This is a little corner... er, I mean, cove of the Interweb (ocean), where I talk about topics of interest to me in the area of comics, graphic novels, and all things related. At this inlet, I be the king, so it can be any number of things I choose: reviews, interviews, musings, discussions, whatever interests me. I can only promise it will be in some way related to comics, graphic novels, and/or sequential art. Take or leave as ye will.
In a move that has been lauded by comics enthusiasts the Internet over, DC Entertainment has announced its We Can Be Heroes campaign to combat hunger in the Horn of Africa. Featuring the current lineup of the Justice League as its spokes-characters, the campaign benefits three Africa-based humanitarian organizations: Save the Children, International Rescue Committee, and Mercy Corps.
Its website offers more information on the campaign, and features two significant ways for interested Internet superheroes to contribute. There is, of course, directly donating to the cause, of which DC has pledged to match 100%. The other option is to purchase We Can Be Heroes branded merchandise (which, I have to say, looks pretty spiffy), the proceeds of which 50% will be matched by DC.
While I've always been a Marvel boy in terms of my overall enthusiasm for comic book publishers and their various stories and characters, I have to really give DC the thumbs-up for their philanthropic efforts here. I'm no expert, of course, but this is the first major humanitarian effort I can recall from a comic book company on this scale (though I'm willing to learn if there have been others--just let me know about them!). In using their brand, resources and other abilities to aid a portion of the world that seriously needs help, DC is in a sense working to live out the types of stories they tell in their comics.
It's putting its money where its mouth is, basically.
I'm sure there will be plenty of discussion about the impact this effort will ultimately have. Will it be enough? Should DC even be worrying about another part of the world? Just how altruistic are DC's motives behind this campaign? Will it affect comic book prices or quality?
My thoughts on the matter are fairly simple: whether it's a publicity stunt or not doesn't matter. This is an opportunity for comics fans of all stripes to unite in an effort to show the world that we are a generous, socially aware cross-section of the world's people. We shouldn't worry about whether or not this will ultimately save the innocents it aims to help, or whether or not we should be involved. As with so many things in life, the outcome matters far less than the effort.
We should donate, or at least buy some of the cool merchandise and support the cause. We should, in short, put our money where our mouths are.
And, perhaps, I'll give more DC titles a discerning look when I'm at the comic shops. Teen Titans has looked promising so far...
Just before launching into the narrative of Lewis & Clark, author Nick Bertozzi informs the reader that this tome is intended to convey the flavor of their journey, not necessarily all the particular details. I myself am not privy to the specifics laid out in scholarly works about their expedition to the Northwest, but I will admit to feeling that Bertozzi did a good job of living up to his word. I felt like I got a good sampling of the struggles and the overall tone of their journey.
The story starts out shortly before Meriweather Lewis is granted the go-ahead by President Jefferson to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean for the United States. It highlights the formation of his partnership with William Clark as they gather up men and supplies for the journey, the various obstacles they come up against on the expedition, and the eventual success of their exploration and some of the aftermath that occurs in the years following its conclusion. The reader is shown that the journey was a difficult one, compounded by supply shortages, personality conflicts, and a difficulty in understanding and interacting with the Native American tribes in the Northwest regions.
I’m guessing Bertozzi used a lot of anecdotes from the journey in his writing, as we see quite a bit of interplay between rank and file members of the expedition as well as the leaders and any Native American tribes they encounter. It makes for memorable moments, if not straight-up laugh-out-loud ones. One particular scene that comes to mind plays out between two men hunting for meat. One keeps getting flustered at the other’s inability to shut up, and derides him as a lousy hunter. When he’s saved from a bear by a shot from the same man he yelled at, he’s essentially never allowed to live it down. Moments like this show both the hardships and the humor that arose from being essentially cut off from the trappings of civilization.
There are more than a couple of forays into darker territory also included in this work, particularly Lewis’s occasionally foul and violent temperament. His temper gets the better of him at a critical time, signalling a likely breaking point for the character, who succumbed to madness and an apparent suicide, years after the expedition.
Art-wise, I was pretty impressed. Bertozzi employs a good deal of linework and shading in his sketches, which gives quite a bit of depth to his characters’ ability to express emotions and thoughts. I found his panel layouts to be confusing at times, as he alternated between one- and two-page layouts, but once you figured it out it was pretty simple to follow. He draws sprawling landscapes and intimate one-room scenes with equal detail, and keeps things looking appropriate to their time and place within the narrative.
