Chris' Midichlorian Corner for September 19th, 201

Greetings Star Wars fans. Welcome back for the exciting conclusion of this amazing series: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison. Last time, Vader had just recruited the strongest prisoners from the secret Jedi prison: Prism. He hoped these people would help him attack Headmaster Gentis, a man responsible for an attempt on the Emperor's life. Time is of the essence, as Vader and his forces must rush to intercept Grand Moff Tarkin before he can go to Coruscant and fall into Gentis' trap to take control of the entire Imperial military.

The issue opens with Tarkin's arrival on Coruscant. Gentis awaits with the entire Imperial Academy behind him, seemingly in a show of respect. But of course this is just a ruse. As Tarkin and his entourage exit their shuttle, Gentis orders them taken into custody. Everything seems to be going according to plan. Until all hell breaks loose. 

Turns out Tarkin wasn't alone. Vader rushes forth, his subordinates and the prisoners of Prism in tow, and proceed to lay waste to Gentis' forces. They are nothing more than a collection of students who clearly have a lot more to learn when faced with the Jedi's fiercest enemies from the Clone Wars. Among the fallen students is Gentis' last son. As Gentis embraces his son's lifeless corpse, he is engulfed in a flurry of Sith lightning, which courses throughout his body and melts his flesh. It would seem Tarkin didn't only have backup from Vader. The Emperor has returned and he is pissed.

From there we see the Emperor's forces make short work of retaking the Empire. Lieutenant Tohm is given the task of executing the traitors. Moff Trachta is awarded the rank of Grand Moff and appointed Headmaster of the Imperial Academies. And the prisoners are granted conditional freedom as long as they promise to never return to the Empire. However, this freedom proves to be short-lived. As their shuttle takes off from the launchpad, the prisoners explode over Coruscant. It would seem Lieutenant Tohm is truly a ruthless servant of Lord Vader.

Even the Emperor is impressed by this fact. He suggests that Tohm might prove to one day be a suitable replacement to Vader, should anything ever happen to the Dark Lord. Vader sees through the Emperor's words to their true meaning and has a private conversation with Lieutenant Tohm. The Dark Lord intends to give one final lesson to his would be successor, and what follows is one of the most chilling moments in any. Comic. Ever. Period.

This story arc is quickly becoming my all time favorite. It reminds us all why we first loved Darth Vader as a character (and it wasn't his dislike of sand). It is the absolute ruthlessness that he keeps contained beneath his cold mechanical demeanor. To quote a wise Jedi master, "He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil." He no longer sees the people who serve with him as allies, but as tools to be used and then discarded when they have outlived their usefulness or as threats who must be eliminated. If this arc cemented anything into the Star Wars universe, it's this: you don't fuck with Darth Vader. And I dunno about any of you, but I hope Haden Blackman returns for future arcs of the Dark Lord of the Sith, with Agustin Alessio's art returning as well. These guys produce absolute gold.

Until next time Star Wars fans, may the Force be with you.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 08.29.2012

Welcome back to Sequential Theology! This time around we have the continuing adventures of "Angel & Faith: Trans-dimensional paranormal investigators," more wacky highjinx from the Nicolle brothers on Axe Cop, and Darth Maul: Death Sentence is a giant robot kick to the teeth.
As always, if you disagree with me, prove me wrong.

Angel & Faith #13
Story by Christos Gage, art by Rebekah Isaacs

When we last left our heroes they were in the hell dimension of Quor'toth attempting to
a) Restore magic to their dimension
b) Save a tribe of demons that worship Connor (Angels' son) as a messiah
c) Not die.
All while Quor'toth slowly corrupts each of them and makes them give in to their dark side. Being a fan of crazy Faith, it was great seeing her struggle with that aspect of herself, and this series has the potential to bring some much needed motivation for her which was lacking when she was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4. She was crazy, and wanted to live life to the fullest, but that's not a character motivation and Christos Gage uses internal monologue to its fullest advantage with her.
Since this is the penultimate issue, this little detour to Connor's "homeworld" was pretty brief, but definitely fun. Not sure why I accept the over the top fantasy aspects in Angel & Faith, but can't stand it in Buffy... Most likely the general concept of "cheerleader living a normal life while fighting demons at night" tends to box in the rules of what is "too big." Anyway, I digress. If you want more Faith and Willow, this book is excellent. I don't know if I'd recommend it to Buffy & Angel fans outright, but it's definitely worth a look.

