods #9

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009
By: Ray Tate

Glen Brunswick

Dan McDaid, Rachelle Rosenberg(c)

Image Comics

The Civil War began when South Carolina attempted to secede from the Union. However, the secession was a mere catalyst. The primeval soup of the Civil War had been bubbling and seething since the introduction of slavery. The Missouri Compromise, sectioning the country into free states and slave states, kept the peace for a little while, but it merely acted as a bandage. This massive philosophical wound required surgery.

Historical revisionists frequently like to rescue period Southerners from their repellent slave-owning images. Revisionists like to sort of sweep the issue of slavery under the rug and seek any reason other than slavery to explain the Civil War. It's true that a minority of white Southerners despised slavery as much as the North, and it's also true that these individuals had different reasons to fight the North, but make no mistake. The Civil War was about slavery.

In Jersey Gods, Helius meets his immortal boy's mother in the cornfields of a South knee-deep in the Civil War, and he also learns of General Robert E. Lee's handiwork. General Robert E. Lee is an exalted Southern war hero. The Duke Boys named their car after him. Of course, I doubt the brain trust behind Hazzard County cared that Robert E. Lee was as a slave-whipping bigot.

Glen Brunswick knows his time periods, and he incorporates history flawlessly amid the grander tapestry of immortal gods visiting the earth. Along the way, he redeems the somewhat frivolous Helius, and relates a plausible love story. Brunswick neatly shows how a slight deviation can cause a tremendous consequence, and he does all of this without undermining the power of actual Civil War events.

Back on Neboron, Barock worries about his mother while spending quality time with Zoe. Here, Dan McDaid imbues raw emotion to Barock's mother. She's suffering from a kind of post traumatic stress brought on by the death of her husband about a thousand years ago. It's McDaid's artwork, his depiction of her pained face, that allows you to connect with this immortal character. A thousand years seems like a pretty good run for we humans, not so for a lonely ageless being who lost her love to history.

Rachelle Rosenberg's colors set the mood from the first page. Eerie purples and indigos frame a sojourn to the grave. Contrasting sunny golds and fleshtones characterize Barock's and Zoe's mature relationship.

The creative team also lighten the load of this heavy issue of Jersey Gods. McDaid embellishes Zoe's nudity sensuously in his unique style, and the team displays Zoe's puckish side when she learns of Barock's kryptonite. It's not even mildly lethal. They show the ramifications of Zoe's sudden vacation from earth in a hilarious moment involving an intern working at the Big Boss' office, and they fulfill the action quotient with super-speedster Rushmore trying to stop a crime spree that's linked to Helius' abduction.

This superior issue of Jersey Gods covers a lot of ground, crosses over to many places in space and time and involves numerous members of the cast as well as historical figures. The creative team however fails to miss a beat or slacken the pace.

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Marvel Adventures Super-Heroes #17

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2009
By: Ray Tate

Paul Tobin

Ig Guara, Sotocolor(c)

Marvel Comics

"It Begins Now." Really? What I wonder does "it begin?" Exactly what is the nature of "it?" Oh, and what do you mean by "Now?"

Ostensibly, Marvel Adventures Super-Heroes is the first story of the Avengers. Of course, that's only true if you ignore the first thirty-four or so issues of Marvel Adventures Avengers and the ten or more issues of Marvel Adventures Super-Heroes featuring various members of the Avengers.

Thor, Iron Man and Captain America investigate a town that goes mad. However, Paul Tobin would like you to believe that the heroes have never worked together consistently as a team, and he doesn't really quite sell this idea. For one thing, the heroes operate too smoothly. For another, put Thor, Cap and Iron Man together, and the word Avengers should echo in your head.

I suspect that a lot of reviewers and readers seeing the cover will say, "Ah hah! Marvel is hyping their new Avengers movie!" That certainly would seem to be the case if that movie was going to play next week, but the Avengers movie is scheduled some years into the future. Marvel first must introduce Thor and Captain America to the lay audience before combining them with Iron Man, the Hulk and Spider-Man.

I sincerely doubt that Marvel had this in mind when putting Iron Man, Cap and Thor on the cover. The presence of two guest-stars, one not truly associated with the Avengers also lends more dissent. This of course has been Marvel Adventures Super Heroes' theme: unusual teams of heroes. For instance, Hawkeye partnered with the Blonde Phantom in one issue. So, I don't see how "It Begins Now" is any different than "It Began Yesterday" apart from the apparent memory loss between the heroes, and I'm confused why Marvel would do this since the Marvel Adventures line had an extremely loose continuity already. I mean it consisted of these heroes are Avengers; these heroes are the Fantastic Four, and the public recognized the Hulk as a good guy.

The tone has changed a little. It's less joky and less freewheeling than usual. Although Tobin makes one of the guest stars just as a chipper and fun as she was in her previous appearances, and Iron Man's "Wow" when he has a discussion with another brilliant character goes a long way to humanize him. The heroes act as heroic as they did in previous issues as well. Not only do they save lives, they also feed hungry dogs that have been abandoned because their owners undergo treatment for the madness. The heroes also interact about the same, with the guest stars throwing a little novelty in their behavior.

The plot to the tale is a good one, and it's in addition a fairplay mystery. The threat is unique and makes sense given the nature of the antagonist. I also like how there's a kind of echo to Marvel history. The Avengers were the second super hero team, not the first. Magic facilitated their origin, and it does so again. However, readers looking for a reiteration of the origin story can look elsewhere. Loki's nowhere to be found, and one of the guest Avengers must have an origin that strongly differs from what readers recognize.

Marvel Adventures stalwart Ig Guara does his usual best. He makes the heroes friendly and inviting but also effective badasses. This isn't Justice we're talking about. This is Iron Man, Cap and Thor. Guara instills the resonance that they deserve. Guara's design for the guest stars exemplifies his eye for anatomy and a talent for expression and body language. He also evokes realistic texture through a judicious use of wrinkles in the uniforms.

The coloring evinces the biggest change in "It Begins Now." The hues that were once vivid and bright shift to softer pastels. This genuine change presents an overall warm effect and establishes a unique aesthetic that differs from every comic book on the rack. If "It Begins Now" refers to the coloring, I'll give Marvel that one.

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