Dylan's Sequential Theology 01.30.2013

For those of you that are looking for another comic to fill out your weekly stack, I have returned with more reviews! I've read a lot of great books this week, but I'm just going to share three that really stood out for me.

As always, you can purchase these comics digitally by clicking on the title, or buy them at your local brick and mortar store. It's a good idea to find it now, so you don't feel supremely awkward when you head over there on Free Comic Book Day later this year.

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Angel & Faith #18
Story by Christos Gage, Art by Rebekah Isaacs

I have certainly changed my opinion of this book since I first started reading it. "Angel & Faith" has quickly become my favorite in the Buffyverse. As soon as I put down an issue, I immediately want to marathon old seasons. It's nice to have a book that feels like a natural extension of the series, while still bringing something new to the table. 

Rebekah's art has grown on me. Her fight scenes are engaging, and her monsters are very well designed & eerily rendered. They aren't incredibly detailed with every tiny inked bit of sinew. There's a vague fright in the amount of skin they seem to have. Like so much razorblade horror wrapped up in a fleshy bag.  

It's full of the snappy-pop-dialogue the show is known for, without feeling like parody. And for anyone that liked Buffy but hated Buffy herself, then this is a series you might really enjoy. The Buffyverse does have a bit of a dense continuity these days, and the comics have added a lot of characters that may not be immediately familiar, but Christos Gage has done his time at Marvel and knows how to sell a character with a small economy of dialogue and a whole lot of action. 

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The Shadow #9
Story by Victor Gischler, Art by Aaron Campbell

Victor Gischler continues to play with the limit of The Shadow's power, and shows him as much more fallible than he is often presented. I'm not entirely sold on the idea when it leads to melodramatic statements like, "their emotions... they're unknown to me... I must rely on their body language to tell me what they are feeling." But this is a character of theatrics and high-melodrama so it's not inexcusable.

He has certainly amped up the adventure angle that Garth Ennis brought to the forefront in his opening arc. The Shadow is usually much more street-level, but it seems to work quite well. I think it has something to do with the visual of the scarf billowing in the wind.

Aaron Campbell draws an excellent sequence highlighting his sadistic determination as he jumps between airplanes that is quite thrilling, even if at times it's a little muddy. But Aerial combat is a very difficult thing to pull off in a comic book, so I cut him a good deal of slack. While each issue has some small thing that makes me cringe, it's still a fun book that definitely delivers on action & adventure.

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Star Wars: Agent of the Empire - Hard Targets #4 
Story by John Ostrander, Art by Davidé Fabbri & Wes Dzioba

This series surprised the heck out of me. It's set at a point in time where the Empire and the Old Republic are still trying to figure out if they can co-exist. The clone wars are over, but the rebellion is just beginning. 

It follows the story of one Imperial secret agent as he treads the line between doing what is right, and what is in the Empire's best interest (I'll give you a hint, he's a heroic protagonist).
I enjoy seeing that not everyone in the Empire is a generic British person who wants to kill all the Americans that want to separate from the Empire... er...
Anyway, Davidé's art is quite strong, and the velvety guache-like colors of Wes Dzioba makes this book a joy every month. I hope this book finds a way to live on after the Star Wars license reverts to Marvel, but its ultimate fate is anyone's guess.

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That's it for me this week. Come back next time when I will be sharing my sudden disappointment at a particular series that has quickly become my favorite book on the stands.

And as always, if you disagree with me, then prove me wrong.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 11.07.2012

With the Kickstarter, and our aggressive advertising bringing in a lot of new people, I thought I would take this time to explain what this column is all about... for the first time. Each Wednesday, I pick four comics that deserve at least a glance. I tend to read a lot of Dark Horse and Dynamite, so you might notice a bias in that regard. I keep spoilers to a minimum, so no worries there.

And always, if you disagree with anything I say, then prove me wrong.

This week, we have samurai, witches, demons, and Vampire Slayers... Although probably not the one you're thinking of.

47 Ronin #1

Story by Mike Richardson, art by Stan Sakai
The story of the 47 Ronin is an old Japanese tale. In some strange way, it's almost the Japanese Christmas Carol. Not in the sense that a rich man learns to love life and spread good cheer because he has learned the true meaning of a national holiday, but more to the extent that it has been adapted more times than might possibly be beneficial for the advancement of human civilization. And yet, with every reinterpretation, writers manage to inform a new generation, and find new facets to the story people have not seen before.
It takes place in Feudel Japan during a time much like France during the reign of the Sun King. Lords live at the estates of other lords in a hierarchy geared towards direct control.
One Daimyo from the country is requested to stay with his lord and learn the ways of the court. The young Daimyo is disgusted by the crassness of his lord and does not take his verbal abuse lightly. This leads to a dispute which has become the seminal literary example of what it means to follow the Code of Bushido.
With so many adaptations, is it possible for Mike Richardson and Stan Sakai to breath new life into this story of 47 men who step outside of Japanese law to follow a greater code of honor?
Yes, I believe there is. Having watched several adaptations of the 47 Ronin ("Chushingura" by Hiroshi Inagaki is an excellent one), they all feel somewhat flat. It's all incredibly well composed, but never quite makes a visceral connection with me. It could be lost in the East meets West translation, but beyond story beats, I tend to have trouble caring for the narrative's many characters. In this version, Sakai's art and Richardson's simplistic writing serve the story well. While it might tell a bit more than show, that was an aspect inherent in the original work. When one man chooses to speak the truth in a room full of liars, he must make his actions clear.
While a lot of people influenced by manga have fallen into the trap of pose-etic works of splash-page flash, Stan Sakai is firmly planted in the Osamu Tezuka school of art. While his characters are melodramatic, the setting is first and foremost. These incredibly expressive people live in a world with seasons and live in a world with a sky. There's something refreshing about seeing such attention to setting in a comic book, manga influenced or otherwise. And since the seasons play such an important part of the 47 Ronin story, Sakai really ensures you are able to enjoy them.
Few artists are able to show just how much fun they are having every time they put the brush to paper. Sakai's line is angular, but full of life. He is no stranger to large atmospheric crowd scenes, and this book is full of them. If you always wanted to see Stan Sakai's excellent cartooning, but find talking animals to be somewhat of a deal-breaker, then you definitely need to pick up this book.

