Archive for October, 2005

Black Hole

October 24, 2005 | Trades

Black Hole Charles Burns Pantheon Books $34.95 (Hardcover) **** (out of five) Black Hole has everything you could want in a book: sex, drugs and hideously deformed freaks. Set in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, Black Hole follows the bleak lives of a group of teens that are dealing with their typical angst, along with a new sexually transmitted disease that often slowly turns its victims into grotesques. Rife with metaphor and allusions, Black Hole is genuinely unsettling and completely visually engrossing with its stark black-and-white pages. It perfectly highlights Burns’ immense artistic and literary talents.

The Acme Novelty Library

October 24, 2005 | Trades

The Acme Novelty Library Chris Ware Pantheon Books $39.95 (Hardcover) *** 1/2 (out of five) Eclectic is the best word to describe Chris Ware’s new collection of The Acme Novelty Library. Containing plenty of familiar faces for fans, like Quimby The Mouse, Rusty Brown and Tales Of Tomorrow, this over-sized compendium displays an impressive array of Ware’s comic strips. From the old West to outer space to ad spoofs and the world’s smallest comic strip, Ware deftly explores the history of comics in an enjoyable romp.

The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes

October 17, 2005 | Trades

The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes Paul Dini, Alex Ross DC Comics $69.99 (Hardcover) ***** (out of five) Paul Dini is a great writer. Of course, to put your words onto paintings by Alex Ross you’d kind of have to be. Sure, it’s easy to look at the spectacular collection of The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes and instantly get lost in Ross’ sublime art, depicting long-standing DC Comics’ characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in the most true-to-life way any creator ever has. But reading these inspired stories of The Man Of Steel battling global hunger, the Dark Knight’s war on poverty and Wonder Woman taking on the exploitation of women is equally moving. Dini, the Emmy Award-winning producer of Batman Beyond, gets inside these iconic characters in a way few writers have and gives them depth and humanity. The monologues are exactly what you’d imagine the heroes to be thinking. To match the accomplishment of these outstanding creators is a package that does them justice. In addition to these six unique stories are scores of behind-the-scenes material, sketches and reflections, all in an over-sized hardcover, wrapped in a gorgeous slipcase illustrated by Ross. The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes is truly a delight for your eyes, your heart and your mind.

Tricked

October 17, 2005 | Comics

Tricked Alex Robinson Top Shelf Productions $19.95 US (Paperback) **** (out of five) Fans of Alex Robinson have waited a very long time for his second book. It’s been four years since the collected edition of the critically acclaimed Box Office Poison hit the streets and readers have longed for more of Robinson’s gift for dialogue-driven relationship stories ever since. Well, Tricked is proof that some things are worth the wait. Intertwining the lives of six diverse people — Ray, the frustrated rock star; Nick, the philandering counterfeiter; Phoebe, the long-lost daughter; Caprice, the relationship nightmare; Steve, the possibly homicidal curmudgeon; and Lily, the unsuspecting assistant — Tricked delivers on all promises. The characters are rich and well developed, the story is, at times, engrossing, and, in spite of the juggling it must have taken to tells that many people’s tales, woven with the intricacy of a spider web. Welcome back, Alex. Please don’t make us wait so damned long for your third book.

Chosen

October 17, 2005 | Trades

Chosen Mark Millar, Peter Gross Dark Horse Books $9.95 US (Paperback) **** (out of five) It’s a bigger comeback than John Travolta, Ozzy Osbourne and the 1999 Buffalo Bills combined. Jodie Christianson is an average 12-year-old boy, living in Peoria, Ill., when he begins to discover he has some rather immense, even biblical, powers. After surviving a car accident that should have been horrific (and very fatal), Jodie quickly begins to buy into his divine providence and promptly gives sight to the blind and turns water into wine. But not everyone is ready to believe the young boy is the Second Coming, including the faith-shaken local priest and Jodie’s divinity is put to the ultimate test. Writer Mark Millar and artist Peter Gross take the story of Christ’s return from the Book of Revelations and twists it into a brilliant slice of Americana with an ending that will leave you reeling.

