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COMIC
BOOK
REVIEWS
BACK
ISSUE
BIN
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A-I
 DANGER
UNLIMITED
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Cover dates 2/94 through 5/94
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Published under the Legends imprint by Dark Horse
Simultaneously a derivative of the FANTASTIC FOUR and an exciting stretch
of John Byrne's super-hero creativity, what should have been an exciting
run never got beyond its first story arc. And that's too bad, since
Byrne had only begun to pick at the various layers of the world he had
created for this series. This series was introduced when the market
began its contraction and was seriously underrated. To me, this may
have been Byrne's most enjoyable creation of that decade.
The artwork is also kind of interesting for those of you who have
followed and/or collected much of Byrne's work over the years.
Although most of his inks during this time period were a combination of
duo-tone shading and thick inkwork, many of his lines in this series were
actually thin and relatively delicate... this makes for an interesting
combination with the duo-tone shading he had been using since the early
'90's.
An overlooked gem.
GRIMJACK
#1 - #21
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cover dates August 1984 through April 1986
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cover prices $1.00/$1.25; color
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published by First Comics
Dig deep into those back issue bins, funny book fans!
Before "grim 'n' gritty" protagonists were in, there was Grimjack,
and few have been done as well ever since. Grimjack is a merc with
a rich (and dark) past, a man with a hard attitude but with a dangerous
flaw: he can never settle for finding a hlaf-truth, he always has to keep
digging until he gets the whole scoop no matter how ugly it is or how devastating
the consequences.
Another part of what makes this series noteworthy more than a decade
later is that Grimjack's stomping ground is the city of Cynosure, a place
where myriad dimensions meet (some permanently, some periodically, and
others just sort of rolling down the street!). Hence, the city is
a bustling hive of trade between innumerable alien races, and Cynosure
is a product of high finance, a forgotten underclass and the resultant
cynicism, and laws of physics and magic that can change around you as you
cross the street. It is this last that keeps the book lively rather
than sinking into a rut... there are always new locales to visit!
One might think that this leads to anarchy, but writer John Ostrander does
a skillful job of filling in the reader on the rules that do in fact help
string together Cynosure and serve as the anchor for the series.
Ostrander also uses the first 15 issues to introduce unique and
carefully crafted characters and concepts that he eventually (and masterfully)
intertwines in the pivotal "Trade Wars" saga. What starts out as
an unrelated series of hard-boiled merc-for-hire cases sublty and inexorably
leads to a discovery that threatens Cynosure's existence as a trade center
and as a dimensional nexus. Issues #16- 17 serve as a two issue prologue
that ends with the eruption of the Trade War between massive business conglomerates;
the roles of Grimjack and his allies (and enemies) in the Trade War itself
is shown in issues #18-#20; and there is an appropriate epilogue in issue
#21. Dipping into only issues #16 - #21 would work, but probably
have less impact on the new reader, as the earlier issues nonchalantly
drop numerous details and clues about what is to come... the alert
reader realizes just how carefully planned everything has been in this
series only once they arrive at the stroy arc for #16 - #21. (And
if you really want to get the full effect, pick up Grimjack's earliest
appearances in Starslayer #10 - #18... these issues are not as critical
as Grimjack's solo series, but they do introduce characters that play important
parts in the Trade Wars.)
The artwork for most of these issues is done by Tim Truman, who
may be best known for his later work on Scout for Eclipse. Truman
has a knack of inserting all sorts of pop culture and 80's alternative
culture into Cynosure's grafitti and aliens. Half the fun is trying
to pick everything out! Issues #20 and #21 are done by Tom Sutton
and Steve Erwin.
A note of caution: this book is violent, although I suppose
that by the standards of some things that have been published over the
last several years it is not particularly noteworthy. Nonetheless,
if that's a major turn-off to you, then I would venture to say that
this series, no matter how well crafted, is not going to be your cup of
tea. For those of you who don't mind that in your fantasy reading,
this is a series worth tracking down in the back issue bins. They'll
be tough to find (print runs were less than 40,000 per issue), but generally
not too expensive, and in many cases they should run cheaper than current
comic book issues.
