Serenity: Better Days #3

May 16, 2008

Serenity: Better Days #3 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad & Adam Hughes

With Mal in the clutches of a “Peacemaker” holdout from the war, Zoe quickly understands that she’s the person they really want, and it’s up to her to assemble the crew of Serenity for a rescue mission. While the main problem with this miniseries has been a lack of consequence (since we all know what happens later in the movie), the storyline here really does read like a solid “lost” episode of the TV show. If anything, it feels a little too similar to one of the best episodes of the show, “War Stories,” but the payoff is very different, with a very interesting development in Mal’s relationship with Inara that also sheds a little light on just how the ship is run, exposing a facet of his personality that is evident in the TV show, but that goes farther than we ever got to see it on the screen. In the end, this was a fun little miniseries, but we Browncoats have to hope that the next miniseries — a focus on Shepherd Book — will have more meat to it.
Rating: 7/10

Return of the Gremlins #3

May 16, 2008

Return of the Gremlins #3 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Mike Richardson, Fabio Laguna, Vivie Risto & Walt Kelly

In the world of Disney Comics, the Gremlins have been more or less AWOL since World War II. In this miniseries, the grandson of the airman who befriended them in those old strips is now fighting to save their home from a ruthless land developer who’s out to destroy their forest. The writing is strong, and the artwork is impeccable, but the climax of this storyline fell a bit too far into the realm of cliche for my taste. It was funny, there were tons of sight gags and a lot of nice character beats, but no real surprises, and that hurt the rating. It was nice to see some of the classic strips, however, and while none of them were necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, they weren’t bad. I do like these characters, and I hope that if these little guys come back again, they find a slightly more original storyline in which to showcase them.
Rating: 7/10

Star Wars: Legacy #25

June 20, 2008

Star Wars: Legacy #25 (Dark Horse Comics)
By John Ostrander, Jan Duursema & Sean Cooke

In “The Hidden Temple,” Cade Skywalker and his merry band of rogues are pulled out of a well-earned vacation to respond to the atrocities commited against the Mon Calimari. Cade’s mission has become to destroy the Sith, but the Jedi he encounters this issue, surprisingly, may not agree with his methods. By the time of Legacy, the force-users have been split into three factions: the Jedi, the Sith, and the Imperial Knights. While the Jedi and the Imperials are ostensibly allies in the battle against the Sith, Cade’s rage against the Sith doesn’t seem to give him a place in any camp. The idea of the Imperial Knights is intriguing to me, and they haven’t really been explored very much in this series thus far, so it’s nice to see them getting a little more face time. Equally nice is seeing more of Cade’s rejected Jedi past — obviously an integral facet for the character, but one that still holds many secrets. Jan Duursema‘s artwork is as awesome as ever. Ostrander and Duursema have both been involved in some of the all-time best Star Wars comics, and having them together makes this the best being published currently.
Rating: 8/10

Dark Horse Presents (2011 Series) #2

July 1, 2011

Writers: Paul Chadwick, Robert Love, DavidWalker, Neal Adams, Carla Speed McNeil, Howard Chaykin, Michael T. Gilbert, Patrick Alexander, Chuck Brown, Richard Corben, David Chelsea
Art: Paul Chadwick, Robert Love, Neal Adams, Carla Speed McNeil, Howard Chaykin, Michael T. Gilbert, Patrick Alexander, Sanford Greene, Richard Corben, David Chelsea
Colors: Michelle Davies, Diego Simone, Moose Baumann, Jenn Manley Lee, Bill Mudron, Jesus Aburto, Tyson Hesse
Letterers: Thomas Mauer, Ken Bruzenak, Steve Dutro, Clem Robins
Cover: Neal Adams
Editor: Mike Richardson 
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

It’s the second installment for the resurrected Dark Horse Presents, and like the first issue (and, for that matter, most anthologies), it’s a mixed bag. Some of the stories are really very good, but others just die on the vine.

Paul Chadwick’s Concrete starts off the issue, and it’s one of the better tales. In Hawaii, Concrete and his team are hiking across a volcano, only to make a surprising discovery. Although the first issue’s story was very self-contained, this story seems to have elements that would lead to a longer storyline. All in all, I think that’s a good thing – anthologies seem to work best when there are serialized tales to bring the readers back, and while most of the stories in this comic fit that bill, this is the one that’s probably the most entertaining.