Not being a particular enthusiast when it comes to history, I will say that this was an interesting and well written enough story to keep me reading at a pretty good clip. I’m guessing that history buffs will enjoy it, as will fans of graphic biographies. Anyone looking for a decent story in comic book form will undoubtedly find better fare elsewhere, but wouldn’t do badly to read this, either. Recommended.
Apparently, a week in the life of Atomic Robo is chock-full of insanity, contradictions, and science fiction hilarity. By the time readers finish this fourth volume of his exploits, extradimensional vampires, ghosts, super-mega robot guns and a giant mega crab have all been dealt with. Oh, and Dr. Dinosaur.
Atomic Rob and Other Strangeness starts off in 1999 with a job interview that becomes unhinged by the chaos of one of Tesladyne's labs breaking into another dimension and unleashing vampires throughout the complex. Once that situation's dealt with, Robo goes to Japan to ask a favor from one of their super-scientists--but not before assisting their Power Rangers knockoff team in taking down an super-angry giant crab monster. Then, Dr. Dinosaur appears in French Polynesia, and he and Robo debate whether or not Dino is a.) smart, and b.) a time traveler while they simultaneously try to kill one another. Finally, we come back to Tesladyne while Robo and his people try to solve the mystery of why a ghost-like image keeps appearing all over the complex. It's right about then that we find out that all of the events in this volume have happened in a single week.
The overall aim of these comics is clearly entertainment, and for my part, Atomic Robo delivers. While there are some stories I enjoyed more than others in this volume, they were all good, and they all demonstrate the creators' adeptness at packing a whole lot of sci-fi slapstick and just a smattering of science babble into their wacky tales. Atomic Robo combines an enjoyable blend of sarcasm, action, and flat-out over-the-top humor to make for a highly readable and amusing experience.
There are quite a few memorable moments in this volume, from Jenkins throwing down on some vampires with ridiculously brutal efficiency, to Robo's verbal sparring with Dr. Dino about his "origin story" and intellect as they try to kill each other, to his knock-down, drag-out verbal assault on Tesladyne's ghostly guest once he finds out who it is. There's also a pretty amusing shout-out to Japanese anime and sci-fi cartoons and programs in the Science Team Super Five, with a ridiculously perfect team of brilliant scientist soldiers, mecha-robos, and a giant, biomega-powered crab monster with a grudge to avenge. Brian Clevinger clearly has as much fun writing across all these various tropes and settings as Scott Wegener seems to enjoy drawing it.
Speaking of the art, Wegener continues to draw entertaining book illustrations in his trademark style while demonstrating versatility in handling different subjects and locations during the course of Robo's week. His vampires look gruesome and threatening, his Dr. Dinosaur looks lizardy and his skeleton ghost looks sinister and unsettling. It's a definite fit for the writing, and accounts visually for the entertainment value conveyed in the stories' writing.
Overall, I'm enjoying this comic. The writing isn't particularly deep, but it makes no pretensions about being so, and revels in the amount of slapstick entertainment it delivers. I still need to get my hands on the first two volumes, and can't wait to do so. If you're looking for good escapist fare that will make you laugh out loud, get yourself a copy of Atomic Robo. Highly recommended.
Imagine coming to your library to find out that someone is trying to ban your favorite series of books, because they think those books are corrupting, sinful, and inappropriate for young people to read. What would you do? Would you get angry? Would you try to stop them? If you're as much of a bookworm as Neil Barton is in Americus, chances are you'd want to defend your right to read what you want.
Neil Barton, a shy bookworm, is not excited about the prospect of beginning high school. He'd much rather be left alone by everyone in the fictitious town of Americus, Oklahoma, so he could just read. Instead, he and his friend Danny are frequently the targets of bullies. When Danny's mother catches her son reading Apathea Ravenchilde, a fantasy series involving witches and dragons, she storms into the public library where he got it and tears it up in front of the librarian, denouncing it as filth and vowing to get it banned from the library's shelves. For arguing with her, Danny is sent to military school, and suddenly Neil is left without his best friend.