Colder #1

Story by Paul Tobin, art by Juan Ferreyra
Dark Horse has a foot firmly planted in horror. While they may not have a strong brand for it like Avatar, a media darling like 30 Days of Night, or as robust a back-catalog as Vertigo, their general output tends towards the supernatural (Hellboy anyone?). Colder is the latest addition to the Dark Horse horror family and they promote the book as being "in the vein of Garth Ennis' "Preacher." Which is a very bold statement that may doom this series from the beginning. But Paul Tobin is certainly willing to try and live up to that moniker. But before you pick up this book and start expecting a philosophical debate about Christianity and the nature of God in modern society set against a Spaghetti Western backdrop, you need to put that idea right out of your head. This series (from the first issue anyhow) has seemingly much more in common with Alan Moore's recent Neonomicon (minus the squiggy sex bits). The world these people reside in feels much more like Lovecraft,s Insmouth than Ennis' journey through the "American Heartland." Its horror stems from a person's loss of control and the inability to trust their own mind instead of gore and sexploitation. All of that said, I'm excited to see where this series goes, if Paul Tobin is legitimately telling a lengthy 70+ issue epic, then I will stick with this series till the end.

The Shadow #7

Story by Victor Gischler, art byJack Herbert
After Garth Ennis' run on the Shadow came to a startling and quite sudden finale last month, Victor Gischler is given quite a strange place to start his arc... Ennis' Atomic Bomb gave a launch pad for any creator to swoop in and tell whatever tale they have in mind for the eternal man of mystery. Would it be a traditional heist gone awry? Perhaps an attempt on the city's water supply? Maybe stopping a faction of Nazis from gaining a foothold in England? No, Gischler has decided to tell a story that feels like a "Year 1" story, but has to be a "Year 300" story.
The Shadow encounters a man who possesses the same gift to mask people's empathy. He feels lost, as though someone has stopped him from being able to hear or see, but luckily they are masked from each other. Gischler does an excellent job of conveying Cranston's fragile state of mind, and Gischler's fortune cookie wisdom works quite well. But there is a major chronological rub that I don't want to spoil.
I gave Dynamite some credit and said "this is a new version of the character, and what I have known doesn't factor into THIS Lamont Cranston/Kent Allard," but the fact that they reprinted Chaykin's "Shadow: Blood and Judgement" and accepted it as canon, leads me to believe this serious could only take place AFTER those events. By that point, Cranston has encountered so many foes that have been capable of replicating his gifts, this would hardly be new for him. Yet The Shadow, through out the issue, acts as though this is within his first couple years of fighting crime. I can only assume that some editors have some major signals crossed.
I try really hard not to be a giant fanboy when it comes to the Shadow, but it's in my blood. I've been reading his stories, watching his serials, and listening to his radio dramas since I was a tiny tike, and his mythos is something I adore. I have given a lot of leeway to a lot of Shadow stories in the past (accepting Chaykin's Shadow was one of the most rewarding), but Gischler is treading a weird line for me. It's not bad, but he does something a lot of writers who are unfamiliar with the character tend to do, and that's assume he is Batman. Throughout the issue he is seen crouching, and behaving like the Dark Knight, and less like the enigmatic man who scouts out the situation first, then wreaks havoc with his twin .45s of justice! He is smoke, he is a spirit, not a dude that crouches on windowsills. Gischler's over-reliance on The Shadow's inner-monologue also destroys some of the mystery of the character. He is at his best when the reader does not know him, but is seen through the eyes of either victim or villain with only the blood curdling laugh as a warning.
"Dylan, could you hate this issue any more?" Yeah. I probably could. Because I actually enjoyed it a lot. While he "committed a lot of crimes" against my personal Shadow continuity, he managed to sell me on Lamont as a person in his early days as the Shadow and showed me the moment when The Shadow deems it is just fine to take a life. If he can tone down the Bruce Wayne, and amp up the cocky ace fighter-pilot, this could be an excellent series.

Willow #1

Story by Jeff Parker, art by Brian Ching
The Buffy-verse has gone through an epic sundering lately, with every character getting their own title. Buffy Season 9 progresses the Slayer's life in the 21st Century with its usual witty satire of popular culture and modern societal norms. Angel & Faith has become the island of misfit toys for all of Buffy & Angel's forgotten yet beloved characters, and Spike's book is... er... a book with Spike in it.
Since Willow hasn't had her own series before, but is such a fan favorite and major player in the Buffy-verse, this series has a bit of anticipation to live up to. Luckily, Jeff Parker is able to deliver. This issue juggles three things rather effortlessly. It ties up where it spins out of Angel & Faith, it presents the reader with everything they need to know about Willow if they have never read or seen any other Buffy stories, AND it sets up the series for the foreseeable future. Jeff Parker gives Willow a task that is big enough that it warrants a solo-series away from everyone else. Willow must dimension hop in order to find a new hold for the Earth's magic after Buffy destroyed it "last season." And as an opening act, Jeff Parker has taken her into the world of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland. Supposedly, when Lewis Carrol was dreaming up this classic surrealist satire, he was actually visiting this world just beyond our own. Not the most original idea assuredly, but if this series becomes Willow dimension hopping through classic literature and mythology then bring it on, Jeff Parker! I can't wait!

