DC'S NEW 52: MONTH #11 Part 1

ACTION COMICS #11: In the wake of the death of Clark Kent, Superman constructs a new secret identity in the form of firefighter Johnny Clark. He visits Star Editor George Taylor in the hospital and Taylor confesses that Clark Kent was one of the best reporters he had ever known. Superman is also having issues regarding killing his alter ego and discusses them with a fairly uninterested Batman. Lois Lane’s niece Susie is apparently cosmically aware and has some connection with the mysterious Adam. He battles Superman, turns the citizens of Metropolis against him and critically injures Lois. The back-up story is a tale of how Superman got his original costume. Or is it?

The main story was okay with some nice bits by Grant Morrison. The fact that it takes three artists, Rags Morales, Rick Bryant and Brad Walker, to tell the tale concerns me. Overall, we see that Superman may just have shot himself in the foot by eliminating his alter ego. It’s not like Clark Kent was Mike Murdock (there’s a reference for the comic fans). In all fairness, the back-up story, by Sholly Fisch and Cafu, was a rollicking good time! It tells how Superman, at the beginning of his career, ending up ordering his logo t-shirts from one shop owner and now he sells them as souvenirs. At least, it MAY be this particular shop. It was fun and I would love to see more of the early days.

ALL STAR WESTERN #11:  Arkham is concerned that The Court of the Owls will get involved in a war with the Followers of the Crime Bible. Lucius Bennett gets attacked by Tallulah and Hex, who takes out Bennett’s bodyguard Mr. Baroque. Then the female Talon shows up and pulls Bennett out of the firefight, only to hang him from a bridge. The Crime Bible Followers promote to replace their lost members and get the Gotham Police to arrest Tallulah, Arkham and Hex on charges of killing Bennett. But they aren’t taken to jail. They are carted to Slaughter Swamp and are hooked up to the “Steam Powered Death Machine”. The Followers arrive and discover Tallulah has escaped. They’re in trouble now. In the back-up story, we get a Western introduction to Doctor Terrence Thirteen who is helping to investigate the case of the Haunted Highwayman.

As always, this is another awesome issue from Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat. The Court of the Owls jumps headlong into the plot and begins their war with the Crime Bible folks. And we see how nasty Tallulah can be, not to mention how scarred both she and Hex are (in an interesting bedroom scene). Now the back-up? It’s way too early to tell on this one. Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Scott Kolins turn in a standard piece of work that just serves to set the story and introduce our cigar smoking hero. Certainly a far cry from the parapsychologist we last saw in FLASHPOINT.

ANIMAL MAN #11: Animal Man gets remade in a new image as the Rot has taken over his body and is terrorizing Cliff. Socks tries to help my becoming a giant, vengeful cat but gets a broken arm for his trouble. Animal Man arrives with a vengeance and beheads his old self. That’s when Cliff passes out and says he can see Arcane coming. Arcane? Yeah…it’s crossover time.

Jeff Lemire and Albeerto Poticelli cut loose and prepare for the horrific crossover of the year. That having been said, you need known nothing else. Everything since the first issue has been leading up to this moment and it will bring the entire battle with The Red, The Rot and The Green into the forefront of the NEW DCU. Get yourself a ringside seat for this epic starting next month.

AQUAMAN #11: We begin this story 6 years ago as Aquaman and his cohorts are in the tomb of the first king of Atlantis. In present day, Aquaman and his team greet Vostok-a long lost member who has been on the moon for two years. Meanwhile Manta kidnaps Shin and takes him to the tomb of the first king to search for the Seventh Relic. At last, he succeeds: the Scepter of the Dead king-the weapon that sank Atlantis.

Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are truly doing some of their best work of their careers on this book. The whole book has become this great epic which not only rewrites Aquaman’s long storied history but blazes a new path. I’ve been reading the Sea King’s adventures for most of my life and he has had great moments and really rotten ones. This is truly one of the better ones.

BATGIRL #11: Knightfall, really Charise Carnes, and her team face off with Batgirl. Just when it looks like Batgirl will meet her maker, Detective McKenna arrives to break up the party and save the day. It seems Charise and McKenna have some history together. It also seems that Charise may have been responsible for her family’s death. We do know she spent time in Arkham and saw McKenna’s husband die during a riot-a riot that McKenna was in the middle of. And she tells Batgirl there is a mole in the organization. And Batwoman is ready to move in. Meanwhile, Barabra’s brother takes her roommate home and gives her a kitten. This looks like the start of something bad.

This is a nice end to the story. And Detective McKenna arrives again and makes Batgirl more interesting. Add Knightfall, dressed like a poor man’s Azrael, into the Rogue’s Gallery because we KNOW she’ll be back. Fanboy critics still complain that we haven’t resolved Batgirl’s ability to walk again. But they need to get beyond it. She’s on her feet and picking up her life. They should too.