To make matters worse, Danny's mother follows through on her threat to try to ban the Apathea Ravenchilde books. She forms a vocal group of concerned citizens intent on keeping "inappropriate" materials out of the library so they won't "corrupt" the town's youth readers. Enduring this in addition to the normal trials of high school--bullies, surly classmates and unsympathetic teachers--Neil must do the unthinkable and try to take a stand against the detractors of his favorite series.
I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining story. While the central conflict revolves around the issue of censorship in libraries, there is plenty of other material in the narrative that informs the characters involved. Neil is not just shy--he's nearly misanthropic in places, talking back to his mother and professing his hatred for the town he lives in as much as the bullies he has to put up with. There are scenes excerpted from the Apathea Ravenchilde series that serves as thematic analogs to the rest of the story. There are teens all over the place, talking and giggling and breaking up and going out and generally lending a realistic vibe to the high school scenes depicted in the story.
I thought the characterization of the main character was well handled. I feel like Neil was me, back when I was a teen: shy, not quite sure how to interact with others, sometimes resorting to petulance or hostility when nothing else came to mind. It's both entertaining and humbling to meet a character you identify with so completely, flattering or otherwise, and I think MK Reed deserves props for the work she put into the protagonist here. While I might have some slight reservations about how the detractors are portrayed (somewhat two-dimensionally), I do think she nailed the teen characters, particularly Neil, very well.
I enjoyed the art immensely in this story, and thought it was appropriate to its plot and themes. It's simple and cartoony for the main portion of the narrative, which makes sense when you consider that the narrative is essentially an introduction to the issue of censorship. Both the art and the writing make the issue more accessible, easy to understand, and interesting enough that you want to know more. The excerpts of Apathea Ravenchilde are done in a slightly more detailed, highly stylized fantasy motif, and work well in separating that story from the rest of the narrative while keeping it linked to the larger story. Kudos to Jonathan Hill for working so adeptly at the visuals in this book.
Overall, I'd say Americus is an engaging introduction to the issue of censorship as well as an entertaining story in its own right. Teens interested in what they can and can't read in libraries--and the politics involved--will enjoy this exploration of what can sometimes be a highly charged issue. People who love public libraries, escapist fantasy series (particularly Harry Potter), and political dramas will also enjoy Americus. Highly recommended.
Considered a timeless classic by many, The Last Unicorn was originally a fantasy novel published in 1968 by Peter S. Beagle. Decades later, publisher IDW has seen fit to give the story a graphic novel treatment, first as a six-issue comic book limited series, then as a collection of those issues in a hardbound cover edition, published in early 2011.
The Last Unicorn begins in the unicorn’s forest, where she comes to hear men speaking of unicorns, and how they apparently no longer exist. She wonders if they are right, and sets off on a quest to find out if the other unicorns have disappeared or died out. Along the way, she meets several characters who gradually help her advance toward her goal, including an inept wizard, the testy wife of a woodland fugitive, and a valiant prince who couldn’t be more different from his miserable, uncaring father, who ends up being one of the story’s main antagonists.
While I’m generally not a fan of unicorns or unicorn stories, it doesn’t mean I can’t admire the subject matter when it’s told with good writing, and while I can’t speak directly for Beagle and his novel, I will say that the graphic novel adaptation by Peter B. Gillis satisfies on this level. The unicorn’s quest to find out if she is indeed the last of her kind makes for an interesting idea, with plenty of interesting characters, situations, and twists toward the end. Mythological allusions are made here and there, giving the narrative a slightly mystical, otherworldly feel to it that effectively holds on to readers’ attention.
I really did enjoy the artwork in The Last Unicorn. Renae de Liz draws beautifully and boldly, rendering amazing and immediately recognizable characters, beasts, and settings that dovetail nicely with the enchanting, sometimes darkly fantastic subject matter. Ray Dillon’s colors are also very rich and lush, really bringing a shine to the line work. Both work together to memorably lend a brilliant visual to support the fantasy narrative.
The Last Unicorn suffers from a less severe form of misdirected recognition than does another comic adaptation of a novel, The Alchemist. That work hides the credits for all its creators (except for original author Paulo Coelho) until you open the cover and check the credits on the back flap and, if memory servers, the verso of the title page. The Last Unicorn, at least, only omits their names from the front cover, where Beagle is solely credited. You can read their names on the spine, back cover, and verso of the title page. While I may have issues with this, I’ve clearly seen worse practices in this area.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this work, and think it will do especially well among fantasy readers, those who remember the novel fondly, and those who simply like a good adventure story. It’s well paced, imaginatively paneled, and beautifully drawn and colored. It’s a visual treatment of a prose work that won’t disappoint. Highly recommended.
