Review- AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- FAMILY TIES

AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- FAMILY TIES (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) Nos. 1-9 and Vision and the Scarlet Witch Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates October, 1985- June, 1986)

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artists: Al Milgrom (Penciler 1-5, 7-9), Kyle Baker (Penciler, 6), Richard Howell (VaSW 1, 2), and Joe Sinnott (Inker)

Nostalgia is a funny thing. If you had asked me how long I read this title prior to reading this hardcover I would have answered “a long time”. The truth of the matter is that I bailed after issue 8 and didn't return until John Byrne took the title over a few years later. What made this title seem so lasting to me was the simple fact that my family was poor and didn't have cable, so I re-read all of these issues countless times back when this series came out. I managed to buy all of these issues off of the stand except for Vision and the Scarlet Witch No. 1 as well as issue 9 of the main title. 

This was my first exposure to Engelhart's writing, and it is kind of surprising that they launched this series as part of a crossover with the Vision and the Scarlet Witch mini-series. Issue 1 remains a favorite, as I loved the battle with Ultron-12, Goliath, and the Man-Ape. I must have read that a dozen times in July of 1985 alone. 

I love the dynamics of this rag-tag group of heroes. You have Hawkeye, a veteran Avenger, as the leader. I never liked Hawkeye except for when he ran the show in this series. He is normally an insubordinate jerk, but here he tries to be the voice of reason. Mockingbird, his wife, essentially an unknown bit player thrust into the big time. Iron Man, founding member of the original team. Tony Stark had only recently resumed being Iron Man and had an underdog, tarnished reputation aspect to him at this time. I always felt that him belonging to this team was part of his redemption. Wonder Man was always a second stringer but I liked him well enough. And Tigra, who looked cool but was pretty useless as an Avenger. The Thing appeared on the last page of issue 3 and hung around until issue 10. He was kinda sorta not really a member, ditto Firebird, who assisted the team in an unofficial capacity for a while. I enjoyed the loose knit vibe of the team. Having Hank Pym (founding member, formerly Ant-Man/ Giant-Man/ Goliath/ Yellowjacket) aboard in a non-heroic capacity served to spice things up as well. 

Englehart brings in an enemy unique to this team in issue 4, Master Pandemonium. He fights the team on and off throughout this book. The search for him ends up leading to a fight with my beloved Werewolf By Night in issue 5. That cover still kills me to this day. I remember how excited I was when I pulled that issue off if the spinner rack back in November of '85. Little did I realize that it was either an homage or a swipe from the cover of Moon Knight #29. I knew nothing of such things at age 12, nor would I have cared. I do miss the no spoiler environment of fandom back then. You almost never knew what a cover would look like, or what the next issue was about aside from a letters page Next Issue hype blurb. There was a lot of joy of discovery back then. Oh well, things have moved on, mostly for the better. This was a very lonely hobby back then. 

Issues 5 and 6 also featured a then-cured Dr. Michael Morbius, otherwise known as Morbius the Living Vampire. Issue 6 had artwork by Kyle Baker instead of the regular team of Milgrom and Sinnott. I'm not much of a Baker fan, although I do appreciate his work a helluva lot more now than I did back then. Al Milgrom's artwork is best described as serviceable, but when paired with a heavy handed inker like Sinnott his work really shines.

I enjoy Engelhart's characterizations, especially Tigra. What on the surface seemed like fanboy fantasies with Tigra were in reality foundation building for her losing her soul to her cat side. Her coming on to her teammates was done as a demonstration of her becoming more animal-like...or at least I hope it was. Otherwise, it would be sophomoric. 

All in all, this was an entertaining read. It's not quite as good as I remembered it being. In all honesty this was never a favorite title of mine, even back when it was originally published. They are just solid, well done comic books. Not every comic book published has to set the world on fire or redefine the medium as a whole. Sometimes it's fun just to see superheroes save the day and maybe grow a little as characters along the way.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The late, lamented Marvel Premiere Classic line was sort of a junior Masterworks line. Classic material presented in hardcover with nice paper and sewn binding at a much lower MSRP.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. The restoration is excellent everywhere except for issue 3. Lines are washed out and/or dropped, and things look generally murky in that issue.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding rating: 4.75 out of 5. Sewn binding. The book lays about 95% flat.

Buy AVENGERS: WEST COAST AVENGERS- FAMILY TIES HC at InStockTrades!

