Review- '68 VOL. 1: BETTER RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE

'68 VOL. 1: BETTER RUN THROUGH THE JUNGLE (Image, 2012; Softcover)

Collects '68 Nos. 1-4 and '68 Encore Edition (cover dates April- October, 2011)

Writer: Mark Kidwell

Artists: Nat Jones and Tim Vigil (back-up stories Mouths of Babes and Sissy only)

I first encountered '68 a few years ago in the Horror Book trade paperback. This mini-series ties in nicely with the one-shot, and it done by the same creative team. The basic premise of this series is this: What if the events that occurred in the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead occurred around the world? What if the dead rising was not an isolated incident but a global one? This takes place in Viet Nam, with the exception of one scene, and is a great read. I am currently in the midst of my comic book purchasing reorganization act of 2012, but I will try my damnedest to stick with this series. 

The OCD zone- Image makes top quality trade paperbacks. Nice paper, the whole bit.

Review- UNCANNY X-FORCE VOL. 1: THE APOCALYPSE SOLUTION

UNCANNY X-FORCE VOL. 1: THE APOCALYPSE SOLUTION (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Uncanny X-Force Nos. 1-4 and a selection from Wolverine: Road To Hell (cover dates November, 2010- March, 2011)

Writer: Rick Remender

Artists: Jerome Opena (UXF 1-4) and Leonardo Manco (W:RTH)

My friend, co-conspirator, fellow OCD sufferer, and enabler, Ferjo Byroy, requested that I read and review this before he told me what he thought of it. I agreed, so he loaned me his copy for review purposes. Rick Remender is a name that keeps popping up in comics circles these days, but I have only read one or two other things that he's done. He seems solid enough, and has a good handle on the artform. The artwork in this book is just beautiful. Leonardo Manco, a personal favorite of mine, handles the chores on the Wolverine: Road To Hell one-shot, while the rest of the book is done by Jerome Opena, who is also a tremendous talent. I am unfamiliar with his work, as I would have surely remembered it. 

Now, the story itself deals with a reborn Apocalypse being raised by Ozymandius, and X-Force making an attempt on his life. For those of you not familiar with the X-Men Universe these days, X-Force is the black-ops team that does the dirty work. Of course Wolverine is on this team, just like pretty much every other team in the Marvel Universe these days. So is Deadpool, and this is where I started groaning a bit as I read it. I can't stand Deadpool, as he is everything that was wrong with '90s comics in one package. The “kids” love him though, so humour this old fogy for the next paragraph.

I was half tempted to go back and re-read this book without reading any panel that Deadpool is in. I think that it can be done, as his interaction with the team is done mostly over comlink. If it were my copy, I could take a marker and just cross off the panels featuring him in them. I don't find him to be funny or kewl.

Like the previous Clayton Crain X-Force title, this heaps on the ultra-violence to satisfying results. While I like the golly shucks, superheroes don't kill people era of comics, this stuff is fun too. I won't go into too many details here, but I found the resolution to be a nice twist. I really enjoyed Apocalypse's new Horsemen. I always cringe at ninja Psylocke, and have yet to forgive Chris Claremont or Jim Lee for crapping up my beloved British telepath from Captain Britain. She has had more crappy appearances than good ones.

The verdict? I liked it...to a point. There are things that I really disliked about it, but nice artwork can make these pills easier to swallow. I won't be running out to buy this, but Ferjo could probably twist my arm to review the rest of the run.

The OCD zone- Standard Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover fare.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

Review- Midnight Sons Unlimited Nos. 1-4 and Morbius: The Living Vampire Nos. 16-19

Midnight Sons Unlimited Nos. 1-4 and Morbius: The Living Vampire Nos. 16-19 (Marvel, cover dates April, 1993- March, 1994)

In order to save the now unemployed writers and artists some embarrassment, I will not list the writing and art credits.

