Summons Review

Summons A Supernatural Fight Of Good VS. Evil

I’ve been super busy with life and everything that comes along with it, but I have also been on my game with the reviews.  So far for the last month or so I have put up something at least once a week and I hope to continue my trend.  I recently went back over my body of work and noticed that I was leaning heavy towards sci fi stuff from more known companies and thought maybe it would be a good idea to revisit something different and from the more indie labels.  I decide to do a review on Summons because I’m completely blown away by this books art as well as the general premise of the story.

Summons is; written, penciled, and lettered by Chris L. Williams, inked by Jake Isenberg, and colored by both Danielle Alexis St. Pierre (cover) and Victor Bartlett (Interior) and I have to hand it to them because I feel like this art is spectacular.  The cover features two of the main characters, Kristine Helios and the last agent of a group known as the M.E.G.A.S (mystic event gatherer and surveyor).  I understand that that may not mean much now but as I get into the review know that it will be clarified, just keep in mind that both characters are seriously BA and the cover features Kristine kneeling down with a dagger in her hand and some dragon/dog looking monsters behind her with the MEGAS guy behind her.  The MEGAS agent looks almost like Deadpool meets Emperor Palpatine, and I only say that because of his red and blue mask with blue and red trimmed cloak.  Both characters have glowing eyes and fierce looks to them that are only accentuated by the monsters around Kristine.  I made it the featured image on the left over here so you can get a real feel for what I'm describing.

The book begins with a four page panel that starts at Kristine’s eyes and pulls further out to reveal her standing in a half circle of troll looking monsters.  Again I have to say, the art is on point in every way, Kristine’s eyes are fierce like she is angry and ready to take care of business.  She provides some commentary about what it was like before the real world revealed itself but overall the first page is a simple but BA introduction to Kristine and her current struggles as someone that knows about and deals with supernatural things.  Page two is a continuance of the first page but it’s a five panel ass kicking that show cases Kristine’s abilities and ends on the next page with a killer profile of her holding a monsters head.  I enjoy the fight scene and the profile of Kristine but as a writer I really enjoy the way they put the exposition in as Kristine’s thoughts and explanations of the monsters.  I have mentioned before in previous reviews that one of my pet peeves is being thrown into a complicated world with complicated back stories and just being expected to know what is going on.  Williams gives a great explanation of what the creatures are and why their stalking her down.  The exposition is done well and sets up the premise of the book, Kristine is meant to get back the book of Summons.  The explanation is enough to get a good taste as to what she is facing and what she is seeking out but it doesn't over share and leaves something for us to discover as the book goes on.  The exposition continues with the profile page and Kristine explains her “edge” when dealing with these creatures called Monstrum.  Along with her dagger made for spear of destiny parts she has a “death rapport” that links her thoughts with the Monstrum she kills.  The death rapport doesn't yield anything good so Kristine is forced to summons her MEGAS buddy and we are lead to the next page where he is front and center but flanked by four panels of Kristine and one close up of his masked face.  I simply can’t say enough about the art, the MEGAS dude looks formidable and BA as the two of them chat about what transpired.  The exposition continues alongside an explanation of the MEGAS and what their all about.  Her new MEGAS buddy was “the 5^th, sans a blonde Bruce Willis and half naked Milla Jovovich” and I have to say that I love the 5^th Element reference.





So within the first four pages we are introduced to the two main characters, shown a nice fight sequence, and given a reasonable amount of exposition so we understand what is going on in Kristine’s world.  For me personally this book does what I expect from anything that has a complex world building around the reader; I need to know something, but not everything, I need to get a feel for the characters and their abilities, but not be overwhelmed by it.  Williams has already drawn me in and I’m hardly four pages into the read.  I definitely feel that the art helps me get drawn in but the story line has me as well.  The search for the book of Summons, the history of the MEGAS, and what sort of evil they face are all inventive and have me hooked.  The main characters are cool and heroic but not of the super hero ilk, more of the Constantine type, as is the world that is being set up.



After the beginning and the character introduction there is a short synopsis of how Williams describes his story.  I don’t normally quote things but I feel like his words are fairly poetic, and as a writer I enjoy these lines.

“Nothing meek shall inherit the Earth.  Humans are simply spectators.  Glorified animals caged by their own perception.  The real struggle, the real war… is fought by far greater beings.  They decide our fate, our purpose.  Everything depends on them.  Always has.  This is their story.  Their struggle.  And it is only the beginning.”

I know, epic... Right?  I really dig the way this feels and rolls off my tongue as I mouth it to myself.  After the first few pages and the realization of the mission and the book of summons this statement only beefs up the hype of the book and totally riles me up.

I have already been hooked with the art and the story of the first few pages but as I turn to the next page I see a “Chapter 1 Rude Awakening” and realize that the story has hardly started.  Kristine is clearly a late teen early twenty something, judging from the art, but as the story begins Williams reveals her true age while she narrates how awful school is.  I’m a man in my thirty’s but her clear contempt for school rings a bell with me, as does the three page narrative of Kristine thought bubbling her worries about college while trying to ignore the “self-absorbed, vapid, pima-donnas.”  I love this part because I have more than a few bad memories of self-absorbed A-holes in high school, as many comic book fans probably do, and Williams not only captures the essence of what many people deal with he does it while showing that Kristine is no push over.  Kristine has proven to be BA, but now we get a glimpse of her as a normal person dealing with normal people problems as well when she blows up at the girls talking trash.

