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Friday, September 3, 2010
WizardWorld Chicago
Quick Reviews by Michael May
Grell #1
Written by Jason Pell; Illustrated by Federico Zumel
This was a freebie that was tossed in with a trade paperback I bought. It's another monster hunter story and another Western Horror, but that's not a negative for me. The negative is that the plot is predictable and the climax confusing (the hero and villain look too much alike). The hero, an educated cowboy, is interesting and likeable though. Not a good start to his adventures, but with more care and attention given to future issues, he has potential.
The Picture Show #1
Written by Jason Pell; Illustrated by Philipp S. Neundorf, Trebor, and Eduardo Bazan.
Another freebie from the publishers of Grell. This one's an anthology and like most anthologies, is a mixed bag in terms of quality. "End of All" is a gag story in which a clueless man accidentally destroys the world by running over Christ before he can usher in the Second Coming. It would be kinda neat if it weren't for the fact that Christ is portrayed as a foul-mouthed, murderous punk. Whatever though. The next story is a complete mess. It's called "Punks in Space" in the Table of Contents, but "Punks in the 24th Century" on its title page. It's a landscape format/"widescreen" story, but was printed head-to-head so rather than just turning the book sideways and flipping through it like a calendar, you have to keep turning the book over every time you want to read the next page. The story itself is a gimmicky sci-fi story that features the least intelligent villain of all time. He's not meant to be the least intelligent villain of all time, but he is. The last story, "Hot Wheels, Cold Bodies," is a zombie story. I'm not a big fan of zombies, but one thing I like about zombie stories is that they're rarely about the zombies and concentrate instead on the people running from or fighting the zombies. This one's no exception and it's easily the best story in the book. It starts in the middle of a standoff between the police and a gang of criminals they've got holed up in a building. The story is told from the point of view of the crooks, who are an interesting and diverse group. It's fortunate for me that I liked this story, because when a zombie infestation attacks the police and give the criminals a chance to escape, it sets in motion the story told in Zombie Highway, the trade paperback collection I bought that got me my free copy of The Picture Show in the first place.
Zombie Highway #1
Written by Jason Pell; Illustrated by Roberto Viacava.
The last freebie I got with the Zombie Highway trade was this copy of the first issue of the mini-series. Like the "Hot Wheels, Cold Bodies" short story, this is more good stuff. The interactions of the four criminals are entertaining and it looks like they might even be unwittingly responsible for the zombie infestation. So, there's a nice little mystery told with some witty dialogue. Looking forward to reading the trade now.
 Steampunk Faeries #1
Written by Jeffery Stevenson; Illustrated by Seth Damoose
Picked this one up on a whim because I like steampunk and I like fantasy and I dug the art as I flipped through it. Damoose has a detailed style that reminds me of Joe Madureira a bit. Unfortunately, there's so much happening on his pages that it's cluttered and confusing when left in black-and-white. This is one book that would hugely benefit from colors, or at least gray-scales, to help separate characters from scenery and props. The story is a nice mystery set-up that also works well as a self-contained war comic.
The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #0
Written by Mac Carter and Jeff Blitz; Illustrated by Adam Byrne
This is just a five-page story to introduce the mood and artwork behind the upcoming series. There's also a three-page preview of issue #1. The premise is that Lovecraft wasn't just writing fiction, he was recounting prophetic dreams that directed him into battle with the ancient gods and monsters he wrote about. The art is dark and ominous, just like you'd want a story about Lovecraft to be. The series looks worth checking out.
Nothing Better #1-2
Written and Illustrated by Tyler Page
The follow-up to Page's autobiographical Stylish Vittles graphic novels, this series is another college drama. Maybe it's just me, but I don't know why more people aren't doing college dramas. There's so much material there with the new-found independence, trying to create your identity in the world and separate your ideals from that of your parents. Add in all of the romantic prospects, financial worries, concerns over the future, and friendships that come and go with new class schedules and roommate assignments; you've got fodder to last for years. Four of them, at least. I'm not sure how many issues of Nothing Better Page is planning, but from the two already done (and being solicited in Previews this fall) it looks like he's prepared to make full use of the opportunities the setting provides.
 Leah Loves Pink
Written and Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
Not a comic, but a children's book in mini-comic format, this is a sequel to Doerrfeld's previous home-made children's book, Leah and the Owl. The owl story is one of my son's favorite bedtime stories thanks to Doerrfeld's charming, fanciful artwork and all the animals she includes in it. I wasn't sure if he'd be so into a story about a little girl's affection for the color pink, but again the art is endearing and there are still plenty of animals, so he dug it. Especially the bit with Leah's pink elephant tea set. Once we finished reading it, David asked for Leah and the Owl, but Leah Loves Pink was also a hit, with him and my wife and me as well. Both books have cool points to make and are fun and touching for adults, but Leah Loves Pink will resonate the most with parents, whether of boys or girls. As soon as a publisher is smart enough to print these as sturdier books, I'm buying more copies.
Bananagins: "It's Pie Time"
Written and Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
An honest-to-goodness mini-comic, Banangins opens with an apology of sorts by Doerrfeld for its "crude" (her word) nature. It's certainly not as polished as her Leah books, but it's a great mini-comic about a cute little girl named Shelby and her monkey Bananagins. When Shelby's mom warns the pair to stay away from the pies she's just made, the temptation becomes too much for Bananagins and he snitches a piece. The pie (minus one piece) turns into a scurvy "pierate" (get it?) and Shelby and Banangins are transported to the pierate ship where they have to escape with the help of a blackbird who's terrified of being baked in or by a pie (both are bad). Fans of books like Owly and Goodbye, Chunky Rice should check this out at www.coridoerrfeld.com.
