Archive for September, 2005

Pyongyang

September 26, 2005 | Comics

Pyongyang Guy Delisle Drawn & Quarterly $24.95 (Hardcover) **** (out of five) North Korea is a land of mystery to most — known only as an isolationist nation with an itchy trigger finger. In a land where the communist ideal is perhaps at its strongest and “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il rules with an iron fist (and until last week the threat of a nuke), there should be little to laugh at. Enter Guy Delisle. A Canadian working for a French animation company, Delisle spent several months in the North Korean capitol of Pyongyang in 2001 and now takes readers through a candid illustrated look at the peculiar state. From interactions with his zealot guides (“Nothing is impossible with the guidance of Kim Jong-Il”) and his attempts to explore (“No, no, absolutely not…”), Delisle explores the hypocrisy of the “perfect state” with perverse glee. Pyongyang is a true eye opener. It is an intelligent and incisive look at a place where there are mysteriously no disabled people and the elderly are few; where there’s a severe power crisis, yet floodlights shine through the night on images of the “Dear Leader”; and McDonald’s, blue jeans and Coke are considered the axis of evil.

Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis The Menace: 1951-52

September 26, 2005 | Trades

Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis The Menace: 1951-52 Fantagraphics Books $24.95 US (Hardcover) **** (out of five) Hank Ketcham’s most famous creation spawned from his experiences as a father of an average little boy named Dennis. Little could he know that 54 years and thousands of comic panels later, the misadventures of Dennis The Menace would endure so well. The strips in this first chronological compilation of Dennis The Menace show both what a great illustrator and humourist Ketcham was (he died in 2001) and how timeless the scampish behaviour of children is. Amid the nearly 600 strips in this volume, we see Dennis making messes, cracking wise, playing pranks, getting himself (and particularly his dad) in trouble and — more often than not — with a smile of blissful ignorance. Any parent will tell you that attitude is timeless. The Complete Dennis The Menace is perfect proof that no matter how much things change they always stay the same.

Noble Causes Vol. 4: Blood & Water

September 26, 2005 | Trades

Noble Causes Vol. 4: Blood & Water Jay Faerber, Fran Bueno Image Comics $14.95 US (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) The body of a hooker is found impaled by a sword and a member of the world-famous Noble family may know who the murderer is. The fourth volume of Noble Causes, one of the consistently engaging superhero books around, begins in an alley within sight of the Noble’s office. When the police begin their investigation, they’re forced to seek out the family speedster, Race Noble, to track down the most likely suspect — his best friend. This murder-mystery, which comprises the first six issues of the current Noble Causes ongoing series, is a fun ride through the Image Comics universe. It’s also packed with hints and tidbits of stories to come.

Conan Vol. 2: The God In The Bowl And Other Stories

September 26, 2005 | Trades

Conan Vol. 2: The God In The Bowl And Other Stories Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord Dark Horse Books $15.95 US (Paperback) **** (out of five) He’s battled frost giants, enormous spiders and legions of sword-swinging men, but nothing could prepare Conan for Thoth-amon. The second collection of Dark Horse’s new adventures of the barbarian hero, adapted from the original tales of creator Robert E. Howard by the talented team of writer Kurt Busiek and Canadian artist Cary Nord, re-introduces Conan’s magic-wielding evil arch-nemesis — complete with giant snake. Caught up in a centuries-old battle between Thoth-amon and the good wizard Kalanthes, Conan is first required to defend himself for a murder he didn’t commit, and then forced into a bodyguard job that may push him over the brink. Busiek and Nord deliver another outstanding effort worthy of the legacy of Conan.

Phantom Jack

September 26, 2005 | Trades

Phantom Jack Mike San Giacomo, Mitchell Brietweiser Speakeasy Comics $22.50 (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) There’s just nothing like having someone who can talk the talk, walk the walk. Phantom Jack, the baby of longtime Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter and comic book columnist Mike San Giacomo, is — appropriately enough — about a reporter named Jack Baxter. Jack’s an award-winning columnist and investigative journalist — one with a secret. His ability to break the big stories is often due to the fact he can turn invisible. The plot of Phantom Jack takes many twists and turns from the streets of New York to the alleys of Baghdad and is a generally enjoyable read. The really great part of this book is how well San Giacomo nails the ambiance and characters that make up a newsroom and the motivations of a member of the oft-maligned media. Phantom Jack is smart and slick and as good a debut book as you’re likely to find.