BATMAN #11: As the hype on the cover declares, it’s “the epic finale of The Court of the Owls”. It’s the battle we have all been waiting for: Bruce Wayne versus his brother, Thomas Wayne Jr. But is it REALLY the brother of the Bat? The battle takes place in a variety of places including on the outside of an airplane and the skyscraper the Bruce had planned to make the centerpiece of his revitalized Gotham. Instead, it becomes a tomb for Bruce’s alleged brother. but no body is found. later, Bruce explains the whole thing to Dick Grayson and believes he was a John Doe who was convinced early on that he WAS Thomas Wayne Jr. In the back-up story, we find out how the Court of the Owls dispatched Alfred’s father.

And so it ends, not with a bang but with a whisper. The book looks great thanks to Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion. Scott Snyder has truly crafted an epic story and introduced a villain who I am certain with return as part of Batman’s ongoing Rogue’s Gallery. All in all, this was a nicely crafted story by someone who truly appreciates the business and the character’s history.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #11:  Jason Todd gets quite a surprise when he finds a crowbar on his bed. It must be that wacky Damien who is messing with the former Robin who was, after all, beaten to death by The Joker. But you realize that ends up with a battle between these too. While this is going on, Terminus is having his followers cause major chaos in Gotham City, complete with police officers being branded with the bat symbol across their chest. Terminus reaches his end but not before he unleashes explosions throughout Gotham City that form the bat symbol. Oh…and there’s a surprise for the dynamic duo at the end of the book. And it could very well be terminus in a new life form.

And Damien continues down the highway to his own hell by messing with the already crazy Jason Todd. This is becoming a major dysfunctional family book! Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason keep making this a fun read. It reads like a buddy book even though it’s Batman and Son. I love this one! As far as I am concerned, the Bat Books are the winners in the NEW 52 sweepstakes.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #11: The introduction of the Scarecrow in the NEW 52 Universe continues. Bruce continues to find himself in hot water by continually running out on his girlfriend of the moment, Natalya. Jim Gordon is still within the clutches of the Scarecrow, who continues to capture children. We get some of his back story and it seems his father was even more of a torturing soul than his son is. Batman goes to visit Clair and discovers the van that abducted her was driven by the “Hello Man”. Actually, the license plate says “HLLWMAN” or Hollow Man. Batman pays the Hollow man and visit and ends up being treated to a massive injection of Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin.

Welcome to the dark and creepy corner of the Batman Universe. This Scarecrow is so tortured and so psychotic that I think he rivals The Joker for his sickness. Gregg Hurwitz turns what was an interesting but not spectacular book into something magical and allows David Finch to concentrate on his art. This is one of my favorite books to dive into when it comes out and immediately goes to the top of my “must read” pile.

BATWOMAN #11: The Drown the World storyline finally reaches a conclusion. Just when it looks like they will be pulling the plug, Bette Kane comes out of her coma. Batwoman battles with a possessed Sune (not really possessed…a shapeshifter) and Sune is shot by Agent Chase. Croc grabs his mistress and they leave in a portal while the ghost of Maria floods the building. When all is done, Sawyer and Kate have a quiet moment and we learn of Sawyer’s daughter.

This issue represents a somewhat satisfying ending to a long, drawn out story. All loose ends, mostly, are tied up and we move on. Unfortunately, this book lost a great deal of momentum along the way. The rotating artist merry-go-round helped create that. This issue it’s Trever McCarthy and Pere Perez. I understand that Williams is in high demand and will be illustrating the new SANDMAN book that Neil Gaiman is writing but a great deal of the allure is Williams’ art. So this story ends and we wait for a new one. Please bring this back to where it was prior to this six part story. 

BIRDS OF PREY #11: Poison Ivy gets revived in the Amazon even as a their drug dealing pilot gets killed by The Perennial. She also informs them that she has six months to live and all of the Birds have been given a toxin which means they have six months to live…unless they become eco-terrorists like her and help her save the planet. They attack a firm in Dubai and attempt to force them to change their company policy. This should be interesting.

Okay, I LOVE the story and HATE the art! Duane Swierczynski has turned the team upside down here. There IS a choice: fight Poison Ivy, die and pollute everyone on the planet. Or join her cause and truly save the planet. That’s quite a tough moral choice there. But the art job that Travel Foreman and Timothy Green II is very distracting. I don’t care for distorted face and noses bigger than they should be. Learn to draw with proportion intact!

CATWOMAN #11: Catwoman strikes up a deal with Detective Alvarez. Gwen gets propositioned by a mysterious stranger with a nose like The Penguin (just guessing here). The Dollmaker continues to deal with a broker about the organs he/she has for sale and later, during a stakeout, the villain strikes and, among other things, captures Detective Alvarez.

