Review- CALIBAN

CALIBAN (Avatar Press, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Caliban #1-7 (cover dates March, 2014- February, 2015)

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artists: Penciler- Facundo Percio; Inker- Sebastian Carrol

Colorist: Hernan Cabrera

I plowed through this book one night and initially thought Been there done that. I liked it better when it was called Alien. Then I thought about that for a minute. After all, what was Alien but a bold reinterpretation of The Thing From Another World and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers wrapped up in then-cutting edge special effects and H.R. Geiger's brilliant designs?

Having said that, much of this is similar to Alien. Crew of Earth astronauts on a voyage in space working for a company. Crew encounters a strange craft, albeit the way that this crew encounters the craft is different from how the crew of the Nostromo encountered their problem. The gist is the same, though, as there in an alien being who takes over a few different people, one at a time.

This was good enough but didn't bowl me over. There were some interesting ideas presented and the execution was decent. If you are young enough to not know about Alien then this might rock your world.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Thick glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock.

Review- CROSSED VOL. 4

CROSSED VOL. 4 (Avatar, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Crossed: Badlands Nos. 1-9 (cover dates February- June, 2012)

Writers: Garth Ennis (1-3) and Jamie Delano (4-9)

Artists: Jacen Burrows (1-3) and Leandro Rizzo (4-9)

Crossed: Badlands is the new bi-weekly ongoing series. Judging by the first two story arcs collected here in this handsome hardcover, each arc will feature a different cast of characters. What exactly are the Crossed, anyways? Still no answers six collected editions in (five if you don't count Crossed 3D OGN), and part of me hopes that we never find out the whys of it all. 

Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows, the creative powerhouse team behind the original mini-series four years ago, return for the opening arc, Badlands. In it, a self-absorbed bookstore employee reveals what a prick he is. His survival is the most important thing in the world, everyone else be damned. Unlike many of the characters in these stories, you root for him to get killed.

In the second arc, Homo Superior, we are treated to a white supremacist, meth manufacturing militia compound that has done a tremendous job of making their own redneck paradise. Drugs, alcohol, inbred sex, Meth-heads, racists who enjoy Rap music ...it's all there. The other characters are a neglectful father who gets a release from the drudgery of domestic life because the Crossed killed his family, some nutjob ex-military chick, and a couple of jailbait twins. Their fates are all intertwined. The moral of the story is if something like this ever happened in real life, don't hook up with strangers. 

There is no escape, no hope, no salvation, only gore fueled mayhem. There is no line of decency that the creators will not cross, no taboo off limits. Past and current themes have include incest, rape, bestiality, and child murders. I always feel ashamed of myself for enjoying this sick ass shit, and try to shower immediately after reading it to cleanse myself from this putrid filth. I can't wait for the next book to be released. 
Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Why do the signed limited edition version hardcover and the trade paperback, both released simultaneously with these “standard consumer edition” hardcovers, always have better covers? It never fails. Avatar Press hates me. Also, the volume number on the spine is very small. I think that this has caused me to develop a rash.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. The coated paper stock seems a little thin. Nothing major.

Binding rating: 4.5 out of 5. This has sewn binding, but the casing is glued square to the spine. It makes it hard for the book to lay flat as god intended. Fortunately it is not too thick, so it lays flat most of the time.

Hardback cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick laminated casewrap. No dustjacket. It is highly durable and should help to provide a lifetime of reading enjoyment.

Review- THE BOYS VOL. 1: THE NAME OF THE GAME (LIMITED EDITION)

THE BOYS VOL. 1: THE NAME OF THE GAME (LIMITED EDITION) (Dynamite, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects The Boys Nos. 1-6 (cover dates October, 2006- February, 2007)

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Darick Robertson

I have too many irons in too many fires to keep up with everything going on in this hobby, case in point being The Boys. Everyone was raving about this series when it first came out, and I just shrugged my shoulders and kept on reading whatever I was reading at the time. This was a birthday present last year, and now I can finally comment on the book. First of all, I find it lame when thinly veiled movie pitches like this are made. They “cast” that Shaun of the Dead dude in a role which, in my opinion, detracts from the reading experience, not adds to it. I dislike many modern movies, and when a comic books does it's best to be a storyboard for a modern style movie, then it already has a strike against it in my book.

That said, The Boys was still mostly enjoyable. The basic premise is solid enough: A CIA sponsored team of superhero “police” are formed to keep the ever expanding and increasingly arrogant and reckless superhero population in check. There's a bit more to it than that, but I am not one to give a detailed synopsis in my reviews. You can go to Wikipedia for that sort of thing.

The gripe, with S P O I L E R S- Comics like this are branded as being For Mature Readers, which typically means that there is excessive violence, gratuitous nudity, and profanity. Think of it as the R rating for movies. The incident where they lost me is when the superheroes in The Seven required Starlight to give them fellatio in order to join the team. I understand that this was done to show what sleazeballs these guys are, but Ennis lost me there. That scene wasn't mature, it was fanboy* pandering crap. (*Term fanboy used in its original, pejorative sense.)

I don't hate superheroes. I don't think that superheroes are a tired or outdated concept that I'm too cool for. This comic book is for those still reading comic books to say “Yeah, I read them, but I am so cool that I am totally over superhero comics.” I am out for volume 2. I will not support this series financially. Consider this a rental. I may borrow my friend's hardcovers at some point if my curiosity eats me alive, but I refuse to support this series, even though I enjoyed it.

The OCD zone- This hardcover does have sewn binding, but it is glued flush to the spine. The paper is extremely thin, bordering on being a coated tissue paper, so the result is that it does indeed lay flat. It can be read comfortably with one hand, which is the desired result for enjoying a book, at least in my OCD world. So yeah, it is a decent package overall, even if the paper kind of sucks.

Reviews: Streets of Glory; Heathentown

STREETS OF GLORY (Avatar, 2009; Softcover)

Collects Streets of Glory Nos. 1-6 (cover dates October, 2007- October, 2008).

Avatar Press is usually associated with ultra-violent, gore flecked artwork and “adult” overtones (read: excessive profanity), and Streets of Glory is no different. While inferior to Crossed, Wolfskin, and Black Summer, this is a solid, entertaining read. I picked this up super cheap at the Detroit FanFare last Fall, and it was worth a read at half price. Your mileage may vary, depending on if you're a Garth Ennis fan or not. The “crazy injun” angle is annoying in my opinion.

HEATHENTOWN (Shadowline/ Image, 2009 Softcover)

Original Graphic Novel.

Wonderful! I love Horror comics...especially when you combine voodoo, the undead, a dead/undead liplock, cults and even pre-historic creatures. This one's got it all! This is a done in one sitting type of read, but it's so good that I actually want to read it again. I can't always say that about these original graphic novel type of books. The artwork is in black and white, and I always enjoy my Horror comic books more without color. This was another bargain bin find at the Detroit FanFare last Fall. I am pretty adventurous when things are cheap. I had never heard of this until I came across it in a box at that convention, and that is the reason I love going to cons and comic stores in general...the joy of discovery.