Brian
K. Vaughn is one of the best writers working in comics today. Kudos
to DC for cashing in on his recent success with Saga by
finally releasing his run on this title across two books. Vaughn's
writing is both political and personal, with his beliefs and
convictions channeled through the characters in the story. Think of
him as the 21st century version of Steve Gerber or Don
McGregor. Pure craft. My only gripe is that the Swamp Thing is a walk
on role in only a handful of issues in this series. The real star is
his Emo-tinged daughter Tefe. Vaughn is such a good writer that he
can make you interested in something that wasn't what you wanted in
the first place.
Artists:
Inaki Miranda with Stephen Sadowski and Mark Farmer
Colorist:
Eva De La Cruz
While
I have essentially written off most modern day Marvel and DC Comics,
I cannot write off modern comics as a whole. Comics must live, lest
this artform become an exercise in nostalgia, something I am not yet
prepared to do. Truth be told there are plenty of intelligently
written, sophisticated comic books being made today...just not many
well written superhero comics.
Coffin
Hill is one of those old-fashioned New England witch stories
rooted in modern times and told with a modern storytelling
sensibility. There is an ancient evil in the woods brought over from
“the old world”, and it has poisoned the lives of everything and
everyone in the town. A fun read this is not. What it is is a well
written and highly polished concept. While I admittedly miss pen,
brush, and bristol board using artists there is no denying what
Photoshop can do for artwork. This is some slick artwork and
coloring.
Solid,
entertaining stuff. I am intrigued enough to buy Volume 2 whenever it
comes out.
SWAMP
THING BY BRIAN K. VAUGHN VOL. 1 (Vertigo/
DC, 2014;
Softcover)
Collects
Swamp
Thing
Nos. 1-9, the Swamp Thing “handbook” pages from Vertigo
Secret Files & Origins,
and the Swamp Thing story from Vertigo:
Winter's Edge
No. 3 (cover dates January, 2000- January, 2001)
Writer:
Brian K. Vaughn
Artists:
Roger Peterson, Joe Rubinstein, Rick Magyar, Cliff Chiang,
Rodney Ramos, Mark Lipka, Steve Lieber, Paul Pope, and Guy Davis
Colorist:
Alex Sinclair
Brian
K. Vaughn is a fan favorite these days, with Saga basically
being a license for Image to print money. DC was smart in releasing
this previously uncollected run in trade paperback to cash in on the
success of that series. Before his brilliant Y: The Last Man,
before Ex Machina, Vaughn did this radically different Swamp
Thing series for DC's Mature Readers imprint, Vertigo.
Those
looking for the further adventures of the Swamp Thing (Alec Holland)
and Abigail Arcane Holland will be disappointed. While they are in
this series, they only occasionally appear, with the main focus being
on their daughter Tefe Holland. Tefe is the human child of Alec and
Abigail who can tap into The Green. She is seeking out purpose in
this world, so she sets out to find The Tree of Knowledge.
Like
all so-called Mature Readers series, there are themes not appropriate
for all ages, such as sexual violence and swearing. These things
could have undermined the craft and value of Vaughn's writing, but he
pulls it off and makes it seem like a part of the story and not
sensationalist or fanboy* pandering trash.
*Term
used in the original pejorative.
While
Vaughn's writing is the star of the show, writing alone doesn't make
comics great. You have to have great artwork, too. Roger Peterson is
serviceable if unremarkable. His art is just decent enough to keep
this from sinking but isn't much to my liking. Your mileage may vary.
Having said that, I am on board for Volume 2, out now.
Paper
rating: 4.5 out of 5. Good weight glossy coated stock, worlds
better than the recycled toilet paper that DC used to pass off in
their Vertigo trades.
Binding
rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover coating rating:
5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination, should hold up well over
time with repeated reading.
Collects
Point
Blank Nos.
1-5, Sleeper:
Season One
Nos. 1-12, Sleeper:
Season Two
Nos. 1-12, Coup
D'etat: Sleeper
No.
1, and Coup
D'etat: AfterwardNo.