My God, the '90s sucked for most Marvel Comics! I am thankful that I got all of these on frequent buyer rewards store credit and did not actually pay for any of them. I feel truly sorry for anybody that grew up on that decade's comics. I can see why people 10 or more years my junior think that modern comic book writers are so great, though. If you compare today's decompressed wunderkind writers to this stuff, it is superb. Cripes, I'll even go on record and say that Brian Michael Bendis is a top notch writer...when compared to this crap. Again, if a kid grew up on this and never read any Silver Age material, then I can see why Bendis is their lord and saviour. 

Comic books of the '90s feature some of the worst artwork known to man. That yellow stuff dominating that panel is supposed to be hair.

Everything about these comic books is laughable, from the concepts to the writing to the artwork to the overall execution. The fact that these issues form giant, 17 part crossovers with other titles which require you to buy all of these extra issues also sucks. I am so glad that I sat this decade out. The only issue that didn't make me laugh and shake my head in disgust as I read it was issue 19. That one ascended to mediocrity.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

Review- LEGION OF MONSTERS

LEGION OF MONSTERS (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Legion of Monsters Nos. 1-4 (cover dates December, 2011- March, 2012)

Writer: Dennis Hopeless

Artist: Juan Doe

Woe is me. My beloved Bronze Age monsters, Morbius The Living Vampire, The Living Mummy, Werewolf By Night, the Manphibian, and the Son of Satan, all relegated to a Monster Squad ('70s TV series) level of parody. I guess that I should be glad just to see C-and-D-list characters like this used period. I would love to see a non-ironic take on these characters, that's all. 

I dislike all cute-sy artwork, as it is lame. I dislike it even more when it is used in conjunction with monsters. It's the worst mix since ironic mustaches met Rock. I've come to the conclusion that if this is what modern comic book fans actually, really want, then I am an old fogy who has no place in the modern comic book world. I'll take my artwork with photo realism and my writing without snark and self deprecation.

The OCD zone- Typical laminated cardstock cover, coupled with some nice, heavy duty coated stock paper. The printer must have been out of Marvel's typical trade paperback grade, because this is definitely a heavier stock.

Review- SALEM'S DAUGHTER VOL. 1

SALEM'S DAUGHTER VOL. 1 (Zenescope, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Salem's Daughter Nos. 0-5 (cover dates April, 2009- August, 2010)

Writer: Ralph Tedesco

Artists: Caio Mendescal(issue 0), Caio Reis (issue 1), Andres Carranza (issue 2), Roberto Viacava (issues 3-5), and Greg Horn (cover artist)

I bought this at the Zenescope booth at the Detroit FanFare last Fall. Ralph Tedesco was signing copies, so mine is autogtaphed. Like all Zenescope titles, this falls into the semi-Horror/ semi-cheesecake category, all done with a wink and a nod. I enjoyed this story quite a bit, although I am uncertain if I am on board for the second book. I really have to get my comic book priorities straight, as I have neither enough time nor money for all of these books any more. I am so far behind on my reading, and cannot even keep up on my buying any longer. Something has to give. 

The OCD zone- Zenescope's trade paperbacks are as high quality as any of the big comic companies' products, with the same nice laminated cardstock cover and coated paper stock.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

Review- HIGH MOON

HIGH MOON(Zuda/ DC, 2009; Softcover)

Collects High Moon web comic originally published at zudacomics.com

Writer: David Gallaher

Artist: Steve Ellis

What do you get when you combine werewolves, vampire-ish creatures, and steam-punk elements of the old west into one story? High Moon. This is a pretty entertaining read overall, but the big problem of web comics became apparent to me after reading this book. I went to the URL in the back of the book to read the further strips, and all that I get is a redirect to DC's official site. If a comic book company folds or is discontinued, I can always refer to my hard copy. If a web comic shuts down, then you are SOL. Give me my dead tree editions!

