Archive for November, 2005
November 14, 2005 | Trades
Clive Barker’s The Thief Of Always
Clive Barker, Kris Opriso, Gabriel Hernandez
IDW Publishing
$19.99 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
Before there was Harry Potter, there was The Thief Of Always.
Horror maven Clive Barker’s gruesome fable, originally published as a novel with illustrations by the author in 1992, set the standard for unabashed dark storytelling aimed at teens and tweens.
Thirteen years later, IDW Publishing brings us a fully illustrated vision of Barker’s masterpiece that truly captures the spirit and the eerie feel of the book, which sees a young boy named Harvey Swick — frustrated by the long, dark winter months — lured into a magical realm where every day is perfect and his every desire fulfilled. But as the days pass, Harvey begins to notice things aren’t as perfect as they seem and ending this dream holiday might just be a nightmare.
Adapted by Kris Opriso and artist Gabriel Hernandez, this illustrated version of The Thief Of Always is a terrific and faithful take on an outstanding story. It’s well worth picking up, as is the original.
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November 14, 2005 | Comics
Night Fisher
R. Kikuo Johnson
Fantagraphics Books
$12.95 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
Loren Foster is having trouble with bees: First the one he got in biology class; second the ones buzzing around in his brain when he gets high.
Loren is an average haole (white) Hawaiian teenager, thinking about girls, studying, how to survive the social scene at his high school and managing his rather ridiculous amount of yard work, until his best friend Shane starts taking him on a darker path.
Telling his dad he’s going fishing (all night long), Loren starts using “batu” or crystal meth and taking part in break and enters.
When the heat finally comes down, Loren’s faces a tough road to make things right with his dad, his classmates and himself.
Night Fisher is both a captivating look at Hawaiian teen life and a very impressive debut for R. Kikuo Johnson.
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November 14, 2005 | Trades
Ex Machina: Tag
Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$17.50 (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
Mitchell Hundred has seemingly done it all.
He’s gone from super-hero to mayor of New York City and endured a roller-coaster ride along the way, but nothing he’s done before could prepare him for the battle he’s in for after he decides to perform a gay marriage.
Perfectly blending politics and action, Ex Machina continues its rise as one of the top new books over the past year with this super second volume.
As Hundred — who used to fight crime as the hero, the Great Machine — feels the political pressure rising, he is also forced to deal with his past, which may be leading a former friend down a path to kill him.
Scribe Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ultimate X-Men) and artist Tony Harris (Starman), continue to set the standard for mature-reader titles in an all-star collaboration that is hard to equal in the comic book industry.
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November 14, 2005 | Trades
Invincible Vol. 5: The Facts Of Life
Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley
Image Comics
$14.99 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
Now this comic truly has it all: sex, violence and happy-go-lucky aliens.
Packed with milestones, Invincible Vol. 5 sees teen super-hero Mark Grayson losing his best friend Eve, who goes off to help the starving people of Africa; revealing his secret identity to (and bedding) his girlfriend Amber; and possibly acquiring an arch-nemesis in the dimension-hopping Angstrom Levy.
Continuing its tradition of great stories with super characters and an impressive balance of pithy dialogue with pulse-pounding action, The Facts Of Life is yet another reason to love what is the hands-down best super-hero book on the market today.
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November 14, 2005 | Trades
The Complete Peanuts: 1957-1958
Charles Schultz
Fantagraphics Books
$28.95 US (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)
Sparky Schultz was simply a comedic genius.
While examining the fourth of what will eventually be 25 volumes spanning the entire body of Schultz’s work on Good ‘Ol Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang for nuance and evolution, it is hard not to get lost in the laughs.
These strips are nearly 50 years old, but they are often so perfectly paced and so timeless that they are just as funny today as they likely will be in another 50 years.
In yet another gorgeous volume designed by Guelph, Ont.’s Seth (It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, Wimbledon Green), readers are reminded again why this strip stands the test of time.
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November 14, 2005 | Trades
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Black Flowers
Mike Carey, Marcelo Frusin, Lee Bermejo, Jock
Vertigo/DC Comics
$19.99 (Paperback)
*** 1/2 (out of five)
It’s not exactly hell and back, but it might just feel like it to John Constantine.
