Review- SIDEKICK VOL. 1

SIDEKICK VOL. 1 (Image, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Sidekick #1-6 (cover dates August, 2013- April, 2014)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Artist: Tom Mandrake

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Super serious dark and gritty “mature” superhero comics have been done to death, so much so that I am beginning to feel that they are the cliché and fun, lighthearted superhero comics are really for the cool kids. JMS' writing is of such high quality that he makes what sounds like a tired concept a compelling read.

The Red Cowl is a decidedly Golden Age flavored hero. He fights crime in Sol City with his sidekick, Flyboy. These Batman and Robin doppelgangers are met with tragedy when The Red Cowl is assassinated in a manner similar to JFK, resulting in Flyboy becoming a laughing stock and sliding down a hole into depression, alcohol, and lost battles. Then something occurs (I won't say what) that leads Flyboy to believe that The Red Cowl is alive, and it is more than he can bear. JMS seems to work in 12-issue cycles on a lot of things, so hopefully this will all pan out.

Tom Mandrake's art is great as usual. His superhero battles are reminiscent of Neal Adams or John Byrne, a great contrast to the static, statuesque poses that so many artists do these days. Mandrake conveys story, whereas others just try to get a licensable image to slap on a T-shirt and get royalties from.

The hook is strong enough for me to come back for Volume 2. JMS is on his own timetable, so I won't be holding my breath.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes the nicest trade paperbacks these days. Solid.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick waxlike lamination.

 

Review- TEN GRAND VOL. 1

TEN GRAND VOL. 1 (Image, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Ten Grand Nos. 1-6 (cover dates May- December, 2013)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Artists: #1-4: Ben Templesmith; #5, 6: C.P. Smith

J. Michael Straczynski has typically been a must buy author for me. This series tries so hard to be so many things at once that I found myself not even caring by the second issue. Oh, the guy is a hitman. Okay. No wait, he is doing some kind of private eye thing or finding someone or whatever. Uh, yeah. Right. No no no, now it is an occult tinged tale of revenge and retribution of love from beyond the veil! I'm out. This tries to be so many things at once and it doesn't succeed at being any of them.

There are a handful of entertaining moments for sure, but the artwork doesn't seem to work for this type of story. I wouldn't call it bad by any stretch, but this book just feels disjointed to me. Things never seem to gel. Normally art (and by art I mean the format of a comic book) moves me on some level. I feel excited, I feel happy, I feel angry, I feel something when I read a comic book. I felt nothing when I read this, and that is the worst thing of all. If art cannot move you then it has failed. I won't be back for Volume 2, but I haven't written JMS off yet. I'm still in for the forthcoming Sidekick trade paperback.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 1.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Image makes high quality books.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: #1, Covers B-I, #2 Cover B, #4 Cover B (all one page each).

Evolution of the cover (2 pages).

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Heavyweight coated stock paper with a slight sheen. It gives the book some heft and makes it feel like something of value.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. High quality laminated cardstock.

Buy TEN GRAND VOL. 1 TP at InStockTrades!

Review- THE TWELVE VOL. 1 and VOL. 2

THE TWELVE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects The Twelve Nos. 1-6 (cover dates January- August, 2008)

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Artist: Chris Weston

Colorist: Chris Chuckry

It had been so long since this book came out that I had to re-read it before diving in to Volume 2. I was pleasantly surprised at how great this is. I remember really enjoying this the first time, but was blown away by the quality of the writing and especially Chris Weston's artwork this time out. The computer coloring here is a perfect example of how, when done right, it is infinitely superior to the old flat four color printing process. It's incredibly rich and tasteful, making each and every panel pop. 

The Twelve are a hodgepodge group of Timely's Golden Age superheroes. I was familiar with most of them because I buy all of the Golden Age Marvel Masterworks. Straczynski employs a deconstruction approach similar to Watchmen, and re-reading this series makes it abundantly clear that he was a perfect choice for the Before Watchmen prequels currently being unleashed upon an unsuspecting, unwilling world. I look forward to reading his take on those characters.