Also available with variant dustjacket.

Also available as a softcover trade paperback.

Review- CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 1: CASTAWAY IN DIMENSION Z BOOK 1

CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 1: CASTAWAY IN DIMENSION Z BOOK 1 (Marvel, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Captain America Nos. 1-5 (cover dates January- May, 2013)

Writer: Rick Remender

Artists: John Romita, Jr. (Penciler) and Klaus Janson (Inker, 1-4) and Scott Hanna with Tom Palmer (Inkers, 5)

Colorists: Leo Loughridge and Dean White with Dan Brown

How do you follow one of the most celebrated runs of a character, in this case Ed Brubaker's stint on the title? If you are Rick Remender, you go full speed in the completely opposite direction. While Brubaker mostly stuck to more realistic, Earthbound threats, Remender takes Cap not only off world, but out of this dimension altogether! Arnim Zola has to be one of the goofiest looking villains ever created, though.

The story starts with a flashback from Steve Rogers' childhood in the 1920s and then moves forward to the present day. It is Rogers' 90^th birthday. He ages slower due to the Super Soldier serum which courses through his veins, and the fact that he was “on ice” for 20 years in suspended animation hasn't hurt his cause, either. According to Bleeding Cool, that has changed, though. Marvel has recently slid their timeline, a necessity to keep the characters from being...well, 90 years old. The Marvel Universe's continuity since Fantastic Four #1 in 1961 is supposedly around 10 years. That means that they have slid things from the Commie hating '60s to starting in a post-9/11 world. Like it or not it's something that had to be done. Now, Cap gets sticky because his origin is rooted in a specific era, namely World War II. They can change what war Tony Stark or Reed Richards served in with minimal impact to the overall continuity of the title, but Captain America must be from that era in order to make sense.

Cap stays in Dimension Z for at least 11 years, and that's just in this book. Godzilla only knows how long it will appear to be on Earth when he gets back sometime in the next hardcover. Probably seconds. 

John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson are attached at the hip, and have been for years. Romita's artwork has entered what I call his “third phase”. His first phase was Bronze Age Marvel house style, which makes sense considering his father was the art director for Marvel back then. Then his art became somewhat scratchier and more blocky. Lately he seems to be rounding things and dropping lines. None of these critiques are putdowns, by the way. The man has earned his keep and remains a great artist. It should also be noted that, like his father, he has remained a company man through all of the ups and downs and management shake-ups at Marvel.

Remender states in the Afterward that he was aiming for the zaniness of Kirby's '70s run on the title. I am currently 60% through the Captain America By Jack Kirby Omnibus which collects said run, and this is worlds better. Reading past-his-prime Kirby is like chewing chalk, while reading this is like drinking a Diet Mountain Dew; it goes down smooth but with the right amount of bite and kick to make it worth your while. Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Marvel has been cutting corners by not resizing the double page spreads so as to not have any gutter loss. All of the Marvel Now Premiere Hardcovers have been suffering from terrible gutter loss. Please stop the madness! Also, some of the caption/internal monologue boxes get sucked into the gutter, making it a bit tough to read at times.

Paper rating: 4.25 out of 5. Glossy coated stock paper.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. That stupid free digital copy code card glued into the end of the book makes it unpleasant to read. It's downright annoying, truth be told. These books come factory shrinkwrapped, so why not just wrap the card in with the book instead of gluing into the casing?

Hardback cover coating rating: 4.5 out of 5. These Marvel Now Premiere Hardcovers are dustjacket free. The image is printed on the hardback itself. I didn't think that I'd like it, but I like it quite a bit. The coating is of sufficient thickness so as to withstand handling and reasonable shelfwear.

Buy CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 1: CASTAWAY IN DIMENSION Z BOOK 1 HC at InStockTrades!

Review- Morbius The Living Vampire #6

Morbius The Living Vampire #6 (Marvel, cover date August, 2013)

Writer: Joe Keatinge

Artist: Valentine De Landro

Colorist: Antonio Fabela

I apologize for the tardiness of my review, but I was at Disneyworld in Orlando with my family when this was released last week, and I couldn't find time to hit the comic shop until yesterday. While I'm always late (sometimes years) with my reviews of collected editions, in the single issue comic book review world each day late is like a week late in Internet time.

