Another batch of first issues in review

Some recent first issues.

ARCHIE MEETS RAMONES #1: In the fictional world of Riverdale, all sorts of things  can happen. Gee, the gang has previously crossed paths with The Punisher, Predator, and Sharknado. In this one-shot by Alex Segura, Matthew Rosenberg, and Gisele Lagace, the gang can’t seem to be able to get in the musical groove and ends up magically being transported back to New York in 1976 and meet the legendary band. The gang learns the importance of playing with heart and volume and that becomes their influence. This is a fun, non-offensive tribute.

BETTY BOOP #1: One of the classic characters from animation history makes her Dynamite debut along with her cast of supporting characters. The book looks and feels like those cartoons, thanks to Roger Langridge’s writing and Gisele Lagace’ art. My biggest complaint is that $3.99 for 19 pages is just a little too pricey for my blood! But, for fans of the gal, it’s a hit. And the cover by legend Howard Chaykin ain’t bad either!

THE BLACK HOOD Volume 2 #1: Greg Hettinger, a Highway Patrol Officer who has become a vigilante, has gone into hiding but is still attracting unwanted attention in Duane Swierczynski’s new volume of this Archie Comics Publication. Greg Scott’s art is dark and depressing while Swierczynski’s story is tightly written. This is a weird take on the vigilante character that Marvel made so famous with THE PUNISHER, but it works marvelously.

BLOODSHOT USA #1: Coming directly out of the regular BLOODSHOT series, the Bloodshot Squad makes their way to Manhattan, where the citizens have been infected by the Bloodshot nanites. Throw Deathmate,  Ninjak, Livewire and Unity in the mix and you have Valiant attempting to woo me back into the fold after their BOOK OF DEATH series that turned me off. It’s a well-written first issue by Jeff Lemire with art by Doug Braithwaite that proves why this is one of the more popular Valiant characters.

BRITANNIA #1: I wrote off most of my valiant Comics collecting last year after their
“mega-event” turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for me. But if you tell me that Peter Milligan is involved, that gets my attention. Couple that with the killer artwork of Juan Jose Ryp and we end up with a grisly historical tale set in Rome in 60 A.D. The art is amazing and so graphic that it might possibly turn some folks off. And the story will pretty much appeal to history buffs until the very end when the surprise drops in. I will probably give this another shot as I was intrigued and am curious to see where Milligan goes. 

CANNIBAL #1: With CHEW being a big hit, this was likely to come along. J. Young and Brian Buccellato give us CANNIBAL. Set in Florida, we learn that a Category Five hurricane had caused mosquitoes carrying Yellow Fever to rear its’ ugly head. A medicine was created that cured the disease but left a side effect: the victims now craved human flesh. With the premise in place, Young introduces this malady into the locals. This is not your average flesh-eating tale. The characters are well defined, even in the first issue and who knows where it goes from here. This was a fun first issue and bears further investigating.

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #1: Most people don’t remember Cave Carson but I sure do. He was a part of that wonderful group of superheroes who were just a bit on the fringe of the DCU. There was the Sea Devils, Rip Hunter, Doom Patrol, the Challengers of the Unknown…and Cave Carson. Well this Cave Carson is not the spelunker I grew up with. This one is a widower who is still troubled by his wife’s death and spends a lot of his time in his underground lab. He also hangs out for a bit with the Metal Men.  And then it gets weird! Thanks to Gerard Way, Jon Rivera and artist Michael Avon Oeming for kick-starting this series into high gear right from the start. Oh yeah…you also get a cute little three page Wonder Twins back-up by Tom Scioli that is just twisted enough to catch my interest. This is such a fun trip and I truly cannot thank the creators enough for this. Here’s hoping it will have a long life supported by the fans!

CHAMPIONS #1: What happens when Ms. Marvel quits the Avengers? She puts together her own team of young heroes. Made up of a time displaced Cyclops, the Amadeus Cho Hulk, Nova, Miles Morales Spider Man and Vision’s daughter Viv, Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos try and recreate the excitement of the original series but don’t. The characters are cliched and the fact that Ms. Marvel  is running point for this team baffles me. Personally, I’d let Morales or Cho run the team but hey…what do I know. Bring back the classic team again…please!

THE CLONE CONSPIRACY #1: Well…Jay Jameson is dead and Jonah is blaming Peter Parker for it. At the same time, Miles Warren is back and is bringing some classic Spider-Man characters with him. There’s Rhino and a female Electro and Gwen Stacy. Hey-even Doc Ock is back! And is that Captain Stacy? Yeah…the BIG Spider Man story is here in the form of this soon to be epic from Dan Slott and Jim Cheung. It looks awesome and Slott just hits all the right notes in the story. I cannot wait to read the next issue and will probably end up reading the tie-in books look the new PROWLER series.

DEATH OF X #1: It’s Marvel’s next big event book that is designed to fill in the eight month gap and how the status quo of the team became what it is. The creative team of Jeff Lemire, Charles Soule and Aaron Kuder gives us the tale of Mutant versus Inhumans. Cyclops, still alive at this point in history, accompanies his team to Muir Island where they discover that the Terrigen Mists are killing Mutants, especially Jamie Maddrox. The first issue sets up a future head-to-head that will hopefully get moving in the right direction. For now, this is a bit of a disappointment as too much time is sent with poor Scott Summers trying to be a cross between Charles Xavier and Magneto.