The OCD zone- This is printed on the same crappy paper that DC used on most of their trade paperbacks during this time frame. It makes the colors look all washed out and dull. Also, the glue was brittle and a few sections cracked away from the spine the first time that I read this. Horrible. It's nothing that library binding glue didn't fix, but is still bullshit.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

Review- MGM MIDNITE MOVIES: MOTEL HELL AND IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE

MGM MIDNITE MOVIES: MOTEL HELL AND IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (IDW, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Motel Hell Nos. 1-3 and It! The Terror From Beyond Space Nos. 1-3 (cover dates July- December, 2010)

Writers: Matt Nixon (MH) and Dara Naraghi (ITTFBS)

Artists: Chris Moreno (MH) and Mark Dos Santos (ITTFBS)

Books like this make no sense to me. First, it makes no sense why they are published, and second, it makes no sense to me why would I buy this. Another thing that makes no sense is that while It! The Terror From Beyond Space is a pretty straightforward remake of the original movie with minor tweaks, Motel Hell is a sequel of sorts.

The writing and artwork on Motel Hell made it hard for me to really get into it. I actually put this book down after issue one and wasn't going to even bother reading it. (See OCD zone for more on that.) I have a policy that if I bought it, then I must read it, so I soldiered on. The only time that I did not adhere to this policy was the Spider-Man J manga digest. 

It! The Terror From Beyond Space was more enjoyable overall. I love how it takes place in the future of 1973. The writing and artwork are serviceable on this title.

The OCD zone- This book is a piece of shit. The glue cracked the first time that I read it, and pages 13-18 came loose and eventually fell out. The rest of the book was solid, so it could be a fluke, but I am still calling shenanigans. I handle my books gingerly, and for pages to fall out the first time that it is read is bullshit. The paper is a thick, dull matte finish, uncoated stock. I have never had this happen with any other IDW books, and hope that my G.I. Joe Yearbook trade paperback doesn't suffer the same fate, as it uses the same paper and the glue is white like this book's glue is.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

Review- HAUNT VOL. 2

HAUNT VOL. 2 (Image, First Printing, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Haunt Nos. 6-12 (cover dates March- December, 2010)

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artists: Gene Capullo (penciler), Jonathon Glapion, and Todd McFarlane (inkers)

I really enjoyed the first trade paperback of this series, but the tone and flavor of it have changed for the second arc. It is now less macabre and more espionage/action/adventure, which is fine but is less to my liking. This has to be a record for the amount of story that Kirkman crams into each issue. It took me a fair amount of time to get through the seven issue collected in this book. 

Daniel Kilgore and his dead brother, Kurt, merge to become Haunt. This is basically the Brother Voodoo premise on steroids. While I enjoy this dark, gritty, and ultra-violent world of Haunt, I am not sure if I will be on board for volume 3.

The OCD zone- This book has a nice, wax coated cardstock cover and nice coated paper. This is a top notch book.

Follow my blog on Facebook.

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??

THE 2012 MOTOR CITY COMIC CON

The 2012 Motor City Comic Con @ Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI on May 18, 2012

I love going to comic book conventions. I enjoy digging through boxes of “sand” and finding a few nuggets of gold. I found two of the nine books on my list at half price. I love going through those remainder/ excess inventory/ half off trades/hardcover boxes. Marvel must have way overprinted a lot of their books from 2004-2007, as they seem to clog these boxes. 

This convention (which will be referred to as a con from here on out) is similar to others around the world. Tables and tables of comic books, toys, and related memorabilia. Comic book creators, an artist's gallery for indie creators, and media guests. I always stroll by but never stop and pay for autographs or pictures. It's not my bag, but it is obviously many people's, so it's cool. I saw Twiggy/ Cousin It, Erin Grey from Buck Rogers (and she is still very easy on the eyes), Peter Tork, Batgirl, and a few others, all for free and from a distance. Yes, I am a cheap sonofabitch. 

The thing that makes these cons so much fun is the people watching. While you have your assortment of Star Wars costume clad guys, it is always the girls that catch my attention for obvious reasons. The thing that always strikes me as odd is that, in my experience back when I was a single nerd, girls didn't read comic books, let alone hot girls. 