Williams continues with Kristine making her way to the principal’s office when she stumbles upon the big football star that just happens to be her good buddy from childhood.  The banter between the two of them is natural, but flirty, and revealing of the true nature of their friendship.  Through dialog Williams shows us the nature of the relationship while also possibly foreshadowing some key plot points.  Football star Jared Lee reveals that his cousin has just died and was possibly into some shady things, which at first doesn’t sound very revealing but the art work really puts it into perspective with a close up of Jared’s face but behind him is a cloaked guy getting attacked by a hand that looks awfully menacing, like some of the monstrum from the beginning.



Williams shifts the book to three shadowy figures arguing about when to strike at Kristine and the mortal world but he leaves the dialog open until the next page when I turned and saw the up close of three shadowy monsters.  They argue when to strike and the shot caller declares that they wait until they find the book.  The art of the monsters is something to behold because their scary and mean as hell, with some of the best coloring I have ever seen.  The crew really out do themselves on this page, truly amazing art work.

The next seven pages are Kristine at home getting ready for bed when a monster attacks her by jumping through her window.  At this point we know that she doesn’t die and with the help of the MEGAS becomes pretty BA and this revelation comes to fruition when the MEGAS shows up to dispatch the Monstrum.  Again the art work is fantastic with the MEGAS and the monster fighting, my favorite being the first panel with MEGAS standing over the monster.  The panel is about three fourths of the MEGAS standing in front of a head shot of the monster.  The panel is colorful and gives a really nice profile of the MEGAS while still showing a scary version of the mostrum’s head up close.  The Monstrum has some really detailed features, including nasty teeth and a long gross tongue, everything a true monster should have.  As the MEGAS kills off the monster he screams “all hail Zombinos,” which is a nice piece of foreshadowing because I wonder if one of the shadowy monsters are Zombino or if he is going to be someone higher up the monster chain, but either way I’m excited to see Kristine and the MEGAS do their thing and kill them all.



MEGAS stops to holds a passed out Kristine and apologizes for his barging into her room to save her and explains the MEGAS formation.  Within the explanation of the MEGAS is also the explanation of how the book of Summons came about, as well as who Kristine is.  Kristine is somehow an intermediate between the forces of good or evil and the book.  MEGAS explains she is the newest of a long line of ancestors that held her powers and between him, her and another unknown person called “the warrior born” they have the potential to save the world.  The MEGAS explains that both her and the warrior born have the potential to be swayed to the bad side so it’s imperative that they start their quest to save the world and find the warrior born.

I was expecting this to be the end of the book but I turned to find one last page of a man running in the moonlight.  The final page is six panels of this man and a narrative of how he finally understood the MEGAS and the fight he was about to enter into.  He knew, all of a sudden, that he is essential to the never ending fight as well as the fact that they needed to get to the book of Summons.



I hate to keep gushing over the art, but seriously, it’s good.  All of the characters have a unique feel to them, no two are even remotely similar, except when supposed to be, and even then are done very different.  The Monstrum are the closest thing to similar in the book and their very different in their own ways.  The style of the art is something between cartoon and realistic and the colors are bright and popping.  Williams doesn’t slack on the story either, he clearly has an extensive world he is building but doesn’t bombard us with too much, he gives us exposition when needed and slides explanations into dialog to give it a natural feel.  I like the story and clearly the artwork but I have already read issue two and can’t wait for issue three.  This is the kind of indie book that makes me shake my head at the big two and ask them why they can’t be this BA.  Williams, Isenberg, Bartlett, St. Pierre; you guys deserve a firm handshake, a pat on the back, and more than anything you deserve to sell out of this book.

Ninjak Review

Ninjak, Valiant's BA Ninja!

I pretty much love doing reviews and I have done a ton of stuff from publishers like Image and Boom! but I have yet to do anything from Valiant.  Until now! I felt like now would be a good time to talk about a Valiant book because; A) I haven’t done a Valiant book yet, B) they have some really cool properties that are pretty old but have also been redone, and C) they just signed a huge contract of movie rights.  DMG Entertainment signed a deal worth nine figures with Valiant for the movie rights to a few characters and if they play their cards right they could end up with a seriously good cinematic universe like the big two, particularly Marvel.

The book I chose for my first review is Ninjak.  I admitted already that Valiant has some BA characters and books like Bloodshot, Shadowman, Quantum and Woody, Archer and Armstrong, X-O Manowar, and many others, but I went with Ninjak for two reasons; it was the first issue, and I enjoyed it.  As many of you know I’m not about bashing books so my personal enjoyment is a major factor in the decision to do a review and I can say for sure that I enjoyed Ninjak.