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #1: Hey-did you know there is a NEW DOCTOR STRANGE movie on the horizon? Well, if you didn’t, all you have to do is look at Marvel’s publishing list and see a bunch of DOCTOR STRANGE title. The latest one is by Robbie Thompson and Javier Rodriguez and follows Stephen Strange as he is enlisted by Merlin to travel into the past and be part of a team of legendary sorcerers. Sir Isaac Newton, Kushala the Conjuror, an older Wiccan, and a younger Ancient One, Demon Rider, and the Mindless One(presently known as the Mindful One), band together to battle evil. If you’re a fan of the monthly title, this is the perfect tie-in.

DOOM PATROL #1: I am a HUGE fan of the Doom Patrol…all the Doom Patrols. I fell in love with the Arnold Drake crafted original team that “died” saving the world and then rode the Paul Kupperberg ride that gave us new members. But that was nothing compared to the crazy, creative and sometimes-bumpy train ride that was Grant Morrison, Rachel Pollack, John Arcudi, John Byrne and Keith Giffen. My Chemical Romance leader and comic creator Gerard Way, along with artist Nick Derington brings us the next chapter that introduces new characters and brings back such favorites as Niles Caulder, Robotman and Danny the Living Street. Strap in: this is Young Animal and it’s like Vertigo in the mainstream DC Universe.

THE GREAT LAKES AVENGERS #1: Back in the late Eighties, John Byrne created the misfit team known as The Great Lakes Avengers. Comprised of Mr. Immortal, Dinah Soar, Big Bertha, Flatman and Doorman, and later members such as Squirrel Girl, Deadpool, and Grasshopper. They have bounced around, mostly in the background, for the past 37 years. But now Marvel has brought them back and I was very thrilled…until I read it. Zac Gorman’s story falls flat and Will Robson’s art ends up being the high point of the book. Very disappointing to say the least.

INFAMOUS IRON MAN #1: Somewhere along the line in a CIVIL WAR II tale we have yet to read, Tony Stark has become an A.I.. And, following SECRET WARS, Victor Von Doom became healed. So, now Victor Von Doom has decided it’s time to put on Tony Stark’s armor and become a hero. But what kind of hero faces off with Diablo and turns him into dust to save the life of Maria Hill? The same kind that is being looked for by Ben Grimm, who we last saw with the Guardian of the Galaxy. And does this turn make Doom’s mama happy? You bet! Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev team up again and give us a great first issue. It’s a confusing bit as we still don’t know how Tony ended up as he did, but all will be revealed.

JESSICA JONES #1: well, it took a Netflix television show to bump up the interest in this character and the ALIAS series she was in back in 2001. This series from the creators on their series, Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, starts with Jessica getting out of prison and beginning her life anew as private investigator. That also means it brings back a supporting cast including Jessica Drew, Misty Knight and , of course, Luke cage. I’m a bit of a loss because I don’t know HOW she ended up in the slammer and then there is the obvious question of “where is the baby”.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS #1: Another classic Archie title gets a reboot as part of the new generation of Archie Comics. Marguerite Bennett, Cameron Deordio, and Audrey Monk combine to tell us how the legendary band came together. It looks great but the story leaves me wanting more. Personally, I miss the old band.

KISS #1: It’s almost 500 years after The Great War where the survivors have been forced to live underground in the city of Blackwell. Meet the four teenagers who question their existence and go looking for a way out. Their travel takes them through a tunnel filled with mystical symbols and eventually to the computer known as Morpheus. Amy Chu and Kewber Baal bring us the newest incarnation of the rock stars as superheroes. Does it work? Hard to tell at the moment as the “stars” of the book only show up on the last page and only as series of floating heads. This is just another take on the “man questioning their existence in a future society”. Personally, I think I’d rather watch LOGAN’S RUN.

LOVE AND ROCKETS Volume 4 #1: If you have never read L&R during it’s legendary career, then you have not only missed out on one of the first comic books in the Independent comics movement of the Eighties, but you have also missed out on one of the most amazing books since 1982. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez bring us some truly fascinating slice of life stories with great art and plenty of heart, Gilbert brings us stories from the Mexican village of Palomar while Jaime tells Locas stories, set in Los Angeles and starring Maggie and Hopey and their friends. Storytelling at its’ finest!

PEEPLAND #1: I’m a HUGE FAN of the Hard Case Crimes series of novels. So I was VERY EXCITED to see that Titan Comics was doing a new series of Noir comics. Christa Faust and Gary Philips combine for this dark, gritty story set in the sleazy part of Times Square in 1986. Andrea Camerini provides the artwork and it’s the perfect fit. If you like crime stories, this is the start of a great relationship. Next up: Walter Hill’s TRIGGERMAN.

REBORN #1: One of the long-standing questions in life is where do we go when we die. What if we were reborn and came back to life in another place, fighting dragons, and such? Welcome to REBORN by Mark Millar and Greg Capullo. The concept is interesting and written well enough to entice me to come back for issue #2. As far as Capullo’s art goes: it’s Capullo. You either like it or you don’t.

SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL #1: Megan Boyer is a teenage girl who is brain-dead. But she suddenly awakens and begins to live life again. But Megan isn’t really Megan. She is really an alien who has worn Shade’s cloak and made herself at home in Megan’s form. This is a trippy little tale that may also be epic mystery tale that will reveal who was responsible for Megan’s coma. This is another killer Young Animal comic, this time from the minds and pen of Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone.

SKYBOURNE #1: Once upon a Bible, Lazarus died and was resurrected. He lived long enough to father three children-Abraham, Thomas and Grace. Grace is a connected to the Mountain Top Foundation and she is currently in Turkey where she is retrieving Excalibur. It’s a bloody mess that leads to her battling an old man for possession of the sword. This is the newest creator-owned project by Frank Cho and it looks awesome…like everything Cho draws. And the amount of gore is staggering! The story is intriguing, if not for the fact that we have only met one of the Skybourne children. And…SPOILER…she may not make it until issue #2.