DC Comics got a fair bit of both positive and negative news coverage today, as they unveiled yet another new logo, and got ripped into by Fox News for having too much sex and violence in their comics. I'll go into each item, and add my take on them.
New Logo
Probably the more popular item of the two, DC has introducedanother updatedlogo design, with some slight variations done to commemorate its various properties. They'd updated before, in 2005, with a blue and white design that I thought was pretty slick and relevant, so this most recent one is a little mystifying to me. Their justification is that it coincides with some of their more recent milestones, like last year's relaunch and same-day digital delivery of their titles. They also say it's more digital-friendly. Here's a few of their more well-known logos and the basic new one:
The new design. Yay?
The old classic logo.
The 2005 redesign. Sweet.
The new logo, as you can see, is basically a D, peeling away to reveal a C underneath. I suppose it's pretty, in its way, but I feel pretty underwhelmed, particularly when you compare it to the bold, blue and white star design from 2005. Despite the reasons they've given for the newest logo, I can't help wondering if they just got pissed at whoever designed the 2005 logo and just want to cut that person off from anymore royalties. It feels pretty corporate and uninspired, even with the variations, and I have a hard time imagining how this particular change is going to benefit them at this time.
If I've given you the impression that I care passionately about this item, rest assured that I really don't. Overall, even if I don't care for the new logo, I'm pretty unaffected by this development. I've never been the world's biggest DC fan except for a few titles, and their logo sure as hell isn't going to assure that I buy more comics from them. It's their playground, and they can do what they want. I just think this development's a little on the mystifying side.
Fox News DC Debacle Bleeding Cool news broke this story, and followed up on it later in the day. Basically, the Fox News syndicate in Washington, D.C. (heheh) seemed to have a problem with the amount of sex and violence in today's superhero comics from DC, accusing them of essentially using the New 52 relaunch to pack their wares with too much of both. Here's the video that Bleeding Cool originally embedded on their site:
In response, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund published an article advising comic book retailers how to defend themselves against a hostile media attack. That we need to keep these kinds of defenses in place is a pretty sad comment about the state of American journalism these days, but it's unfortunately not surprising. News outlets often go for these kinds of unjustified "gotcha" pieces, unfairly portraying their subjects in a negative light using flawed logic and juvenile reasoning.
In a prime example, the reporter acquires a bunch of these targeted comics--which have a "16 and up" label on them, for crying out loud--and takes them to a freaking middle school, showing them to the kids there and asking them for reactions. Clearly, these kids are below the intended reading age--flaw number one--but that may not necessarily stop them from wanting to read or buy these kinds of comics. This gives way to flaw number two: any comic shop worth its salt will have distinct sections for children and adult buyers. Essentially, if they aren't peddling it as kiddie fare, and have other materials for younger readers, then why are you getting bent out of shape about this?
Personally, this kind of story makes my blood boil, at least at first. I see a lot of unfair attacks in the news these days, particularly when it comes to the issue of censorship and freedom of expression. In comics, as with most industries, the market dictates what is popular, and what will sustain the industry. If there's too much sex and violence in comics for you, guess what--you don't have to read them. Attacking comic shops for selling comic books to a particular market is like attacking the Harry Potter books for promoting witchcraft: the people doing the attacking probably haven't read them (and therefore don't have a proper context to judge them), and their fear, more often than not, makes them look like drooling idiots. Most kids with a basic understanding of life can figure out what's fiction and what's not. Sensationalizing something by attacking it is only going to make them aware of it, and likely more curious about it.
And it's that final thought that brings me back to my calm. Societal disapproval of a particular event or form of media often leads to it becoming more popular because of the sensationalization poured into it by the disapprovers. They're basically shooting themselves in the foot, particularly in this day and age.
So, if they want to make more comic book readers by trying to vilify comic books, stores, and publishers, go right ahead. We'll be here.