Judd Winick turns in another interesting chapter in the Dollhouse saga. And we get a hint onto the perp’s identity. He may be a she after all! Adriana Melo handles the art chores this issue and is no Guillen Marsh, but tries really hard. One more issue to go for Winick to wrap this up as Ann Nocenti takes over the writing chores as of issue #0. I hope her characterization of this feline is fine.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #11:  We discover that the crazy killer who has been creating havoc is actually the son of the man that captured Vandal Savage and paid for it with his life. This copycat killer has attempted to frame Savage and now has his daughter in his clutches. Just before he is about to slaughter the girl, her father arrives and does battle. In the end, it’s a well-placed bullet from her that saves her father’s life. Ultimately, she does what she has to: she arranges for him to be taken into custody. But we can expect to see him again, as he vomits up the key to his shackles while in prison.

And so James Robinson and Bernard Chang bring this tale of Vandal Savage to a conclusion. Ultimately, it was an okay story. Robinson is well known for his love of classic DC characters and, even after creating this unexpected tale of the immortal villain, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I truly expected more, not about Savage himself, but about his daughter. But she is a truly uninteresting character. I’ve seen SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and she is no Clarice Starling.

DEATHSTROKE #11:  Deathstroke and the Omegas take on Lobo, who apparently has been around for Centuries and enslaved the Omegas parents. We learn that Lobo has regenerative healing factor and he can totally trash Deathstroke’s Nth metal armor. And he’s going to blow up the planet. Could this be the end of the book AND the New 52 Universe? We can only hope!

So what is the best part of this issue? There is none! What was one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads has turned into a big steaming pile of poo! THIS is what I expected from Rob Liefeld. Each issue, the artwork decreases a bit more as he rushes through his illustrations. And with each issue, the writing gets that much less exciting. Stop trying to make this BLOODSTRIKE! I’m so done with this!

DEMON KNIGHTS #11: Last time, the team was afflicted by magic that turned them into monsters. All that is except for Madame Xanadu, who isn’t transformed because she has a connection to Avalon. The zombie corpse of King Arthur leads the team to healing waters that reverses the magic, including reviving Arthur. The team proceeds to a tower which emits eerie green light. There they fight an evil monster, that they manage to defeat. When all is done, we learn the team is headed right into a trap set forth by Xanadu’s sister…Morgaine LeFay.

That’s a twist I had not expected. Xanadu and LeFay are sisters. Very cool!  So now we have a great medieval story with a ton of mystical goings on and magic galore. Paul Cornell is doing a great job of putting all these characters together into one big anti-superhero team. And, after the last few issues being a bit slow moving, it was nice to see this one come roaring back. 

DETECTIVE COMMICS #11: Batman continues to battle Mr. Toxic and tries to save Hugh Marder. But what happens when Batman bashes own Toxic’s helmet to reveal…another Hugh Marder. Things get might curious as Bruce ends up meeting with one of the allegedly missing scientists who explains that Marder was working on forward Time Travel and using his own clones to experiment with it. Soon, two of the five Marder bodies regenerate, killing the morgue physicians in the process. With a sample in his lab, Batman begins doing his best detective work when the sample begins to grow and consume him. In the back-up tale, the resurrection of Two-Face come to a surprising conclusion as the man sent to kill Two-Face doesn’t.

Mr. Toxic is one of a series of clones? Yeah…that’s new. That would be sarcasm there. I don’t find this villain interesting, I don’t care about his multiple clones and I don’t care if Batman solves the crime or not. Tony Daniel’s story isn’t interesting to me at all and the fact that we have ANOTHER Fill-in artist in the form of  Julio Ferreira is just annoying. I have a hard time buying into a lousy story to begin with and then a rotating art cast just makes it less enjoyable. Regarding the back-up: I didn’t like the first parts and don’t care about the ending. If you want to reintroduce Two-Face into the Batman corner of the New 52 Universe, then do it for real and not with a half-assed effort like this one.

DIAL H #3:  Nelson Jent and the mysterious hooded woman, who we find is named Manteau, find themselves right in the middle of a gunfight.  To make things worse, a stray bullet takes out Nelson’s H Dial and breaks it.  The pair escapes, taking the dial with them. Manteau produces her own dial and explains that she has trying to solve a mystery. Every time there is a population increase in Littleville, the visitor comes from Fairfax, Maine. X.N., who we learn is a woman and her monster Squid has targeted someone and Nelson, now a female hero, arrive in time to see Abyss to rip out of the chest of the victim.

Welcome to DIAL H, where it’s one weird twist after another.  China Mieville, Mateua Santolouco and Brian Bolland combine for a package that kicks about everything else on the shelf today. It’s truly weird, totally wild and will hopefully make sense someday. Go buy this book and you will find it an amazing adventure.