I remembered how disappointed I was when this series became mothballed because JMS had better things to do than honor his obligations to Marvel and the fans. This series was set to a boil, everything was ready to explode, and then...nothing. Issues 7 and 8 were out, and then nothing for years. No class.

The OCD zone- Standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover, with the same nice paper and glued binding. 

THE TWELVE VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects The Twelve Nos. 7-12 and The Twelve: Spearhead (cover dates October, 2008- June, 2012)

Writers: J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston (TT:S one-shot)

Artist: Chris Weston

Colorist: Chris Chuckry

Things rapidly fall apart for our cast of characters, as they are faced with the realities of the 21^st century with 1940s values. So many things have changed for the worse, while some are obviously better. There is a killer among them, and it becomes a whodunit. J. Michael Straczynski is a very clever writer, making this a can't-put-it-down page turner. I plowed through both of these hardcovers in two days. 

I honestly did not figure out who the real murderer was, by the way. I love the fate of Rockman. Questions are better than answers. I would be interested in seeing more stories with these characters in the future, particularly by the same creative team. I know that will likely never happen due to J. Michael Straczynski's falling out with Marvel, but a guy can dream, right?

The OCD zone- Standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover, with the same nice paper and glued binding.

Originally posted on my myspace blog on 3/15 & 3/26/2009

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 1 (Image, 2008)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 1-7 (cover dates May, 2007- July, 2008)

Outstanding! Equal parts old-school superhero comic and ironic wink and nod, this series appeals to Silver Age comic lovers as well as the too-cool-for-superhero hipster crowd, and it works! It actually frickin' works. Great writing by Robert Kirkman and great art by Jason Howard which falls somewhere between old school superhero and cartoon-y, Gen Y friendly. it can be read as a serious superhero comic or a silly nod to it. (I choose the former) This series has real potential, and I am chomping on the bit for Volume 2 (which I own but haven't got to yet in the backlog).

SPIDER-MAN J: JAPANESE KNIGHTS (Marvel, 2008)

Collects selections from Spider-Man Family Nos. 1-6 (cover dates April, 2007- February, 2008)

Oohhh, and then there's this. Note to self: always read Previews solicitation copy before placing your order! I used to pre-order everything Spider-Man and X-Men, but no more! This craptastic shitfest reprints and adapts Japanese Manga Spider-Man, and it totally sucks. So much so that I couldn't even read more than a few pages before I closed and the book and decided to get rid of it. No, this was not a true review since I couldn't stomach the vomit-inducing mangacrap artwork, but it's as close as I will ever get to reading this! Needless to say, I did not order Volume 2.

THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA VOL. 1 (Image, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects Frank Frazetta’s Creatures, Frank Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom, Frank Frazetta’s Dracula Meets The Wolfman and Frank Frazetta’s Swamp Demon (cover dates April- August, 2008)

These were decent one-shots with good artwork. Lots of extras in the back of the book with the same high quality presentation of the Death Dealer Hardcover (minus the slipcase and built-in bookmark...also minus $20 off of the MSRP!).

THE WALKING DEAD BOOK 1 (Image, Hardcover Second Printing 2008)

Collects The Walking Dead Nos. 1-12 (cover dates October, 2003- September, 2004)

This was a X-Mas gift, and was an okay read. I am neither running out to buy the rest of the series, nor did I throw the book against the wall in disgust when I was done reading it. Or for you netspeakers out there...meh . 

X-MEN: THE COMPLETE ONSLAUGHT EPIC BOOK 3 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Avengers No. 402, Cable No. 35, Incredible Hulk No. 445, Iron Man No. 332, Thor No. 502, Wolverine (Vol. 2) No. 105, X-Force (Vol. 1) No. 58, Uncanny X-Men No. 336, X-Man No. 19 and X-Men No. 55 (cover dates August- September, 1996)

Marvel sucked during the '90s. Not only did they suck, but they tried really hard at it! You cannot tell me that these guys were not trying to outdo each other in trying to make crappy comic books. The dialogue is overly written, littered with those annoying* boxes that serve as footnotes, as if you are supposed to stop where you're at, sift through dozens of long boxes, and peruse the point of reference. Just awful. 

