More first issues.
ALOHA, HAWAIIAN DICK #1: This is the fourth installment in B. Clay Moore’s Hawaiian Dick series and you may be a bit confused if you are just walking into it for the first time. Here’s the quick story: in 1954, Byrd killed his younger brother, or so we are led to believe, and ended up on in Hawaii, where he took up residence as a detective. The story flashes back and forth between the 1950’s and 1972, where our hero relates his story to journalist Susan Summers. There is also a back up that introduces us to Tread Lightly, who plays a major role in the upcoming series. Moore does a great job of writing a cool noir piece while Jacob Wyatt’s equally cool the linework helps with that feel. It is fun and trippy and you can still get your hands on the previous runs as TPBs.
BLACK PANTHER #1: Wakanda, the most technologically advanced nation in the world, is in a crisis…which is better than it was during SECRET WARS. T'Challa, the Black Panther, must deal with an uprising that looks like it will completely mess up the balance of power in his country. There are subplots galore, a pair of lesbian fighters and his sister in suspended animation. All in all, it is a title filled with great promise, thanks to the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and the art of Brian Stelfreeze. Coates has said he is in this for 11 issues, so I guess we know how long this plot will last. While I admit that not everyone will find this book to their liking, I find it intriguing and am happy with the direction this character is finally getting to take after all these years.
CIVIL WAR II #0: Jennifer Walters is defending Jonathan Powers, formerly The Jester, for a crime he never committed while the President of the United States is prepping Rhodey to one day become his successor. Walters loses the case and Powers ends up getting killed in prison, causing Jennifer to question the law. The Terrigen Mists make their way to Ohio State University and it transforms two people. When they emerge, all hell breaks loose in a scene we never see. So, we get destruction and the echoes of what brought about the Super Hero Registration Act in Civil War I. Brian Michael Bendis sets things in motion with Olivier Coipel giving us great art. I found it a lackluster little introduction to what promises to be an epic storyline.
THE FIX #1:Here’s a premise: what if you wanted to go on a crime spree and you happened to be a pair of police officers. How would you do it? Welcome to THE FIX.
Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber give us a captivating, well-crafted pair of crooks who you want to hate but soon find yourself liking. This is a great little roller coaster ride for the bad guy in all of us. Oh yeah: hope you like dogs too!
GODZILLA OBLIVION #1: In IDW’s continuing use of the big green lizard, this time we have a plethora of classic Godzilla monsters like Mothra and Ghidrah running around on an alternate Earth where Godzilla is kept as a peace keeper. Joshua Fialkov, the writer behind I, VAMPIRE, and Brian Churilla bring us a fun, if not simple little tale that keep the Big G in the forefront of pop culture while waiting for the next movie to arrive. It’s not rocket science, but it is brain candy. Every now and then, you need a little brain candy.
HANNA BARBERA’S FUTURE QUEST #1: Welcome to the new age of Hanna Barbera, thanks to the crazy folks at DC. We get the very origin of Space Ghost. Then we visit with Race Bannon, Dr. Quest, along with Birdman and Avenger. Meanwhile, Jonny Quest and Hadji, along with Bandit, encounter Dr. Zin’s battle drones and that leads to the opening of a vortex containing classic HB heroes. If you were a kid in the Sixties, or have ever seen an old HB hero show on You Tube or cable, you need to buy this book. It is a loving memory brought to life by Jeff Parker, who along with Evan “Doc” Shaner, was responsible for one of the best CONVERGENCE titles. Parker, Shaner and legendary NEXUS artist Steve “The Dude” Rude, combine their talent to make this a fun title for all ages and not be bogged down with silly, cartoon stuff.
MISS FURY #1: Back in the Forties, June Tarpe Mills gave us Miss Fury: a cool female hero in the days of mostly male heroes. Corinna Bechko gives us a war-time mystery that involves some missing blueprints and it immediately feels like Forties Noir. Jonathan Lau’s art is great looking, with a touch a Jae Lee in his work. We even get Peri the Cat, who was the real life cat of Tarpe Mills. It is a fun little read that will certainly appeal to anyone who loved the pulp-era heroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow.
MOON KNIGHT #1: Poor Marc Spector. He has had his problems over the years in the comics world. He has had any number of origins and has been many people. This time around, he’s in a mental institution, where it seems that all of his adventures over the years have only been a fantasy in a journal he has kept since he was a child. Even his love Marlene is a resident here. But he is pretty sure that there are evil Egyptians out and about and that the outside world is being invade by Seth. But is it real or is he just crazy? That’s the premise in Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood’s take on this hero. Does it work? It’s kind of tough to tell. One thing is for sure: the reader will go on a wild ride where they need to decipher the clues.