That's it for this week's picks, see you next week for more of my favorite books on the shelves!

Dylan's Sequential Theology 10.24.2012

Dynamite has the bulk of my picks this week, but Dark Horse has the always excellent Dark Horse Presents which is full of content to the point that it's almost sensory overload. So in a way, it's a tie.

Chosen #1
Story by Chuck Dixon & Gotham Chopra, art by Diego Latorre
I tend to be a bit skeptical about books with covers that look like they were left-over art from Hot-Topic t-shirts, but this book worked quite well for me. A teenager in Detroit discovers he is the latest incarnation of the Buddha... well, possibly. An order of monks show up at his house when he is a baby and explain to his parents that he is the chosen one and destined for greatness. The parents send the monks away saying they are crazy bald headed freaks and their kid needs to enjoy the fruits of the Detroit public school education. The monks need their savior and return a few years later to kidnap the child and all goes horribly wrong. Flash forward again to the teenage Chosen One, and he is constantly getting into fights and doing poorly in school. He has the wisdom and steadfastness of the Buddha, but the inner rage of Ananda. He is vicious and does not know how to control his temper.
If this sounds familiar, it probably is. It's kind of like Little Buddha on steroids with a twinge of Fight Club. And to be honest, that's what I would expect from a Western reincarnation of the Buddha. Lots of pent up hostility, and a skepticism of authority. Chuck Dixon & Gotham Chopra actually do a great job of bringing the prophecy of the next Buddha to comics. It's been done before by Jodorowsky in his series White Lama, but this is much more of an urban machismo comic than a contemplative comic discussing the nature of reality. If you want a Punk Rock Lama, this will do nicely in your pull list. It will be interesting if it's somewhat over-the-top storylines ever balance, or if they continue to seem oddly comical, but it's still a fun ride all the same.

Dark Horse Presents #17
 This magazine is excellent. Getting this every month is such a treat. It's 80 pages of varied and excellent content for $8. You get to try out new series from creators before Dark Horse publishes them individually, and it also as reprints of old masters at an affordable price. This time around I wanted to highlight two stories I'm really enjoying.

Aliens: Inhuman Condition
Art by Sam Keith Story by John Layman
I put Sam Keith ahead of John Layman on this one because he is the star of this tale. Layman's story is excellent, and quite terrifying. It might be a little overcomplicated, and certain elements are impossible to resolve, bit it's quite chilling. All of this is amazingly augmented by Sam Keith's art. If you've never read the Maxx, here's a quick way to see the art of one of the greatest artists of "the Image revolution." His work is atmospheric and drippy, scratchy and frenetic. It hits you in young-primal part of your brain and feeds those pieces that barely understand what the human form looks like. And this tale of a woman shaken by a traumatic experience into a state child-like regression is the perfect place for his work. It should be collected in a hardcover sometime next year, and you should take a look at it.

The Deep Sea 
Story by Palmiotti & Gray, Art by Tony Akins, Paul Mounts
Palmiotti and Gray are doing an interesting take on the Fantastic Four in this story... or at least four people have had an accident while testing a bathysphere and wound up traveling fifty years into the future. The character moments in this story are incredibly touching. And the art has a similar look to the sentimental sequences in Creep. A little hazy, pastel pallet, but clean. Definitely a story that's worth your time.

Mind MGMT #6 

Mise en Scene by Matt Kindt

This ends the first arc of Mind MGMT. If you aren't reading this series, you should be. The further down the rabbit hole you go, the more you question everything. Are the Immortals even real? If Lyme can make anyone around him feel anything he wants them to, could they actually be a manifestation of his self-aspect that he doesn't want to deal with? I'm probably reaching, but when your main character has the subconscious drive to influence the thoughts and feelings of those around you to the extent that he doesn't know he's doing it, all bets are off to begin with.

Shadow #6
Story by Garth Ennis, Art by Aaron Campbell
Normally I'm not a fan of Alex Ross covers, but his cover for this issue is excellent. A great riff on the old pulp covers of George Rozen.
Until the past two issues, this series hasn't really done much for me. Margot Lane has been a non-entity, Cranston isn't likable in the slightest, and everyone walks around explaining their plan, and how their plan suddenly won't work because someone has ruined it. But Garth Ennis now seemed to be at a place where he knew what he was trying to do, instead of just paddling out to sea hoping he'd find land eventually. And the beach his boat lands on, is pretty exploitative. Ennis makes The Shadow's visit to the Orient the major turning point that gives the Allies the tools they need to fuel the atomic bomb. It's a clever piece of misdirection on his part. He sells you on the idea that the Japanese have built a hokey death ray a-la a Republic Serial, but in fact, their invention can be used for something more terrifying. Who knew? THE SHADOW KNOWS!!!
But I shouldn't be shocked by this somewhat blunt use of history. It's expected not only of Ennis, but the Shadow as well. Fans of the Helfer series from the 80s may remember the first annual (drawn by the great Joe Orlando) which featured a woman having sex with her radiation poisoned husband, who survived a brush with the atomic bomb, because she thought their child would become the Atomic Jesus. Say it with me, "Atomic Jesus!"
Ennis doesn't shy away from the blood and guts of the pulps either. Instead of being theatrical with his powers as he is often portrayed. The Shadow shows up and mows down everyone, laughing while he does it. A quirk that Ennis pins on his psychopathic distance from humanity, instead of an affectation designed to scare his opponents. There's more going on under the surface in this series, but it's rather decompressed. Considering this is Ennis' last issue before Victor Gischler takes over next month, it's an epic ending, but might have been a lot better if his story had been plotted a little stronger.

