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By Marc Mason

October 19, 2004

RETURNER

So, since I took last week off from actual reviews, I have a backlog again. On top of that, I don’t really have a real “focus” book either. Some good books, mind you, but not one that screams for film or television adaptation. So I’m just going to put the hammer down and plow right through these bad boys. All eleven of them.

THE DARK GATE
Written by Various and Drawn by Brett Ewins
Published by Cyberosia

This is an anthology from the long missing artist behind DEADLINE MAGAZINE and SKREEMER. Ewins explains in an introduction that an overload of work caused him to pull away from work that had deadlines involved and that he took a great deal of time to recover from that breakdown. His solution was to solicit scripts from friends and colleagues that he could work on over long periods of time, and this book is the result. It reads as almost a tryout book, as Ewins has stories in the book that use a variety of different styles and tones. Unfortunately, the quality of said stories also varies wildly, rendering some of Ewins’ work a bit ineffective. In particular, “A Whitehouse Dream,” which is drawn in what I would call a traditional “superhero” style, comes off as dull because there is nothing Ewins could have done to make it interesting. Contrast that against the first story in the book, “The Hunger Artists,” which is absolutely lovely to look at… and read. The one serious mark against this book is its price point. This is a 64-page prestige format book, but the price tag is a whopping $10. That’s well out of the normal range for this type of book, especially because it’s in black and white. Ouch. Grade: B

TOMB RAIDER #46
Written by James Bonny and Drawn by Eric Basaldua
Published by Image Comics

This was actually better than I would have expected. Having never read an issue of this comic previously, I was expecting hyper-sexualized art that wouldn’t do a lot of service in telling the story. Like it or not, that’s the reputation of material that comes from the Top Cow section of Image. However, while the art is sexualized at various points of the story (no way Lara Croft, or anyone else, wears those short shorts while riding a motorcycle), Basaldua does a decent job of propelling the story along nicely. Bonny’s story has a lot of talking head moments and one page fully devoted to a man retrieving a book and blowing dust off of it. I also discovered that Lara’s adventures have somehow wound up taking place in the same universe as WITCHBLADE and MAGDALENA. Nifty trick. Grade: B

SAVAGE DRAGON #117
Written and Drawn by Eric Larson
Published by Image Comics

DRAGON is one of those comics where you just have to kick back, put your brain on pause, and go to town. Larson continues to write and draw one of the most absurd, gonzo comics ever made, month in, and month out. This time out, with Dragon’s wife having lost her powers and his own diminished, he decides to allow the She-Dragon to move into his house and fight alongside him. Putting the loopiest touch possible on it, She-Dragon is head over heels for Dragon and she narrates the story in the fashion of a romance comic from the fifties. Plus, there’s a diminutive super-villain also residing in the house whom Dragon is ignoring as harmless… but he’s really not. After 117 issues, it’s almost impossible to explain any plot point from this book without making it sound ludicrous, but somehow, Larson makes it work. And as usual, there’s also a back up story, pages of letter column, and more. DRAGON gives bang for the buck. Grade: B+

PSCYTHE #1/INDUSTRY OF WAR #1
Written and Drawn by Mark Texeira and Jordan Raskin
Published by Image Comics

This is an interesting idea, piggy-backing two new books together as one, but not one that’s wholly successful, I think, because the two books are wildly different. PSCYTHE is about… well, I’m not sure, really. I think its about a gorgeous bail enforcement officer who can become/contact/share space with an angel/demon. It’s not even remotely clear. That said, Tex’s art is gorgeous in lush black and white, and I enjoyed pouring through them and admiring his skill. INDUSTRY OF WAR is about a team of intelligence specialists sent out to retrieve a military weapon that should have never been released to the public when the project folded. Many of the “person combat apparatuses” wound up in surplus stores, and they’re simply too dangerous to be left out in the open. Raskin’s story is explained much clearer, and his art is also very nuanced and detailed. This book reminded me quite a bit of something that would have come out from Dark Horse Comics in its glory years, which is a good thing. Grade: B

ULTRA #3
Written and Drawn by The Luna Brothers
Published by Image Comics

Issue three of this amusing and well-drawn look at super-heroine romance finds Ultra finally out on a date. Of course, that also means that there’s a risk of paparazzi, autograph seekers, and other annoyances ruining the evening. I’ve read some reviews of this book that have taken it to task for Ultra and the guy’s characters being drawn very vaguely, but after reading this issue, I’m starting to believe that the Luna Brothers are actually leaving them that way for a reason. It’s standard procedure for the female lead in a romance novel to be a pretty vacant character because it allows the book’s audience (99 % female) easier access to live through the character in vicarious fashion. I think the Lunas are trying to do the same here for both genders. Clever bastards. Grade: A-

G.I. JOE #33
Written by Brandon Jerwa and Drawn by Tim Seeley
Published by Devil’s Due Publishing

