Had a hectic week. Better late than never for spoilers!
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 8/14/13:
CHRONOS COMMANDOS #2: Titan Comics and creator Stuart Jennett (and logo designer Donna Jennett) joined forces last month to produce a combination platter of pulp era action elements into one comic for adventure enthusiasts. Now, "Chronos Commandos #2" continues the time travel arms race between the U.S.' "Project Watchmaker" and the Nazis in 1944 and offers more of what made the previous issue so entertaining.
The mysterious "Sarge" had successfully led a squad back into the Cretaceous period to destroy a base that the Nazis had set up in the pre-historic era in an attempt to alter history. Unfortunately, Sarge was the sole survivor and returned to find the "Project: Watchmaker" base under attack by infiltrated Nazi double-agents. Not even a gun toting Albert Einstein can prevent the core of the "Chronosphere" from being stolen and whisked back in time. Thus, the Sarge is forced to assemble a rag tag squad comprised of a scientist dubbed "Brainbox" and some random soldiers to venture into the land of the dinosaurs after it. At risk is the possibility of the Nazi altering time as well as destroying all other "chronos commando" missions being undertaken as well.
The artwork by Jennett manages to blend elegance with brutality, as well as a sense of realism with all the flare of a pulp novel cover. While scenery such as a laboratory or a lush jungle, or even the dinosaurs, looks as realistic as possible, the character designs rely on another simple features to allow the work from appearing too mature or bogged down in realism to betray its premise. The violence is over the top when it happens with splashes of blood, with plenty of dinosaurs offered in the second half of the book. Should this issue have any flaw, it is that it is hard to attach to any of the new squad members since the previous one were wiped out almost immediately. Brainbox is needed for the return jump, and another soldier is a comic book fan, but aside for the Sarge there is little expectation that they will all survive. To this end it is akin to a horror movie or many popcorn war films where the slaughter of some of the spare cast is expected. The Sarge himself is never without a one-liner or a "tough guy" order, carved of the same mold as DC Comics' Sgt. Rock or Marvel Comics' Nick Fury.
"Chronos Commandos #2" offers more of the same as the first issue, only this time with a MacGuffin added. If the concept of WWII era soldiers fighting Nazis and dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period is enough to excite you, then this issue continues to offer that in healthy doses. This series may not seek to reinvent the wheel, but it offers a good time with story elements most readers know in a manner which wouldn't be out of place in a summer blockbuster.
IT CAME! #1: The 1950's were a historic time in the history of cinema, but one of the many things that era was known for were "B-movies". The "b" stood for "bad" and more often than not the plot involved some over-the-top monster on a rampage in a very cheesy sci-fi epic cheaply produced for the masses. Major studios plied some audiences with "3D" imagery during this time and large monsters - some of them bugs or pets or rubber toys - were often the common threat. The plots were cheesy, the dialogue stilted and the acting often wooden, but many still fondly remember these works, even if not for the intended reasons. It is this era that writer/artist/"director" Dan Boultwood (Esq.) wishes to recapture and satirize in "It Came! #1", the first of four issues from Titan Comics.
Summarizing this issue is very much akin to summarizing a comedy skit from "Monty Python" or "Saturday Night Live" or even from the mind of Mel Brooks. It is more of a comedy routine than a story, intentionally playing to the cliches and expectations of the era and genre it is invoking. "It Came!" is a film-within-a-comic set in 1958 in which the comically sexist Dr. Boy Brett and his long suffering gal-pal Doris have chosen the wrong time to have a drive in the British countryside. A giant robot from space has fallen from the sky and begun a rampage upon hapless farmers and villagers. They barely escape the automaton, although Doris' lipstick may never be the same. They flee to Trumpington Alley and meet more yokels, but they can't escape "it" for long. Boultwood's artwork captures the spirit of this satire with a black and white and heavily animated illustration style. He gives his characters (especially Dr. Brett) a lot of hilarious verbal tics and plays true to the genre while mocking it at the same time. Perhaps even more hilarious are mock ads in between the story and a parody of the "Internet Movie Data Base" profiling the two lead "actors", Fanny Flaunders and Dick Claymore.
Debuting this past Wednesday, offering 28 pages for $3.99, "It Came! #1" offers a great spoof with great art for a great price. Boultwood proves himself a master of true parody in his first major work with Titan Comics, and it should be read to be believed.