The artwork is a train wreck of Liefeld influenced dreck. The Richard Strakings/ ComiCraft computerized fonts look gimmicky, as does the severely dated computer coloring enhancements by Malibu Studios. I guess that these were breakthroughs at the time and precursors to modern day techniques, but they have not aged well. The artwork by Andy Kubert, Joe Madureira, and Angela Medina are all varying degrees of suckiness. 

Every single costume is changed except for Captain America. Thor's enchanted Uru Hammer now has a chain attached to the handle instead of the stirrup that used to be at the end. Every hero has long hair that seems to "float" in the air like it's underwater...thanks for pioneering that look, Liefeld. Thor's hair is past his ass, and even the Sub-Mariner has long hair. Why? He never did before. The devolved Wolverine was a horrendous idea. 

What were comic book creators on in the '90s? The dialogue by Mark Waid, Scott Lobodell, and Peter David are all laughable, being unintentionally funny. Actually, all of the writing is bad, but I am too lazy to list everyone's name, ditto all of the terrible "artists". Anthony Castrillo's pencils in X-Force #58 were so Byrne-esque that I had to do dome research online to see if this was some Byrne pseudonym. He really has the look and feel down, almost coming off as a tracing of Byrne's pencils at times. He was the only bright spot, aside from the teaming of a neophyte Mike Deodato, Jr. and veteran Tom Palmer. Deodato's early style was very much of the era, and he was also busy drawing every single hero as an overly musclebound, long hair floating in the air like it were underwater, character as the rest of these hacks. I feel sorry for you kids who grew up on this decade's comics, and I am glad that I sat it out.

X-MEN: THE COMPLETE ONSLAUGHT EPIC BOOK 4 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Fantastic Four No. 416, Cable No. 36, Onslaught: Marvel Universe, Uncanny X-Men No. 337, X-Men: Road To Onslaught and X-Men No. 57 (cover dates September- October, 1996)

What's that smell? Oh wait, it's the writing in these issues! I like my comics as serious as the next guy, but when the characters are this serious, this dramatic, without any trace of humor whatsoever then it's totally laughable. If I were buying monthlies back then I would have quit!

THE TWELVE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects The Twelve Nos. 1-6 (cover dates March- August, 2008)

…and here we have Marvel’s answer to Dynamite's Project Superpowers, and Marvel wins hands down. This is superior in every way, shape and form, thanks to J. Michael Straczynski's excellent writing and the team of Chris Weston and Gary Leach turning in finely detailed artwork that is absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing characters that were cheesy back-up features from various Golden Age Masterworks dusted off and brought back to life. I think that perhaps that is one of the reasons that this trumped PS; the characters weren't just some ad-hoc conglomerate, but they all retroactively existed in the Marvel Universe. I don't mind ret-cons in this respect. Unfortunately, this series has been put on hiatus for science knows how long, as JMS is busy doing some movie or whatever. This is one of the Marvel Premiere Edition Hardcovers, and I gotta say that I love the format. Sure it has glued and not sewn binding, but these are usually on the skinny side so it is not an issue to me.

CLANDESTINE: BLOOD RELATIVE (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects Clandestine (Vol. 2) Nos. 1-5 (cover dates April- August, 2008)

Another solid batch of tales of the Destine family and their adventures. Alan Davis' warm writing and artwork make this an enjoyable read. I dislike how the covers are collected in a gallery in the back of the book rather than their proper location as chapter markers. This whole thing reads like one giant story, so maybe that was the point. Who knows?

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2005)

Collects Marvel Two-In-One Nos. 26-52 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual Nos. 2, 3 (cover dates April, 1977- June, 1979)

Nearly every single Bronze Age journeyman handled this title, and it didn't miss a beat. The Thing is entertaining as the star of his own series, and I hope that they keep the phone books coming all of the way through his solo series in the '80s.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL. 10: IDENTITY CRISIS (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Nos. 37-40 (cover dates May- August, 2008)

This series remains a satisfying, if continuity challenged, read. It's a treat to see Swarm again!