That's it this week. Thanks for reading. And as always, if you disagree with me then prove me wrong.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 08.22.2012

This week, I've got quite a few books to recommend and one actual trade that is now available for pre-order because I can't stop talking about it! As always, lots of Dark Horse, and a couple Dynamite. There's a new creative team on Vampirella, Matt Kindt's continually amazing work on Mind MGMT, another giant issue of Dark Horse Presents, and lastly but not leastly, SIGURD DRAGONSBANE!

Dark Horse Presents #15

A lot of people did a lot of stuff.

Dark Horse Presents may be pricey, but there is easily enough content to warrant the $8 price tag. Each month the book is filled to the brim with talented comic artists from past an present playing in just about every genre from comedy to tragedy. Honestly, if I were only able to spend $8 a month on comics, this series is all I would need.

Sadly, there's a lot in here and I have a lot of other books to talk about, so I'll give you the bullet points for why you should pick up this pricey book this time around.

• David Chelsea's stream of consciousness Girl With the Keyhole Eyes is something you can't really be prepared for.
• Rex Mundi.
• More Sam Keith drawing Xenomorphs. And a cold terrifying sadness in the pit of your stomach.
• Nate Cosby and Evan Shaners' Buddy Cops NEEDS have its own monthly series. No, it needs to be twice monthly. It needs to never end. Read the funny pages people! Laugh at the robot! HE DOESN'T THINK LIKE YOU!
• Twisted tales of romance from Kim W. Andersson's Love Hurts
• More Sabertooth Vampire!

This issue is also fantastic because it includes the second chapter of the BEST trade paperback I read this week...

RIVEN
Story by Bo Hampton & Robert Tinnell, Art by Bo Hampton

When most people ask "Vampires or Werewolves" there's an instant gut reaction. It calls out from our very core. Mine, is werewolves. BUT I hate their portrayal in popular culture. There has only been a handful of good werewolf movies American Werewolf in London, Wolf, The Howling & Ginger Snaps. Compare that to the veritable nonstop onslaught of excellent vampire movies. And I'm sorry, but there is no way Twilight can even remotely destroy the greatness of Interview With a Vampire, Nosferatu, Shadow of the Vampire, Dracula, Underworld, 30 Days of Night, Blade, Let the Right One In, The Hunger, The Nightwatch Trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Francis Ford Coppola's new film Twixt is a fantastic vampire film that needs to be on every vampire fan's must-see list.

As a quite often disappointed werewolf fan, I can't recommend this book enough. This is the best werewolf movie I've never seen. It's available for pre-order on Dark Horse's website and if you are a werewolf fan, I STRONGLY urge you to do so.

Bo Hampton's watercolors lend an incredible atmosphere to this tale of one girl's coming of age under very supernatural circumstances. And for a werewolf story, it succeeds where so many others fail. So many werewolf stories get caught up in the fact that the person can transform, that they forget about the person at the heart of the story. Bo manages to let you into the mind of a girl who is not only displaced due to her linage, but also a very strange condition... Even if the characters are a little simplistic at times and the ending can be seen from a ways off, Bo still tells a fantastic werewolf story that I can't shut up about.

Mind MGMT #4
Mise En Scene by Matt Kindt

As we continue to tumble down the rabbit hole, Matt Kindt shows us the incredible good that mind altering can bring, and the constant questions it presents as its user begins to unravel. Lyme tells the story of his time learning at Mind MGMT and what it's like to be trained from a very early age to control the motives of others. He talks about the first time he used his abilities to stop a kid from bullying him, and the repercussions put most tales of Catholic guilt to shame. He has a desire to do good in the world, and ensure the happiness of the people around him, be he doesn't know if tinkering with them is the right way to get it. Life inside the Mind MGMT compound is a constant struggle between the people who want to use these children's gifts as weapons, and the children whose overwhelming empathy makes them desire to never harm a living thing.  The section where Lyme talks about his involvement in the first Iraq war was just one more lightbulb in this series subtle way of making you reexamine your world. 

Matt Kindt's art continues to impress as the form of this book ads layers to its content. His watercolor brushwork is not complicated over rendering, but his gesture puts a piece of himself onto the page, and that texture plays up the desire for humanity in a world whose aim is to make a world without them.

Vampirella #21
Story by Brandon Jerwa, Illustration by Heubert Khan Michael

Yet another Vampirella issue I feel perfectly justified recommending to anyone that loves seeing strong female characters and vampire themed superheroics. Especially with all of the Buffy reviews I've been doing here. If I were Dynamite, I would be shouting this new creative team to the heavens! This creative team classes this book up a good ten notches from where it has been.

The last storyline was miserable. Terrible murky art, and monsters that looked like seedlings from Little Shop of Horrors. And the artist had serious difficulties rendering her costume in motion (ahem). But Heubert Khan Michael has given this book a much more Marvel house style akin to Leonard Kirk or Stewart Immonen. Which subconsciously tones down that she's running around wearing implausible fabric (one can only assume it's made of unstable molecules). 

