Morning Glories #2

September 26, 2010

Writer: Nick Spencer
Art: Joe Eisma
Colorist: Alex Sollazzo
Letterer: Johnny Loew
Cover: Rodin Esquejo
Editor: Kristen Simon
Publisher: Image Comics/Shadowline

In the first issue, Casey began her career at Morning Glory Academy, where families are encouraged to cut off all ties with their children… and those who don’t will pay the price. As she reels from seeing her parents murdered, she’s thrown into detention with the rest of our cast, all of whom have committed various crimes against the Academy already. As the group starts to bond in detention, they find themselves facing a punishment far worse than staying after school.

Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma have come up with one of the most original comic books I’ve found in years. These characters are each intriguing in their own right, and they’ve all come with their own sets of backstories, insecurities, neuroses and talents that are combining to make for an intriguing storyline. This is the kind of story where the stuff that’s already happened is just as interesting as what hasn’t happened yet. That’s pretty rare, and it takes a skilled writer to pull it off in a satisfying manner. Spencer has proven himself to me in just two issues. He’s given us characters that I find intriguing and that I want to learn more about, and a situation that’s baffling and engrossing all at once. This is a fantastic comic, well worthy of all the acclaim it’s gotten.

Rating: 10/10

Human Target (2003 Series) #5

December 13, 2003

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Strike Zone (Take Me Out to the Ballgame Part Two)

Christopher Chance discovers the baseball player he’s been hired to protect has some dark secrets of his own.

Writer: Peter Milligan
Art: Javier Pulido
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Karen Berger
Cover Art: Javier Pulido
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

After reading just this two-issue story arc, you can officially color me a fan of this title. Peter Milligan has taken an obscure DC hero and made him an outlet to tell really good stories commenting on society without sounding preachy or straining to make his point.

Christopher Chance is a master of disguise who impersonates people marked for death in order to protect them. Last issue, Chance was hired to impersonate Larry McGee, a pro ball player fearing for his life after one of his teammates was murdered. Chance’s investigation turns up dirt not just on McGee, but on his late friend and on Major League Baseball as a whole.

This issue tells the usual gritty crime drama and infuses it with commentary on the problem of doping in professional sports. McGee becomes a template for any decent man in the game who feels forced into something he doesn’t believe in because he can’t compete any other way. Chance also gets to show off a little, demonstrating photographic motor skills that remind the reader of characters like the villain Taskmaster, who need only see an action to repeat it.

Puldio does better in this issue than in last issue, where he sacrificed some readability for the sake of creative panel layout. While he still plays with the layout somewhat in this issue, he does it without losing any comprehension of the story and is far more successful.

This title may not be getting much notice, but it’s one of the best books Vertigo is putting out these days. If you’re not reading it, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Rating: 8/10

Perhapanauts (2008 Series) Annual #1

February 18, 2008

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Jersey Devil!

The team from Bedlam faces a demon from the depths of New Jersey!

Writer: Todd Dezago
Art: Craig Rousseau
Colors: Rico Renzi
Cover Art: Craig Rousseau (Cover A); Michael & Laura Allred (Cover B)
Publisher: Image Comics

One of the coolest new concepts in recent years is back in this special annual, leading into the new ongoing series that’s coming out soon. If you’re new, the Perhapanauts are agents of Bedlam, a secret organization dedicated to policing those parts of the world where the fabric between dimensions is thin and stopping the monsters that bleed through. And with a team that includes a telepath, a ghost, a Sasquatch, a Chupacabra, and a guy who utterly defies description, they’re just the guys to do it.

In this annual, both teams of Perhapanauts are sent in to do combat with a dragonlike monster that has entered our world near New Jersey. The beast is committing brutal slayings, and the pattern of his kills may be pointing to something Apocalyptic. Although this story technically takes place in-between issues of the miniseries Perhapanauts: Second Chances, it really stands on its own as a self-contained story. What’s more, it works very well as a jumping-on point. Dezago does a great job reintroducing us to each of the main members of the cast, helping us understand who they are as characters, and showing off just what twists make them unique among a rash of similar comics. We even get to meet some of the supporting characters and find a clue about the mysterious MG’s big secret.

From a storytelling standpoint, the only real problem is the ending. It’s not a bad ending, but it’s rather abrupt – the story is going at a rocket pace and then it just stops. There wasn’t quite enough room for the falling action here.

Craig Rousseau’s art really works here. He’s got a knack for designing monsters that can be hideous or monsters that can be cute, and he nails the facial expressions of the many characters. Rico Renzi’s color work contributes just the right touch to finish off the package.

If you’ve read the Perhapanauts before, during their run at Dark Horse, then you already know how good this can be. If you’ve never read it before, this is a great place to sample a really unique comic book.

Rating: 8/10