Archive for June, 2007
June 25, 2007 | Trades
The Annotated Northwest Passage
Scott Chantler
Oni Press
$19.95 US (Hardcover)
**** 1/2 (out of five)
Standard early Canadian history has been known to cure many a person of insomnia, but the taste readers will get in Northwest Passage might just keep them up until the wee hours.
Writer/artist Scott Chantler sets a tale of adventure and intrigue in 1755 against the backdrop of Rupert’s Land — a massive chunk of North America then-operated by the Hudson’s Bay Company that included what is now most of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario, northern Quebec and parts of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Minnesota and North Dakota.
While I probably learned all that in Grade 9 history, it had all fallen out of my head until I read Chantler’s thoughtful notes in this gorgeous new hardcover collection of the first three parts of the Waterloo, Ont.-native’s ongoing epic.
Beyond the obvious history lesson is the gripping tale of survival in the rugged north as the aging explorer Charles Lord is forced to choose between his loyalty to his friends, his company and country, his desire for revenge against an old foe and his dream of actually discovering the long-sought Northwest Passage.
Chantler’s thoughtful writing and cartoony-yet-edgy art on this series has earned him well-deserved back-to-back best cartoonist nominations for the Joe Shuster Awards (Canada’s top comic honours) and this new collection is both a perfect jumping-on point for new readers and packed with insight for longtime fans.
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
Fell Vol. 1: Feral City
Warren Ellis, Ben Templesmith
Image Comics
$24.99 US (Hardcover)
**** 1/2 (out of five)
Another dead body has been pulled out of the water down by the harbour, that disgusting coroner who eats while he works says there’s nothing to go on and to make matters more confusing that creepy little person in the nun’s outfit with the Richard Nixon mask on just picked up a hooker.
Fell truly is the greatest crime book in the world.
Pairing the exceptional writing skills of Warren Ellis (Planetary, Transmetropolitan) with the simplistic-yet-undeniably moody art of Ben Templesmith (30 Days Of Night), Fell chronicles Det. Richard Fell’s day-to-day life after being transferred to the Snowtown P.D. — with each issue revealing a crime and concluding an investigation.
Over the course of the first eight issues — collected in this new hardcover (and also available in paperback) — readers get to see drama that would make the writers of Law And Order and NYPD Blue crap their pants mixed with black humour that would put Matt Stone and Trey Parker to shame.
Fell was a strong contender for my best monthly book of 2006 nod and will be there again in 2007 if a few more issues come out.
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
Justice League Of America: The Tornado’s Path
Brad Meltzer, Ed Benes
DC Comics
$29.99/$24.99 US (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)
You had me at Red Tornado.
Well, actually, you had me at Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes, so the Red Tornado thing was just icing on the cake.
There are few creators you’d want more to take on the job of bringing the world’s greatest super-hero team back to life over Meltzer — the talented New York Times-bestselling novelist whose comic book work includes the acclaimed miniseries, Identity Crisis — and Benes — the Brazilian artist whose dynamic work helped make Birds Of Prey a hit.
They don’t disappoint, either.
With a near-perfect blend of being progressive while honouring the past, Meltzer and Benes deliver an epic story that mixes the titans of the DC Universe —Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman — with rising stars — Hawkgirl, Vixen, Red Arrow — in an adventure built around the android hero Red Tornado (one of the very first characters to capture my attention when I was a little kid).
The result is a wild ride with some terrific twists and turns that results in the formation of an all-new JLA.
Congrats Messrs. Meltzer and Benes: You’ve just made some history!
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
Y: The Last Man Vol. 9 — Motherland
Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, Jose Marzan Jr.
Vertigo/DC Comics
$17.99/$14.99 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly five years that I’ve been telling you all how great Y: The Last Man is.
Well here’s your second-last reminder, on the off chance you haven’t picked it up yet: It’s exceptionally, remarkably, extraordinarily and superbly good.
Now that I’ve exhausted my thesaurus and co-creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra are blushing profusely, I’ll give you an example why.
In this ninth volume (out of 10 planned collections of the series which is slated to end in January 2008), Yorick Brown — the last man on earth after a mysterious plague wipes out the rest — arrives in China along with his companions: his bodyguard Agent 355, biochemist Dr, Allison Mann, her girlfriend Rose and Yorick’s pet capuchin, Ampersand.
As Yorick, Ampersand and 355 are set to begin their final leg of an around-the-world journey to find the last man’s fiancée, a villain from their past captures and delivers them into the hands of the person responsible for the plague!
See why this is so good?
It’s no wonder Vaughan — now a writer on TV’s Lost — has been voted top international creator the past two years running for the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards, while Vancouver’s Guerra was chosen best artist for 2005.
Do yourself a favour: go to your nearest comic store and buy this series, not only because it’s so darned good, but so you’ll be able to hold it over your friends when this becomes the hottest new show on TV or a blockbuster film.
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
Death Jr. 2
Gary Whitta, Ted Naifeh
Image Comics
$14.99 US (Paperback)
**** (out of five)
It’s not easy being Death’s little boy.
This fact is hammered home even harder when Death Jr. decides to accept a summer internship with his father’s company, Terminal Industries.
Instead of swinging the old scythe around like his old man, DJ finds himself starting out at the bottom — way down in the accounting department as an assistant deputy clerk under the management of one of his dad’s old friends, Mr. Cracy.
As he’s beginning to lose hope of having any fun over the summer — and wishing he was with his friends at camp — DJ ambitions to be promoted out of the cellar see him tricked into getting his old man in hot water with the board of directors.
The result is Death: the homemaker, while DJ’s mom decides to become the breadwinner.