SAGA #13: After a hiatus of roughly three months, the latest Image Comics creator owned series to take the direct market by storm returns to the shelves will all the anticipation and beauty of a shooting star. Writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples have united to forge a unique property which has not only become a critical darling across the Internet as well as the professional comics circuit, but a sales success as well - it often is not far removed from "The Walking Dead" in terms of raw sales for Image, despite merely debuting last year. It is a top seller in terms of bookstores, in the monthly sales reports when issues ship and it has earned an Eisner for its quality. There are planned "hiatus" moments after every six issues to give Staples time to draw as well as to give readers time to catch up with the latest trade collection. As summer winds to a close, the adventures of the most infamous mixed marriage in the cosmos continues.
Vaughan wisely uses the length of time between issues to his advantage. In the previous issue, longtime pursuer Prince Robot IV had followed a lead to attempt to track down Alana and Marko, and their hybrid daughter Hazel. They have been on the run from both of their homeworlds since eloping and Robot IV had tracked them to the house of the author who inspired them. Rather than pick up right after this, Vaughan and Staples wisely take a step back to explain the path towards meeting said author which allows this issue to seem like a reintroduction to the characters and their status quo. After escaping from bounty hunters, the plucky nuclear family (along with Marko's widowed mother and ghostly babysitter Izabel) land their living ship onto the planet Quietus to find author D. Oswald Heist and run afoul of reanimated skeletons. Meanwhile, bounty hunter "The Will" as well as Marko's ex fiance Gwen (and a slave girl) hash out their own lot of life on another planet, and two tabloid reporters also begin tracking the couple. Just when it seems the cast for this book has gotten large enough, more characters are seamlessly added to the universe.
Historically, all of Vaughan's previous creator owned works for Vertigo or WildStorm were finite, and one can expect "Saga" to be to. Since Hazel is the narrator of the series, it is presumed that she at least survives, although everyone else is fair game, which adds suspense to the chase. However, thankfully these creators understand that enjoying a series is more than waiting to see who gets killed off but is rather about embracing what is created. Every issue seems to display the full creativity and imagination of Staples as an artist as well as the depth of dialogue and plotting that Vaughan has mastered. "Saga" remains a series defined by its elegant simplicity. It uses the tropes of a complicated space opera but at heart it is still a story about characters. It also reinvents what to expect from space operas themselves, while never taking itself so seriously that there is no joy or humor mixed in with its danger or suspense. In short, "Saga" remains the total package, and its first issue in three months proves why its absence is always noticed.
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #12: Fred Van Lente's terrific mythical "buddy series" for Valiant Entertainment continues along the action packed and often hilarious path it has been set on. Trapped in a realm outside of time and space, both Archer and Armstrong have been separated after trying to explore the mysteries within the former's birth and strange calculation powers. Armstrong enamors himself with the tribal folk within the area as well as the equally immortal (and possessed) Mary-Maria, while Archer meets his disciples of the future as well as Armstrong's long sleeping brother, Ivar. Throughout the issue, the antagonist of the arc - General Redacted - steals the show with his hilariously offensive Cold War era stereotyped jargon. If one isn't offended by some occasional religious humor or lacking a sense of humor in general, this remains one of the most enjoyable monthly adventure serials published by a major company. Pere Perez handles the artwork with David Baron on art, and as with previous artists, the entire work maintains its own distinctive style while allowing for more than one penciler to define an arc at a time. As the spiritual successor to "Incredible Hercules", this series embodies the spirit of over-the-top action/satire with roots in myth and mysticism.
INFINITY #1: Marvel Comics' second crossover event for 2013 gets underway, which seeks to latch onto the appeal of "The Avengers" film a mere year after it left theaters. Written by Jonathan Hickman ("Fantastic Four", "FF", "New Avengers", "Avengers") and drawn by Jim Cheung (aided by three inkers and colorist Justin Ponsor), this opening chapter is an ambitious 45 pages long with about 5-plus pages of near blank chapter pages for just under six dollars. Unlike "Age of Ultron", written by Brian Bendis earlier in the year, Hickman's weakness as a writer isn't handling characters wrong, it's in filling his stories with so much over the top super-science that they become lost in techno-babble and over thought details. To this end the latest threat to the Avengers comes from the stars, as their old enemy Thanos has rebuilt an empire in the cosmos. Collecting MacGuffins across the universe, Thanos once again sets his sights on earth and gathers his armada of forces - including a half dozen generals whose sole purpose is to appear in battle sequences one at a time across various chapters. What begins as a short round up of some spare Skrulls soon portends ill for the sake of the universe, as Capt. America leads a squad of Avengers into space. Meanwhile, the secrets of the Inhumans in general and Black Bolt in particular also have a large role to play. In all fairness, "Infinity #1" remains the best written debut to a Marvel crossover event in at least two years - although being superior to "Age of Ultron" or "Fear Itself" is a most unspectacular feat. The artwork in the series is terrific, and Hickman fills his story with a lot of narration and exposition about genetically modified aliens, plots of the universe, and predictions of galactic doom. Unfortunately, what this story isn't full of is any clear characterization of any of the hundred or two figures within. Thanos is the villain, about a dozen or two Avengers are heroes, the Inhumans are off to the side and they're mixed into a plot together. Without characters or humanity to attach to, even the most intricate plot can seem as empty as an equation on a chalkboard; one hopes "Infinity" avoids becoming this in future issues.