1 (cover dates October, 2002- July, 2005)
Writer:
Ed Brubaker
Artists:
Sean Phillips with additional artwork by Colin Wilson and Jim Lee
Colorists:
Janet Gale, Tony Avina, Carrie Strachan, Alex Sinclair, and Randy
Mayor
I
was late to the party for Ed Brubaker, I'll admit it. I didn't
discover his writing until I bought the Civil War: Captain America
trade paperback in 2007. I couldn't believe how good it was, and from
there I picked up the Captain America By Ed Brubaker Omnibus
and all subsequent Cap books, following him on Uncanny X-Men,
later discovering Criminal and more. I was completely unaware
of this title until this book was announced. It was like finding out
that a band that you love actually had a few earlier albums
available, and they were all being re-released in a gigantic box set
with all of the trimmings.
Sleeper
is a tale of secret operative parahumans involved in James
Bond level cloak and dagger capers. Holden Carver is the star of
the show, and he plays both sides...or are both sides that are
playing him? I'm not telling you, because reviews that are
essentially a synopsis and filled with spoilers suck, and you won't
find any of that here, ever. Suffice it to say that is nary a dull
moment in the 700-odd pages of this book.
Miss
Misery is fascinating, and plays the role of lover and teammate to
Carver. I kept thinking of the old Nazareth song off of the classic
Hair Of The Dog album. Blackwolf cracks me up, especially the
story of how he chose his name. Fans of 1970s comics should get a
hearty chuckle out of that.
All
ages reading this is most certainly not. Indeed, one could turn this
book into a drinking game, doing a shot for each curse word or bullet
fired. You would die of alcohol poisoning by the end of the book if
you did this, but it might prove fun if done by story arc. Let me
know how that turns out for you.
All
of the ingredients that fans of Criminal and Fatale
love are here, but the soup hasn't come to a boil yet. Instead of
being great this merely really, really good. This would make a
great stocking stuffer for the more discerning comic book fan on your
Christmas shopping list...provided that the nails on your fireplace
mantle can hold a stocking with a 5.2 pound book in it. (2.36
kilograms for readers in the non-English measuring system world
outside of the United States, Liberia, and Burma).
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- A long, long time ago, in a house about a half an hour
away...I made a video showing my disgust with the binding of DC's
Omnibus hardcovers when compared to Marvel's. It got picked up by
Bleeding Cool and even got the attention of Dan DiDio. DC actually
fixed the binding of their Omniboo because of a crusade started in no
small part by me on a message board in the early days of 2012. If I
accomplish nothing else in life, I at least helped convince DC to
switch to sewn binding on their Omnibus books. I have helped make the
world a better place for everyone, and that makes me happy. My
selflessness knows no bounds. I'm like the OCD Mother Theresa or
Ralph Nader or something.
No,
I really don't take myself that seriously. Smile, folks.
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: Last Words,
an afterword by Ed Brubaker from 2009. (1 page)
Pin-up
page by Sean Phillips, signed 2001. (1 page)
Logo
and layout sketches (1 page)
Cover
sketches for Sleeper Season One #1 (1 page)
Cover
pencils for Sleeper Season One #2 (1 page)
Cover
color and inks for Sleeper Season One #3 (1 page)
Cover
inks for Sleeper Season One #4 (1 page)
Cover
sketches for Sleeper Season One #10 and #4 (1 page)
Cover
pencils for Sleeper Season One #10 (1 page)
Cover
sketches for Sleeper Season One #10, 11, 12 (1 page)
Cover
inks for Sleeper Season Two #2 (1 page)
Cover
inks for Sleeper Season Two #3 (1 page)
Cover
sketches for Sleeper: All False Moves and Sleeper: Out In
The Cold TPBs (1 page)
Cover
art for Sleeper: The Long Way Home TPB (1 page)
Cover
art for Sleeper: The Long Way Home TPB (1 page)
Cover
art for Sleeper: Out In The Cold TPB (1 page)
Sleeper
Season One #1 issue layouts/pencils (6 pages)
Point
Blank #1 variant cover and sketches
by Colin Wilson (2 pages)
Character
sketches by Colin Wilson (3 pages)
Paper
rating: 5 out of 5. This book has beautiful glossy coated stock
paper, which is ideal for material with modern computer coloring.
Binding
rating: 4.75 out of 5. See The OCD zone for more details.
Needless to say, I am happy. My crusade was one for the benefit of
the people of Earth, and now my Sleeper Omnibus lays flat,
give or take 20 pages in the front and back of the book.
Collects
The
Unexpected
No. 1 and Ghosts
No. 1 (cover
dates December, 2011- December, 2012)
Writers:
Paul Pope, David Lapham, Dave Gibbons, Cecil Castellucci, Mary H.K.