EARTH 2 #3: Alan Scott, surviving the explosion from last issue, learns that his partner has died. Of course, he learns this from a glowing green light that heals his wounds, suits him up and gives him the Green Lantern ring. Alan Scott begins his superhero adventures and dedicates his life to the memory of his partner. Meanwhile, The Flash meets Hawkgirl and learns that everything is being affected by rot. The Rot comes from The Man of Grey. That man is Solomon Grundy.

James Robinson and Nicola Scott continue to retool the world Earth 2 and the image is amazing! While I really don’t like the costume of The Flash and am not so keen about Hawkgirl’s costume, I like Green Lantern and where the story is going. He is dedicating his life to the man he loved. And then we get Solomon Grundy. It’s a new image for a new millennium. And it’s a scary image. 

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #11: Frankenstein and Nina explore Untropolis after their long fall last issue. We learn that Frankenstein is trouble by memory flashes of the past lives of his various parts. We also learn that this place is where agents go to retire and the only way out is to kill Leviathan. So guess what our hero plans to do?

Another great looking cover for a scene that doesn’t exist!  Harvey nominated Matt Kindt continues his confusing run on this title as Frankenstein continues to have mental issues. Alberto Ponticelli continues to grow as a storyteller and, as always, the book looks great!

GREEN LANTERN #11:  William Hand is back and resurrects this whole family and shares a nice Chinese takeout dinner with them. The Guardians continue to plot the future. Hal Jordan has control of his ring now. Sinestro and Jordan go back to Sinestro’s home world and open the book of the Black Lanterns. They see visions of what will come and get transported to Hand’s bizarre dinner party.

Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke hit another creepy home run with this issue. William Hand digs up his family, that he was responsible for killing, so they can have a nice chat? Shades of Norman Bates! Great story and great art. I have said it before and will say it again: if you can only read ONE Geoff Johns written book, make it either this one or AQUAMAN.

I, VAMPIRE #11: The battle between vampires, mummified Van Helsing followers and Van Helsings continues. There is a problem because the vampires who BITE the mummies…turn into mummies themselves, which means more mummies and more of a mess. After dismembering Van Helsing and putting him pack together just for fun, Tyg takes him out for good. But it ain’t over yet: here come the reinforcements!

This book is so far off the hook that I can’t even go into more detail. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino just turn the whole vampire story into a full-blown action yarn that is required reading!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #11:  The League wrestles with the spirits of the dead that have stirred up their most traumatic moments. Graves has managed to get away and pays a visit to Steve Trevor’s sister. The League arrives and Graves departs, leaving Steve’s sister angry and resentful. It seems that something Graves’ and his family were exposed too during the battle with Darkseid gave them all terminal cancer. Wonder Woman prepares to find her ex-lover, which leads to an all-put brawl between her and Green Lantern and leads to her putting the hurt on Superman! And this is all being broadcast live across the world. The team transports to Graves’ writing cabin in Maine, settle their differences and then transport to The Valley of the Souls. They all experience the ghosts of their lives and eventually Dian experiences the ghost of Steve Trevor. I guess it’s too late for him. In the SHAZAM back-up, Black Adam attacks Sivana and his assistant, who pays the price for not speaking Adam’s language. Billy and Freddie have a run in with the brothers and Billy ends up on a subway train to escape them. But where he ends up…it’s certainly not on any map we know. But it does have a big lightning bolt on it.

Okay, so Jim Lee’s art still isn’t up to what we are used to, but it is better than last month. And we only have two inkers and two colorists, so that is an improvement. I can’t believe that DC is going to kill of Steve Trevor, especially with him playing a major role in the new TEAM 7 book (although that is set in the past). The SHAZAM story still rocks my world! The story is fun, Billy Batson is still an annoying punk that is the complete antithesis of who we are used to and Sivana is a villain in the scheming sense of the word. Give me Mr. Mind!!!

HIT GIRL reviewed

Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. are back for another round from out of the KICK ASS Universe with HIT-GIRL. This title, which fits in between KICK ASS and KICK ASS 2, is a five issue series that fills in gaps between those two tales.
 
Mindy is forced to quit crime fighting by her mother and stepfather (if you are familiar with the KICK ASS titles, you know he is a a police officer). But from the beginning, we understand the world that Mindy and Dave live in as The Silver Beetle is brutally beaten and murdered by some Mafia guys looking for Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl. Despite her family’s orders, Mindy continues to plot and train with Dave. And at the same time, Ralphie Genovese, Red Mist’s uncle, makes his move from prison while Red Mist gathers his team of “Hoods” to plan their first super crime.