This third volume of the Atomic Robo comics, published by Red 5 Comics, is actually my first experience with the title at all. For the last several years I've been told by many friends, acquaintances and comics aficionados that I needed--nay, seriously wanted--to give it a try, but I simply didn't know it yet. I would flex my brow, wonder what the heck they could have possibly meant by that statement, and then went about my business, thinking I'd get around to Atomic Robo when it happened.
Well, it finally happened. And I finally get what they meant by their phrase.
Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time sounds like a very Lovecraftian title for this story arc, and by golly does it deliver. It takes place mostly in the past where readers see the title character, Robo, at earlier stages in his development, starting in the 1920s. He is quickly visited by two gentlemen, one of whom is H.P. Lovecraft himself. Lovecraft soon spawns into some cosmic, tentacled, well... Lovecraftian monstrosity that Robo must fight and defeat not only at this time, but at several other points in the future, including the 1950s, the 1970s, and the present-day (2009 at the time of publication). Along the way he enlists the help of Charles Fort, Carl Sagan, and, well... himself (you'll have to read it to completely understand), in battling the thing across time.
This story had me almost from the get-go. It's supremely entertaining to see a robot walking around and being comically human--there's a reason Bender is a fan favorite character on Futurama--but it's even funnier when you read the things he says. "I'ma commit murders," he mutters as he goes to check on who the persistent and progressively louder knocker is. It sounds surprisingly modern--I've seen kids talk that way online--but is not only plausible, it's also an extension of the creators' psyche that connects to the readers of the present.
One of the highlights of this particular story is the guest appearances from real-life figures of the twentieth century. H.P. Lovecraft appears, and is delightfully insane and inane before he transforms into the enemy of the story, but Charles Fort is both his traveling companion and Robo's ally in defeating him. Luminary of All Subjects, Carl Sagan also appears during the 1970s portion of the story, and is far and away the most entertaining of the bunch. I think I was won over by what Sagan said to the thing they were fighting: "When you return to your unobservable but empirically determined dimension of origin--tell them Carl Sagan sent you."
I don't think I've really stopped laughing since then. It's up there with Egon's line about being frightened beyond the capacity for rational thought.
The artwork is also pretty good. The linework, while fairly flat and cartoony, still leaves plenty of room for expression and action. Robo's surliness and excitability come through consistently, helped along by a vibrant color palette, while the monsters are alternately menacing and hilarious. Scott Wegener also captures the guest stars pretty well, including a Lovecraft whose looniness is well rendered in his facial expressions, and a Carl Sagan whose zeal for serving humanity through science comes through in his gritty yet hilarious wit.
Overall, I have to say that Shadow From Beyond Time was highly enjoyable, and that my friends who recommended Atomic Robo in the past were right. If the rest of his adventures are this zany, I can't wait to read the rest of the material. Fans of sci-fi slapstick and the intellectual and sarcastic will very much enjoy this series. Highly recommended.
It is with a heavy heart and a hopeful longing that I review the final volume of Serenity comics that are currently in existence. While I won't go into much detail about how very awesome is the show they were spun from, the all-too-brief Firefly, I will say that it was the show that made me love Joss Whedon's writing skills. It's the show that made me give Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and, by extension, Angel) a second chance, and when I got through the show and the feature film it spawned, I was upset that there weren't more stories to tell. The emergence of the comics from Dark Horse were like a god-send.
Better Days and Other Stories is chronologically the second volume of stories, after the magnificent Those Left Behind and before the surprisingly disappointing The Shepherd's Tale. It includes several stories from various creative teams, including "Better Days," in which the crew happens upon an obscenely wealthy payoff and muses on what they plan to do with it before typical circumstance pulls it away from them; "The Other Half," a short piece where the crew wards off a pack of Reavers while River saves them from a fate they couldn't have known about; "Downtime," a character study of the crew that gives an idea of what they get up to when they're not actively thieving; and "Float Out," a post-movie story about several of Wash's old friends christening a ship in their deceased comrade's name.
The writing in all four stories is very well done. It's always fun to see Serenity's captain and crew both in and out of action, and the dialog, pacing, and plotlines all work like short episodes of Firefly. Whether they're pulling Mal out of yet another grim situation, bantering and bickering with one another, or guessing slyly at one another's secrets, the characters are true to the portrayals of their on-screen counterparts. The storytelling might not stand on its own for the casual reader, but I think it's safe to say that these books are meant for the fans, and they are a treat for those Browncoats who wanted more stories from the show.