Can DJ help his dad get his job back before bureaucracy destroys the afterlife?
The creative team of Gary Whitta and Ted Naifeh never disappoint and Death Jr. 2 is another fine and funny adventure.
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
52 Vol. 1
Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen
DC Comics
$23.99/$19.99 US (Paperback)
*** 1/2 (out of five)
The biggest mystery of the weekly series 52 was, of course, “What is 52?”
While it took a whole year for the real answer to be revealed, a logical early supposition could have been: How many reasons there are for this series to kick ass?
Let’s start with the writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid — the cornerstone creators of the DC Universe — all working in tandem on the same book. Add in art breakdowns by legend Keith Giffen and finishes by the likes of Eddy Barrows, Chris Batista, Joe Bennett, Ken Lashley, Shawn Moll and Todd Nauck, use the slingshot effect coming off the heat of the epic Infinite Crisis miniseries and you’ve already got a winner.
Then there’s the heroes: Booster Gold, Black Adam, Steel, The Question, the formerly Elongated Man, Animal Man, Starfire, Adam Strange — it’s an admittedly motley crew, but somehow all those different characters, in all their diverse areas of the DCU from deep space to the back alleys of Gotham and the spires of Metropolis, flowed almost seamlessly together.
Oh sure, there were some holes and certainly a bit of clutter, but as far as producing a cohesive weekly series that made you want to come back for more? Mission accomplished.
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June 25, 2007 | Trades
The All New Atom Vol. 1: My Life In Miniature
Gail Simone, John Byrne, Eddy Barrows, Trevor Scott
DC Comics
$17.99/$14.99 US (Paperback)
*** 1/2 (out of five)
It’s science vs. magic in a showdown for the universe — and the all-new Atom is caught in the crossfire.
Dr. Ryan Choi has been a friend and colleague to Dr. Ray Palmer, A.K.A. the Atom, for years, so coming from his native Hong Kong to take Palmer’s place as a physics professor at Ivy Town University is a dream come true.
While Palmer hasn’t been seen since the end of 2005’s Identity Crisis, Choi soon discovers that the hero has left a size-shrinking belt and costume for him and quickly takes on the challenge of continuing the adventures of the Atom.
Just as he’s getting used to it, though, Choi finds himself thrown into the middle of an inter-dimensional war between sides choosing science against magic in a conflict created in part by his predecessor’s actions.
Choi is a fun and original new character whose actions as a freshman hero flow naturally thanks to the fine writing of Gail Simone (Birds Of Prey). His continuing adventures ought to be fun to follow.
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June 10, 2007 | News
Darwyn Cooke shows off his three new Joe Shuster Awards.
The annual Canadian comic book creator honours have its first triple-crown winner, turning the 2007 Joe Shuster Awards into the Darwyn Awards.
(No, not the ones with the people who die in foolish ways.)
The multi-talented Darwyn Cooke swept the outstanding writer, artist and cartoonist nods at Saturday night’s awards ceremony in Toronto.
Earning this hat trick of honours — bringing his total to four over the three years of the awards existence — was a great thrill, Cooke said, especially because of his great admiration for Joe Shuster, the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman.
“It’s an incredible honour,” the Nova Scotia resident said after being lauded by the over 125 attendees.
“I try to explain to my friends in America how much more important to me this is than the Eisners (comics’ top honours), believe it or not, but everyone up here knows.”
Cooke’s cartoonist and artist award, the latter shared with longtime collaborator J. Bone, were both for projects bringing back The Spirit, a crime-fighter created by the late comic book legend, Will Eisner.
“We’re just happy to know The Spirit is being well received and that people are entertained by it,” Cooke said. “I guess (these awards are) an indication that we’re doing all right.”
The other big winner as the results of the online balloting for the JSAs were revealed was Dan Kim, formerly of Waterloo, Ont., now of Montreal, who took home the outstanding web comic creator and fan-favourite English-language creator plaques.
“It’s quite overwhelming and it’s quite humbling,” Kim said.
Receiving these prizes for his efforts at www.manga.clone-army.org will be good incentive to keep working hard, said the 23-year-old creator.
“Hopefully these awards will give me even more motivation to get everything done that I want to get done,” Kim said.
Other 2007 winners included a repeat victory for Drawn & Quarterly as outstanding publisher, Michel Rabagliati as favourite French-language creator and another back-to-back win for American writer Brian K. Vaughan as outstanding international creator.
Inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame were Toronto’s Gerald Lazare, Quebec’s Jaques Hurtubise and the late Albert Chartier and Howard “Gene” Day.
Taking home this year’s Harry Kremer Award for outstanding Canadian retailer was Edmonton’s Happy Harbor Comics & Toys — a most pleasing result for store founder Jay Bardyla.
“It’s something we’ve worked really hard for,” he said. “We put a lot of effort into going beyond just selling comic books and toys.”
The results of the 2007 Canadian comic book creator honours — the Joe Shuster Awards:
Outstanding artist — Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone for Batman/The Spirit
Outstanding cartoonist — Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit #1
Outstanding writer — Darwyn Cooke for Superman Confidential #1, 2
Outstanding publisher — Drawn & Quarterly
Outstanding web comics creator — Dan Kim for April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute
Outstanding international creator — Brian K. Vaughan for Pride Of Baghdad, Ex Machina, Runaways, Doctor Strange: The Oath and Y: The Last Man
Fan-favourite creator (English) — Dan Kim for April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute
Fan-favourite creator (French) — Michel Rabagliati for Paul a la Peche
Harry Kremer Oustanding Retailer Award — Happy Harbor Comics & Toys, Edmonton, Alta.
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