AVENGERS ARENA #13: Under normal circumstances, this remains writer Dennis Hopeless' spare "Avengers" spin off where he takes a variety of younger characters from the 90's through the early 2000's and slaughters them one by one in an attempt to crib stories such as "Battle Royale" or "Hunger Games" for cheap shock value. However, the title is double shipping this month and therefore needs a fill-in creative team. As several of the canon fodder characters originated from "Avengers Academy" (which ended last November after nearly 40 issues), it is fitting that the writer of that series, Christos Gage, would step in to touch back on how the mentors of some of these characters are handling the disappearance of many of their wards. Artist Karl Moline, who drew some issues of "Avengers Academy", is also on hand for pencils (with inks by Mark Pennington and colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu). The deathtrap-loving assassin Arcade has kidnapped sixteen young heroes from across the world and pitted them to a battle to the death on an unknown island, all while forging notes and texts in their stead to keep the adults in their lives satisfied. However, Molly and Karolina of the "Runaways" become concerned and reach out to their old allies Hank Pym and Tigra to figure out what is wrong. While everyone seems to believe these youths all just decided to leave at the same time on a coincidental whim, Pym remains less than convinced until Arcade dusts off a character he'd seemingly killed off to ease suspicion. The conclusion of the issue is a foregone event - had Pym figured out what was wrong, the entire premise of the series would end - but it remains a well drawn revisit to one of Marvel's best team titles of recent years. "Avengers Academy" is missed and under appreciated, but never forgotten.
FEARLESS DEFENDERS #8: The third issue of a series which mingles "The Fearless" mini series with the often failed "Defenders" franchise to be published within six weeks, this issue comes with an increased cover price to postpone cancellation and a bold new design for its lead heroine. Will Sliney returns to regular art chores while writer Cullen Bunn takes on a slower burn approach to his second (and presumably final) arc on this book. The ancient warrior Valkyrie and mortal archaeologist Annabelle Riggs have been merged into one flesh in a similar manner as Rick Jones and Mar-Vell used to be back in the 1970's. Thus, Valkyrie has to share existence with a mortal and thus has gained a new costume design and some more modern twangs to her dialogue; Riggs also occasionally swaps places with her mid-battle to prevent a killing stroke. They aid Misty Knight and guest heroine Elsa Bloodstone against a monster plot hatched by the daughter of the villain Marvel can no longer legally call Fu Manchu. The tone is kept light and fast paced, which is an improvement from some previous issues. The redesign of Valkyrie by Mark Brooks is long overdue and Bunn seems to be hitting a stride on this title; it is a shame that it is unlikely to survive beyond another four issues, if that.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #2 & SCARLET SPIDER #20: In practice this is a short two-part crossover story between the relaunch of Spider-Man's spare team-up title with one of his spin-off series. In reality, it is a tactic which allows writer Chris Yost - who writes both "Scarlet Spider" and the new team-up book for "Superior Spider-Man", to tell a two part adventure within one week. Artist Marco Checchetto draws the first chapter with In-Hyuk Lee handling the second, with epilogue and dream sequences drawn by Paco Medina and others. While usually based in Texas, reformed clone Kaine had ventured to New York to settle affairs with old enemies and has run afoul of the new "superior" Spider-Man. What is a mystery to all (despite all logic or sense) is that Spidey has been possessed by Dr. Octopus' mind for months. As Kaine had once killed Doc Ock in the 90's (before ninjas made him better), the anti-villain sees this visit as a chance for revenge. Mutual enemy the Jackal, as well as Carrion and his usual batch of clones and genetic experiments seek to slaughter them both and force them to unite to survive. Yost naturally has captured the voices of both characters, and their uneasy alliance offers a stark contrast from how they usually are. Kaine is a former villain who seeks genuine redemption, while Doc Ock has stolen his enemy's life and seeks heroism only to appease his own ego. Only in comic books can you have a character seek to avenge themselves for a murder which was undone, after cheating death a second time after that. Regardless, the team-up is as violent and action packed as one would expect, and it leaves Kaine in an interesting place for his next arc.