Art-wise, I think it's unfair to compare anyone else's illustration work to Will Conrad's uncannily spot-on renditions of the characters. It's honestly like some photographer took still shots from some lost Firefly episode, filmed but never distributed, and gave them to Conrad to do the line work. His portrayals of the characters look that close to their actors. Patric Reynolds's work is pretty close to the mark as well, while Chris Samnee's efforts are the most cartoonish, though I will say that doesn't detract from the story in "Downtime." It's merely a different form of expressiveness that satisfies in a different way.
Overall, I think this is a wonderful collection of stories, certainly the most varied in the Serenity volumes that have been released. This is definitely fan material--while I'm sure the stories are good enough sci-fi/western/action fare on their own, there's definitely more of a payoff for those who have been devotees of the show, the movie, and anything else Firefly. For my part, it's a complete and total treat, one that makes a worthy addition to my own collection. Highly recommended.
I'm always of two minds about New Year's resolutions. On the one hand, they're a good way to try to improved and better yourself personally as a new year dawns. On the other hand, they can serve as a stark reminder of how weak-willed we can be. According to some studies, only 23 percent of New Year's resolutions are actually kept by resolution makers. A whopping 35 percent of resolutions are broken by the end of January.
That's right. Not even a month in, and well over a third of the millions of resolutions made putter into the oblivion. Not very encouraging.
Most of the New Year's resolutions I've made in past years have dealt with specific issues: writing (I will commit to writing 500 words per day for the whole year, or 182,500 words for the year); exercise (I will develop an exercise routine for muscle tone, strength and endurance, and I will stick with it the whole year); and sleeping (I will get up earlier in the morning and make use of the extra time I have. I will get by with less sleep than I currently do.). I've failed at these resolutions in the past, and have basically given up on trying to whip myself into shape over them when the new year emerges.
I have found, however, that time and necessity often do for me what arbitrary resolutions have failed at. When I was diagnosed with high cholesterol a few months ago, I changed my eating and exercise habits, because my long-term health was on the line. When I realized I was nearing the limit precipice of my credit cards a few years ago, I committed to paying down all that debt as soon as I possibly could--and, I'm proud to say, I've hacked away the majority of that particular beast. This blog, of which I'm particularly proud, was not part of any resolution I'd planned for the end of the year, but rather the realization that if I ever wanted to be a writer, then I'd better get off my ass and do some serious, consistent writing, each and every day.
None of those changes required, or even were part of, any New Year's resolution. They were due to particular circumstances that had emerged in my life naturally, over time. I am therefore convinced that any meaningful changes I want to make to my life will not be the result of any commitments I make arbitrarily at the end of a year.
So, in light of that realization, why bother with them? Well, because if nothing else, I think I can use the New Year's resolution to commit to some of the less serious, more fun areas of my life. Since I've had a few things in this category that I've never tried to work on, I figure it's about time to do so. And here's the great part: both of the resolutions I've made for myself this year revolve around comic book related goals. Without further ado, my two resolutions for 2012 are as follows:
I will attend at least one comics convention that takes place outside of Houston. I'm already planning to attend Comicpalooza this year, which is the fastest-growing and most awesome con that Houston has hosted since its inception some 5 years ago. But it's easy to get to them if you're already living in the city where they're hosted. I want to go to another town and meet comics fans who've come to somewhere other than my current city, even if it's just a few hours away. At this point, likely candidates are Austin (Wizard World Austin) and Chicago, but things could change. We'll see how time, budget, and energy affect where I'll end up this year...
I will attempt to construct at least two different costumes for cosplay purposes. I've already got two that I could use at a moment's notice, a Jedi and a Tenth Doctor getup, both I need to become a comic book character. My two marks for this year are black-suit Spider-Man, and Nightwing. Both are characters I've identified with in the past, and still enjoy reading about in the present. You could also argue that I even look a bit like them. Can I pull them off? Probably, but again, I'll need to start looking for costume pieces and start putting them together while I've still got the time.
So, there you have it. My resolutions for this year are more fun, more comic book-oriented, and nothing for me to feel horribly about if I don't accomplish them (though why I wouldn't want to is currently beyond me). If anyone has any advice or can help me reach either one this year, please don't hesitate to speak up. In the mean time, I'll wish luck to anyone who's made New Year's resolutions and still stuck with them at this point. I hope you have as much success with them as I have fun with these resolutions of mine.