The pair continues their training, getting dressed up in fancy clothes so they can attract the local criminals, which it soon does. My favorite bit is Kick Ass swinging through windows, trying to avoid hurting himself. It takes fifteen very humorous attempts. The two end up with a nice symbiotic relationship. She trains him to be a superhero and he tries to teach her how to dress and act to fit in at school. She still sneaks out at night by slipping Rohypnol in her parent’s cocoa. The heroes go out to work their magic, as the Russians are having a meeting with the Italians at a place called Trotski’s. They have been set up and Kick Ass comes flying through the window with the catchphrase “did somebody order a ****ing sandwich”(it was supposed to be “knuckle sandwich”). It isn’t going well until Hit Girl opens firs with an assault rifle that wastes everyone but Kick Ass.

Red Mist appears in the last few pages of the second issue as he and his “hoods” prepare to rob a store. He declares he is back in business, checks that the store video camera is on, whips out a grenade launcher asks the clerk if he wants to become famous.

If you are reading this title expecting WAR AND PEACE, you are going to be disappointed. This is no great literary work at all. It is a violent, foul-mouthed satire on superhero comics. At least we HOPE it is a satire. If this title had been released in proper continuity, I would probably have been happier. We know what happens to Mindy and Dave-they live to fight another day in KICK ASS 2. So this is truly a let down because of that. You can only appreciate it for the creative team and the over the top attitude. What makes this book work is Romita's beautiful artwork, even if it is only layouts. The fact that the legendary Tom Palmer finishing and providing ink washes REALLY makes the art pop!

So, the book is fun. Just understand what you are getting before you plunk down your three bucks.

FATALE: a review of the first story arc

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have worked on a number of somewhat legendary crime comics including SCENE OF THE CRIME, CRIMINAL, INCOGNITO and SLEEPER. While I love Noir fiction, Brubaker and Phillips work has never attracted me. But the cover to issue #1(2^nd printing. The first printing had a demon with a tommy gun in its’ hand. The ceond had a seductive black and white shot of Jo.) caught my eye on the comic wall and it called to me. And I’m glad it did.

The story begins in the present day as Nicholas Lash buries his godfather, author Dominic H. Raines. One of the people at the funeral is a youthful woman named Jo. Later that night, gangsters show up while Nicholas is investigating his godfather’s belongings. Jo arrives to save his life and there’s a car chase involving an airplane. Before it ends, the plane crashes, the car crashes and Nicholas , right leg lost in the crash, begins to read Dominic’s manuscript. He also finds a picture of a youthful Dominic and a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Jo. The picture was taken in San Francisco in 1956.

Walt Booker is a crooked cop who is investigating a cult styled murder where the cultists have lost their heads. Hank Raines, as he was known, is also investigating that murder. But Booker is getting deeper and deeper into the cult. He arranges a meeting with the head of the group. At the same time, Hank is having an affair with Josephine, who is also involved with Booker. Booker, diagnosed with cancer, meets with the head guy, Mr. Bishop, and will do anything to save his life; even at the cost of his soul. 

We switch to the present as Nicholas returns home to find he place trashed. Obviously the bad guys were looking for the lost Raines novel.  In flashback, Booker gets a visit from members of the cult who tells him he has three days to deliver on the bargain. Hank and Josephine continue their lover affair and eventually end up at an old broken down house where she professes this is where she first died. Inside the house, is a derelict that has some history with her. Before it is done, she murders him, telling Hank she is not the woman he thinks she is. When Hank returns home, he is promptly arrested for the brutal murder of his wife.  It is so heinous that the police are sickened by it. Hank is eventually released even as Booker and Josephine meet and he agrees to set her free. And as he drinks himself into a stupor, he gets involved in another cult murder. And Booker find a connection between a murder victim and Josephine.

Booker puts a curse on himself to break his connection with Josephine. We discover that Bishop is a demon from out of the Lovecraft school of slimy demons. We also learn that Hank is being prepared to be a sacrifice like his life and unborn child was. But it is Bishop who saves the day by tossing the demon into the pit and carving out it’s eyes. Unfortunately Hank kills him, thinking he was guilty of bringing Jo to the demon cult. Booker dies a hero when it is all one. And the demon, now blind, gets reborn.

In an epilogue of sorts, set in present day, Nicholas goes to an insane asylum to visit his father, who is the photographer who worked with Raines. When Nicholas shows his dad the picture, his father laughs maniacally. Thus Ends Book I.

This is one weird, fun, sick book! Brubaker claims it will run 12 issues in total and what I’ve reviewed here is just the first 5 issues. I cannot wait to see what issue #6 has in store. Brubaker’s story is fun, his dialogue is pure crime noir with a kinky element in the plot. Phillips art is clean and crisp and fits the story so well. It has that pulp feel in every panel.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It deserves a place in your library and I can now recommend Brubaker/Phillips other work. Thumbs up here: WAY UP!

BEFORE WATCHMEN, month #2

So here we are in the hot summer time and we’re also in the middle of the second month of BEFORE WATCHMEN. As part of that are parts 6-10 of THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR.