This is a bit of a letdown after the first arc, with the dreaded “guest star” forced in to help boost lagging sales. If it were Werewolf By Night or the Living Mummy it would Rock; instead, it is the so-called “Superior” Spider-Man. The very notion of (SPOILERS) Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man still pisses me off, and I refuse to buy that title anymore. So being forced to read a story with the inferior Spider-Man annoyed the piss out of me.

So the Rose is trying to build an Ultimate Nullifier? I've never known the Rose to be that level of power player before. I'm not crazy about the developments in this issue, nor am I crazy about De Landro's artwork. It really took me out of the story when compared to Richard Elson's excellent artwork in the previous issues. This wasn't a bad issue as much as it didn't Rock my socks off. There's three issues of Morbius left folks, and I'm in it for the long haul.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

On a somewhat unrelated note, the new issue of Previews has a Morbius T-shirt available for pre-order. A classic '70s image without the faux overly distressed print = sold. I can't stand distressed screen prints on apparel. It's such fake bullshit. Back when I was a concert shirt wearing young man I wore my shirts until they were threadbare and the image had cracked and flaked through natural wear and tear and love. Nowadays we can't expect our special little snowflakes to wear a shirt long enough to get that beautiful vintage look the hard way, by living it. No, it's better to fake it and buy some lameass distressed fake concert shirt at Target. We manufacture nostalgia.

Like I mentioned above, my family went to Disneyworld for our vacation this year. I walked through umpteen gift shops, and looked at lots of screen printed shirts. I laughed at the ones that were vintage designs with fake distressed prints on them. It basically says I want to be overly nostalgic and reminiscent of the vacation now, not five or ten years from now. So lame. 

Review- FERALS VOL. 2

FERALS VOL. 2 (Avatar Press, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Ferals Nos. 7-12 (cover dates July- December, 2012)

Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Gabriel Andrade

Colorist: Digikore Studios

Things kick into high gear for this series with this volume. Dale Chesnutt has been “drafted” by the FBI to infiltrate another werewolf cult/ colony. The FBI believes that there were only a handful of werewolf colonies here in the United States, but it turns out there are more, including one that is breeding a werewolf army. 

There is nothing cooler than a werewolf. The only thing cooler than werewolves are armies of warring werewolves. David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade have delivered a spit-shined masterwork. If this high level of quality is maintained it may well rival Werewolf By Night as the greatest werewolf comic of all time. This is much better than Volume 1, which I really enjoyed. I can't wait for Volume 3.

Ferals, like all Avatar Press titles, is high on violence, gore, and sex. All ages reading it is most certainly not. If you like your Horror comic books on the extreme side then anything Avatar does is for you.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Volume 1 was released in hardcover and softcover. Sales weren't there, so Volume 2 was only released in softcover. Boo-urns! Come on, fandom! Buy the shit out of this book so that we can get a hardcover!

Paper rating: 4.25 out of 5. Decent weight glossy coated stock.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. It's glued, but it looks like there are sewn signatures. I'm going to say that there are not, though, since there is no evidence of stitches anywhere.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice laminated coating.

Buy FERALS VOL. 2 TP at InStockTrades!

Reviews- FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the Second

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the Second

Note: Free Comic Book Day will be referred to as FCBD from here on out.

Ramayan 3392 AD FCBD Special (Graphic India, cover date 2013)

Writer: Various

Artist: Various

Colorist: Various

This jumps all over the place, bordering on being unreadable. Pass.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 0.75 out of 5.

Chakra The Invincible FCBD Special (Graphic India, cover date 2013)

Writers: Stan Lee, Aswin Pande, and Jeevan Kang

Artist: Jeevan Kang

Stan Lee is, without question, on the Mount Rushmore of comic book creators. God bless him for still being out there trying new things, especially when you consider his age and the fact that he's loaded and doesn't have to work. He has repeated his formula one time too many, though. This is basically his attempt at creating a superhero for India. It's decent enough but pretty forgettable.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5. 

FCBD 2013: Infinity No. 1 (Marvel, cover date May, 2013)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman, Scott Edelman (LR back-up story), and Warren Ellis (A: EW)

Artists: Jim Cheung (Penciler) and Mark Morales (Inker), Mike Zeck (LR back-up story), and Mike McKone (A: EW)

Colorists: Justin Ponsor and Jason Keith (A: EW)

This is a prelude to Marvel's upcoming Infinity mini-series, which will help catapult Thanos back dead center in the Marvel Universe in anticipation of the Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Avengers 2 movies. Everything is slick and familiar looking for those who wandered in off the street. If someone had only seen the films and never read a comic book then they would get this.

