The Last Resort #1

July 18, 2009

The Last Resort #1 (IDW Publishing)
By Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Amanda Conner

One could easily make the argument that we’re inundated with zombie comics these days, but as long as we’re getting a good one, I really don’t mind. The first issue of The Last Resort is a pretty good one. It reads very much like the first act of a movie. There’s an opening scene where someone clearly infected with a zombie virus washes up on the shores of a tropical resort, then we switch to New York City, where a fairly large cast of characters — most of whom have no relation to one another — are preparing to board a plane to that same resort. The issue is mostly about establishing these various people and getting them there in time for the big cliffhanger ending. As such, the zombie action is fairly limited in this first issue, but there’s a lot of good comedy and character development, as well as a pretty big shocker at the end. Giancarlo Caracuzzo handles the art here, and it’s pretty good. His line work is fine, although the color palette is a little more muted than the tone would seem to indicate is proper. Still, if you like zombie comics, this is one worth checking out. If you feel burned out on them, take look anyway, because this is different enough to be worth your time.
Rating: 8/10

PVP (2003 Series) #17

May 15, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

Like so many comic fans before them, will the lure of a great trade paperback selection be the downfall of Cole Richards and Brent Sienna?

Writer: Scott Kurtz
Art: Scott Kurtz
Cover Art: Scott Kurtz
Publisher: Image Comics

Last year Scott Kurtz took part in the nationwide 24-Hour Comic Day, an effort by hundreds of cartoonists to take up Scott McCloud’s legendary challenge to write and draw a complete 24-page comic book in 24 hours. Kurtz modified the challenge a bit – instead doing 24 comic strips in that time – and the result is one of the funniest PVP storylines yet. When Cole learns of a comic book store with the greatest selection of trade paperbacks in the state, he convinces Brent to join him on the road trip. After a series of misadventures, our heroes wind up trapped in the store and forced to face the scourge of… Nerd Thieves.

This is a pretty simple story for PVP, only using two members of our extensive cast, but loaded with comic book in-jokes that should leave everyone who’s ever dealt with an overbearing comic shop owner in stitches. This is some of Kurtz’s parody at its best, with hysterically funny dialogue and flawless comedic timing (which is something far too many comic strip creators, sadly, just don’t have). I mean, really, it’s worth the price of admission just to see Brent declare himself Iron Thor.

In our back-up story, Cole freaks out when he suspects his arch-nemesis, Max Powers, may turn in PVP magazine for using illegally pirated software. His fears only increase when he discovers exactly how much software uber-geek Francis Ray Ottoman has loaded their computer system with. As he races to get things legal, Max begins sneaking around.

This story, aside from being a great piece on Francis, also shows just how effective Max is as a passive-aggressive supervillain. Without lifting a finger, just the fear of him sends our heroes into a panic, destroying themselves far more effectively than he ever could. It’s funny, funny stuff.

I gotta tell ya, I love this comic. I read it every weekday and I even enjoy the sketches Kurtz puts up over the weekends. Every time I pick up my comic books and find a new PVP waiting for me, even if I’ve read the stories online, I know I’ll be in for a smile.

Rating: 8/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #60

March 4, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Son of Apocalypse Part One

Back in the Age of Apocalypse, the Timebroker reveals a new mission – and a new teammate.

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Jim Calafiore
Publisher: Marvel Comics

For some time, my major criticism of this title was that it seemed like Tony Bedard was taking too long to get around to any real plot progression. The stories seemed rather generic and not specific to the Exiles, and the members of the team didn’t get their stories advanced much, if at all.

He’s making up for that now. The Timebroker has plunked the team back onto Blink’s world, known to comic fans as the universe of the Age of Apocalypse (just in time to coincide with the 10th anniversary specials of that same event, what a coinkydink) and replaced some of their members. The team’s disenchantment with the Timebroker’s mission grows this issue, especially when they learn what their new mission is.

This book feels like it’s finally rumbling towards a final confrontation with the mysterious and increasingly malevolent Timebroker, something that Bedard has slowly been brewing since taking this title over 15 issues ago. It make have taken a little while to get here, but this issue has really started to excite me.

Jim Calafiore returns to the art again this issue, and I must say, he’s just as good as the artist he trades off with. It’s been a while since I read any of the Apocalypse issues, but he fits the visuals of that world very well, and manages to show a progression of how that world looked some time after its conclusion and supposed destruction. (I’m assuming the other issues being released this week give some sort of explanation as to how it escaped nuclear devastation, they seem to brush past it in this issue).

Next issue is labeled as the last part of this arc, but future covers would seem to indicate that there’s a good bit more to go through before the main story is over. I’m quite anxious to see how it plays out.

Rating: 8/10

Bite Club #3

June 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Men Are From Mars, Women Are Intravenous

Father Leto makes his decision on the family business.