The book starts with a fun little classified specification on Ninjak’s “Multi-Tool Battle Belt” so we get a nice little preview of the type of weaponry to expect and they package it up in a top secret style page which is fitting considering he is a M.I. 6 agent.  Although the tool belt is cool we all know the book isn’t starting there, it actually starts with a five panel page of a blind folded ninja fighting a bunch of other ninja’s while Cranes fly all around them.  I liked the start but it was just a tease because the second page is three panels of a child eating popcorn and watching a movie.  The only thing the page says is “Then” at the bottom and it quickly shifts to “Now” as they give us some exposition on Ninjak’s mission.

So within three short pages Ninjak draws us into a back story and kicks us in the face with a scary mission briefing of a super BA target named Roku.  Ninjak’s target, Roku, is killing a Russian prison guard that is trying to hold her in a custom made prison but the exposition is what is scary; she can either feel no pain or she likes it, and she has had “Genetic tailoring” so her hair can cut through metal and she can strangle a man with only three strands.  Yeah pretty BA if you ask me, but we all know that Ninjak isn’t going to be a push over himself.  All in all the exposition about Roku is three pages of her taking care of Russian prison guards but it all leads up to a killer one page shot of Ninjak holding his sword while he quotes a line from the movie he was watching earlier.  Told you, he wasn't going to be a push over.



Ninjak asked her if he was supposed to be impressed and true to the game Roku says “who cares” as she grabs a gun to attack Ninjak.  There are nearly three entire pages of fighting before they pick up the dialog and Ninjak clicks an explosive trigger.  A bomb goes off behind Roku and she is dazed but Ninjak just tells her to stop and he lets her go.  At that point I was wondering why he decided to let her go but he goes on to tell Roku he saved her life because she was going to hack into their system and trigger a nuke.  I guess maybe he did it to save them both but someone in his ear piece tells him to clean up before he blows up the base he rescued her from.  Of course the blast is formidable but what really impressed me was the fact that he gets into a stealth bomber looking plane to get away.  At this point I’m starting to draw comparisons to Batman; the Ninja like persona and the super cool belt, and now a BA plane.

[caption id="attachment_1294" align="alignnone" width="323"] Roku[/caption]



After his mission in Russia and saving Roku the story flashes back to his childhood movie time and they reveal he lives in a castle with parents that could care less what he does with himself, probably has an Alfred and everything.  I’m more than convinced he is the clone of all BA characters like Bruce Wayne and James Bond, possible some other cool British characters, we will see.

The next page Ninjak gets debriefed at home and they show an aerial of Ninjak’s castle, and I have to say it is pretty stellar, certainly comparable to Wayne Manor.  Ninjak gets debriefed on his new assignment but just before it’s revealed what he is going to be up to next it’s revealed that Ninjak's name is Ninjak because he is actually Ninja K.  Makes sense to me, but I sort of thought it was because his name was Jack, more like Nin Jack, but it was nice to get some clarification.

During the debriefing it starts to get very spy like with the verbiage and new assignment to infiltrate a weapons maker and dealer.  We also learn that his in is because he financed the release of Roku, his right hand woman.  So all in all he has to get in and befriend a billionaire named Kannon, infiltrate his organization, and find out who the other seven leaders of a group named the Shadow Seven are.  No problem, right?  Well it seems pretty cake when he ends up singing karaoke with the guy.   I enjoy the way the book has been flowing as far as the "now" portion.  The way they transition and fit in the Roku mission with his new mission is done well, it provides clarification without being overt in a subtle but effective way.

I’m sure that things get crazy later but for now things flash back to when he is a child and is sneaking into his room but he gets caught by some big guy with a mustache.  At this point the only thing I don’t really dig is the short flashback story line.  I wish the flashback was more than a page here and there between the “now” parts, but I can see the back story setting up for something bigger or at least painting the picture as to why a little rich boy would want to become a ninja.



As the “now” part rolls on my hunch about things getting crazy with Kannon were right, they strip him and naked and drop him five miles outside of Tokyo expecting him to make it to an appointment at eight.  Ninjak is a ninja so of course he makes it on time but the next test had to be hard for Ninjak; he has to take a beating.  As a ninja I assume it would be hard to fight off the urge to kill all of them, but he does it with no problem.

The books main story line comes to an end with a “then” where he gets a whooping by the big guy with a mustache and a “now” where he earns the trust of Kannon and is granted anything he wants.  Ninjak asks him for a stealth jet outfitted with top secret nano-tech and chemical weapons payloads.  There is a small back story bonus at the end that chronicles a job ten years ago where he gets his butt kicked but it’s just a bonus to the actual story.

I certainly want to know more, that hook was way too good, and the questions I want to know are from both the then and now story lines.  I like the dual approach to the story line though they could do more with the then part.  There could be more, sure, but I’m still interested and still hooked.  I love the now part because it has everything a spy thriller fan could ask for, government agents up to and including Ninjak, bad guys and bad guy organizations, and other BA villainous people like Roku.  Ninjak hits on all cylinders and I’m glad I picked it for my first Valiant book.  I will definitely be checking out book two.

 

 

Theodicy Review

A Religious Adventure That Explores Theodicy

Everyone knows and I have been unabashed about my love for nearly everything sci fi, but few of you know I have another weakness… religion.  So far I have only been able to find one really good religious comic book to talk about and ironically enough I posted that last Christmas.  Even though Theodicy is religious it has nothing in common with The Magdalena The Seventh Sacrament, my last review of a religious nature.

