The Empty Review

The Empty from Image Comics

The New Year has been super busy and has brought a lot of new time consuming things to my life, but I promise I’m coming back with a vengeance.  I have a ton of new comic books I want to talk about and because issue two is on its way I want to start with The Empty.

The Empty is an Image release and is mostly a one man show; Jimmie Robinson created, writes, illustrates, letters, and colors this book.  Laura Tavishati edits, Marc Lombardi does communications, and Jim Valentino handles complaints.  There are special thanks to Gail Follansbee but it doesn’t specify why.  Robinson does a great job with the illustrations, I feel like it has a special style to it, almost an anime feel to some of the characters while others have a realistic look.  The colors are bright for the most part and when the different style characters are on the same panel they fit well and nothing seems out of place like he was trying to merge two styles and didn’t hit the mark.  He doesn’t just hit the mark; he hits a bull’s eye.

The story starts with a sky shot of a lush place with beautiful farm land and clear looking buildings.  Inside one of the buildings four people with long necks plot the death of someone named Lila.  The people have long necks and sort of Roman style clothes on; they remind me somewhat of Avatar people, but not blue, just gangly looking.  These are the characters that are somewhat anime style as well.  I say they look anime style because they have large eyes, but other than that and the long necks they look like normal people.  These animations are done really well and give the people a unique look without singling them out from the rest of the characters.



 

After the first page set up the book switches to a different story line leaving us wondering about the first page.  Robinson sets up a new world that is barren desert looking land and introduces us to the main character, Tanoor.  As the new story line picks up the dynamic of Tanoor’s world starts to unfold and it quickly becomes clear that her world is not easy.  Tanoor’s world is dying from a root that poisons everything but she is the only one that wants to search for new lands.  She gets push-back from the merchant that employs her to hunt as well as from the village elder that thinks he knows better.  Before they stop arguing Tanoor see’s something floating in the water near their village.  Tanoor goes to see what the floating thing is and she discovers one of the long necked people.  The second I see the long necked person I start to wonder if she is the one that was a target from the first panel conversation and sure enough through dialog between her and Tanoor we find out that she is in fact named Lila.

The village elder pushes back at every instance while Tanoor and Lila talk about where Lila comes from.  After hearing about Lila's life Tanoor spends most her time tries to figure out how to get to Lila’s plush land.  Tanoor seems to be the only one that knows the empty is empty and worthless but while Tanoor and Lila talk and figure things out Lila stumbles upon a bracelet she thought she lost.  Her bracelet brings back memories and she says that her people threw her away.  Because of her statement there and another one before about the sun not being right I start to think that maybe her land is above them and the roots that poison everything are what make their land so plush, but we will have to wait and see if my theory holds water.

Lila flashes back as she tells Tanoor about her world.  It becomes clear that her people are kept in the dark about the possibility of the empty having people but none of them question it because life is good for them and they have their own version of village elders called the blessed.  Lila tells Tanoor that the blessed supposedly have seen the world created and I have a feeling that has to do with the roots, but again, we will see.  Lila continues and tells about her love, Dakom, who seems to be the same guy plotting her demise in the first panel.  Dakom had her meet him by the sea where she was surrounded by guardsmen and can’t remember anything after that.  Because of this I wonder if maybe my theory is incorrect and Lila’s land is actually just across the sea, but either way I feel like her people are going to be responsible for the poisonous roots.

After Lila’s flashback the elder guy comes back to try and kick them both out of the town and pushes Lila into a dying tree.  Lila getting pushed into the tree didn’t surprise me, but when the lost bracelet she is wearing hits the tree and it all of a sudden sprouts fruit and becomes plush I was very surprised.  Everyone was surprised and wanted her to heal as much as possible, except of course the village elder guy that wanted kill them both.  I keep wondering why this is so intent on sabotaging Lila’s discovery and now her help with the land and I think it’s either one of two things; he is just plain ignorant, or he has something to do with the Lila’s people.



Tanoor is no fool so she facilitates Lila's help and decides that heading to the roots and destroying the biggest problem is going to be the best bet.  At this point the elder follows them to a large bridge separating their town from the roots and cuts the bridge, leaving them stranded.  The book ends really well with Tanoor and Lila facing about a dozen things called Mool’s.  Mool’s are like roided out bunnies and monkey crosses with seriously menacing teeth and floppy ears.  We already know that Tanoor is a great hunter and I have a feeling that Lila can take care of herself as well so I’m excited for issue two.

I feel like my sci fi bias is showing somewhat because I can’t help it, but this book is done really well regardless of my bias for sci fi.  The colors and people are bright and pop with a lightness to them that is pleasing to the eye, the characters development and the world development is done very well while still leaving something for issue two.  I certainly want to see what happens to the Empty as Lila and Tanoor try to save the land and the people, and I’m more than curious about her husband that tried to have her killed.  I will be checking out issue two for sure and luckily I procrastinated long enough on this review the new issue is coming out March 25^th along with some other Image releases.