But I digress. I'm not well versed with the Vampirella universe so if the people they reference, aside from Vampirella herself, are supposed to mean something to me, I can honestly say they don't. But Heubert Khan Michael does a great job of using contemporary comic book language to at least sell the moment as something interesting.

Brandon Jerwa has Vampirella facing off against the Inquisition with cosmic deities cheering her on from the side lines. Think Dan Brown's DaVinci Code if Vampirella were the main character. It's just a heck of a lot of fun watching her beating up cardinals and trying to save her friend who is possessed by an evil spirit who may or may not have been a Nazi. Why wouldn't you want to buy that?

Okay, so the costume's a little off-putting. My feminist ideologies continue to do battle with Vampirella's costume, but the fact that the overtly sexist costume was designed by none other than Indie Comix legend Trina Robbins, and that Vampirella is a strong female character that more often that not doesn't feel like a "dude with boobs" tends to win out. 

I have a bigger difficulty with the men that are choosing how to promote the character. Three of the variant covers for this book are just absurd and solely exist to titillate in the most childish way. With a character like this it can be a difficult tightrope to walk between disgusting chauvinism, and female empowerment.

Seriously, it's a great read and I hope this team stays on the book for a long time.

Kirby: Genesis-Dragonsbane #3
Story Robert Rodi, Illustrated by Fritz Casas

Did you ever want to read a team-up with Thor and Hercules but without the Marvel Universe attached? I give you Sigurd Dragonsbane, the Mighty Ulysses and the NORSE GOD SQUAD! It really is a Thor book without Thor. As I was reading this issue I became more and more fascinated with Kirby's interest in creating these characters to begin with. Why would he feel the need to revisit Asgard? They aren't entirely the same, but the Kirby designs make it impossible to overlook. 

The plot of this series revolves around the worlds of myth beginning to merge and all of the gods are entwining into each others legends. So a Turkish goddess is being rescued and returned to her homeland by Sigurd and Ulysses, along the way they meet a terrible demon and mad monk. It's simple fantasy stuff, but the scale of their powers and their deity status makes their interactions preposterously awesome, especially with Kirby's technicolor yawn suits. Definitely worth a look if you are in the mood for superheroics next to godliness. 

As always, do you disagree with me? Prove me wrong.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 08.15.2012

BIG week for me on the Dynamite front. Also, a rather violent one... Which is not always my cup of tea, but you can't always help what's in the pull box (or uploaded to your digital comics service). And we also have an issue of Saga, which is actually the first since our indie spotlight episode! Not much for people under 17 this time around, unfortunately. As always, disagree with my picks? Prove me wrong.

Saga #6
Story by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples

Despite all the wonderful press the first issue received, I was not completely sold on this series based solely on those first issues. In fact, it took up until issue 4 for me to finally get into the series and really buy into the world Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples had created. The world was fun, but never really hooked me. It felt like a bunch of crazy ideas that didn't add up to much. 

Yes. Two alien "star-crossed" lovers are running away from evil bounty hunters. They need to get off the planet and save their newborn child. TV headed aliens speak in random images on their faces. It's all good stuff, don't get me wrong. It still wasn't as "human" as some of the Brian K Vaughan work I've come to know and love, and have missed since his departure from comics in order to write for Lost. 

He's a master of twist endings spawned from pleasantly simple hooks that kept you coming back for more, but this series is a SAGA. A giant intergalactic implausible superstory that is beautifully rendered by Fiana staples. There is little for me to anchor myself to aside from the character's speech patterns which is decidedly modern. But now, it seems like Brian K Vaughan knows where he's going and isn't just setting up chess pieces. I get the feeling this first book will read MUCH better in trade, but his writing style is such that it's amazingly memorable from month to month and never feel lost after a thirty day gap. Fiona Staples art on this really does make this book one of the best books on the shelves right now. It's hard to deny that there is nothing as elegant, refined and as clean out there. It could be her digital process, but it really doesn't matter. Each issue feels like an art object, and the decision to print this book on whatever nicer grade paper they are using is definitely worth it. Im sure the colors SING on this book in the digital format, and I'm sure Chris will discuss it when we feature the first volume on the podcast in due time.

This issue brings the first arc to a close. I laughed out loud twice, and finally got the cliffhanger I'd been waiting for. Thank you Brian K. Vaughan. It's great to have you back.

Michael Avon Oeming's The Victories #1

Mise En Scene Michael Avon Oeming

If Frank Miller were any more insane, this is the book he would write. A man and a woman are having a romantic carriage ride through the park when a vigilante named the Jackel attacks them. The man  turns out to be a crooked judge and the Jackel wants to have him pay for his crimes against the city and its innocent populous. The man agrees that he is guilty and says he SHOULD be punished for the crimes he has committed for they weigh heavily on his soul, but the Jackel should leave his innocent wife alone. The Jackel scoffs and says that denial is a crime just as horrible and that she must now witness the brutal murder of her husband. 

Once the Jackel is done with his grizzly brand of justice (which at its most polite involves severing the man's head from his body), a "superhero" named Faust shows up to save the day! 

Er... 

Well... 