Theodicy is available at Indyplanet and comixology, but you can also read about it at their blog and link to it yourself.  Theodicy is written by Chad Handley, penciled by Fernando Brazuna, inked by Ryan Boltz, colors by Minan Ghibliest, and lettered by Kel Nutall.  The art is done very well and it works well for the sort of book it is.  With the nature of this book Nutall gets a workout, it’s a very word heavy book that focuses a lot on the story and dialog of characters versus the visual story telling that we see a lot with comics, and I’m good with this.  I truly feel that comics are one of the greatest mediums, some comics tell a great story without a character saying a word and sometimes the book becomes in depth and more involved in the dialog.  Guess which one Theodicy is.

According to Merriam-Webster theodicy is, “Defense of God’s goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil” and yes I did have to Google it.  I feel like this is an amazing title because everyone, whether they know it or not, struggles with the thought of theodicy, and most people base their belief or disbelief on their interpretation of theodicy, characters in this book included.

The cover gets straight to the point of evil in this world as it features a young boy with his arms and legs cut off.  The image sets the tone well before it starts with the story.  Theodicy starts off with a man named Paul unloading some pretty hardcore atheist arguments to what turns out to be his future parent in laws.  Of course the fiancé doesn’t take kindly to his smug, arrogant, and rude speech and gives him back his ring as she tells him he needs to find something or someone and let it all out.  After reading his diatribe I was leaning towards agreement with his fiancé because it was pretty smug, especially because he did it at a nice dinner with the future in laws.

After the first few pages of Paul and his fiancé Theodicy turns to a second story where a catholic priest named John, his Monseigneur, and an attorney argue a contract that requires a young woman to leave the priests care and turn herself into her debtor.  Father John argues vehemently for the poor girl but in the end he loses.  Father John has already described the institution the girl is going to as some sort of horrible brothel where the girls are drugged and used up and that thought is only reinforced when a military looking force shows up to take her away.



During these panels with Father John I can tell that he is being faced with doubt but another priest tries to remind him that he is a good guy and has done everything he can do but Father John points to the boy with no arms or legs as a sign of his doubt.  I feel like this exchange sums up the ideas behind this book, a poor little child that has never done anything to anyone and deserves so much more as he lays helpless with no limbs, and how can God let something like that happen?  What could this child possibly done to deserve such a fate?  Why won’t God do something?  And probably most important to this book, how can anyone believe in a God that allows such things to happen?

I believe the struggle of how God can let bad things happen is what keeps the man Paul an atheist but because of his exchange with the parent in laws and the loss of his fiancé he is compelled to attend a church service.  Paul at church is only one page with six panels but the artists involved do an amazing job at showing his skepticism about religion through body language and facial expressions as he sits and watches a baptism.  It’s a quick page but it’s also powerful and meaningful to the story.

After Paul and the baptism the story shifts back to Father John as he does some magic for some kids and talks to a woman named Kate that appears to be a nurse or a doctor.  They talk about the magic trick and Kate tells him that their MRI machine is acting up.  Father John seems to be a jack of all trades because he agrees to look at it again, hinting that it has been on the fritz before, but also through dialog they reveal that Father John is somewhat of a mystery to Kate because she asks how a father could fix an MRI let alone build one.  The more I see Father John the more I like him and I feel like I could be a Catholic if everyone in the church was as caring as he seems to be.

Father John and Kate make their way to the conference room to meet with the Monseigneur, another priest, and a little boy.  They discuss the boy and through dialog it’s hinted that the boy is at the center of some sort of healing miracles.  They talk about him being healthy other than losing his voice but apparently they have no explanation of how a few of the people near him miraculously came out of a coma and went into cancer remission.  Father John doesn’t think he is a miracle worker, he says he just doesn’t believe the kid is special in anyway.  Father John is clearly starting to lose faith and become disillusioned by the thought of a God that can allow so much misery.  I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed and under qualified to deal with so much and I feel like mentally Father John is losing the faith.



Father John leaves the meeting and goes to prepare for a mass where the young boy with no limbs comes to receive the Eucharist from Father John.  The boy’s mother brings him in with a wheel borrow and the entire church stares in wonder while the boy comes in.  Father John losses it a little bit and makes a small speech about “Just what kind of God you serve” and walks out.  Even though Father John leaves the woman and her child are more than happy to have been there.  I love the contrast between the believers, non-believers, and people like Father John who seem to be somewhere between.  I truly believe that faith is a never ending struggle and this is portrayed perfectly.

Hours after Mass Father John gets a visit in his invention room by the other Father that brought the kid with no limbs and the two fathers have a conversation about Father John harboring his doubts.  Father John is an inventor and a practical guy so when he sees practical issues he has a problem with all of the impractical suffering.  I understand and I see where the ideas of a godless world meets the thought of so much suffering but I struggle with Father John losing his faith, I never like to see the good guys get disillusioned to the point that they stop trying.