MINUTEMEN #2:  We begin in 1962 as Hollis Mason talks with longtime confident Larry  regarding his UNDER THE HOOD manuscript which will pretty much completely trash the good image of The Minutemen. From there, it’s back to 1939 where the team is recruiting people. And some of the potential recruits are both laughable and scary at the same time. Finally the team is assembled and they go into action against a gang of saboteurs. With precision they break up the gang… of Chinese fireworks smugglers. But Captain Metropolis finds a way to spin it and they come out heroes. Soon, it’s 1940 and the team moves into proper headquarters. There is some dissension in the ranks about who is the important villain they need to seek out. Larry meets with Hooded Justice, Sally separately, and tries to convince them they need to appear to be together. It seems people of the 1940’s would not understand a homosexual relationship between Captain Metropolis and Hooded Justice, which we get to see in more detail than I needed to know. Meanwhile, Mothman, The Silhouette and Nite Owl investigate a group of child pornographers with bad results.

Again, Darwyn Cooke shows total respect for the characters and the story without destroying the legend. And just how much of a totally useless slut is Sally Jupiter. With no powers, she is there because she looks good in the suit. And, even if you feel that Cooke is trampling on sacred grounds, read this issue just for the auditions.

SILK SPECTRE #2: Set in the Sixties, Laurie Juspeczyk, daughter of the original Silk Spectre and her boyfriend Greg are on a road trip to San Francisco where they smoke dope and eat a lot. They room with Chappy and Gigi, sharing expenses and having sex. After all, it is San Francisco in the Sixties. She gets the idea to be a super hero, like her mom and gets Gigi to make her a costume. Then she ends up looking for some “cat” named Gurustein who is the bad, drug-dealing pimp of the area. What eventually happens is that Laurie gets trapped on an involuntary acid trip. Ah yeah…and the Beatles put in a cameo!

Again, Darwyn Cooke guy turns in a far out tale of the hip Sixties. But it’s really Amanda Conner’s art that pushes this book way over the top. I cannot wait to see what the acid trip looks like and the results of it are.

COMEDIAN #1: It’s February 25, 1964 and Eddie Blake and Bobby Kennedy are ringside to watch Cassius Clay shock the boxing world by defeating Champion Sonny Lipton. Eddie declares that he is being sent to Vietnam to be an adviser. What he quickly discovers is that the GIs hate being here but Eddie…well, Eddie likes it…a lot! What he also finds is a drug-dealing gangster named Sal who The Comedian had deported some years back. And guess what: he’s done picked up where he left off: dealing drugs in Vietnam. The solution? Using the drug dealer to fund the non-war. The good guy is now using illegal tactics to get results.
You know: I am a HUGE fan of Brian Azzarello but this issue just does not work. Well, it works if you never heard of Vietnam, never knew the circumstances surrounding our involvement and never realized that a lot of bad went down there. Hello! Watch APOCALYPSE NOW or FULL METAL JACKET and get a feel. That having been said, J.G. Jones artwork kicks much ass!

NITE OWL #2: Nite Owl and Rorschach get help taking down a gang from a particularly kinky madame known as the Twilight Lady. The pair of heroes get into a tussle involving the woman’s work and it seems like there is a rift. Rorschach solves this by going to church and bveing redeemed. Nite Owl, and eventually his partner, investigate the death of a hooker who was beaten to death. Even the police don’t care. Dan flashes back to his youth and the constant beatings he took at the hands of his peers. It also means a return visit to The Twilight Lady.

Love him or hate him, J. Michael Straczynski is a great writer. That having been said, the book IS called NITE OWL, not  THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF NITE OWL AND HETEROSEXUAL LIFE-MATE RORSCHACH. And I know how important the relationship between these two heroes is, but the crazy masked guy is getting his own mini-series so let’s concentrated on Nite Owl. And any reader of the original WATCHMEN book knows how important Twilight Lady was to him. Hopefully, in the course of the next two issues, we’ll find out why. And The Kuberts' art? ‘Nuff said!

OZYMANDIAS #2: It’s 1985 and Adrian Veidt continues to tell his origin story. After losing Miranda to a drug overdose, he puts on an old Halloween costume to combat the persons responsible. He eventually finds the operation and shuts it down.  As he begins to collect clipping of his exploits, he wonders what ever happened to The Minutemen and, specifically, whatever happened to Hooded Justice. But before he can dig too deep, he runs into the Comedian.

Another moving issue from comics legend Len Wein and Jae Lee.  The book looks great and Wein’s characterization of Adrian actually makes him out to NOT be the big bad villain we have grown to hate.