As the reprinting of writer Mike Carey’s solid run on Hellblazer continues, Constantine finds himself first having the soul chased right out of his body, then trying to close the doorway to the land of the dead and finally globe hopping in an effort to find out what kind of big-bad thing may have wandered out while that door was open.
Joining Carey in the telling is long-time Hellblazer artist Marcelo Frusin, along with Lee Bermejo (Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel) and Jock (Losers).
Black Flowers collects one stand-alone issue and two brief-but-interesting arcs and thus feels a tad disjointed. When the entirety of Carey’s run is reprinted this volume will be an integral piece, but for now it’s simply just OK.
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November 14, 2005 | Comics
Fear Agent #1
Rick Remender, Tony Moore
Image Comics
$3.65/$2.99 US
**** (out of five)
Rick Remender could be the next Robert Kirkman.
Or maybe he’ll simply be the first Rick Remender.
With an impressive list of art creds under his belt, with a pile of indie books and an inking gig in Avengers behind him, it is as a writer that we may be seeing the best of him.
His two most recent series for Image, Sea Of Red and Strange Girl are both really solid, but it is his latest, Fear Agent that might just put him over the top.
Working with Tony Moore (The Walking Dead), one of the least appreciated yet most impressive artists in the comic book industry today, Remender blast out of the gate with this first issue, giving us a glimpse of the day-to-day life of Heath Huston, the universe’s last Fear Agent or alien exterminator.
Tight dialogue and fast-paced action, highlighted by Moore’s terrific art team up to make this one of those books you’ll be kicking yourself next year if you don’t pick it up now.
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November 14, 2005 | Comics
Spawn #150
David Hine, Angel Medina
Image Comics
$5.85/$4.95 US
*** (out of five)
It’s a radical new direction for Spawn— or is it?
After being lost to obscurity for a very long time (“is that book still going” being the most common fan response), Spawn reaches a milestone and switches creators to the team of David Hine (District X, Son Of M) and Angel Medina in an effort to break out of its ruts.
But given the fact that many readers gave up on this series the minute that superstar creator Todd McFarlane gave up the art chores about 20 issues in, there is not exactly a seemless transition.
While Medina’s art (along with that of Philip Tan) is extremely impressive and the co-written tale by Hine, Brian Holguin and McFarlane is tight, there will be a learning curve for anyone willing to jump back on board after all this time.
Still, it is great that someone with Hine’s creds is willing to try and do something with what was at one time on of the hottest properties in comics. Hopefully given the right mix, it can be again.
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November 14, 2005 | Comics
Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Leader #1
Haden Blackman, Tomas Giorello
Dark Horse Comics
$2.99 US
*** 1/2 (out of five)
The Battle Of Endor has been won, the second Death Star destroyed and Darth Vader and the Emperor defeated.
It should be party time for the members of the Rebel Alliance’s Rogue Squadron, but the war is not over.
Set just one week after the events of Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, X-Wing Rogue Leader sees the reformation of the Rogue Squadron, including commanding officer Luke Skywalker and longtime wingman Wedge Antillies, which is charged with investigating Imperial activity on Wedge’s homeworld of Corellia.
It looks like an easy gig — until a legion of stormtroopers shows up.
Rogue Leader is an interesting new addition to the Star Wars comic book universe, courtesy writer Haden Blackman and artist Tomas Giorello.
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November 14, 2005 | Comics
The Goon 25-cent Edition
Eric Powell
Dark Horse Comics
**** (out of five)
It’s funny, it’s creepy and it’s really, really cheap — what more could you ask for in a comic?
The Goon 25-cent Edition is not simply ploy to put out a cheap version of a great monthly book in hopes more people will notice how freakin’ great it is — well, actually, that’s exactly what it is.
Creator Eric Powell is at the top of his game in this bargain-priced edition as he breaks from the mold of using a cheapy issue to retell an origin story in hopes of striking a chord with new readers.
Instead, Powell simply puts together the same thing he does every month, a fantastically drawn, cleverly written tale of zombie-whippin’ fun and action.
For those uninitiated into the world of The Goon should eagerly drop down a quarter for this book. You’ll quickly learn why it was named the 2005 Eisner-Award winner for Best Ongoing Series and Best Humor Publication.
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