The story flashes back to Paul as he sits in the church getting ready for a showdown with God.  I actually do this all the time, I just call it prayer, but Paul is on another level with his lack of faith in any God let alone Jesus or the Christian God.  Paul’s rants to God is not by any means unfounded, he reveals his upbringing that was heavily Christian, he speaks of a brutal way of losing his parents, and has an all-around good reasons for being bitter and unbelieving, but before he can finish his rant he looks down to notice that he is standing on water.  Of course the second he notices this small miracle he falls into the water only to pop up with a look of amazement on his face.  I feel like Paul needed that moment with God for him to realize that he is bitter about some things in his life and come to terms with it.  In my eyes the root of most disbelief, at least with atheists like Paul, stems from personal loss and personal examples of suffering and pain.  I don’t blame people and the argument is fairly solid but people like Paul don’t account for the free will of man.  Naturally man’s heart is not pure and free will causes pain.  Paul is mad that God didn’t keep the Garden of Eden as the blueprint for the world, and I get that, especially when he lost his parents so brutally.

Handley leaves us with Father John being woken up by an alarm and scrambling to get people inside the gates to avoid a raid by collection agents like the ones in the beginning that came for the girl.  Although he expected collection agents there were none; he ran out to find the limbless boy standing with limbs next to his mother, and the mute child that heals people.  I enjoyed the book and I feel like this hook is inescapable, it just leaves way too many questions.  Is God real?  Does Paul convert?  Is the healing mute child a gift from God?  Are any of the things that happened real?  What is going to happen to Father John?  Just after the final panel there is a wonderful little synopsis that has a definition of theodicy so you don’t have to Google it like I did, but it also has a synopsis of what the crew attempted to accomplish by writing this.  They focus on Paul the atheist and Father John as they deal with people like the mute boy and form an unlikely alliance.

I was impressed mostly by the thoughtful and intense dialog but please don’t think that because it’s word heavy that the illustrations lose out in anyway because they don’t.  The book is an all-around success and it takes on a very serious issue from both sides and with class, that can be hard to do and they certainly pull it off.  I’m glad that someone out there had the wherewithal and courage to tackle such a controversial topic, and they did it from both sides, which only adds to the appeal.

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.

 

Drifter from Image Comics Review

A Sci-Fi Tale from Image Comics: Drifter

When talking about comic books the phrase “The big two” comes up a lot, and for good reason, there iconic labels, but if truth be told the phrase should be “The big three.”  Since its inception in 1992 by famed illustrator Todd McFarlane, and an army of upset illustrators, Image Comics has redefined what the comic industry is capable of.  Image was an instant success and has helped to develop amazing artists and artist owned property.  Drifter is just one of their new titles that have made a splash.

Drifter is scripted by Ivan Brandon, and edited by Sebastian Girner.  The artwork is done by Nic Klein, lettering by Clem Robins, and the logo and design by Tom Muller.  The cover is a portrait of a man, the main character Abram Pollux, with Drifter spelled out in dots underneath him.  The cover art is vastly different from the comic art; the cover is a very realistic looking portrait style close up of Abram’s face while the inside is more of a normal comic feel.  The art of the cover as well as the inside is top notch and on par with any expectations, the characters are lively and telling in every essential way.



The book starts off with Abram Pollux falling out of space and crash landing on a planet only to nearly drown.  He ends up crawling out of the water and accidentally killing an alien that attempts to help him.  The alien wasn’t alone and its companion rushes to the aid of its dying friend, and Pollux watches it die in its friends arms.  I feel like this sets up the ideas of the book perfectly, a drifter that has personal issues and questionable morals.

After Pollux kills the alien he is shot by a mysterious character in a suit that reminds me a little bit of Star Lord, a gas mask and goggles design with a cape.  At this point I assume that the main character won’t get killed off in the first couple of pages but the events have already drawn me into the story and the character.

[caption id="attachment_1177" align="alignnone" width="195"] Pollux getting shot[/caption]

The story picks up with Pollux in a hospital setting and introduces a jack of all trades sheriff and doctor named Lee.  Lee is talking to a man named Jonah about what seems to be some serious stuff when Pollux wakes up.  Lee and Pollux have an exchange that stresses the desperation on the planet.  There exchange and the tone of desperation sets up the world Pollux has crash landed on well and it fits with the ideas already presented.  Pollux puts the feel of the book perfectly when he says, “Been half-drowned and burnt up, crashed and then shot in this place.”  It seems like a desert, empty, desolate place that struggles to stay alive, just like Pollux.

So far Pollux has had nothing but bad experiences with the planet and the people/aliens on it, save Lee, but the book transitions flawless from the world setup to Pollux leaving the little town and searching for his wrecked ship.  Lee is clearly intrigued by Pollux and curious about what he is leaving for and follows him.  Pollux and Lee talk as they search for the wreckage of Pollux’s ship.  Lee wonders where Pollux came from and what he hoped to find in the deserts of the planet but during his explanation of where he came from Lee sees that things don’t match up.  Pollux explains where he came from and when his ship went down but Lee seems surprised by his answers.  They end the book with Pollux and Lee standing on a ridge overlooking the wreckage while Lee tells Pollux that wreck happened over a year ago.  I understand the need for a hook when dealing with an ongoing series and Drifter leaves it open with a serious cliffhanger.