 Ultimate Spider-Man #79
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Illustrated by Mark Bagley
This was a freebie the convention gave out to folks who ordered advance tickets. I've never read Ultimate Spider-Man before. Don't have anything against it or the other Ultimate titles, but I have a hard enough time following the continuity of the Marvel Universe I've been reading about for twenty years, much less trying to keep up with an alternate version. Anyway, this issue is more about the Kingpin's having to lay low and still maintain control over his operations than it is about Spidey. There's enough Peter Parker angst over a recent breakup with Mary Jane to call up some strong nostalgia for pre-married Peter. I see now what this book's appeal is for older Spider-Man fans, but it wasn't enough to make me want to check out more.
Bad Ideas #1
Written by Wayne Chinsang; Illustrated by Jim Mahfood and Dave Crosland
I met Dave Crosland at Minnesota's FallCon last year. He's a blast to hang around and I've wanted to read some of his stuff ever since. Someone recommended Bad Ideas to me, so when I saw Dave in Chicago, I picked up a copy. It's basically parodies of Rob Liefeld comics, manga, and comics fans in general, wrapped up in a framing sequence about Chinsang, Mahfood, and Crosland brainstorming over a project they can all work on together. A lot of the jokes are old if you've read these types of parodies before, but they're still funny thanks to the manic art of Mahfood and Crosland.
Fear Agent Ashcan
Written by Rick Remender; Illustrated by Tony Moore and Cory Walker
Rann-Thanagar War might be trying to show me that I'm not as much of an Adam Strange fan as I think I am. I loved the Adam Strange mini-series that led into Rann-Thanagar, but that was because it was good, old-fashioned, two-fisted, pulp, sci-fi adventure. And that was probably thanks to the specific story Andy Diggle was telling, rather than the nature of the Adam Strange character himself. I don't know; I'm not judging yet. If DC makes more Adam Strange, I'm likely to check it out. But I'll be sure to check out Fear Agent, because Rick Remender has created it specifically to be good, old-fashioned, two-fisted, pulp, sci-fi adventure. And from the two preview teases provided in this full-color ashcan, the operative word there is "good."
 Beowulf #1-3
Written by Brian Augustyn; Illustrated by Dub
I've liked the art I've seen from this book, but hadn't been interested enough to try it out until the main character appeared in The Grimoire, which I've been mostly enjoying. So, when I dropped by the Speakeasy booth and saw that they had the entire run to date, I took a chance and picked them up. Liked ‘em, too. Augustyn paces it out real nice so that you learn a little bit more each issue about who Beowulf is, what he's up to, who his enemies are, and what it all has to do with the great-granddaughter of a man whose life Beowulf saved during WWI. I'll be back for more.
Hero @ Large #1
Written by Erick Hogan; Illustrated by Jeremy Treece
Full Disclosure: Erick Hogan is a former CWN columnist. I liked his column, but I don't know him all that well, so I doubt that's tainted my opinion of his comic, which is very funny and a little touching as well. It's the story of a formerly great, now down-and-out superhero trying to rediscover why he's a superhero and possibly make a comeback in the process. Treece's art reminds me of Chris Fason's from Hero Happy Hour and that's a good thing, ‘cause I miss that book and it's a great style for a humorous, occasionally insightful look at costumed heroes.
Of Bitter Souls/Smoke & Mirror Preview Flipbook
Written by Chuck Satterlee; Illustrated by Norm Breyfogle and Claude St. Aubin
This was a Speakeasy booth freebie previewing two series by Satterlee. Of Bitter Souls is a superhero/monster-hunter series illustrated by Breyfogle; Smoke & Mirror is a multi-generational superhero story illustrated by St. Aubin. It's cool seeing Breyfogle art again and St. Aubin is also very talented (he uses two different styles to distinguish between modern and "Golden Age" scenes). For some reason, both previews are taken from the middle of their first issues instead of just showing the first several pages of each, but there's still enough information to get a feel for both series. Unfortunately, neither feels particularly fresh. Of Bitter Souls is a team of flawed monster hunters in New Orleans and the generational aspect of Smoke & Mirror has been done a lot by DC comics, especially with Justice Society stories.
Rocketo #0
Written and Illustrated by Frank Espinosa
Another Speakeasy book. I'm not sure what made me pick it up. Maybe it was that Espinosa's art reminds me a lot of Scott Morse. Anyway, I was in a spending mood and it was a "convention exclusive," so I bought it and I'm glad I did. It's a sci-fi story set on a future version of Earth that's been decimated by some sort of cataclysm and is in need of re-exploring. And Rocketo Garrison is just the two-fisted man to do it. I love these exploration/adventure stories and Rocketo is gonna be a good one. Sign me up.
Wanted: Ignition #1
Written by Steve Behnke and Blake Bradford; Illustrated by Andres Cruz
I'm not sure how this got in my stash. Probably another convention giveaway that came with admission. It's a six-page preview for a comic based on TNT's new Wanted series. As such, it doesn't do a very good job. It's five pages of chase scene with a follow up page of debriefing that sets up a story you can access on www.tnt.tv/wanted. None of the characters are even named, much less given personalities (except for a wisecracking officer whose jokes are so lame that I want to avoid both the online comic and the TV show).
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