Robert Love and David Walker’s Number 13, which begins this issue, makes a strong case for itself as well. We begin with the story of a boy wandering a post-apocalyptic landscape, and it’s pretty standard for that genre at first, until we discover a secret the boy is carrying with him. It’s a nice beginning that raises a number of questions.

As last issue, it’s the most venerable comic creators that are turning in the least interesting work in this book. Neal Adams’ Blood continues with an origin story that attempts to tie the character into world history, but does it in a rather pedestrian way, and the characters in Howard Chaykin’s Marked Man are, frankly, despicable people. And not in a good way, not in a way that’s fun to read about – they’re just terrible human beings that I don’t want to spend my time on.

Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder comes back and helps out again, with a funny second installment that continues to explore the world of a former criminal that has turned into the world’s greatest courier. We also have Michael T. Gilbert classing up the joint with another fantastic Mr. Monster story. Here he’s parodying the Marvel giant monster comics of the 1950s, and both his parody and his style are spot-on. Patrick Alexander also gives us a wordless – but oddly charming – tale of The Wraith.

Rotten Apple is the second serial to begin in this issue. Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene present a different take not only on zombies, but on a lot of monster tropes. I really appreciate stories of this nature, and the execution here is strong.

We close things off with Richard Corben’s The Treasure – still weird – and David Chelsea’s Snow Angel, which goes from charming to actually interesting this issue. There seems to be more to this story than a simple child’s fantasy, and that makes for a stronger story.

All in all, this book has more good than bad, which is why I’ll keep getting it. But there are still some stories that just leave me entirely out in the cold.

Rating: 7/10

The Guild #1

March 27, 2010

The Guild #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Felicia Day, Jim Rugg & Cary Nord

If you’ve never watched The Guild, stop reading this right now, go over to www.watchtheguild.com and catch up on one of the greatest webshows ever. I’ll wait. :whistles: Back? Great. This miniseries, written by creator and star Felicia Day is an origin story for our favorite group of gamers, beginning with Codex, her webcam, and her discouraging life. This first issue takes us through Cyd’s lousy relationship with her boyfriend, life-crushing job, and how she purchases the game that will introduce her to the rest of our cast. Day has proven herself as a television scriptwriter, but not everyone can transfer that screen over into the comic book form. Day shows a knack for pacing and story structure that fits perfectly into the comic form. The story is funny and the characters wonderfully familiar. Rugg’s artwork is intentionally a bit bland in the “real” world. Cyd’s life is dull and a bit sad, and the art reflects that. Then, once we enter the video game, Rugg and colorist Dan Jackson explode with life and energy, clearly delineating the two worlds and selling the story with ease. If you’ve watched the show, you’ll love this comic. If you haven’t watched the show, go watch it, then come back and love this comic.
Rating: 9/10

Abe Sapien: The Haunted Boy #1

October 21, 2009

Abe Sapien: The Haunted Boy #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Patric Reynolds & Dave Johnson

Continuing Dark Horse‘s “One Shot Wonders,” we get a nice tale of Hellboy’s pal Abe Sapien, called in to investigate reports of a ghost on a lake where a 10-year-old boy died beneath the ice last winter. Abe’s search takes him to the boy who survived the same incident, who seems to be carrying around much more than simple survivor’s guilt. This is a nice little supernatural mystery, one that works in very well in Mignola‘s macabre world. The underwater nature of the mystery also makes it uniquely suited to Abe Sapien as opposed to any of the other Hellboy-univerese characters. Patric Reynolds has a style that works well for the character. A bit more grim and realistic than Mignola‘s work, but very strong and very appropriate for the theme. Good one-shot for fans of the characters.
Rating: 8/10

Star Wars: Legacy #24

May 23, 2008

Star Wars: Legacy #2 (Dark Horse Comics)
John Ostrander, Jan Duursema, Brad Anderson
In part two of “Loyalties,” Cade Skywalker and his crew are taking a wel-earned rest at Rawk’s Nest, but news of the destruction of Mon Calamari by Darth Krayt shakes them from their seclusion. Cade ponders a desperate plan, one that causes great dismay amongst two of his ancestors who just keep popping in to give unwanted advice. One of my favorite things about this title is how we see Luke Skywalker — in ghost-form — taking on the mentor role to the most unwilling would-be Jedi he’s ever encountered. Luke as a teacher is certainly nothing new in the Expanded Universe, but the dynamic he shares with Cade is a unique one. With the destruction of Mon Calamari, Ostrander has drastically raised the stakes in this title as well. Cade has always fought against his family, his history, his… well… his legacy, but it seems clear that he’ll have to choose a path soon. But in a future where the lines aren’t as cut and dried as good or evil, Jedi or Sith, we’re seeing a Star Wars Universe that’s just as intriguing and exciting as the first one we were introduced to in 1977.