What happens when a plethora of your enemies plans to steal your best friend's newborn son so that he can be experimented on? How do you begin to keep that child safe, even with the best of intentions and spider-powers, when numbers, the media, and the police are all working against you? Peter Parker sees just how far he can go to outstrip the infamous Parker Luck when a child's life is on the line in Spider-Man: Origin of the Species.
Peter, dealing with the typically tough trappings of his new life--money troubles, a hard-headed roommate, and a reputation both in and out of costume as a horrible human being--meets his friends for coffee, when the untimely arrival of Menace--aka Harry's ex, Lily Hollister--heralds a struggle with higher stakes than anyone is prepared for. Before we know it, Spider-Man has grabbed the newborn child she's delivered, and is put through his paces to keep the boy out of the clutches of some of his deadliest foes--and the Looter--all of whom are working for Spidey's arch-nemesis, Doctor Octopus, who wants to use the newborn's unique biochemistry to cure his withered body. It becomes both a physical and an emotional roller coaster ride as Spider-Man evades foes, loses the child, and becomes obsessed with both revenging himself upon anyone who had a hand in the baby's kidnapping and searching for and recovering Harry's son.
I have to say, this was a fun story. I mean, I know the idea of Spidey swinging frenetically around the city with a newborn baby in his possession while he tries to avoid enemy after enemy who wants to either kidnap the kid or pound Spidey's flesh into the ground should be alarming on some level--I seriously doubt a newborn would survive that kind of ride without some form of injury, or even death--but you have to admit, if there's a better setup for a gauntlet, it's really hard to imagine what it is. Plus, we get to see Spider-Man using his wits against the apparently brilliant Doc Ock, using him as bait for the Lizard near the end.
Also of paramount importance is the discovery that, near the end of the story, newborn Stanley Osborn is not the son of Harry's father, Norman. This is significant not only because it means he won't be in any further danger due to his genome--Doc Ock thought he was the product of Norman Osborn and Lily Hollister, both of whom had unique genetic properties due to their ingesting various permutations of the Goblin Serum--but it also means that, despite all of Norman's efforts to take Lily from Harry, that Harry is after all looking after his son, and not his brother. It's a heartening end to the Harry-Lily-Norman debacle, one that will hopefully herald better things for Harry and his family.
I didn't think I was going to like Paul Azaceta's artwork at the beginning of the story, as it seemed flat, simple, and with no real depth at first. But as I read on, I found that it works pretty well with the story being told, with Spider-Man rushing into and out of trouble, desperate to find and rescue the baby, and all manner of volatile events happening in the blink of an eye. With so much going on, the style actually works--the looks on the villains' faces as Spidey hunts them down in vengeance are particularly memorable--and the use of darkness and shading really works towards some of the end action scenes. I think those who take their time to read and peruse the artwork may have issues with it, and I'm not sure how well it would be received in a slower-paced, more measured story arc, but I really do like it in this story.
Overall, I think this story will stand as a good example of how difficult life can be if you're Spider-Man. Peter's attempts to keep baby Osborn alive, while somewhat comical, also take a turn for the dark, and his life out of costume is no picnic, either. It kept me turning the pages, and the heart-warming resolution leaves the indelible conclusion that, while life is often hard for both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, it's always worth it for both of them to try their hardest to help others. Highly recommended.
Sometimes the old aphorism holds true: the perfect boyfriend is not born, but made. At least, that’s the premise of Made for Each Other.
The second book in the My Boyfriend Is a Monster series is another cutely drawn, style over substance story in the teen romance and adventure genre, with a touch of the supernatural added for extra appeal. It’s a fairly shrewd move, given the current market for paranormal literature, which is particularly dominant in Young Adult literature. But given the plot of this story, it’s easy to see the dangers of flooding the markets with too much of the same kind of product.
The story centers around Maria McBride, a sophomore at Seward High School, who is something of a shrinking violet, and her growing attraction to Tom Stone, a new student who turns out to a modern-day, teenage-looking Frankenstein’s monster. Despite this gruesome-sounding origin, Tom is a strapping, good-looking, articulate young man, who is polite and smart, and who seems rather taken with Maria. When it turns out his father is the original Frankenstein’s monster, who uses his funeral home business as a front to create others like them, complications of course ensue.