And, as a bonus, each issue of these mini series has two pages from Len Wein and John Higgin’s pirate drama THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR. Our hero ends up as part of the crew of the Flying Dutchman and has his soul taken from him, He learns that he can only get it back if he obtains the golden earring of an unborn child, the tattoo from a dead man’s chest  and a third when he gets the first two.

The first ten issues are in the books, so to speak, with another 25 more to go. Yeah…that will take another 6 months. Enjoy the ride even if Alan Moore hates you for it!

SPIDER MEN is reviewed

There was a time that our world had a Peter Parker who was also the superhero known as Spider-Man. At the same time, the Ultimate Universe had a Peter Parker who was also the superhero known as Spider-Man. But that Peter Parker died battling The Green Goblin during 'The Death of Spider-Man' storyline. That led to a new hero to take over the mantle. His name is Miles Morales: an African American/Latino teenage who got bit by a spider and has many of the same powers as his predecessor.

In the five issue mini-series SPIDER-MEN, Peter Parker finds himself investigating a bright purple light from a warehouse. Inside, he finds Mysterio complaining about how he missed a chance to kill Spider Man. This Mysterio is in a totally different costume and while Spider man is examining his defeated foe’s equipment, our hero is shot and tumbles through a dimensional rift. He breaks up a mugging but takes heat for being disrespectful to the memory of Peter Parker by wearing the suit. He leaves, heading to the rooftop and runs into another Spider man.

Mysterio, upset by having another Spider Man ruin his day, sends a robotic avatar through the rift. Peter and Miles battle and Peter finds himself on the losing end as miles hits him with a venom blast. Peter wakes in a holding cell where he meets The Ultimate Nick Fury(who looks a lot like Nick Fury Jr…or is that the other way around?). Fury sends Peter and Miles off to discuss their respective worlds when Mysterio’s avatar attacks. The avatar uses a chemical to make the Spider Men think they are fighting each others’ greatest enemies. The avatar self destructs, effectively stranding Peter in this Universe. 

The Ultimates arrive and Tony Stark begins working on Mysterio's dimension technology, Peter has disappeared to see what his life here would be like. He finds what should be his apartment is actually a convenience store. He breaks up a robbery and finds out that Peter Parker of this other world died in battle and that the city, who knew that Peter Parker was really Spider Man, was still in mourning. Shocked by it all, he heads over to Queens to see Aunt May. She is seeing Gwen Stacy off to school when the costumed hero arrives. They threaten to call the police for having someone be so disrespectful. Peter then unmasks himself.

Brian Michael Bendis, the architect of the original ULTIMATE SPIDER MAN and Sara Pichelli, current artist of the current series, combine to bring the two worlds together. It’s a fun little story that can only go to a couple of places I the next few issues. Are the rumors true and does the Ultimate Universe’ Gwen Stacy come back to out world? Does that make Peter Parker a REAL sick guy? Either way, I love where this is going despite the fact that I gave up the Ultimate Universe many years ago.

THE NEW DEADWARDIANS REVIEWED

So it’s 1910 in Edwardian London. And the only way to protect yourself from the zombie plague which has taken hold of the country is to take "The Cure". Sounds pretty simple until you realize that “The Cure” transforms you into a vampire. 

Welcome to THE NEW DEADWARDIANS: a eight issue Vertigo mini-series by Dan Abnett and I.N. J. Culbard.

The first issue starts with a bang as we meet Chief Inspector George Suttle: a member of London’s Murder Squad and also one of “The Young”(this is what the vampires call themselves. The zombies are known as "The Restless". Humans that are still alive are known as “The Bright”). A member of The Restless breaks into his home, kills his housekeeper and infects his maid, who will now need the cure. 

Suttle is the last of his kind because there aren’t many murders any more. But, miraculously, a murder occurs. A member of The Young is found dead, but not in the moral way that you would kill a vampire. So someone has managed to kill the undead. And thus begins the journey. The victim is Lord Hinchcliffe: Senior Advisor to the Crown. To further unravel the mystery, Suttle has to journey to Zone B(the B is for The Brights. This is where the humans still live and work). And he does, spending most of issue #3 in a conversation with a prostitute,  before being cornered by Brights looking to take his life. With help from Bowes, his Bright driver, Suttle continues on his journey.  Along the way, he explains how the curse took over the entire world and that he took The Cure to be able to continue fighting. Today, the Restless are mostly relegated to Zone D: The Dead Zone.

The pair eventually end up at Cadley House, where Suttle is quizzing members of Lord Hinchcliffe’s family, all of whom are The Young. Especially interesting is Lord Hinchcliffe’s daughter Celia who not only hates her father and is a prime force in the women’s movement to allow young women to stop being The Brights and be able to take The Cure. At an evening dinner, it becomes obvious to Suttle that people are trying to direct him away from the person/s we all start to thing was responsible.