Sea Of Red Vol. 1: No Grave But The Sea

October 17, 2005 | Trades

Sea Of Red Vol. 1: No Grave But The Sea Rick Remender, Kieron Dwyer, Salgood Sam Image Comics $8.95 US (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) Pirates, vampires, sea monsters and a samurai warrior — no doubt about it, Sea Of Red has a broad appeal. After spending over 450 years at the bottom of the ocean thanks to an evil crew of vampirates who transformed him into one of them as a cruelty, Marco Esperanza is pissed off and extremely thirsty. When a film crew in a submersible discovers Esperanza and retrieves what they believe to be his lifeless body, he repays them by noshing on the first person he can grab. The film director’s unquenchable thirst for fame leads him to believe he can tame the vampire and use his story to make millions, but when the ship they’re traveling on sinks, the adventure really begins. Co-creators Rick Remender and Kieron Dwyer, along with Canadian artist Salgood Sam, have established a very solid foundation with No Grave But The Sea that continues monthly in a bloody good comic.

The Flash: The Secret Of Barry Allen

October 17, 2005 | Trades

The Flash: The Secret Of Barry Allen Geoff Johns, Howard Porter, Livesay DC Comics $26.99 (Paperback) **** (out of five) Nobody’s perfect, but The Flash always thought his uncle was close. Wally West grew up as Kid Flash to his uncle Barry Allen’s starring role, always idolizing and seeking to emulate the fastest man alive. But Barry died many years ago, leaving Wally to uphold the legacy of The Flash, one that seems to have garnered a bit of tarnish. In last year’s mega-hit miniseries Identity Crisis, readers learned Barry and several other members of the Justice League of America erased parts of the minds of certain villains — and even Batman — when their secret identities and the safety of their loved ones was compromised. But Barry’s secrets don’t end there. In the title feature of this sizeable collection of The Flash’s monthly comic, Wally is given a letter written by his uncle prior to his death — one that asks his former protégé to find and fix a “mindwiped” super-villain, The Top. But Barry’s request could have fatal consequences for the Scarlet Speedster. The Secret Of Barry Allen is another terrific collection of writer Geoff Johns’ definitive run on The Flash.

Damn Nation

October 17, 2005 | Trades

Damn Nation Andrew Cosby, J. Alexander Dark Horse Books $12.95 (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) The United States is overrun with the most vile, evil creatures to ever walk the earth and Canada is a haven. Damn Nation is a smart book. But seriously, this brief-but-interesting story of a plague of vampires taking over the U.S. has a lot going for it. Writer Andrew Cosby — creator of the TV series, Haunted — crafts a fast-paced and genuinely creepy yarn revolving around a joint U.S./British special forces mission to enter the U.S. and rescue a scientist who may have found the way to stop the vampires, while artist J. Alexander’s lavishly coloured work forces readers to stop and savour the sights. The only thing working against this book is its brevity. While there’s a perfect setup for a sequel, a three-issue trade paperback just doesn’t seem like enough — especially when it shows so much promise.

Nightwing: Year One

October 17, 2005 | Trades

Nightwing: Year One Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel DC Comics $19.99 (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) It’s a Nightwing fan’s dream come true. The series’ original writer/artist team of Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel are back, re-telling how Dick Grayson transformed himself from Robin, The Boy Wonder into his more mature alter ego all those years ago. Winding new insights into established DC Universe plot points, from stories originally told in the early-to-mid-1990s, Dixon takes the soul-searching, confused young Grayson on quite an adventure. From a screaming confrontation with his Bat-mentor to a death-defying visit with Superman and a crime-busting team up with the original Batgirl, Grayson slowly finds out who he’s meant to be and takes on the now-familiar guise of one of the DCU’s staples. The bad news is that this six-issue arc, originally published as Nightwing 101-106, is just a brief taste of the good ‘ol days. Dixon and McDaniel have already departed for greener pastures.

Long Hot Summer

October 17, 2005 | Comics

Long Hot Summer Eric Stephenson, Jamie McKelvie Image Comics $7.99 US (Paperback) *** 1/2 (out of five) There’s nothing like a boy-meets-girl-meets-boy story. Steve, the self-centred mod and star of Long Hot Summer, faces the dilemma most men have at some point in their lives: Do I screw over my buddy for a girl? His best friend Ken, the flaky mooch, thinks he’s found the girl of his dreams. But once Ashley, the bewildering shopgirl, meets Steve, she’s hooked on him — and is more than happy to show him how much. Veteran writer Eric Stephenson and artist Jamie McKelvie present a pleasantly different type of romance comic, told without the benefit of internal monologue, and simply putting the character’s actions out there for interpretation.