 

The Best Comic I Read Today Is ... The Dying & The Dead #1

Hickman and Bodenheim Reunite for The Dying & The Dead

Two quick disclaimers before we get into it: 1) Much love and thanks goes to former NerdBinge columnist Derek Adnams who started "The Best Comic I Read Today Is..." articles and who so graciously allowed me to keep it going here. Derek has since retired from NerdBinge in order to spend more time with his family, his work, and somehow in between all that, writing more comic books. 2) I'm a little behind the 8-ball on this one as I'm reading the second printing of The Dying & The Dead, but after James Gunn recommended it on his Facebook page, I had to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the racks with all the new stuff at my LCBS today, and, well, as you might have gathered already, it was certainly the best comic book I've read today.

Now, on to the review.

Jonathan Hickman is nearing legendary status in the comic book scene these days. He has basically dictated the next phase of Marvel comics after 70+ years of continuity with his MASSIVE run on Avengers and New Avengers leading into Secret Wars.  It's easy to tire of the big events and crossovers of the Big 2, so this new, original comic got me excited. To match that, Issue #1 is a beast of a book, 60 pages in total. The colors of Michael Garland are exquisite and a bold artistic choice, taking the color immersion trend into poetic territory. And yet, with all that praise, you CAN NOT understate the massive undertaking that Ryan Bodenheim brings to the table in both his character illustrations and his immersive landscapes and scenery.

So, why is this the best comic book I've read today? Because it made me feel small. Not just small, but like really, really tiny. Hickman takes the girth of the entire human history and culture and compresses it down to 60 pages. And you can feel that in every page. In partnership with Bodenheim, Hickman's story brings something to life that is rare in comic books these days: a depth of narrative through illustration that makes my hands and my brain ache just looking at it.

[caption id="attachment_1253" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Just look at that shit! WTF?!? Don't your fingers just hurt right now?![/caption]

 

There is great mystery afoot, much of which cannot yet be discerned, but this porthole into the story alludes to a great history dictated by a race that cannot be more succinctly described as anything other than "The Dead." Issue #1 opens with a powerful interpersonal story: a couple to be wed, and then their wedding, their honeymoon and shortly thereafter their death. It's intense, messy, and mostly unexplained, but it's quite clear that this is just pretense for something much greater and more sinister. Then, we meet the Colonel. His wife is dying and to save her, he takes a trip to the underworld. Greek and Roman mythology come to life in a fresh and unmatched imagery. Edward James Canning, our classic mythical hero analogue, journeys to the underworld for the same reason every hero has every gone to these treacherous depths. He wants to save a loved one from the grips of death, his wife who is dying of cancer. He is immediately offered a deal: do the dirty work of "the dead" because they can't do it themselves, and they will save his wife.

It's all very sympathetic. Seeing a man lose his wife gives you plenty of motivation to relate to this character, but that's not what drew me in. "The Dead" give James a deal to save his wife, but at the same time he is offered-- no compelled to take an out. But he doesn't. And that's when it gets fun. For all the heavy and maudlin ruminating over the nature of life and death that this comic offers, it still leaves that element of adventure hanging like a carrot on a stick at the end.

The Colonel wants to save his wife, no doubt, but he also wants to do the dirty work because he's good at it and he likes it. And so do we.

Cluster Review

Boom Studio's Cluster

I can’t really tell what exactly the draw is.  It may be the ever growing excitement for the newest Star Wars movie, or it could just be my lifelong love of all things sci fi, but whatever it is I have really been impressed with the amount of good sci fi stuff coming out lately.  One of the first things I reviewed on Nerdbinge was Salvagers, a sci fi book I found on Kickstarter, and since then I have done an Image title called Drifter.  These two books I have reviewed I gave enthusiastic thumbs up and sorry for the spoiler but Cluster won’t be any different.

Cluster is a Boom Studio book that is created and written by Ed Brisson, illustrated by Damian Couceiro, colored by Michael Garland, and has a bunch of other artists that worked on varies different covers and colors for the covers.  The art is nice and pleasing to look at, all of the characters are distinct and unique in their own way.  Even though the artists are different Cluster reminds me of another Boom Studios book called Black Market.  Overall the art is excellent and on par with the industries best.



 

Cluster starts off with a character named Samara Simmons getting arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence and public endangerment causing bodily harm.  I know, a mouthful, but better to know what she is facing that going in blind, besides it has to do with the plot as the next few panels insinuate that there was a passenger in the burning wreck behind her.  The entire opening scenario is done in three pages and only the last page has any of the dialog.  I like the way the book starts because it instantly creates empathy for Samara and draws the reader in with the events leaving us wanting us more.