I love Dan Abnett’s writing and that is pretty obvious if you ahev ever read any of my reviews of his work, especially GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and RESURRECTION MAN. His vampires are very much like those in I, VAMPIRE in that they are intelligent and not the stereotypical ones we find on some television shows and movies. The constant battle Suttle has between being alive and wishing he wasn't immortal is played out brilliantly. When it’s all said and done, it’s not a battle between The Young and The Restless(get it?) but between The Young and death. The art from I.N.J. Culbard, is clean and crisp and makes me feel like I’m in Edwardian London. 

How will it all end? I don’t know but if I DO KNOW Abnett’s style, I can assure you that it won’t be boring. Seek the first 5 issues and dive in. This is so much more of a morality play than a horror story. If you like THE WALKING DEAD’s characterization without the over the top gore, this is the title for you.

BLACK KISS 2 REVIEWED

The year is 1988 and the comic company, because this was the Eighties when anyone with money could publish a book, was Vortex. Howard Chaykin, who at the point had attracted a great deal of attention with his work on AMERICAN FLAGG, TIME 2, BLACKHAWK, THE SHADOW and numerous turns for Atlas, Star Reach, DC, Marvel and others. But in 1988, he turned BLACK KISS loose onto the comics world and the comics world was never going to be the same again. It quickly became one of the most controversial comics of the period, featuring offending language along with explicit sex and violence that had only been seen before in the world of true underground comix like THE CHECKERED DEMON, SKULL, DEATH RATTLE and FRITZ THE CAT. It was so offensive that Vortex’ regular printer refused to print the book and they were forced to find another printer. Retailers feared they might be busted on charges of pandering obscenity. In response, Vortex had the books bagged to keep casual readers from browsing them.

Twenty four years later and Chaykin has written the prequel. Image Comics is presenting the six issue mini-series entitled BLACK KISS 2. To understand what may be going on there, I have to present a brief synopsis of the legendary 12 issue maxi-series.

The series takes place in L.A. during the Eighties. Dagmar Laine, the apparent lesbian lover(actually a transsexual prostitute) of former 1950′s film star Beverly Grove, is searching for a reel of film from the Vatican’s pornography collection. The reel, which stars Beverly, has been sent to Father Frank Murtaugh and the reel is stolen by a nun before Dagmar can get her/his hands on it. The nun is planning on using the film to gain extortion money from Beverly. The pair proceed to convince a jazz musician named Cass Pollack to steal the film and get him an alibi. Apparently, Pollack is hunted by the Mafia, and the police. Pollack gets a book about a mysterious Order of Bonniface. He then ends up in a funeral parlor with a bunch of celebrities engaging in some unusual ritualistic acts. It seems the Order revolves around the beginnings of the movie industry and worship a Twenties film star by the name of Charles 'Bubba' Kenton who was married to Beverly Grove, became a vampire, and forced her to give away their daughter Sophie. 

Everyone wants the reel. The Order want it because it stars Beverly and Bubba and tghey can convince her to turn them into vampires(did I mention she’s a vampire too?) And Beverly wants it so she can hide it from the world. We also learn the nun from the beginning of the tale is actually Beverly's granddaughter.

This was one of the kinkiest, weirdest hardcore books of all time. A perverse noir styled story, it featured gang rape, transsexuals, sex with the dead and enough peculiar oral sex for a lifetime. And guess what: BLACK KISS 2 looks to be even as kinky and weird. 

 It begins at the turn of the century with a Nickelodeon appearing in the middle of a New York City street. In the prjectionsit booth, Abe Gelbfein and Rose O’Malley are havimg dirty, foul mouthed sex. But that’s not all. The audience in that theatre is attacked by a Succubus that has sex with everyone in every orifice. Because it’s about the seduction of the cinema. And then, the audience leaves and the theatre disappears. Thus ends Chapter One.

The Second Chapter is on the Titanic. And we get to swee  right as it’s about to hit the berg and go down like a sissy. We follow Charles ‘Bubba’ Kenton as he’s trying to lose his virginity and get venereal disease in the process.  But before he can do the deed, the ship starts to go down and he gets visited by the Succubus who, proceeds to rape him. He gets off, literally, and lives to make a movie(refer to BLACK KISS 1)

Howard Chaykin has once again decided to tear apart the envelope of good taste. In this first issue he introduces horny characters, a sex starved demon, a fully exposed prostitute (on the Titanic? Really?!) and throws out so many racist, stereotypical nicknames that I thought we were back in non P.C. times. While his artistic ability has diminished over the years, and some of the panels look to be no more than pencil sketches passing themselves off as finished art, Chaykin still proves he can get dirty with the best of them. For me to say this book is not for everyone would be a gross understatement. This book isn’t for 90% of the comic readers out there (over the age of 18). But for those few who venture down this rocky back road, realize that the answer to a twenty year mystery will finally be revealed.