The Thanos back-up story is reprinted from Logan's Run No. 6 from 1977 was a quarter box find of mine circa 1983. It was my first exposure to Thanos and Drax the Destroyer. I had no idea until much later that they were tied into the Marvel Universe.

There is also a four page preview of the forthcoming Avengers: Endless Wartime hardcover original graphic novel. As the Marvel Universe becomes more intertwined with the Marvel movie Universe, I expect the film versions to become the dominant interpretations of the characters, for better or worse. I doubt that this book will suck, though. It's Warren Ellis and Mike McKone, for chrissakes!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5. 

Buck Rogers In The 25^th Century A.D. (Hermes Press, cover date 2013)

Writer: Phillip Nowlan

Artists: Richard Calkins

This a sampler of the Buck Rogers strip books that Hermes Press has been releasing. There are three “arcs” collected here. Two full color Sunday strips arcs which were originally printed in 1936 and 1937. I found these to be a tough read, nowhere near the quality of Flash Gordon. They were fascinating from a strictly historical viewpoint. I will not be buying these in hardcover.

There is also the original black and white dailies which ran from the premiere on January 7, 1929, and the six following strips. Buck Rogers did not journey into space, but instead fell into an abandoned Pittsburgh mine, where a strange chemical preserved him in suspended animation for 500 years. These dailies were far more entertaining if offensive to modern sensibilities. The Mongols are evil and have taken over the world!

There are images of the memorabilia of the 30s-50s throughout the back, which are equally fascinating.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5. 

The Red Ten: FCBD 2013 No. 0 (Comix Tribe, cover date 2013)

Writer: Tyler James

Artists: Tyler James (Penciler), Vic Moya (Inker), and others.

Colorists: Vasen Sorbal and others.

This is pretty derivative. The Alliance are basically The Avengers, and their nemesis, Oxymoron, is essentially the Joker. I am guessing that this will be a comic book riff on Ten Little Indians, judging by the text introduction which apes that poem, and the fact that there are ten members of the team. This is also billed as a ten issue murder mystery.

This was enjoyable enough, and some of the creators involved are decent enough that with some work they could possibly produce some good stuff. Time will tell.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5. 

Bleeding Cool: FCBD and Beyond (Avatar Press, cover date May, 2013)

Writer: Rich Johnston and others

For those of you who don't know, Bleeding Cool is like the CNN of nerd culture. Up to the nanosecond updates, rumors, gossip, and everything else to do with comic books, movie, and television series related to the medium. They launched the bi-monthly magazine last year, and it fills a much-needed vacuum since Comics Buyers Guide unfortunately closed it's doors earlier this year. I still enjoy print magazines since I have an aversion to reading electronic devices on the toilet.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

I will have lots more FCBD reviews over the next week or so. I spent the entire day hitting various comic shops in the Detroit area.

Review- SILENCE & CO.: MONEY IS POWER

SILENCE & CO.: MONEY IS POWER (Crystal Productions, 2013; Softcover)

Original graphic novel.

Writer: Gur Benshemesh

Artist: Ron Randall

Well this certainly came out of nowhere. A quick blurb in Previews and a Youtube trailer. Benshemesh's first comic book work is impressive. Ron Randall was also an unknown to me, although a quick search reveals that he has done tons of work for DC, Dark Horse, and Marvel. Silence & Co. is a self-contained graphic novel filled with what every red-blooded, freedom loving American male loves: The Life.

What is The Life (Capital T, capital L), you ask? Wine, women, money, and power, of course. Isn't this what everyone wants, deep down inside? Alexander Maranzano is a hitman. A Federal judge gets knocked off and he becomes the prime suspect, so the Maranzano family sends him off to Morocco to lay low for a while. He gets hired by Silence & Co., a “bank” pulling the financial strings for organized crime around the world. 

Some of the standards and, some would argue, cliches of the crime/Noir genre come into play. The double cross. Falling for the enemy's good girl gone bad. Being set up for the fall. All of it is done in a believable manner that is organic to the story, and it all works. One refreshing thing about this book is that it takes place in the here and now. So many crime stories become impossible to tell with the advent of modern technology. This story uses them to its advantage. Mind you, I'm not faulting the stories that do not take place in 2013; I'm merely praising this one for pulling it off successfully.