Rating: 8/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #15

May 7, 2008

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #15 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty & Jon Foster

Well, the Joss Whedon consortium has done it again — another relationship shattered. These guys REALLY don’t believe in “Happily Ever After,” do they? After the brutal killing that ended last issue, the Scooby gang and their uneasy ally, Dracula, find themselves facing a legion of vampires i the heart of Japan. The battle takes up the bulk of the issue but, true to form, the character stuff is sprinkled throughout the issue as well. Buffy and Willow have some great stuff here, and the closing scenes between Xander and Dracula are fantastic. This issue also takes advantage of the comic book format to do a few things (which I won’t spoil here) that just would have been impossible to do effectively with the budget of a TV show. Some of them are a little silly (but highly appropriate, considering writer Drew Goddard‘s most recent screen credit), but they work in the context of the Buffyverse. This book continues to be a favorite of mine, and even moreso as I approach the end of my first view-through of the entire TV series.
Rating: 9/10

Star Wars: Legacy #21

March 15, 2008

Star Wars: Legacy #21 (Dark Horse Comics)
By John Ostrander, Omar Francia & Douglas Wheatley

I wasn’t really a big fan of last issue, the first part of “Indomitable,” but part two really blew me away. Eight years ago, Admiral Stazi led a small army of Alliance ships away from the surrender to the Empire. Now, the remnants of the Alliance are ready to stage a last stand in the docking ring orbiting the Mon Calamari planet. This is a really effective battle sequence, and it turns Stazi from a sort of sad, reclusive figure to a powerful, admirable one. I wasn’t happy for the focus to be taken off of Cade’s story, but now I’m quite happy to see where Stazi’s tale will take him, and how it will dovetail in with the main story of the series. Well done, Ostrander — you won me over.
Rating: 9/10

Penny Arcade Vol. 1: Attack of the Bacon Robots

February 27, 2006
Penny Arcade Vol. 1: Attack of the Bacon Robots (Dark Horse Comics)
By Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahliuk

This book is a collection of the first three years of the Penny Arcade webcomic, as created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahliuk, a.k.a. Tycho and Gabe. With the proliferation of webcomics these days, it would be hard to pinpoint an absolute king, but it would be hard to argue that Penny Arcade is one of the most successful.

The comic, for those of you who haven’t read it, is about a pair of gaming geeks – the sarcastic and cynical Tycho and the equally sarcastic but not-quite-as-sharp Gabe – who use the strip to comment on video games, pop culture or whatever. It’s probably one of the most versatile strips out there, segueing seamlessly from jokes about hardware or video games to bemoaning living in a football-obsessed city when they don’t care about the big game.

The first few years of strips in this collection show a drastic change in the visual style. The characters, while still very stylized, were done in a very different style from the characters that exist today, particularly Tycho. His head was much more squat and his nose was bizarrely pointed. This is typical with common strips – the characters as they appear at first are rarely the way they’re ultimately visualized. Those only familiar with the characters in their current state will be amused to see how they originated.

In terms of content, Penny Arcade hasn’t changed much since the early days. The jokes are just as pointed and fierce, the mouths are just as fowl, and the comedy is completely intact. Some jokes are rather dated – there are cracks about Penny Arcade feuding with other webcomics that are long dead… even jokes about the ill-fated Divx system (a really bad competitor for DVD wherein a disc cost only about five bucks, but stopped working 48 hours after you watched it and you’d have to pay extra to reactivate it). Fortunately, Tycho provides commentary with every strip – while not quite as biting as the strips themselves, those are frequently funny and sometimes provide some much-needed background.

While the comic strip has definitely improved in recent years, checking back on the early years is amusing in its own right, and I can’t wait for the next volume of Penny Arcade.

Rating: 7/10