[caption id="attachment_1175" align="alignnone" width="343"] The Town[/caption]

I liked the world that they set up, the desperation and desperado feel of a Wild West type planet, and the intriguing characters that are somewhat mysterious and dark.  The world is nice but the character development is even better, I feel invested in Lee with her reluctant heroism and sympathetic of Pollux and his misfortune.  I also have a soft spot for Sci-Fi as you may have noticed with my review of Salvagers and eternal love of Star Wars and Star Trek.  Sci-Fi is a genre of literally never ending possibility for characters and worlds and it seems to me the team behind Drifter have a vast world in store and I will be tuning in for issue two to find out if that is true.

Pregnant Bitches of War Review

Possibly Offensive Pregnant BA Woman

During my random searches for new comic books, I sometimes stumble upon some questionable things that may or may not be any good.  I have been quite successful finding great indie comics with my discovery of Hound Comics and the reviews I have done on a few of their titles.  I can add a new company to the list of good indie comic producers: Fried Comics.

I stumbled upon Fried Comics website, friedcomics.com, and felt a swell of pride immediately.  Fried’s homepage had a three scrolling feature of their title right in the front of their page and the first thing my eyes saw was an ad for Pregnant Bitches of War.  I thought to myself PBOW was a seriously good title name and I had to read about the guys or gals behind the idea.

I went up to the top of the website and clicked the “Discover; What is Fried?” so I could get a better understanding of what they were all about.  Fried staff doesn't disappoint with their description of themselves and their product.  The first thing in the section is an introduction to Clay Adams and Alexandre Philippe the two behind Fried but it was what came next that got me hooked.  “FRIED is their collective imagination unleashed, uncensored, and unequivocally unapologetic.”  In the day and age of political correctness and lack of willingness to offend I have found myself yearning for people that say what they feel and are not afraid to put something out there that may or may not offend.  With the statement of uncensored and unapologetic I wanted to see for myself.  The website is easy to navigate with tabs at the top that direct to six places; home, read, buy, discover, connect, and tip.  They let you preview comics, they have shirts and more than just comics for sale, they introduce themselves, and have a section for contacting and question asking.  Overall the site is really well done and easy to navigate.

Fried has three titles under their belt, PBOW, Deadskins!, and Red Xmas.  I went with PBOW, because let’s face it, Pregnant Bitches that are totally BA running around in a war setting just sounds way too cool.  It was more than just the name that caught my attention, there was the description too.

“Plucked from the time-stream by eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, six pregnant women accidentally kill a young Hitler -- and unleash a nightmare future! With Tesla acting as Charlie to their Angels, they must save the world from a hell of their own creation... and they have to do it all before their water breaks!”

If that synopsis doesn't hook you on the comic then you should stop reading!

The cover sets the tone for what I already suspected to be a crazy ride.  A pregnant woman on a table looking like she is ready to pop out a kid while she holds two smoking guns.  The view is from the knees down so you get the full feel of watching a woman give birth.  Although the cover gets the point across it's not overly graphic, she is still clothed.  The room has comical posters hanging up that fit with pregnancy and the ideas behind having a pregnant woman as the protagonists.  One of the posters said, “Sperm.  It’s all his fault.” With little sperms swimming next to the quote, while another said, “Motherhood is a gift.  A gross, gross gift.”  After reading the posters I noticed the broken mirror and dead guys in the background behind the main character.  The cover is definitely funny and right from the start Fried stays true to the uncensored claim.



Now you may be thinking that the cover isn't really that bad, I have seen worse, but the first page into the comic is the pregnant woman from the cover letting Hitler suck on her boobies.  The first page introduces the character by her narrating Hitler sucking her boobies.  It took me a second to compute the aspects of this and how it related to my sensibilities.  No one likes Hitler but the use of him in the comic and the way that they make no apologies and put him on the first page, I found myself giving a nod to their guts.  Another thing that I found myself respecting was that this page introduced the writers and artists behind it, so they don’t shy away from the controversies and their claim of being uncensored, in fact they embrace it.  Clay Adams and Alexandre O. Philippe are the writers, Dominike “Domo” Stanton is the artist, Ron Riley does the colors, and Charles Pritchett does the letters.

The story starts in the Empire State Building at a focus group called Adventures in Pregnancy.  The main character explains that she was dishonorably discharged and decided to go to New York but was having a hard time paying bills.  As the focus group starts the main character is asked by another pregnant lady how much their getting paid and she replies, “Not enough.”  At this point I already have in my mind that this lady is going to be full on BA but after that comment and the running commentary I get a feel that she will be funny as well.

The way they set up the focus group is excellent because it gives a chance for exposition and introduction without being blatant.  The group has six pregnant women and an older lady that is supervising the group. All of them tell their names and something that they have given up since being pregnant.  This set up served the story well for more than just introductions to the names of the characters, it also gave a chance to get the personality type of the characters.  A ditzy blonde named Marni, a country girl named Bristol, an Asian girl named Jin, the best friend a black woman named Leslie, and the main character who introduces herself as Birdie Disantos make up the group.