Wonder Woman is always a popular costume choice. She was easily the best looking one there.

Not all cosplayers are willing to pose for pictures. I wonder if they would've posed if I told them I was the "Omnibus lays flat" video guy? Yeah, probably not.

Iron Man and Captain America, female style.

Catwoman is probably the most popular costume choice at these cons.

The cosplayers are a subculture unto themselves, and they make these cons a blast. These costumes are almost always custom made, and the fact that people take the time, love, and effort to make these is commendable.

Review- THE HORROR! THE HORROR! COMIC BOOKS THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T WANT YOU TO READ

THE HORROR! THE HORROR! COMIC BOOKS THE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T WANT YOU TO READ (Abrams Comicarts, 2010; Flexicover)

Collects selections from Chamber of Chills No. 6, Chamber of Chills Magazine No. 16, The Clutching Hand No. 1, Crime Mystery No. 9, Dark Mysteries Nos. 3, 7, 18, 20, Mister Mystery No. 7, Strange Fantasy No. 7, The Thing No. 14, Tomb of Terror No. 16, Uncanny Tales No. 14, Voodoo No. 14, and Weird Tales of the Future No. 3 (cover dates October, 1951- August, 1954)

Writers: Basil Wolverton, Al Eadeh, Howard Nostrand, Bob Powell, and others

Artists: Basil Wolverton, Vic Donahue, Al Eadeh, Howard Nostrand, Sid Check, Steve Ditko, John D'Agostino, Harry Lazarus, A.C. Hollingsworth, Bob Powell, and others

This is a really nice sampler book of 1950s pre-code Horror. While Fantagraphics' Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s is a better value overall, this is a great companion book to that wonderful compilation. If you have never read any pre-code Horror comic books, these two books are a great place to start. While EC Comics are the gold standard, there are many worthwhile talents in many of the off brands and knockoff titles as well.

This is a beefy book, but only 91 out of the 306 pages are complete stories. The rest of the pages are articles which provide invaluable historical context, excerpts from other stories (including Marvel/Atlas and EC), and hundreds of covers. The great thing about these covers is that they demonstrate the breadth and depth of the genre. The bad thing is that I now want all of these comic books collected in books! Fortunately for us, PS Artbooks has answered the call since this book's publication, with their Harvey Horrors and ACG hardcovers. They reprint the complete issues of several of the stories presented here and in the aforementioned Four Color Fear. Go to the Harvey Horrors website and see for yourself. I've been buying them all, and will buy as many as they release. Marvel has been re-releasing their Atlas '50s output slowly with their Marvel Masterworks line of high end hardcovers. The EC Archives are progressing slowly, with the announcement of two more coming soon. We are truly living in the golden age of collected editions. 

I love these old Horror comic books, and often chuckle at the black humor contained therein. It also pleases me to know that these comic books helped to open the minds of the youths that went on to become the counter culture of the '60s and help bring about social change in this country. No wonder the powers that be wanted to shut these types of comic book down.

This book also contains a 25 minute long DVD with an episode of Confidential File. First aired on October 9, 1955, it was an alarmist show about the dangers of these comic books. I love seeing the kids of the era reading these now obscure and valuable comics with reckless abandon.

The OCD zone- This book is a high quality affair from top to bottom. The cover is what I call a “hard” softcover, being made of a super thick cardstock cover that flexes a bit but is highly durable. The paper is an incredibly thick, uncoated stock. It prevents the book from laying flat, even though this boasts sewn binding which is glued to the ribbon and flexes very well.

They use high resolution scans, although they aren't cleaned up like Fantagraphics or PS Artbooks use. These are some pretty rough copies, though, with dog eared covers, splotches on some of the pages, and other anomalies. While the nostalgia fetishists like this approach, I like the appearance of mint condition copies used by the aforementioned companies. I want the look and feel of the book being fresh off of the presses, not a crumbling old comic book.