NIGHTHAWK #1: If you are looking for an African alternative to The Punisher, than this is your book. Nighthawk, THIS NIGHTHAWK, is really Raymond Kane, who came here when his world was destroyed during SECRET WARS and serves with the Squadron Supreme. Where the original Nighthawk was Kyle Richmond who reformed his villainous ways and became part of The Defenders, this Nighthawk is an ultra-violent cross between Batman and The Punisher, complete with a tech-savvy sidekick. David F. Walker writes it like it’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and Ramon Villalobos does his best Steve Dillon imitation, complete with some poor guy being fed his wife’s fingers! Definitely not for the faint of heart!
POWER LINES #1: I’m a big fan of Jimmie Robinson's work, going beyond BOMB QUEEN and all the way back to CYBERZONE and CODE BLUE. SO I was really looking forward to this series. But it goes into a direct that I guess we needed but I wasn’t ready for. We get a tale of super powers, racism and classism that goes beyond the normal genre. I found the characters a bit on the bland side and can only hope that we get a bit more fleshing out with subsequent issues. I am impressed that it’s a one man show for Robinson by writing, drawing, lettering and just about everything else. Maybe he needs someone else to edit him as it could use some punching up. It could be good, but I can’t recommend it on first read.
THE PUNISHER #1: HE’S BACK! Yes, the classic kicking ass and taking names Frank Castle is back! In the hands of Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon, our boy is back with a vengeance. Drugs flow freely and so does the blood! There is some of the wildest scenes of carnage that we have seen in some time! Cloonan, who was voted #3 of the top female artists of all time, writes a wild ride where out mostly silent vigilante just does what he does best. And Steve Dillon? C’mon-it’s Steve Freaking Dillon!
SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #1: What if you took one of the classic Hanna-Barbera properties, spun it around, and spit it out as a post apocalyptic tale? You would get SCOOBY APOCALYPSE (or the upcoming WACKY RACELAND). With Jim Lee responsible for the character designs, you know you’re going to get quality and with ever popular team of Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis and Howard Porter contributing the story and art, you know it’s going to be out there. Daphne and Fred, have a once popular television show and they are trying to revive their ratings by revealing the ongoings at a secret government installation. Velma works for the installation and is the one who provided the tip to Fred and Daphne, while Shaggy is working as a dog trainer, developing combat read dogs. The government is producing nanites that will change the people of the world and that’s where the problem begins, with our heroes, and Scooby-the cybernetically enhanced dog, being the only beings unaffected. It’s a crazy ride that I’m pretty sure will just get better with each issue. This is highly recommended.
STEVE ROGERS CAPTAIN AMERICA #1: I have to confess that I haven’t read a CAPTAIN AMERICA book, except for the first Sam Wilson issue, since Steve Rogers found himself in Dimension Z and then got old. I wasn’t a fan of those issues and certainly couldn’t embrace the political correctness of the Sam Wilson Cap. But while fighting a sentient Cosmic Cube named Kobik, Steve was restored to his younger self again and has agreed to share the duties with him as they chases after Baron Zemo, the Red Skull and Kobik. With a supporting cast including Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, Jack Flag and Free Spirit, who have been dragged into this book from the Mark Gruenwald years, the team bands together to fight the good fight. Jesus Saiz’ art rocks the book and Cap looks great. I still have issue with Sharon growing old, but what can you do? Nick Spencer’s story is okay but, for anyone who hasn’t read the spoilers, the kicker comes at the end when Cap apparently kills Jack Flag and utters the immortal words “Hail Hydra”. Cap a traitor? That’s enough to keep me intrigued for another issue or two.
THUNDERBOLTS #1: Coming out of the events during AVENGERS STANDOFF: ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL, the team of bad guys made good are back in the form of The Thunderbolts. But this time, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes is in charge as they raid S.H.I.E.L.D. to wipe the records of their team from their database. After the raid, the team go to their headquarters and this book becomes a quintessential Nineties title with silly moments and quips between characters. And we add in Cosmic Cube energy creation Kobik, that thinks it’s a girl, and you end up with a book that seems to give homage to Rob Liefeld from a literary and artistic standpoint. That is the doing of Jim Zub and Jon Malin. Normally, I would be complaining, like when Scott Lobdell channels his Nineties work into TEEN TITANS. Somehow, on a weird level, this works. Of course, I was a huge THUNDERBOLTS fan anyway, so you really have to screw up that title to turn me away from it.
WILLIAM GIBSON’S ARCHANGEL #1: Here’s a fast-paced, science fiction thriller that will leave you wondering what’s next. Of course, the fact that it is written by legendary Cyberpunk creator William Gibson owes a lot to that success. Right off the bat, we have the villain of the piece, our vice president, travelling back to 1945 to take his grandfather's place. Then we jump forward to present day and then back to 1945, where we find out of an alien aircraft, actually a future aircraft, that has landed here and it is up to Naomi Givens of the RAF to investigate. One pilot is dead, but a second one lives and he carries not only the markings of 2016, but also some of the conveniences of the time. This is a great team effort by Gibson, Butch Guice and the legendary Tom Palmer that makes this a killer looking read as well as a thought provoking one. Suffice it to say, I think IDW has a winner here!
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