At first it seems Dr. Stone’s business and “family” are keeping Tom away from Maria at every possible opportunity. Then, some of the newly created family members start causing problems, for both the new couple and the community at large. Add to that some in-fighting between the family members, and soon situations develop requiring Maria to rescue Tom from his deranged clan, and vice versa at times.
While I’m not a particular fan of romances, I don’t really have anything against them either. This story, however, had a couple of problems with it. Whereas the first story in this series, I Love Him to Pieces, moved along at a fairly brisk clip, this one feels very slow and drags in quite a few places. The characters featured are too numerous for the relatively short length of the story, and do little at times other than clog the plot and take away from the story of the main characters. By the time we actually see the grand reveal of Dr. Franklin Stone / Frankenstein’s monster, you’re just hoping he’ll find a way to end the story quickly.
The artwork was okay, very similar in cartoony yet expressive style to I Love Him to Pieces. The use of black space in this story feels much more overwrought here, however, making the whole piece feel darker overall (pun only partially intended). It would work if the story were a little more interesting, but unfortunately seems to weight down the narrative even further.
It does a good enough job for what it is, but doesn’t have the same appeal as the first one did, for me. The characters are cute, the plot, while flawed, does involve the struggle to preserve the characters’ new romance. It should appeal to those looking to get a quick fix of paranormal teen romance, but will probably have limited appeal to most other readers. Recommended, with reservations.
Okay, now I've gone and done it. I went and shelled out $3.99 for a print comic book, mere days after it was released. This doesn't happen with me very often these days, for several reasons:
$3.99 is damned expensive for a comic, and don't start on any talk of inflation. The current prices for comics are way above the inflation rate for other goods and products.
I lost my first collection of comic books to time, circumstance, and distance, and don't really want to put a lot of investment in single issues for that reason.
There aren't a lot of stories that justify it, in my opinion. I'd rather wait a bit, see them in collected editions, and read the whole story at once.
So why did I go and buy Scarlet Spider #1 today and read it for review? A few reasons, none of which are particularly powerful by themselves, but together made a confluence of justification for me:
The action takes place in my town, Houston.
I find Kaine to be one of the more fascinating characters to come out of the whole Clone Saga mess.
I think Kaine's assumption of the Scarlet Spider mantle makes for an interesting story, considering that he's succeeding his former nemesis, Ben Reilly.
So, I went and picked it up. Did I like it? Oh, heck yes.
Kaine has recently proven himself capable of overcoming a stacked deck in terms of choosing between the dark and light paths. He sacrificed himself to save Peter's life during The Grim Hunt, and ended up being a force for good in the Spider Island arc in spite of the intent behind his resurrection. Now that he's on his own, and on the run, he's trying to figure out who he is, without the influence of external forces like Spider-Man or Miles Warren or the Queen. At first trying to keep to himself and take care of only his own needs, he is repeatedly thrust into circumstances requiring him to make a choice between saving others and staying out of trouble.
While he's not above making a threat or physically intimidating someone who's inconveniencing him, in the larger context, Kaine still seems unable to keep himself from interceding when he sees people in danger. When he says that things aren't his problem, transposed against the costume he apparently stole from Peter, we know it's a lie that won't hold up for too long.
I like the writing so far. Yost keeps the pace flowing fairly well, and he demonstrates at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Houston area. So far my favorite piece of dialog involves the heat there: "It's like my sweat is sweating." We'll see how the rest of it holds up over time, but I got the occasional chuckle out of it.
Art-wise, I've got no complaints. Stegman's Kaine is menacing, surly, and direct, both in looks and mannerisms, with or without the long hair and beard. It's pleasant to look at, and definitely worthy of a Spider-family title (I imagine Kaine would take umbrage at my putting it that way).
Overall, a good read, and a worthy start to the reboot of this character. I'm interested to see where things go, and may even continue buying these issues if the quality stays this high. As it is, I'm pleased with this inaugural issue and can't wait to see where it goes. Highly recommended.
Its website offers more information on the campaign, and features two significant ways for interested Internet superheroes to contribute. There is, of course, directly donating to the cause, of which DC has pledged to match 100%. The other option is to purchase We Can Be Heroes branded merchandise (which, I have to say, looks pretty spiffy), the proceeds of which 50% will be matched by DC.