Writers: Howard Chaykin & David Tischman
Art:David Hahn
Colors: Brian Miller
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Shelly Bond
Cover Art: Frank Quietly
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

Chaykin and Tischman’s vampire mob story continues, and it keeps getting better. As Father Leto remains torn between his vows to the church and the calling to take over his family’s mob operations, his sister Risa continues to pull the strings behind the scenes. Meanwhile Leto’s old girlfriend Carrie, who was Risa’s best friend in high school until she screwed them both over, returns to town.

A new discovery this issue also tempts Leto with the possibility of turning the entire business legit. There’s a touch of science fiction in here, with the idea of using a vampire’s blood both as a narcotic and as a solution for a very real medical problem in our own world, so the writers add layers of yet another genre to a book that was already defying classification. Part horror, part crime drama, and now part speculative fiction, the important thing is that the book is all smart and fun to read. Leto’s struggles are understandable, wavering between the church, his family and his own desires.

David Hahn was unknown to me as an artist before this series, but he is a perfect match for it. His characters are almost cartoonish enough to fit in with the Batman Adventures art style, but small touches make them a little more realistic and a lot grittier. Risa oozes sensuality and Leto comes across visually as a very young man carrying a very large burden. Brian Miller’s colors also work very well on this book, using uniform color palettes for each scene, but somehow working a lot better than when he uses a similar trick in the DC Focus line.

Vertigo, at its best, has always been a line that has succeeded by putting familiar elements together in unfamiliar ways, and Bite Club is another fine example of that. With the miniseries half-over, I sincerely hope they come back to these characters in the future.

Rating: 8/10

Donald Duck and Friends #349

January 9, 2010

Donald Duck and Friends #349 (Boom! Kids)
Fausto Vitaliano, Marco Bosco, Vitale Mangiatordi, Marco Mazzarello, Saida Temofonte, Stefania Bronzoni & Magic Eye Studios

Secret Agent Double Duck’s next assignment sends him undercover as a waiter for a fancy party. The host is the secret head of a criminal empire, and Donald is just the man to hunt him down. What he didn’t know, however, is that Gladstone, Daisy, and Uncle Scrooge will all be in attendance, and Donald Duck’s pride may just screw up Double Duck’s mission. This is a nice little story here. Seeing Donald’s natural personality come into conflict with his new duties as a super-spy makes for some nice comedic moments, and the second story (a continuation of the first) injects more laughs into the book. Donald breaks the fourth wall here a few times, talking directly to the audience, but that’s never really a problem. It happens when it’s funny, and it doesn’t disrupt the flow. Good issue.
Rating: 8/10

Cable and Deadpool #44

August 20, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Head Games
Rating: T+

Cable dead? Deadpool beheaded? Wolverine versus the Penetrator!

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Ron Lim
Inks: Jeremy Freeman & John Dell
Colors: Gotham & Sotocolor
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Nicole Boose
Cover Art: Skottie Young
Publisher: Marvel Comics

You know, considering that Cable was apparently killed over in X-Men and Wolverine chopped off Deadpool’s head last issue, you would think it would be difficult to find something to write about this month. And for a lesser writer than Fabian Nicieza it probably would be, but I gotta tell ya, he’s got this all sewn up.

With Deadpol out of commission, Wolverine turns his attention to Penetrator, even as the hordes of Hydra begin to swarm upon them. Not only is this book action-packed, but it’s also one of the flat-out funniest issues of this comic to come down the pike in a long time. Nicieza makes liberal use of the joke potential in a character called “The Penetrator” (at least as much as he can without turning this into a MAX book), and a totally out-of-the blue Hugh Jackman joke left me laughing out loud. Nicieza sets up things nicely to begin the next story, and I put the book down feeling genuinely satisfied with what I’d read.

Having Ron Lim on the art doesn’t hurt of course. He’s one of those artists I always love seeing but who doesn’t get nearly as much work as he deserves. He blends the major fight scenes with some great physical comedy sequences here, and he blends them flawlessly.

Yeah, you’d think that having both of our leads seemingly dead would be a detriment to this issue, but it’s a fantastic read anyway.

Rating: 8/10

50 Girls 50 #4

September 25, 2011

Writers: Doug Murray & Frank Cho
Art: Axel Medellin
Colorist: Nikos Koutsis
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Cover Artist: Frank Cho
Editor: Joe Keatinge
Publisher: Image Comics

The first 50 Girls 50 miniseries comes to a really strong conclusion this month, as the crew of the Savannah gets caught in some sort of cosmic storm while going through a wormhole. The crew soon discovers that they’ve become bonded with a bizarre alien life form, and to save themselves, they may have to give up that what they want more than anything. As far as I know, Image hasn’t announced a second miniseries yet, so this is a pretty bold ending. It’s something that could be accepted as a final ending, but it wouldn’t be terribly satisfying in that context. Looking at it as where this season of the story is taking a break, though, it works just fine. Murray, Cho,and Medellin have, in three issues, created a very vibrant, intriguing, and unique science fiction world. There are places and – more importantly – characters in this book that I’d like very much to explore in the future, and even though this mostly-action issue doesn’t give us too much of a chance to do that, it doesn’t disappoint. Time to sit back, cross your fingers, and hope for volume two.