I have never heard of Crystal Productions before but will definitely keep my eyes peeled for future releases from them.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is over 170 pages at a bargain basement MSRP of $9.99. It also comes factory sealed in shrinkwrap, ensuring that no pesky humans have handled your book.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Thick uncoated stock paper.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. This book has the same thick laminated coating found on books by the big boys. I was also impressed by the foil stamping on the cover.

Buy SILENCE & CO.: MONEY IS POWER at InStockTrades!

Review- FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the First

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 offerings Part the First

Note: Free Comic Book Day will be referred to as FCBD from here on out.

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton FCBD Special Edition No. 1 (DC, cover date July, 2013)

Writers: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner

Artist: Adam Kubert

Colorist: Dave Stewart

This was an okay read. I have never been a fan of Kubert's artwork. This doesn't make me want to pick up a new Superman comic book or anything.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5. 

Finding Gossamyr/ The Stuff of Legend (Th3rd World Studios, cover date 2013)

Writers: David A. Rodriguez (FG) and Mike Raicht and Brian Smith (TSoL)

Artists: Sarah Ellerton (FG) and Charles Paul Wilson III (TSoL)

Colorists: Dave Stewart (FG) and Jon Conkling and Michael DeVito (TSoL)

The Stuff of Legend is an intriguing concept, so much so that I am wrestling with buying the Omnibus hardcover. Kill me.

Finding Gossamyr will appeal to all ages but is not my cup of tea. It is well done for what it is, and I admire the craftsmanship even if the material isn't to my liking.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5. 

FCBD: Mass Effect/ R.I.P.D. and The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Dark Horse, cover date May, 2013)

Writers: Mac Walters (ME), Jeremy Barlow (ME and R.I.P.D.), and Gerard Way and Shaun Simon (TTLotFK)

Artists: Garry Brown (ME), Tony Parker (R.I.P.D.), and Becky Cloonan (TTLotFK)

Colorists: Michael Atiyeh (ME), Michelle Madson (R.I.P.D.), and Dan Jackson (TTLotFK)

Dark Horse gives us a three-for-one in this year's FCBD offering. Mass Effect is a decent enough concept but doesn't really grab me. R.I.P.D. is something that requires a closer look, as the writing and artwork are both extremely well done. And anything that that My Chemical Romance douchebag touches should be avoided at all costs. Way was brought up on '90s cheese comics, and it has informed his comic book value system. Pass.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5. 

FCBD 2013: Judge Dredd Classics (IDW, cover date May, 2013)

Writers: John Wagner and Joe Collins

Artist: Brian Bolland

Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff

IDW has been coloring old black and white Judge Dredd strips from England's 2000 A.D. and releasing them in artist-centric hardcover collections. This book compiles the classic introduction of Judge Death from 2000 A.D. Progs. 52-57 and some Walter the Wobot throwaways from Progs. 149-151. This is a great re-re-read, although the color doesn't add anything in my opinion. Still, the modern coloring may help to attract new readers, so it does serve a purpose. The original black and white versions are available in the Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files trade paperbacks for you purists out there.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5. 

Brother Bedlam No. 1 (Image, cover date August, 2006)

Writer: Shannon Eric Denton

Artist: Matt Jacobs

Colorists: Eric Spikes and David Polston

Sometimes stores give away their deadweight inventory on FCBD along with their FCBD offerings. This floppy is one such book. I have a rule that if I buy it I have to read it. That rule, fortunately, does not apply to FCBD offerings. This was unreadable. I couldn't make it more than a page or two. Pure garbage.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 0 out of 5. 

The Defenders No. 1 (Marvel, cover date February, 2012)

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artists: Terry and Rachel Dodson

Colorists: Sonia Oback

Another deadweight store inventory FCBD special. I normally enjoy Matt Fraction's writing, but this was borderline fan fiction. (In a Beavis and Butthead voice) Huh-huh huh-huh, hey Beavis, wouldn't it be cool if superheroes slept around? A-huh-huh huh-huh. Yeah Butthead, that would be cool. Boing-oing-oing-oing-oing!! Stuff like this makes me embarrassed to read mainstream superhero comics. This isn't sophisticated, “adult” writing, it is adolescent cheese.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2 out of 5.

I will have lots more FCBD reviews over the next week or so. I spent the entire day hitting various comic shops in the Detroit area.