Faust does admit that he is sorry for being late. The two battle for a few pages and discuss the difference between the Jackel's brand of justice and Faust's desire to uphold the status quo. Jackel insists that there is little difference between the two of them and they share a Dark Knight "are you going to kill me?" moment. Faust is brought to the breaking point and is in a horrible state at the end of the issue. He may act like Robin when he's acrobatically fighting with the Jackal, but he's emotionally angst-ridden like Batman when he takes his mask off. This duality is rather intriguing and I can't wait to see it explored further in future issues.

Michael Avon Oeming has a great concept for a series with Faust... wait... This series is called The Victories... In the last few pages, news reporters (courtesy of Frank Miller's Geek Chorus) explain that The Victories are this world's somewhat lawless superhero team and that maybe Faust is the most normal of the bunch. As this five issue series unfolds we will surely get to see the rest of this team and the off-kilter world they inhabit.

Oeming's art on this series is excellent. His flat style always seems like cave paintings to me, and while it's not always fitting for a superhero book, his action is fantastic! I can't wait to meet the rest of The Victories and see what other Superhero tropes Oeming decides to lampoon.

Pathfinder #1
Story by Jim Zubkavich, and illustrated by Andrew Huerta

Brief history lesson: There's a role playing game called Dungeons and Dragons which involves people sitting around a table rolling dice and eating pizza while talking about movies and what they saw on tv since they last got together. Over the course of four hours of this, dragons are slain, treasure is recovered, towns are saved and friendships are forged on the battlefield. A few years back, some of the people that make this game said "we have a better idea for how people should roll dice while eating pizza" and created a seperate game using a lot of the old ideas. They called it Pathfinder. This is the comic.

Also, over at Image there's a book called Skullkickers which is kind of like the best parts of the Dungeons and Dragons movie mixed with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. But better than that. It's received a good deal of acclaim amongst Fantasy comic enthusiasts and has even crossed over with the Princeless universe. Naturally, when Dynamite needed to create a fantasy comic featuring the continuing adventures of the Pathfinder Archetype characters, they called Skullkickers' creator Jim Zubkavich to bring these characters to life.

With all of that noteriety walking in to it, does this book live up to the hype? For me, not really. There's a lot of great stuff going on here. You're dropped into the action as the main characters are attacked by a horde of plague infected goblins, they go to an inn and get into further fights, and then they leave town with a newly formed party to find the source of the goblin infestation. Classic D&D campain stuff. But my issues weren't with the plot, but the manga UBERarmor in the concept designs. It's really never been my cup of tea. I understand that protection is key when facing off against large creatures that can spit hot fire, but maneuverability has always seemed more important to me. And Andrew Huerta's art only serves to make me want sleeker armor. His art is frenetic, and if it were more densely laidout it could certainly go toe to toe with certain Fantasy manga. Record of Lodoss War and Berserk come to mind but not NEARLY as twisted as Berserk! The sparceness beyond the figures makes me feel like Im looking at action figures on a playset instead of really being pulled into the world. Also the dialog is a little weak. There were several points where I felt like Jim Zubkavich was trying to be clever and twist a cliche on its ear, but really just added an extra line of dialog that wound up making character exchanges feel clumsy.

The big issue with Fantasy stories is how generic they can feel. The mighty barbarian, the wizened wizard, the kindly cleric, all stock characters that never quite get past their archetype and this book (despite giving you the feeling that you have been journeying with this charaters for years), never quite makes you care for any of them. Maybe that will change, but considering the blank slate Jim Zubkavich had to work with, he did not do much to break expectations in this first issue.

Jennifer Blood #15 (im)Mature Readers
Story by Al Ewing, illustrated by Kewber Baal

More shock and crazy violence from Al Ewing this week. I gotta say, this title is growing on me. It's definitely a (im)Mature Readers book, so kids ask your parents for permission before you plunk down your shekels. Al Ewing makes no apologies for that. When Jennifer Blood takes revenge against the woman that has been sleeping with her husband, it is grizzly, naked and epic. I was repulsed and taken aback but also thought WHY THE HELL NOT!? She hates this person and she's a sadistic soccer mom. She's going to reach inside herself and come up with the most demeaning death she can think of! Does this panel of naked torture death elevate the medium to a place of fine art? No. But that's not why anyone is reading this book in the first place. Watching a suburban mom go "Reservoir Dogs" on people is a gimick for sure, and it drives everything in this series, but Al Ewing does a great job of dragging the reader through the narrative by the nosehairs. The previous issues I've read focused on the unlikeable (definitely intentional) supporting cast and just made Jennifer out to be the irritating stereotype of the nagging housewife. This issue she finally cuts loose and shows what happens when you mess with her suburban paradise. It's a bit like Breaking Bad on mescaline as every little problem in life is cranked up to eleven, and if your looking for a homicidal romp with a strong female lead, than look no further.

Vampirella Vs. Dracula #6
Story by Joe Harris, illustrated by Ivan Rodriguez

"DYNAMITE SHOULD BE RAKED OVER THE COALS FOR CASHING IN ON THIS ALAN MOORE CONCEPT! THIS IS AN OBVIOUS CASH GRAB THAT SULLIES THE OEUVRE OF ONE OF COMICS' GREATEST CREATORS!"
-Said no one on the internet... ever.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 08.01.2012

It's Wednesday again! This time around we've got a pretty odd bunch. A lot on the Dynamite side, and one from Dark Horse which is an interesting companion to our Featured Book this month Black Sad. Check them out before you leave your LCS, or while you're on your lunch break.

