Mega Man (2011 Series) #1

June 17, 2011

Title: Trouble Get (Let the Games Begin Part One)

Writer: Ian Flynn
Art: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: John Workman
Cover: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante
Editor: Paul Kaminski       
Publisher: Archie Comics

Considering that Sonic the Hedgehog has been a solid seller for Archie Comics for over 225 issues now, it’s kind of odd that they’ve waited so long to try to expand their video game hero library. On the other hand, maybe they’ve just been waiting for the right project. Mega Man kicks things off with the origin of the young robotic hero.

The good Doctor Light has given up on building weapons. His new generation of robots is intended for peaceful purposes. But his former ally, Dr. Wily, isn’t willing to accept the new robots, and abducts them, reprogramming them into weapons of conquest. A new hero must be constructed to stand against them.

The story isn’t really anything new here – Mega Man has been around as a video game character for decades, after all. Ian Flynn has done a great job of polishing off that old story, injecting a little more pathos into it, and turning it into a modern kid-friendly action yarn. The book is just exciting enough to keep you turning the pages, while still picking into the characters pretty well. Patrick Spaziante brings his considerable skill to the table, providing art that seems, at first blush, to be very Manga-inspired. In truth, though, it’s just faithful to the classic character designs.

Not being much of a video game player myself, I really don’t know how aware kids these days are of Mega Man. I hope the book finds its audience, though – it’s a worthy companion to the venerable Sonic franchise.

Rating: 8/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #56

December 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Bump in the Night Part II

The Exiles and their unlikely allies plan their assault on Zarathos.

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

The Exiles have landed on a world where the evil sorcerer Kulan Gath’s scheme to turn New York into a medieval island worked too well. Gath was deposed by Zarathos, the demon who once formed Ghost Rider, and the Exiles have to work with Spider-Man, Magik and Gath himself to save this world… by putting Gath back on the throne.

That’s the setup from last issue. This issue, being the middle part of a three-part storyline, is long on setup. Much of it is taken up by planning by both the heroes and villains of the piece. At the end, we get a nice action sequence rife with battles, betrayals, superheroes and swordplay. It’s fun.

But it’s just fun.

Tony Bedard’s work on this title has slowly improved as his tenure has worn on, but it still hasn’t quite hit the crest of going from just a good, fun title to being something to get excited about. It’s a lot of fun to see the heroes in such bizarre settings – that’s part of the appeal to begin with. I can’t help feeling that it’s missing just a little something more, a little push to make it a really excellent comic.

The push is not needed in the art department, fortunately. Jim Calafiore and Mark KcKenna have a task, redesigning so many characters, but they do it with ease. The first page is a great, striking image, even though people who read the issue should immediately understand that it isn’t as it seems, and all-around, it looks very good.

Exiles is a decent title. I like it. But I want to love it, and it’s not quite there yet.

Rating: 7/10

Matador #1

May 4, 2005

Quick Rating: Interesting
Title: Symmetry Part One

A bizarre hired gun walks the streets of Miami.

Story: Devin Grayson & Brian Stelfreeze
Script: Devin Grayson
Art: Brian Stelfreeze
Colors: Brian Stelfreeze
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Alex Sinclair
Cover Art: Brian Stelfreeze
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Signature Series

A mysterious hired killer is walking the streets of Miami, a man with abilities beyond comprehension and good looks to match. Detective Isabel Cardona believes it may just be a man known as the Matador.

Grayson and Stelfreeze have crafted a rather interesting crime/supervillain tale here. They approach the book from an interesting angle, of a cop with her own problems and issues, even with bad romantic decisions, but ones that don’t directly involve our title character. In the first issue, at least, this is that sort of story where the title character isn’t the star, but rather the impetus for the events that occur.

Cardona is an interesting protagonist, a different kind of character, as she struggles with her family, her co-workers and her unhealthy attraction to the (married) District Attorney. In short, she’s flawed, human, and normal, and bringing her face-to-face with an unearthly creature like the one who danced through a swanky hotel, humming and brutally murdering his targets, makes for a great juxtaposition.

Mundane things add to the title as well – a confrontation with her family, her mother urging her to settle down and get married. It’s something of a cliché, to be sure, but it’s also a good device to establish who this woman is and what her life is like.

Stelfreeze does a fantastic job, handling all of the artistic chores himself. He’s crafted a good look for this book, giving it a good atmosphere and strong identity. Most of the book is done in cool blue and green tones, with the occasional spikes of red or orange. He also does a very impressive job on the facial features of the characters. One panel of Cardona sticking her tongue out at her infuriating partner gets across more characterization than some writers can handle in an entire issue.

I’m not sure what classifies this as a Wildstorm book as opposed to a Vertigo title – why it would be brought to one imprint over the other. That’s probably because, as an imprint, the Wildstorm Signature Series doesn’t have much of an identity. But that doesn’t mean it can’t turn out quality work,, and this is another solid example of that..

Rating: 8/10