Superman/Batman Vol. 3: Absolute Power

September 26, 2005 | Trades

Superman/Batman Vol. 3: Absolute Power Jeph Loeb, Carlos Pacheco DC Comics $26.99 (Hardcover) *** (out of five) Oh please — no more alternate universe stories! Coming off one of the most impressive arcs in recent memory, the reintroduction of Supergirl to the DC Universe (complete with mindblowing art by Michael Turner), this collection of the World’s Finest falls a little flat. Stop me if you’ve heard this: someone from the future goes into the past and alters the timeline. As a result things aren’t as they’re supposed to be, yet the inherent goodness in our heroes can’t be suppressed for long and everything goes back to normal at the end. Now there are some cool things about Absolute Power. Appearances by classic characters like Kamandi, Sgt. Rock, Uncle Sam and dozens of others makes for a fun nostalgic ride. It’s not that Jeph Loeb’s doesn’t tell the story well and it’s certainly not the tremendous art by Carlos Pacheco. It just seems like readers have heard this “what if” story a dozen times before and should, frankly, expect something new and different from what has quickly become a must-read comic.

Joss Whedon’s Serenity #1-3

September 26, 2005 | Comics

Joss Whedon’s Serenity #1-3 (of 3) Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad Dark Horse Comics $2.99 US **** (out of five) The stage is set — just a few more days until show time. Fans of the short-lived sci-fi Fox TV show Firefly have been waiting with great anticipation for the show’s transition to the big screen, opening Sept. 30. The film, entitled Serenity, is expected to answer the many outstanding questions left by the show’s sudden cancellation and be a solid stand-alone epic for a more general audience. For the faithful, Joss Whedon’s Serenity is the must-read mini-series of the year. It bridges the events of Firefly to the happenings in the theatrical release in the most logical way possible — by having Whedon tell the story. The brains behind Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel, Whedon made no bones about the love he had for Firefly and the passion has carried him into the production of the film and this series. Whedon, with scripting by Brett Matthews and bang-on art by Will Conrad, takes readers right back to the adventures of the crew of the Serenity, a firefly-class ship working on the edge of the law, on the edge of the galaxy. After another in a long string of spectacularly unsuccessful theft attempts, Captain Mal Reynolds and his crew find themselves being offered yet another high-risk, high-reward job. But mysterious forces are at work that want one of the passengers on Serenity captured at all cost — and Mal dead as a bonus. First printings of the first two chapters of this ultra-hot series may be hard to find, but it is well worth the hunt.

Fell #1

September 26, 2005 | Comics

Fell #1 Warren Ellis, Ben Templesmith Image Comics $2.40/$1.99 US **** (out of five) The only thing that beats getting a cool new comic is getting it cheap. Fell, the brainchild of writing guru Warren Ellis, begins with the man its named after, Detective Richard Fell, transferring to the Snowtown Police Department — and quickly finding out what an odd place he’s in. Fell’s new next-door neighbour is being hauled out in a body bag as the detective is moving in and the cute girl he met in the bar cuts herself for fun and burned the city’s unofficial logo into his neck — without asking. As we quickly learn what makes Fell such a good detective, he begins to piece together the cause of his neighbour’s death and in a rare turn of events for modern comics, solves the crime by the end of the issue. That, along with the discounted price, is kind of the point of Fell. Ellis, in the postscript, explains that he wants to offer an alternative to the mainstream comic book story-arc structure by writing stand-alone stories that begin and end within the same month’s release. Helping Ellis’ cause is talented Aussie artist Ben Templesmith, who breaks out of his vampire stereotypes (he illustrated the now-famous 30 Days Of Night) with a moody-yet-intense look. Fell is a breath of fresh air that belongs among 2005’s top debuts.

Ferro City: The Medusa Key #1

September 26, 2005 | Comics

Ferro City: The Medusa Key #1 Jason Armstrong Image Comics $3.70/$2.99 US *** 1/2 (out of five) What do you get when you blend Isaac Asimov and Humphrey Bogart? A pretty good comic book. Ferro City, the brainchild of Toronto writer/artist Jason Armstrong, successfully fuses the crime noir of the best Bogart flicks with the edgy future view of Asimov. There’s hard drinking, guns blazing and robots aplenty in this creative and clever story about gumshoe Cyrus Smithe. Smithe is facing a murder rap after his partner is found dead. But as he works to piece together the mystery of who really committed the crime and where the sought-after Medusa Key is, he quickly finds he’s not the only one looking and the other parties aren’t playing by the rules. This is a solid new series that warrants further investigation.

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #1

September 26, 2005 | Comics

All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #1 Frank Miller, Jim Lee DC Comics $4/$2.99 US *** 1/2 (out of five) Frank Miller. Jim Lee. Batman. Hot damn. Two of the top creators in comics combine to launch this first issue of DC’s new All-Star line and they do it with some gusto. Highlighting Lee’s immense artistic talents, especially when drawing the female form (Vickie Vale has never looked so hot), this first issue is a roller-coaster of action. Instead of taking the predictable route of re-telling — for the thousandth time — how Bruce Wayne become Batman, Miller takes readers to the first meeting between an already active Dark Knight and a recently orphaned Boy Wonder. With a creative team this talented and a lot of hype behind it, there was great potential for a flop. But All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder delivers on all its initial promises. Where is goes from here will be the big test.