BEASTS OF BURDEN: NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, ONE-SHOT

Story by Evan Dorkin, Drawn by Jill Thompson

This stand-alone issue contains three stories about animals fighting supernatural foes. Imagine "Lady and the Tramp: Vampire Hunters" and you're most of the way there. And unlike a lot of books where the artist seems to have never seen a dog, Jill Thompson's animals have a diversity of identity, and natural expression that is cartoony, and animalistic, but NEVER human. It's great to see an artist capture those characteristics with such clarity and in amazing watercolors that capture natural light, and mood as the scene calls for it. With plenty of modern monthly comics relying on basic photoshop flats, this book really makes you sit up and take notice of its craft. The addition of basilisks, ghosts, and goblins are just icing on the cake. Evan Dorkin's writing gives each animal a personality all their own and makes these suburban protectors a team to be reckoned with. 

I'm not one for talking animals as a general rule, unless it's the "Adventures of Milo & Otis" or "Secret of Nymn," and this certainly brought those two films to mind. Honestly, this book is the kind of book I always want to see more of in the American marketplace. Well crafted art, excellent stories, and a concept that has no "readily apparent audience."

As with a lot of the books I've started reading since this column began, this is my first time reading something from this "universe." While snooping around to find out a little more about the series, I discovered Dark Horse has the first issue of the previous mini-series available for free. Along with a smattering of their other titles for you to try. If you are craving more Beasts of Burden, and can't wait to buy the hardcover collection, it will tide you over for a minute or two. 

THE NINJETTES #6 (of 6)

Story by Al Ewing, drawn by Eman Casallos

I have a lot of issues with the Jennifer Blood series. It always feels like a lot of lampooning shock for shock's sake. Mark Millar on steroids, or an Eli Roth movie set on a Zack Snyder sound-stage. And sometimes I'm up for that as long as the plotting is tight and I'm never able to realize what I'm reading. Every character is horribly flawed, there's not much to root for, and everyone will die a terrible death.  If I can't be strung along at break neck speeds, it tends to become a plodding mass of disinterest and I find my mind drifting off to other books about things might have something to say instead of one giant adolescent rape joke for 22 pages. If that's your thing, more power to you. BUT this issue (despite suffering from all of the above mentioned "problems") had an interesting idea that the Ninjettes concept is merely a brand, and someone else can simply take their identity for themselves and use it to their own ends. And not in an ernest "someone must cary on the Batman legacy" more of a "lets use their name to our advantage and get rich as hell." It's not high art, but I was a fun ride. Definitely made the other issues  in this mini-series worth it.

THE SPIDER #4

Story by David Liss, drawn by Colton Worley

Dynamite has resurrected two pulp heros recently and it was kind of controversial that one of them didn't get to keep his 30s roots. Pulp heroes are pretty generic by today's bombastic standards. The old Spider (who Stan Lee has sometimes sited as a loose name inspiration for Spider-Man) was one of those ilk. He wore a trench coat, and fedora and solved crimes with a gun. And bringing these heroes back, much less bringing them into the modern era can be a tough sell. They don't get the benefit of their backdrop to round them out, and their fellow cast can feel immediately dated when updated for a modern audience (why are there so many web developer friends?). Pulp hero motivations also tended to be little more than "I am in a book where I solve crimes." And their identities were less important than reading about them shooting people. But this lack of characterization, presents a list of fun challenges for writers willing to tackle these lost or forgotten characters. 

How do you make them stick with todays audiences? Their blank slate nature makes them quite difficult to deal with but also freeing. David Liss has given Richard a stock cast of cops and friends to play off of when he's not running around as the Spider, but they don't seem to rise above their type. Since he's got The Spider facing biological warfare perpetrated by someone running around dressed like an Egyptian god, I can see the "battling the supernatural with science" angle and that has a certain appeal. But it's not really pulling me in. It feels as though he doesn't want to put too many marks on the chalkboard just in case it winds up not working.

What has me really excited about this series is Colton Worley's art. The Spider has been rocketed into the modern era with art that puts him squarely in the 21st Century. Colton Worley digitally augments photos for every panel. It's very similar to Josh Finney & Kat Rocha's style, although it feels a bit flatter and at times like it is being drawn with chalk. Colton occasionally chooses the wrong photo for the character's action, an it can really pull you out of the moment, but when he does an action scene with the Spider in his crazy Alex Ross' "Venom of Earth-X" look, it reminds you why you're putting up with the sometimes dull characters. Last issue was particularly rough, but this time around Colton seems to be getting better performances from his actors which in turn, helps David Liss' scripts. It's certainly worth browsing just to see the art.

THE SHADOW #4

Story by Garth Ennis, drawn by Aaron Campbell

I am a huge fan of The Shadow. When I was little, my dad gave me a stack of issues from the 70s, and a bunch of tapes of the old radio drama, I've been hooked ever since. I've seen all six of the movies, and read at least a couple issues of every comic incarnation (except the Archie "masked hero"). So after a decade of absence from the comic book world, Dynamite announcing this series, got this fanboy very excited. His personae has always oscillates back and forth between being more like Batman or The Punisher with a supernatural bent, so having Garth Ennis' on the title truly seemed like a no brainer. The  grizzly realism he gives comic book violence, makes him an incredible fit for this character. And Aaron Campbell's an excellent pulp artist. His characters costumes always immerse you in their era and his layouts bleed the supernatural into the Shadow's world. Ennis has been doling out information in this book at a rate of one jewel per-issue. It's been almost agonizingly slow as each month I learn one more small piece of the puzzle. Sadly, the puzzle seems to be "where is this all going?" Lamont Cranston wealthy young man about town, has been courted by the U.S. Government to go to China and help them stop Japanese officials and a Japanese warlord from getting their hands on a doomsday device. Little do U.S. officials know, Cranston is in reality The Shadow! And he seeks to ensure that Japan ally with Germany to ensure that WWII ends swiftly... Somehow.