Axe Cop: President of the World #2
Story by Malachai Nicolle, art by Ethan Nicolle
My god, this kid can write. This series may have absolutely nil characterization, but the stories are fantastic. It feels like a Lee/Kirby era comic from the 60s or a comic from the 30s. Just endless imagination on every page. What most writers would stretch out to three years worth of story, Malachai & Ethan give you in 20 pages. It may be "too ADD for your internet," but if you miss reading comics about Gorillas on their tippy-toes with missile launching fists fighting robots, than this is the book for you.
It twists and turns in directions that are obvious, but because of our jaded modern minds and expectations of logic, their payoffs are incredibly satisfying. With everything flying at you all at once, the simplicity of story (cop with axe becomes president of the world; fights evil) hides the ever complex onion-esque layers of this series. There is the over arching plot, the plot of each rather self-contained issue, and then the backstories of each character introduced. This formula happens every time, and can possibly feel tedious, but Malachai creates backstories full of fodder for Ethan to flesh out with his art.
I don't want to spoil anything, but I also don't know if it's possible. Just know that in this issue, a giant Chee-Rex (half cheetah half t-rex) rides a flying motorcycle, and tries to destroy the world, and that's just the splashpage on pages 4 & 5.

Darth Maul: Death Sentence #2
Story by Tom Taylor, art by Bruno Redondo

When it was announced that Darth Maul would return to the Star Wars universe in a larger role, I was excited about the prospect. But at the same time, wasn't too sure if his re-introduction to the Star Wars universe was necessary (as if his death was). And when I saw his robot legs, I just mentally re-imagined him as having regular legs due to a long stint in a Bacta tank and I was merely misremembering the robot goat legs. But that's the design they are going with, so I guess I'd better get used to it.
But, I was optimistic to see how Tom Taylor would flesh out everyone's favorite Dathomirian beyond being the one-dimensional icon seen in Episode I. And he really nailed it by showing his relationship with his brother. The first issue was a lot of explosions and very little characterization from Darth Maul, or his brother (the reasonable replacement if horribly named) Savage Opress. And while I don't expect too much characterization, the first issue told me little more than "these two are badasses and they do badass stuff." This time around, there was much more characterization and I was able to really get into the story.
More violence, more crazy action, but it becomes more than that as Darth Maul fails and has to pick himself up. By the end of this issue, Darth Maul is in charge of the lives of many innocent people, and what this dark lord of terror and hate does with that power will be very interesting indeed.

Not convinced you should buy Darth Maul: Death Sentence #2? Here's Chris' much more in depth review.

Before I end this, I want to also point out that Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #4 came out last week, but I didn't get to it until this week. This book really deserves the praise it's getting from other comics review sites. If you love the Star Wars universe, definitely pick up the trade when it is released. It's easily one of the best things to happen to the franchise since the Dark Empire trilogy.

Thank you all for enjoying what we do here. If you haven't yet, please listen to our latest episode where we interview Joko Budiono, his latest book Teddy-1 really deserves your attention.

Chris' Midichlorian Corner for August 22nd, 2012

Welcome back Star Wars fans! I'm sure you were all as eager as I was to read the latest issue of "Darth Vader and The Ghost Prison." The last time we saw the Dark Lord of the Sith, he had just taken control of the Jedi Council's secret prison with the assistance of Lieutenant Tohm and Moff Trachta. Elsewhere, General Gentis, headmaster of the Empire's military academies, continues his plan to kill the Emperor and take control of the Empire so that he can bring peace.

Boy howdy, did this issue ever hit the ground running. The last issue ended with Tohm suggesting to Vader that they free the prisoners held captive by the Jedi. And then rather than see the course of events play out directly after that point, we're instead dropped right in the middle of the aftermath of that decision. This choice on writer Haden Blackman's part really helps us to feel the hecticness of being in the middle of a battle. As the battle plays out, we're introduced to two new characters, Baron Nax Cirvan and Captain Shonn Volta.

Cirvan and Vader have a history that is repeated briefly during the battle. At the first sign of Vader being off his guard, Cirvan won't hesitate to stab him in the back to seize power. Volta is given much more development in this issue, as we learn why it is that she hates both the Jedi and the Republic. Hearing her reasoning, one might even agree that she's in the right. Not only do we get her backstory, but we learn more about Lieutenant Tohm, and it continues to make the reader empathize with him. One might even start to like Trachta as he gives a pretty good speech to the remaining prisoners to get them to join Vader in the fight against Gentis' forces in exchange for their freedom.

Gentis is given even less time in this issue than the last (a mere two pages).  I realize that it's called "DARTH VADER and the Ghost Prison," but I'd still prefer to see a bit more of Gentis' side of the story. Or at least have his dialogue feel a tad less expository. I'd rather see him put his plan in place rather than hear him talk about it with his accomplices. But I'm sure we'll see more in the next issue, seeing as it's the final part of the arc. It's just so sad we have to wait a whole month for it. 

Until next time Star Wars fans, may the Force be with you.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 07.18.2012

As if it wasn't Dark Horse heavy last week, this time around it's all Dark Horse. But it's all excellent stuff. While you're at your local comic book store this week, or buying comics on your tablet during your lunch break, don't miss out on these.