After Samara is arrested she wakes up two years later from a cryogenic sleep in a ship that is about to dock on a prison planet where the prisoners are used as soldiers to fight against an alien population called Pagurani that want to colonize planet themselves.  The planet Midlothian and the prison Tranent is a fifteen year sentence, minimum, and the prisoners are fitted with a device that prevents them from escaping.  They call the device a punch and it basically equates to a twenty four hour pass off the prison compound but after the twenty four hours is up the punch releases something like acid that eats away at the prisoners insides.  Brisson sets up the exposition and explains what he needs to explain through a believable set up that helps to move along the story well.  Within the first ten to twelve pages we have been introduced, at least briefly, to most or all of the main characters and have the jist of the story arc explained without it being blatant exposition.  As a writer I feel like hiding the exposition is actually one of the hardest things to do while build a world and I think this goes double for extensive sci fi worlds.  Sometimes sci fi worlds can get vast really quick leaving the reader dumbfounded or overwhelmed, but Brisson avoids this scenario very well.

After the general introduction of the scenario Brisson lightens up a little and introduces some of the other prisoners that will be accompanying Samara on her first mission.  The prisoners are a rag tag bunch and all of them have a strange, quirky, or funny vibe to their personalities, but of course they all fit well together.  Not that the exchange they share would support that fact but Brisson makes it work.  They all start to argue and fight causing the guards to have to break up the fight which sets up the next part of the story.



The fight lands all of the prisoners involved on the first fighter ship out to search for Pagurani and of course the first trip out wouldn't be memorable without some action.  The fighter ship carrying all of the main protagonists gets shot down and blown up leaving everyone stranded.  Brisson leaves us with the crew stranded and wounded with only twenty three hours to get back to Tranent before the punch goes off and ruin’s their day.  I like the hook for issue two because it actually leaves off at a reasonable spot in the story.  We get a great introduction to the world and the protagonists but it leaves us wanting more, like a good story should.

I make no apologies for my sci fi bias but I have to give this book its due respect.  It’s well written and illustrated, and it gets the job done without bombarding the reader with intricate details of a world that isn't really well defined.  I can’t wait to see what happens to the group on their journey back and I’m interested in the plight of the people on planet Midlothian as well as the Pagurani.  Brisson lets us know what we need to know and does it slyly enough by weaving it into the story itself.  I have read many books in my life time and the true test is summed up in a question, “Will I buy issue two?”  And for Cluster I have to say that the answer to that question is a resounding “YES!”

Imaginary Drugs

[caption id="attachment_1233" align="alignleft" width="200"] Imaginary Drugs
IDW, 2015[/caption]

 Imaginary Drugs

 Paperback: 208 pages

 Publisher: IDW Publishing (January 21,  2015)

 Cover Price: $24.99

 Disclosure: This reviewer knows  Imaginary Drugs editor and writer  Michael McDermott through Facebook.  He also pledged the Imaginary Drugs  Kickstarter campaign.

In 1984, Eclipse Comics published three issues of the cult anthology Strange Days, which featured the post-apocalyptic feature Freakwave, future detective Johnny Nemo, and the hapless superhero Paradax. The worlds of these stories were jagged, rough: sex, harsh words, no happy endings. I hated them. I hated them all. I was a thirteen year-old who wanted She-Hulk in a prom dress, not punk rock.

Across America, in New Jersey, another boy read Strange Days. He loved it. Thirty-one years later, Imaginary Drugs is his return to those stories which intoxicated him. As a reader, you can enjoy Imaginary Drugs without the knowledge of its long germination, but if you've read Strange Days or eighties Heavy Metal,  Imaginary Drugs has a deeper resonance.

Imaginary Drugs is an anthology of thirty-six illustrated stories written by McDermott and a cohort of fellow writers. These stories are all moored in the futuristic or fantastic. Many of McDermott's stories are tantalizing first chapters to serials, a nod to his influences. Others by his collaborators are staccato bursts of narrative, joined with no transition or title page, energy from one bleeding to the next.

The book opens with Saint in the City, a handsomely-told story of urban magic by McDermott, artist Brandon Sawyer, and colorist K. Michael Russell.  Star Captain Apollo, by illustrator Brandon Sawyer and writer Nic Shaw, is about child-like aliens who understand stories only as literal truth. When their spaceship crashes and they're enslaved in a labor camp, a prisoner who resembles fictional hero Star Captain Apollo is the only one who can rescue them. Cryptobiosis, by writer Jeff McClelland and illustrator Larsen, is also a story of innocence, but no star captain saves the day. Little Red by writer Nic Shaw and illustrator Louis Joyce is a fun homage to Japanese revenge comics and movies.