It's a simple premiss, and Ennis uses the time frame to great effect. It feels like a pulp novel taken very seriously. The over-the-top elements have been scrubbed clean and his "evil warlord" is not at all what one would expect from a globe trotting tale of adventure and intrigue. The Shadow and his powers are the only arch and supernatural part of the series and he uses them very sparingly. Yet there is mention of the secluded mountain temple where ancient mystics seem to reform criminals and send them out to do good in the world... perhaps 

As always, if disagree with me, then prove me wrong.

Dylan's Sequential Theology 07.11.2012

This is my pick list for Wednesday July 11th 2012. So when you're at your local comic shop, give these books a look.

Kirby Genesis #8

It's the final chapter of Kurt Busiek's first arc, and it is most assuredly epic. Every character is punching everything, and gods appear in the sky and look ominous while judging life on this planet.

Nestled within its bombastic fist kicking, Busiek has an interesting idea about the nature of gods, and consequentially the Kirby-verse itself, that really represents what makes this line of comics so unexpectedly compelling for me.

Kirby's original work had very little to distinguish mortals from gods due to his overly operatic, and seemingly techno-organic costume designs and signature facial structures, which tended to transport the reader to another world entirely from the get go. But Kirby Genesis has cracked that nut with the addition of Alex Ross' paintings.  I normally loath Alex Ross' colors because they seem weirdly unnatural, but here they really emphasize the celestial nature of the Primals when they are in the same panel with Jack Herbert's line art. Sometimes a weakness can become a strength and I really don't think I've ever enjoyed his work more than in this particular context. If you're not reading this line of comics, Kirby Genesis #9 would be an great place to start. Just sit back, relax and let the intergalactic insanity sweep you up in all of its chaotic glory.

I know I personally can't wait to read more comics with Sigurd Dragonsbane.

Buffy Season 9 #11

I was so excited by the announcement of Buffy Season 8, and bought the first two story arcs before promptly losing interest. It felt too much like a comic book adaptation of the show, and not the series in comic book form... Confused yet? My big problem with the Buffy comics had always been the constant need to say "What if Buffy were a comic book character?" and not "What if we just kept making Buffy episodes but they happened to be on a two dimensional page with an unlimited budget and word balloons that can act?" That's what this issue was for me. They finally hit that sweet spot of what it was like to watch Buffy. 

This storyline focuses on Buffy getting work as a bodyguard in a world where demons, and vampires are public knowledge, and slayers are no longer humanities secret protectors. Of course, Buffy is terrible at it because she confuses every demon for a potential threat and her boss (another former slayer) thinks she's not cut out for this line of work. It's a fun flip of the status-quo and I'm shocked it never happened in the tv series.

Andrew Chambliss wrote several episodes of Dollhouse, Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time. And his TV pedigree in the fantasy genre, and his work experience with Whedon evident. He has a really strong understanding of these character's voices and his Buffy fandom shines through without feeling like a Joss Whedon imitation. Georges Jeanty's art gives his characters the expressiveness they need and a level of photorealism that is not too intrusive.

I've heard some interesting things about the previous arc that had me intrigued about the series and while I'm coming in late, I'm happy I did.

Massive #2

The first thing I said when I picked up this book was, "this art is fantastic!" Kristian Donaldson brings a Pia Guerra feeling to this book with a somehow colder line. The book focuses on the crew of the Kapital as they hunt for their sister ship The Massive. Brian Wood's main character has devoted his life to saving the world from ecological disaster, and within the past few years every horrible catastrophe has happened all at once. They sale the seas while searching for the Massive, and show what a world would look like after all has ended. Brian Wood has a fun time playing futurist and creates a Hong Kong I kind of wish existed today. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the world has fared, and what else the oceans have in store for the crew of the Kapital. The single issues also have exclusive material in the back which adds additional layers to the story so far so don't pass it over just because it ain't got pictures. This series is definitely worth your time and since it's only on issue 2, how can you pass that up?

Eerie #1

Recently, Dark Horse has resurrected the old Creepy and Eerie line from Warren publishing, and they have taken a brilliant tact with the price/content of the two sibling magazines. If Creepy's $4.99 price point is too rich for your blood, the $2.99 Eerie has sixteen fewer pages, without a single dip in quality. Both are "black and white" anthology titles featuring stories by incredible writers and artists from comic's past and present.

I love horror films, but I am willing to write one off entirely if there is more than two jump scares. Luckily it is nearly impossible to have a jump scare in the comic medium unless it's your big twist. The  stories live and die by their art. The old Warren and EC comics had plenty of amazing artists that were able to give you a grizzly image or a sudden twist that could save a pretty humdrum story, but David Lapham's "A Robot For Your Thoughts" in this issue has done something truly rare and manages to get inside your logic processor and rewire you from within, and it will be very hard for future artists and writers to top it. His twist is not just "THEY WERE PLAYING SOFTBALL WITH A HUMAN HEAD!" but something far more chilling both in thought and... execution.

The other three stories in this volume are a little more standard in their approach, one body invasion chill, one tail of astronauts discovering ancient life on a foreign planet, and one rather haunting Frankenstein inspired yarn written by Bruce Jones and lovingly airbrushed by Richard Corben entitled "Child" that makes this comic three bucks well spent.

What issues are you looking forward to this week?