Rating: 8/10

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #5

July 1, 2007

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Acceptance
Rating: T+

The funeral for Captain America.

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: John Cassaday
Inks: John Cassaday
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Richard Starkings
Editor: Bill Rosemann
Cover Art: John Cassaday, Michael Turner (Variant)
Publisher: Marvel Comics

After what seems like an eternity, Steve Rogers is finally put to rest… or is he?

Marvel has been really pushing this book hard as the next “big thing,” the next issue that’s going to have everybody talking. After having read it that big moment is… well… if you can figure it out, you tell me. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not a bad issue, it’s just that there isn’t anything in here even remotely interesting enough to justify the work of the hype machine.

Even calling this the “Iron Man” issue is dubious, as more than half the issue is concerned with Falcon’s eulogy for Cap at Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral is okay – there are several nice flashbacks to Cap’s past, all illustrated beautifully by John Cassaday. After a while, though, the eulogy starts to sound more like a roll call of everyone who felt welcome to attend the funeral.

The final scene is actually far more preferable to me. It’s even more quiet, and the few characters who appear are absolutely the ones that should be involved in a moment like this one. And I must give Jeph Loeb credit for being one of the few writers in the past several months to write Iron Man as a human being instead of a cartoon supervillain. Without giving anything away, I can only assume this last scene is the bit that’s supposed to have everyone talking, as it can easily be interpreted as Loeb putting the pieces where they need to be for the inevitable resurrection.

As funeral issues go, it’s not a bad one. It’s just not as big a deal as it’s been made out to be.

Rating: 6/10

North 40 #1

July 21, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Now Entering Conover County

Conover County is a typical American town – except for the monsters.

Writer: Aaron Williams
Art: Fiona Staples
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Scott Peterson
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

Conover County seems like any of a thousand other small-town American communities. Normal people, normal problems. Until a couple of youngsters get their hands on a decidedly nasty book that should have been kept off-limits to the town library. They recite an ancient incantation, and when the night falls, the terrors begin.

Aaron Williams is best known for his lighter fare, like Nodwick or the brilliant PS 238, so this horror story is something of a departure for him. In truth, the book reminds me a lot of Rising Stars or Heroes, except instead of a sudden inundation of superpowers, the people of the community instead find themselves transforming into monsters. Of course, the town isn’t entirely without protectors – some of the people who fall under the curse find some rather useful abilities as a result, and one girl in particular seems destined to stand against the darkness.

Williams manages to blend that sensibility with the small town life with a dash of Lovecraft for good measure. While he doesn’t abandon his sense of humor entirely, the comedy in this book is a great deal darker than what fans of his would be accustomed to. He’s really branching out with this book, and from a storytelling standpoint, it’s a real success.

Fiona Staples is a good choice for the artwork. Her characters have a good feel – they look different from one another, so it’s easily to quickly distinguish them visually. But she’s really good at the horrors, the monsters, and the nasties that come crawling out of the night once things go bad.

This is a really good first issue – plenty of fun, and a story that feels familiar without seeming like a pastiche of anything that’s already been done. This is one of the most original horror comics I’ve read in quite some time.

Rating: 8/10

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death #1

July 10, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The First Death Part One
Rating: Parental Advisory

An untold early adventure of Anita Blake.

Writers: Laurell K. Hamilton & Jonathon Green
Art: Wellington Alves
Colors: Color Dojo
Letters: Bill Tortolini
Editor: Mike Raicht
Cover Art: Brett Booth
Publisher: Marvel Comics/Dabel Brothers

Anita Blake fans who are upset about the hiatus between issues six and seven of Guilty Pleasures, take heart. This two-issue miniseries is a nice treat for fans of the character – a never-before told tale of Anita Blake. The young vampire hunter is brought in on the case of a bloodsucking serial killer – some vampire is brutally murdering children and leaving their bodies out in the open. This is more than a usual vampire killing… this is something much worse.

The first issue in this two-parter works very well. It gives us a some nice backstory on Anita and her first encounter with Guilty Pleasures, but it also works well as a murder mystery in its own right. What’s more, this story is PACKED. Even for a giant-sized issue, there’s a lot of story here, a lot of dialogue, a lot of information. For those of you sick of comic books you can read in 30 seconds, Anita Blake is the answer.

Wellington Alves is handling the art for this miniseries, and does quite a good job. His style is similar enough to regular artist Brett Booth to not be jarring, but he also has a slightly softer line, something that helps reflect that this Anita isn’t quite as weathered or hardened as the Anita we’ve read in the Guilty Pleasures series.

Adaptations of popular novels are great, but this is the sort of thing I hope we see more of in the future – new stories featuring popular characters, stories that may be even more beneficial in generating some crossover readership. Fans of Anita who passed on Guilty Pleasures may be enticed to pick this up for the new stuff, and that can only be a good thing.

Rating: 8/10