I have pretty strenuously avoided the wave of 80s nostalgia books, but that’s over as of this week. On the bright side, my introduction to it was facilitated with relative ease. The book opens with a nice recap page, allowing the new reader to catch up with the goings on without complexity, and then it segues into a nice, clear little story of what just may be General Hawk’s life flashing before his eyes as he lies mortally wounded after a personal battle with Cobra Commander. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before a million times, but Jerwa appears to have a good grasp of his audience and his characters, and by simply telling the tale, he fleshes out Hawk a bit more for the reader. Seeley’s art is nothing spectacular, but it services the story well enough. I read the Marvel G.I. JOE pretty religiously for the first few years it was out, and the highest praise I can give this issue is that it would have fit in nicely with the classic stuff. Grade: B+

VOLTRON #8
Written by Dan Jolley and Drawn by E.J. Su and Clint Hilinski
Published by Devil’s Due Publishing

On the other hand, when the 80s nostalgia wave did hit, this was the one book that I actively considered buying, but I never did. I loved VOLTRON as a kid; the cartoon was exciting and vivid, and it jump started my love of giant robots. I only wished that there was an episode where it fought Godzilla. Dan Jolley is telling a surprisingly mature and interesting tale of political intrigue with this book, focusing on making sure there’s more here than just fighting. Instead, the pilot team behind the robot is on the trail of a traitor. Indeed, at no part of this story do the lions link together and form Voltron at all. That’s a gutsy move, considering. The art isn’t anything too special, which is sort of disappointing, but not real surprising; E.J. Su is a much better artist in black and white than color, as evidenced by the trade paperback version of TECH JACKET versus the published issues. Grade: B+

GRUES: HORRID LITTLE POEMS
Written and Drawn by Chris Collins
Published by QED Comics

This is precisely the kind of independent effort that gets me excited about comics, because it reminds me of what an amazing variety comics can present. Collins has taken the classic “grue,” which is a Victorian form of poetry with four-line rhyming couplets, and given it a modern spin. Collins has written his own grues and committed them to comic book adaptation; where else but comics, you know? The real good thing is that a number of Collins’ grues are quite amusing. I got a terrific laugh out of poems like “Bombed” and “Nine Lives=Nine Deaths,” and there isn’t a severe dud in the bunch. The one problem with this book is that Collins can’t draw. Not even a little. That takes away from the quality of the book, unfortunately, but that’s life. With luck, he’ll keep working to improve or he’ll find an artist who can bring his poems to a more vivid life. And maybe even put out a second book. Grade: B

GRANDPA AND JULIE: SHARK HUNTERS
Written and Drawn by Jef Czekaj
Published by Top Shelf

Look up the word “adorable” in the dictionary and you’re likely to see a picture of this book. One of the best books for children and adults alike that I’ve seen in years, GRANDPA AND JULIE has a sense of whimsy that has to be experienced to be believed. Told as a “what I did with my summer vacation” by young Julie, we follow her on her adventures with her grandfather as they sail the world, travel to other planets, and wind up as the only two people to show up at a shark hunters convention. They also get to meet such hilarious characters as the Ocean Monkeys (they don’t live in the sea) and a penguin that has a lemonade stand set up at the North Pole. Artistically bright and lively, this book is just plain fun. I’ll be sharing this one for a long time. Grade: A

OWLY: THE WAY HOME & BITTERSWEET SUMMER
Written and Drawn by Andy Runton
Published by Top Shelf

This book, somehow, manages to be even better. OWLY is an owl of incredible depth and sensitivity who, in these two tales, offers kindness and warmth in such ways that you are struck by the humanity portrayed by this fictional bird. In tale one, he rescues a lost baby worm and leads him on a trek over hill and valley to help the worm find his parents. And when he does finally manage to make it to his destination, he is suddenly faced with fear and discrimination because of his species in a moment that absolutely grips you. In tale two Owly and his companion befriend and take in a pair of hummingbirds, trying to make sure they are safe from the winter and humans who would cage them. However, no matter how noble Owly’s efforts, sometimes life has to take its natural course. Told without dialogue, only the occasional pictograph, OWLY is the rare comic that demonstrates an understanding of how to tell tales that not only reach the reader’s heart, but that show a world where all species and races live together in friendship and trust. For Owly, it is the content of his character, not his species, which defines him. I liked this as much as any book I’ve seen this year. Grade: A+ TRACKER: BLANKETS
Music by Tracker
Published by Top Shelf

This is a soundtrack companion to Craig Thompson’s massive BLANKETS graphic novel. These eleven pieces of music were written to match the moods and events of various chapters from the book with varying results, unfortunately. Technically, the music is very sound and well made, but I didn’t quite feel what Tracker was going for at some points on the disc. Also, I was somewhat disappointed that only one cut was lyrical; the rest are instrumentals. That felt like a bit of a cheat to me for such a lengthy work to draw upon. Still, I appreciate the effort; this isn’t the first comic to get this treatment, but I’d like to see more. There’s a close relationship between music and comics that has yet to be fully exploited. Grade: B-

I’m off next week as I prepare a couple of special features for the column. Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you in fourteen! Don’t forget to visit me at Happy Nonsense and The Comics Waiting Room.

E-mail me from the link provided. Review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ, 85285

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