BALTIMORE: DR. LESKOVAR'S REMEDY #2
Story by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden, Art by Ben Stenbeck
Many years back, I read the first volume of Hellboy and was so bored to tears by John Byrne's writing, and a little unimpressed by Mignola's art that I decided to write the series off completely. But I've been tired of hearing people say, "you're missing out," so I've been trying to dive into the Mignola-verse and devour as much as I can to make a more informed decision.
As a second foray into Mignola's writing, this was much better. A peg-legged vampire-hunter, spouting concerted one-liners while traveling through post-WWI Europe fighting evil? Yeah. I'd read more of that. Lord Baltimore feels like Wolverine mixed with Van Helsing with a touch of Blade thrown in for good measure. That sounds terrible, but it's really not. I doubt Mignola was thinking of any of those characters when he and Golden were writing this book. It's got a strong classic supernatural feel that will please any gothic horror fan in the mood for adventure.
Ben Stenbeck's monster faces cast in silhouette feel like they are doing their best Mignola impression. The people have a much more cartoony simplistic look that sounds tonally off, but actually works quite nicely. Where Stenbeck really shines on this book is the locations, and the hordes of monsters attacking this tiny village full of all kinds of ravenous fiends. 
Also, this trio's combined efforts have made me scared of crabs.

CONCRETE: THREE UNEASY PIECES
by Paul Chadwick

This was my first exposure to Concrete, and I have to say, I will be buying more. The basic concept is that a man was abducted by aliens and they changed him into a being made of living concrete. And it's a big Jack Kirby-esque mountain of concrete. Now the main character searches the world solving environmental crises, small domestic disputes, social injustice and searching for answers to his transformation. But his figure is more a means to an end in an otherwise realistic world. When Concrete attempts to solve the town's excessive drunken population by hugging the criminals into submission, he quickly realizes that no one man (no matter how invulnerable) can do this job, and another fix must be found.
I adore how simple and quite Chadwick's world seems. These people are perfectly at ease with Concrete, and yet he is the only one of his kind. The art is excellent and, from what little I've skimmed in used bookstores, does not seem to have dipped in quality since the book's first appearance on the comic book stands. It's beautiful stuff. It reminds me of the line focused work of old Lord of the Rings illustrations. But yet it's in a completely contemporary setting... Well done Paul Chadwick, you have another convert.

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #14

Dark Horse presents was recently revived a little over a year ago and it's definitely changed tact from "See the pioneers of the Bronze Age working again" to "we do it all and we do it awesomer!" This magazine has everything comedy, superheroics, horror, sci-fi and a haunting piece of dream logic that I can't stop thinking about. As I've said before, I love the anthology format and it's even more impressive when a company packs this much story into one issue. This one is definitely worth the higher price tag. If you've been feeling like your comic reading's been in a bit of a rut, put back three DC books, or two Marvel books and check out this series. Worse comes to worse, you might find some more creators to look into. I'm only going to highlight 4 of the 15 stories contained within this issue, but hopefully, that's enough to get you to pick it up.


ALIENS: INHUMAN CONDITION story by John Layman, art by Sam Keith
I always forget how nice it is to see Sam Keith's work. DC seems to have difficulty coloring his stories, and so I tend to be disappointed by his recent Batman series the past decade. But in this installment, he really brings the horror. Several scientists and representatives of Weyland-Yutani look on as a xenomorph fights a synthetic human. This somehow grizzly spectacle causes a woman who helped design the Artificial Combat Unit to remember her time spent trapped in a facility for weeks with one of these aliens. After the simulation is over, one of the scientists visits her in her room and we learn more about her past all while these memories keep invading her mind. She is broken and trying to behave rationally when she is constantly confronted with the creature that took her life from her. And Sam Keith portrays her closed down psyche with the same power he brought to the Maxx back in the 90s.

HELLBOY vs. THE SABERTOOTH VAMPIRE by Mike Russell
Everything you need to know is in that title. And possibly this photo.

BUDDY COPS story by Nate Cosby, art by Evan Shaner
This is a new series by Nate Cosby and Evan Shaner starring (you guessed it) two partners policing the city. T.A.Z.E.R. is a by the book android, and Uranus is an over-the-top intergalactic superhero who has been "demoted" to the more traditional channels of law enforcement. Uranus' sheer joy at wanting to wreck things with no sense of consequence had me laughing nonstop. And while T.A.Z.E.R. might be a typical android straight-man to Uranus' wacky hijinx at this point, I'm still excited for what else these two have in store as the series progresses.