Choi, Josh Dysart, Al Ewing, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Alex Grecian,
Selwyn Sefu Hinds, Geoff Johns, Mat Johnson, Neil Kleid, Joe Kubert,
Toby Litt,, Jeffrey Rotter, G. Willow Wilson, Gilbert Hernandez, and
Brian Wood
Artists:
Paul Pope, Dave Gibbons, Lelio Bonaccorso, Mark Buckingham, Emily
Carroll, Denys B. Cowan, Farel Dalrymple, Rufus Dayglo, Rahsan
Ekedal, Phil Jimenez, Joe Kubert, David Lapham, Jeff Lemire, John
McCrea, Amy Reeder, Robbi Rodriguez, Victor Santos, Jill Thompson,
Don Hudson, Gilbert Hernandez, and Andy Lanning.
Colorists:
Lovern Kindzierski, Angus McKie, Chris Chuckry, Andrew Dalhouse,
Andrew Elder, Lee Loughridge, Dave McCaig, Cris Peter, and Jose
Villarrubia
This
collects both 80 page one-shots, and it is all over the place in
terms of quality. This follows the EC anthology style tradition of
late '60s/early '70s DC Horror/mystery titles, albeit with a modern
twist. A “fresh coat of paint”, if you will.
Dave
Gibbons turns in a great story in The Great Karlini. The
legendary Joe Kubert's last work, The Boy And The Old Man, is
presented here in it's rough penciled form. Kubert had a long,
storied career at DC, and it is nice that he was able to do good work
until the end. Look Alive is probably the freshest take on the
undead that I've read in years. I had lots of fun reading that story.
Most
of the stories have their tongue firmly planted in cheek, making the
occasional violence and mild gore somewhat endearing. I really like
well done Horror anthology stuff, and this book hits the mark for the
most part.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- DC's trade paperbacks of modern material are pretty
darned nice these days.
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: The
Unexpected #1 variant by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
Ghosts
#1 variant by Phil Jimenez & Andrew Dalhouse
The
Great Karlini breakdown by Dave Gibbons. (2 pages)
The
Great Karlini pencils by Dave Gibbons. (2 pages)
Paper
rating: 4.5 out of 5. Good weight glossy coated stock paper,
perfect for material with modern computer coloring. I am so glad that
Vertigo is done passing off that recycled toilet paper in their
books.
Binding
rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination
which will provide years of enjoyment.
Collects
Scene
of the CrimeNos.
1-4 and
a story from Vertigo:
Winter's Edge
No. 2 (cover dates January- August, 1999)
Writer:
Ed Brubaker
Artists:
Michael Lark (penciler) and Sean Phillips (inker)
Colorist:
James Sinclair
Do
you know what it's like, when you would discover an earlier album
that you never knew existed by a band that you like? That's exactly
how this book felt to me. Like wow, not only did I not know that
this existed, but it is every bit as great as what they're doing
today. Ingredients that are found in Criminal or Fatale
are already present here, although the recipe might not be as
refined. In the Afterword, Brubaker states that he cringes at how
wordy some of these panels are. Hogwash! This is great stuff. This
story reads just fine. The artwork by the team of Michael Lark and
Sean Phillips is excellent and helps the series look current 14 years
after it was originally published. This looks like it could have been
released this year.
Scene
of the Crime was originally published by Vertigo (DC's mature
readers imprint), and as such, this is not all ages friendly reading.
It's the story of Jack Herriman, a private investigator who is hired
to track down a missing girl. This leads Jack into a world of cults,
blackmail, and crooked cops. Kudos to Image for giving this the
deluxe treatment that it so richly deserves.
There
is a story included as a bonus in the back of the book from Vertigo:
Winter's Edge No. 2. While the original was published in black
and white, this short story is recolored here for the first time. God
and Sinners is a heart-wrenching, disturbing holiday tale that
made me a little nauseous.
The
covers are all collected in a gallery in the back, which must be a
Brubaker thing. The Criminal hardcovers are the same way. My
OCD prefers them to be inserted as chapter breaks before the issue so
that it gives the feel of reading the comic books. Putting them in
the back makes it read more like a “graphic novel”. Your mileage
may vary.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- This is a decent package overall, and below you'll find
exactly why I feel this way.
Paper
rating: 5 out of 5. This has super thick coated stock paper, and
it smells great to boot. Not toxic Chinese ink great, but that funky
Canadian ink smell great.