Fried continues their campaign of offense when Birdie reveals that she was carrying the baby of a sergeant that not only raped her but had her kicked out of the army as well.  I tried to warn that it may be offensive but at this point if the boob obsessed Hitler didn't shy you away I’m guessing you're good.



After the rather well set up group scene, it flashes back to the days of Tesla and show him running around his hotel room trying to fix an invention. He seems paranoid at the arrival of a person named Bennett and the next page takes us back to the focus group.  The older lady asks the focus group director why the room they're in is called the Tesla room and she gets upset at the country girl for not knowing who he is.  The anger the older woman feels and the way she starts to explain him to the country girl sets up the next panel of who I expect to be Bennett calling Tesla a fraud.  Since I already have a good feel for the ladies they draw me into the other side with the action of Tesla and how he is racing against the clock to finish his experiment before Bennett catches up to him.

Anyone that knows anything about Tesla knows he is probably one of the most important inventors in history and he delivers with his contraption because the next page is the machine working and dissolving the woman into the past.  Tesla knows that it worked and believed that he was in the future until the Bennett guy busts in to the room with guns to discover Tesla and a focus group of pregnant ladies.  Since they seem to be in danger from the Bennett guy Tesla tries the machine again but this time they end up in a war bunker with a bunch of Germans.  My gut feeling about the main character being funny as well as totally BA was right on the money because she continually taunts the Germans as they search the ladies and probe for intelligence.  The ladies all solidify their personalities through the interaction with the German soldiers, not just Birdie.

As the ladies sit in a jail cell with Tesla they all sort out where they are and how they got there.  Tesla explains how he invented a time machine and overheard a soldier saying where they have stashed it.  As they talk and try to figure out what is going on the German soldiers change the guard and they introduce a young Hitler as a guard.

I was expecting to get an explanation at some point about how Hitler got to suck on Birdies boobs, so seeing him as a guard didn't surprise me.  I have to give Adams and Philippe credit for their writing skills; they have a nice couple of panels about the consequences of altering history before Birdie decides she can get them out of the situation without having to kill Hitler.  Instead of killing him she decides it would be a great idea to just smother him with her boobs.  She ends up smothering him out and stealing his keys before leading them all out of the jail.

As the ladies attempt to escape they kill a guard, not Hitler, and continue their search for the time machine.  They find the time machine in a room full of gold and riches but before they can leave they realize that the ditzy blonde Marni is missing.  Marni expresses several times that she thinks they should kill Hitler and even though they agree altering history is a no no they rush back to the cells where Marni is feverishly assaulting Hitler, and just like that Marni starts to disappear.

As they alter the timeline things start to change as they’re perused by German soldiers.  Tesla gets the time machine working and gets them out of harm’s way but not without losing Marni and injuring Birdie’s best friend Leslie.  They ladies are back to their world but everything is changed.  Instead of the Statue of Liberty it’s a statue of a masked soldier.  The final panel is the five women standing together wondering what is going on and what happened to their timeline.  They set up the hook for the second issue really well with the final panel and the ideas they present in the first issue.

I’m not easily offended and I wasn't offended by anything in the issue.  I feel like Adams and Philippe balance the line between offensive and creative masterfully.  The idea of Hitler being killed is a great idea, no one likes him, but the way they address and use the fact that a timeline would change impresses me.  They deliver with this comic and their website is very fun as well.  They make their titles available and offer good synopsis so the reader knows what’s going on and they feature themselves as a part of the package and I appreciate that a lot.  Part of the reason I enjoy indie comics is because I feel closer to the artists and I feel like Fried Comics hits that mark with Friedcomics.com.

Like Father, Like Daughter - Indie Comic Preview

Like Father, Like Daughter: Short Fuse Media and Comic Uno Kickstart Their First Published Comic Book

OK, this is our first comic PREVIEW, and while we don't know a lot about the project, I still felt compelled to share it. I'm excited enough about what Like Father, Like Daughter is doing with Short Fuse Media that I wanted to put the word out about their Kickstarter to fund their first published comic book. I'll do my best to give you some details, but to hear it told best, watch the video from their Kickstarter below.



Full transparency here, I was turned on to Short Fuse Media because I was hired to do some writing and lettering work for a forthcoming project. I was enthralled and excited by the story that I was brought on to help tell and thus I became immediately interested in whatever else they had in the works. That is how I discovered Like Father, Like Daughter. I have no part in this project but I am equally excited about the project for two reasons. One, this will be the first published book from Short Fuse Media, and as one of my favorite unattributed quotes goes, "Comic books are like boobs. They look fine on a computer, but I'd rather hold one in my hand." (No, it wasn't Stan Lee as the Internet may have led you to believe). Two, Short Fuse Media is also giving a young creator the chance to make her comic book a reality. I think this is just plain awesome. I wish that every young creator with a story to tell could have a chance like this.

Like Father, Like Daughter is a story of a girl whose father abandons her to become the world's first superhero. This premise really intrigues me because it's a superhero story with a real world twist. We always think of superheroes as good guys when they are saving the day, but we rarely see a superhero with a family, much less the fallout that superhero status can cause for their families. Just think about the hypocrisy at play here.  A superhero who saves the world on the reg, but leaves his daughter to be raised without a father. It's a pretty heavy premise, and as far as I can tell, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Kat aka Comics Uno (also a comic book reviewer with her own YouTube show) teases that there are many twists and turns to come, but we'll just have to wait and see...