Arranging stories in an anthology is an art, like making mix tapes in the 1980s, or creating playlists on YouTube now. There's a flow of emotion and meaning, a subtext to the stories the editor strings together. In comics, visual narratives should meld, or pleasingly contrast across stories. Call it editorial vision. A good anthology is greater than the sum of its parts. I sensed that fullness when finishing Dr. Warhola’s 3VOLUT//ON, a meta-commentary on imagination and storytelling by writer Eric Esquivel and illustrator Tony Gregori.

Imaginary Drugs is a revival, a contemporary return to the raw, charged science fiction stories imported from Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I gave up on She-Hulk in a prom dress in 1990, so...is there room on that star-cycle for me, too?

Wytches--Issue #3--A Review

Okay, here we go!

*by the way, I apologize for the lack of post last Friday. I'd spent the whole day not realizing what day it actually was. 0.o *

So without further ado, issue #3 for your delectation and delight...



 

The previous two issues of Wytches had already injected some very endearing, personal moments with the Rooks family (aka the main characters) in order to ground us and give us something to care about, but issue #3 starts off bam! in your face with a very warm moment between Sailor Rook and her parents.

It's several years before now and they're happy and whole and nothing has happened yet to put the fear that currently pervades their lives.

What issues #1 and 2 had begun to do, #3 clinches. This is no longer just a story about scary monsters that pop out of the page at you. It's a personal, family tale of people you care about, and suddenly those monsters are a lot scarier than they were before.

And one disturbing scene where a half-naked woman warns Mr. Rook that he's going to forget his daughter, that his daughter is going to go over to the witches, brings it all home.

The artwork and story continue to impress in this issue. Even as we start to understand more of what's going on, the chaos and the horror portrayed by the artist continue to make us uncomfortable.

I can't wait for issue #4 (pub date: February 4th)! In the meantime, feel free to make any recommendations or requests for review. Thanks!

The Best Comic I Read Today Is . . . Star Wars #1

I'm a lapsed fan.  Having grown-up in the 1980's, Star Wars was my religion.  I tried using the force to move glasses of water around my dining room table (once I swear it actually worked . . . a little), had ALL the toys ever created, and insisted on being Han Solo whenever we played anything outside.  Even baseball.

But it all went away shortly after Return of the Jedi and, though the prequel movies did recapture some of my belief in that old Lucas magic, I found my lack of faith disturbing.

Today, Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday arrived at comic book stores, and so did that excitement!



This book has everything a Star Wars fan could want - from an opening "credits" scene through the first panels reminiscent of how every film has opened, I almost expected to hear the 20th Century Fox music as I opened the cover, especially that little ending portion that always meant that Star Wars was coming on!

Taking place between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars #1 has all the familiar characters you'd want to see in the re-launch of a comic book franchise.  What makes this especially entertaining is that the reader knows how the story ultimately plays out, assuming that you've seen Empire and Jedi, and , let's face it, in my 39 years I have met one, ONE, person who hasn't seen them.  You'd think that knowing the outcome for all the characters would lessen the drama, but that is far from the case.  Jason Aaron and John Cassaday deftly handle the story, and it is clearly being created by fans of "a galaxy far, far away".  These are creators who, like so many of us, grew up LOVING these characters and are now being given the chance to reinvigorate them, starting over with a clean "canon" upon which to build.

These are exciting time to be a Star Wars fan, even a lapsed one.

"A long time ago" there was a nine year old boy standing in the rain at the end of a line that wrapped around the Seaview Square Cinema twice.  Waiting with him was his father, and they were both laughing and having a great time.  The boy was excited to see Return of the Jedi. 

His Dad was excited to see the boy smile.

Wytches--Issue #2--Review

 

A busload of children disappears in the woods. A strange bite grows on a girl's neck. And the wytches are getting closer, creeping from the woods. Be there for the terrifying second chapter of the new smash hit, WYTCHES.

From Comixology.com.

Oh wow, guys. I wanted to try something a little different today, so I waited to read issue #2 until this morning. This way you can get my initial, unedited thoughts. I might just sound a little bit all over the place, but such is the risk.

First of all, issue #2 is even more mind-blowing than issue #1. And the ending? Ah! I'm still trying to recover.

Chills. So many chills.

The art is still so tantalizingly chaotic and gorgeous. The writing still pushes you to try to figure out just what is going on, never feeling like you really know.

And the wytches. They finally make their full appearance. And they are terrifying.

I love how Scott Snyder and Jock are working together to really unnerve the reader. There are whole pages of just illustration, with one little bit of dialogue at the end. It works like a punch in the face. It's brilliant. And I love how Jock weaves his art on the page. He forces you, through color and effects, to stay and look and try to find the hidden nuggets. To see the eyes in the woods staring back at you.

Brilliant. I'm just going to use that word over and over again.

If you haven't picked up Wytches yet, I strongly suggest you do. There are three issues out so far, so you can go immediately from one to the other. And, hopefully, we won't have to wait too much longer for issue #4.

Enjoy!