Binding
rating: 4.75 out of 5. While this book has sewn binding, it does
not lay as flat as Chinese books with sewn binding. See, Canadians
adhere to child labor laws, while Chinese bookmakers use children
with tiny hands to make their books. That's their ancient Chinese
secret.
Hardback
cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. It is becoming increasingly
apparent that dustjackets are going to become extinct for these types
of books. This has the image printed directly on the hardback, and
has a coating of decent thickness. It can be scuffed, so be
careful, folks.
While
this is clearly aimed at children who watch the animated series, I
enjoyed this quite a bit. Not enough for me to buy it, but I would
not hesitate to get this for my son if he knew who the heck Voltron
was.
Avengers:
Age of Ultron 0.1 (Marvel)
Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis
Artist:
Bryan Hitch (pencils) and Paul Neary (inks)
Wow,
this is actually pretty damn good for Bendis. I only winced once at
his dialogue. This is a huge set-up issue for the Age of Ultron
arc, and it looks great. Hitch's artwork is tremendous. I am looking
forward to reading a Bendis book, believe it or not. I have several
in my backlog to get through first, so maybe I should get cracking.
Now don't go thinking that I have gone all soft on Bendis or
anything. The vast majority of his stuff that I've read has sucked.
It's just that I feel that if I am quick to condemn his shoddy work,
then I must be equally quick to praise his successes. Credit where
credit is due and stuff.
DC:
The New 52 #1 (DC)
Writer:
Geoff Johns
Artists:
Jim Lee and others.
This
is a sampler of the various genres of the New 52, and aside from the
first 3-4 page story, I am uninterested in any of it. What can I say?
I'm more of a Marvel guy.
Spider-Man:
Season One (Marvel)
Writer:
Cullen Bunn
Artist:
Neil Edwards
So
Ultimate Spider-Man isn't good enough for the Millennials? How
many reboots and re-tellings of Spider-Man's origin do we need? This
is okay for what it is, but I'll stick with Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko's origin story, thank you very much.
Mouse
Guard, Labrynth, And Other Stories (Archaia)
Writers:
David Petersen and others.
Artists:
David Petersen and others.
In
what is clearly the most elaborate Free Comic Book Day item ever,
Petersen and Archaia give us this digest sized hardcover with a
sampling of the various titles in the line. This must have cost them
a fortune, as it even has sewn binding. I enjoyed The Mouse Guard
story but have been reluctant to buy it for fear of being sucked into
still another title.
The
Hypernaturals (Boom)
Writers:
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists:
Brad Walker, Tom Derenick, and Mark Irwin
The
future, where heroes are everywhere riff recycled so many times that
it's almost fresh. Almost.
Worlds
of Aspen 2012 #1 (Aspen)
Nothing
here makes me want to buy anything by this company. Not my cup of
tea.
Image
20 (Image)
Revival
by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton has piqued my interest. I'll be in for
the eventual collected edition. Near Death seems okay, but I
can already tell that if I buy it that I will only read it once and
then dump it on eBay in one of my purgings, so I will save myself
time and money and just borrow it from a friend or the library.
Valiant
2012 (Valiant)
This
is very polished stuff. I can appreciate fine craftsmanship, even if
the stories are not what I am looking for. I wasn't around for their
first pass 20 years ago, so I have no nostalgic longing to see these
concepts reworked for the 21st century.
Transformers
Regeneration One #80.5 (IDW)
Writer:
Simon Furman
Artists:
Andrew Wildman (pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (inker)
Much
like what IDW has done by bringing back Larry Hama on G.I. Joe,
IDW has brought back the creative team for the back half of the
Marvel run, continuing the Marvel continuity and numbering from the
'80/90s. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and will try to resist the urge
to buy this. Try to.
The
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Vertigo/DC)
Adaptation
of Stieg Larsson's novel by Denise Mina
Artists:
Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti
This
seems interesting. This genre isn't really my cup of tea, but Manco's
artwork makes this more appealing to me. I passed this on to my wife,
who is a huge fan of the books. I might check this out or, better
yet, buy it for her and read her copy.
Also
picked up Dinosaurs Vs. Aliens (Liquid;
not pictured above) for a friend, and read it. While it is written by
Grant Morrison and lushly illustrated, I will be passing on it. It's
lame.
DC
has made strides in fixing the problem of their books not laying
flat. Join the cause page if you want make sure that DC keeps up the
recent good work on their hardcovers. Don't do it for me, do it for
the children. Won't somebody please think of the children??