I urge everyone to consider backing this Kickstarter project because the comic is based on an idea I believe in, which is stories that can help uplift young people. Not only is the publishing of this story going to help Kat make her dream of becoming a published comic book creator, but the story itself will inspire many young people who may be in the same situation. It's rare to see a story of this nature in a superhero comic book, and I think that's a shame. In the past four years that I have grown within the comic book industry, I have met many creators who truly inspire me because of why they want to make comics. They want to tell stories that aren't being told. So many great indie creators are still on the underground level, and I really hope that in the years to come, we can help build up storytellers who have a message that can truly help people in the world. I believe that this book fits the bill. Enjoy and check out the Kickstarter campaign online here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/430817454/like-father-like-daughter-1-comic-book


 

The Slave Hunter - The Sword Is My Lady #1

The Slave Hunter by Malik Shabazz Takes Us On Our First Trip Into the World of Altaire...

The Slave Hunter is just the first piece of a bigger picture known as "The Sword Is My Lady,  The Lady Is My Sword." At first, the book may come across as unassuming. Then, you open it up... and you immediately learn that this ENTIRE BOOK was created by one man. That fact, in itself, is an amazing undertaking, but once you actually delve into the world of Altaire and the story of "Mad" Maddie Grimoire, it's easy to see that this book is the result of a creator who revels in hard work.

The story arc does a good job of hooking the reader in and then twisting things on us, more than once even. While this issue does a good job of drawing us into the world of Altaire, it still leaves quiet a bit unanswered about the larger plot at hand. We see the story open with a brief history or Altaire and its warring races. Three races populate this planet, Humans, and then two Majik-wielding races, the Majin and the Thessans. Each race has its own unique relationship to Altaire's life force, Majik, but we don't get to learn an enormous amount about that in this issue. The opening scenes cut off quickly with what seems to be the set-up for this entire series. The Majin and The Thessans say "peace out" to the humans and their non-majik wielding asses. The Majik-wielding races build a barrier, leaving the humans out in the cold and thus the world has peace. (Imagine that, getting rid of all humans is the only way to achieve world peace.)  We're then launched into the more character driven part of the story with a foreboding message that "peace is not everlasting."



Enter Maddie Grimoire, the slave hunter and namesake for this issue. Presumably, Maddie is just one of three or maybe even four main characters (judging by either the placard on the cover or the teaser at the end of this issue). We catch her mid-hunt and a beautiful hunt it is. One multi-page spread in the midst of the hunt is just down-right gorgeous. As you might expect, Maddie gets her man and delivers the only remaining piece of him to collect her bounty. And then there's a great twist. I don't want to spoil it for you here, because I want to urge you to go get this book.



The story unfolds quite unexpectedly for our Slave Hunter, and it seems that the following events are only the beginning of bigger things to come. The last page teases the story for the next book, "The Baddest Warrior There Ever Was." From the page previews that Malik, aka Night M.A.I.R.S., shares on his Facebook page, the next book really looks like a doozy.

Aside from the narrative itself, the thematic elements of the story are also exceptional. Malik has lovingly crafted a world with a diverse population. This is important because it creates a setting where the race and gender issues that we face in our own world are still present in the undertones of Altaire. At one point, we see a female human who has put out a hit on a Majin slave surprisingly break down in tears at the news when Maddie comes to collect the bounty. When asked why, the woman replies that we're more alike than we admit, and that "sometimes being a woman can feel like being a slave." This is powerful stuff that is often rare in the comic book medium. I, for one, salute Malik for taking the visual storytelling forum to a deeper and more meaningful place while still showing and telling us a fascinating tale.

To give a brief critique, I think the writing and the art, from illustration through to the color, are excellent. And then, once you factor in that all of this is a one-man show, it's truly extraordinary. The only underwhelming parts of this book are the cover and then some small issues with the lettering. The art for the cover is not bad, but it doesn't portray the depth and girth of the pages within. This is unfortunate because it does a disservice to the rest of the book. I wish that Night M.A.I.R.S. would have collaborated with another artist to possibly capture the entirety of the book in a single breath-taking image versus just the character art that we see as is it. On the lettering front, there are no large complaints there, only that the bubbles feel crowded and the way the bubbles are arranged doesn't always lead the eye across the page in the proper reading order. These are all minor issues that could be easily solved in future issues.  I think the future of this franchise is very bright.

Overall, The Slave Hunter is a behemoth of a book. On top of that, it's just the first phase of a story with a greater narrative to come (presumably). Night M.A.I.R.S. has revealed that he will be doing three issues leading up to a graphic novel Kickstarter campaign. We'll keep you posted on when all that starts to happen, but until then you can go pick up your own copy here at IndyPlanet: http://www.indyplanet.com/front/product/113652/ - The book is now on special for a very limited time at the price of $3.99. This is a steal for an indie comic of this nature, don't sleep on this. Go support your independent (and when I say independent, in this case I really mean it) comic book creators!