A SPY DREAM by George Schall
This story was hands-down the best thing I read this week. I had to read it twice, and continue to have questions, and enjoy falling in love with George Schall's art all over again. His style is in that magic sweet spot between cartoon and realism that makes me swoon. It reminds me a lot of GB Tran's work actually. George's sense of motion is impeccable, and his anatomy never falters. The way he breaks down time into panel increments and his layouts really help reinforce the dream concept. My only complaint, is how he renders facial hair. They look like they are drawn on instead of being actual facial hair but that's a personal pet-peeve.


And those were just my favorites from this issue. This particular issue is EASILY worth its $8 price tag. 

DARTH VADER IN THE GHOST PRISON #3
Story by Haden Blackman, art by Agustin Alessio

Chris may have already covered this issue on his column, but it bares repeating. This series is excellent. If you have been dying to see Vader at his most stoic and have found it increasingly hard to take him seriously, Haden Blackman brings him back to that tortured soul we used to know and love. And Augustin Alessio manages to not only make him imposing, but the Prism, the Jedi Guantanamo Bay, feels quite cold and foreboding. What has impressed me about the Star Wars comics today is their analysis of the Dark Side of the force and how its leading to entropy is never just a product of evil, but a manifestation of human common human attributes.
It's also nice to see a writer casting the Jedi in a darker light. Their motives for building the prison make sense, but it also has to be considered if their seeming hypocrisy was the right thing to do or if they had become the thing they are trying to defeat. It makes you think that maybe Vader wasn't wrong for going to the Dark Side, and that it wasn't just the adolescent whimpering of a hormonal teenager.


Not impressed? Tell me I'm wrong.

Chris' Midichlorian Corner for July 18th 2012

Greetings again Star Wars fans! This week I'll be talking to you about the 3rd installment of “Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison.” This was my entry point into the story, but I've got to say, I wasn't lost for a second. Haden Blackman does an excellent job of writing this issue in such a way that by the end of it, you forget you're actually reading part 3. 

To fill you in on what happened before, the Headmaster of the Empire's military academies has made an attempt on the Emperor's life. All of his students are behind him save one, disabled Lieutenant Laurita Tohm. Tohm aids Darth Vader and Moff Trachta in moving the Emperor to a secret hangar bay while they look for a place to get Palpatine the care he needs. Perhaps the Jedi had such a place, and it is at the beginning of this issue that we see Darth Vader has gone to the abandoned Jedi Temple to find out.

It gave me such an eerie chill to see Vader standing in the middle of the Jedi briefing room watching holograms of Jedi Masters long since dead. We learn that the Jedi had a secret prison, secret even from the Republic, and that they've been running it for years. It was Vader's former self, Anakin Skywalker, who was in fact responsible for the capture of more than half of its inmates.

Vader is enraged to find that this was kept from him and hurls a chair out of a window with the Force. It was really shocking to see Vader lose his cool like this. We're all used to seeing the cold and collected Vader from the films, who very rarely shows his anger. So to see him completely lose his shit, even if just for a moment, is pretty damn awesome. To do it in such a recognizable location from the films just adds that much more weight to the moment.

For those like me, who haven't read the previous issues, we're then introduced to two more major players, Lieutenant Laurita Tohm and Moff Trachtis. We get to see how each of the characters suffered their own disfigurements, we get a good feel for the balance of power between them, and we get the feeling that there is clearly no love lost between these two, though there is at least respect. 

In the next scene, we see both new and familiar faces. Grand Moff Tarkin is being briefed by Headmaster Gentis of the attack on the Emperor. When questioned, Gentis makes it seem like he has the Emperor in his care and that Darth Vader has mysteriously disappeared. This greatly interests Tarkin, who decides to come visit Gentis on Coruscant to take over the investigation. It was cool to see another familiar face from the films. I always thought Tarkin could have made a better villain if Lucas had known his franchise was going to be popular enough to continue past the first film, and so it's very nice to see him again here. Gentis is interesting because, while he is loyal to the Empire, he's not at all loyal to its leader. His one-page scene later on, where he explains the motivations behind the attack, really makes you root for the guy, because he values each and every Imperial life. Well, you know, except for the Emperor's.

The last part of the issue, when Vader takes over the Jedi prison Prism, moves at a quick pace. Vader comes one step closer to the eradication of the Jedi, Trachtis shows just how much a monster he really is, and Tohm comes up with a plan to help Vader retake control of Coruscant. It sets up the next issue nicely and gives you a better understanding of the newer characters. I'm definitely interested in continuing this series. As a huge fan of the original trilogy, it's always nice to read new stories that feature Vader. It also doesn't hurt that Agustin Alessio's art here is absolutely incredible. This is the first time I've read a Star Wars book that felt less like a comic and more like an extension of the films, and that is due in no small part to the expertly drawn characters and environments by Alessio. His characters are all very emotive and it really lends a lot of weight to certain scenes when you can clearly see what the character is feeling. I can't wait to see more of it.

Let us know if you enjoyed it too. Until next time, may the Force be with you.