Bonus #1: the Munden's Bar back-up feature. Overall
of variable quality, there are some definite gems here such as the Steve
Bissette in issue #3, Totleben in #14, Rude in #6, and more.
Bonus #2: the series didn't end with issue #21. There
are lots of great issues beyond that one, including a pivotal run with
Tom Mandrake and a real shocker in issue #55. The series ultimately
ended at #81 when First's regular comics line went belly up in 1991.
A
HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
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originally published as a mini-series; collected volume published 1997
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$9.95 cover price; apprx. 286 pages; b/w
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published by DC Comics under their Paradox Press imprint
This particular volume is written by John Wagner with artwork by Vince
Locke. Tom McKenna, a man in a sleepy little town becomes a celebrity
when he stops a hold-up in his diner... and that notoriety brings some
mob-types into town to visit. Much to everybody's surprise, it turns
out that they know McKenna. The hows and whys are revealed, as well
as what McKenna decides to do about it.
Kind of cinematic in scope, and definitely an example of a story
that would be appealing to a lot of "typical" adults, it just happens to
be told in comics form.
I found History to be nothing less than a gripping read.
INCREDIBLE
HULK VS. SUPERMAN #1
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one-shot
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cover price $5.99; color
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cover date July 1999
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co-published by Marvel and DC
Roger Stern, former writer of the Incredible Hulk and of the Superman
character, gets to bring both together. And it's a funtastic ride!
Steve Rude does excellent work here, and I'm happily surprised at how well
his clean lines work with the old style Hulk.
This is why fans get excited for cross-overs! I had
a blast with this one!
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J-Q
Liam
Depression-Era Liverpool: a story that explains (without condoning)
the source of religious bias and hatred. Told from the point-of-view
of a young boy (and, to some degree, his older sister), but it doesn't
resort to the trite device of first-person narration. Excellent acting,
especially by the young boy who plays Liam Sullivan. Touches on a
lot of themes that Hollywood is generally too afraid to touch, and explores
them in a decidely dark way. Timely and relevant for Fall 2001, very
well done, but definitely not the "feel good" hit of the year!
Memento
My recommendation is that you go see this movie *cold* without reading
much about it in advance... so I'm going to be very evasive about this
film's content. Suffice it to say this is noir with an unusual twist
in its storytelling approach. Not so much of a whodunit as it is
a whydunit.
Remember the word-of-mouth buzz that surrounded The Sixth Sense?
It's going to happen again for this flick! See it as soon as it opens
in your town and you'll understand why!
Mulholland
Drive
David Lynch returns to some of the motifs and ideas he explored
in his "Twin Peaks" television series and prequel movie without reprising
old characters or resorting to derivative replay. Many audiences
will be left scratching their heads -- especially during the extensive
non-linear ending -- but Lynch fans will feel at home with red curtains,
mysterious boxes, discussions of prescient dreams, bizarre characters,
and otherworldly *things* that play with human lives like toys. Loved
it, but then I always prefer Lynch when you think you can *almost* glimpse
what he's all about..
The
Mummy Returns
Not only does the Mummy return, but so do a whole bunch of other
movies. The first film was an Indiana jones wannabe. This sequel
is also an Indiana Jones wannabe, but it also seems to be groping around
for more than just that. I couldn't help but notice how many scenes
and shots seemed to have been lifted from other movies: Perfect Storm;
E.T.; Titanic; JP2: Lost World; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; the original
Scooby Doo animated series; Matrix; Twister; and I don't know how many
more. It's almost as if the producers, writers, editors, and director
all sat around drinking a few beers and wishing they were actually producing
a montage of cliched shots from their favorite movies.
It is also worth pointing out that the CGI effects were not especially
smooth. CGI works best when the viewer cannot tell that they are
looking at CGI, and unfortunately nobody seemed to make any effort to cover
up their special effects tracks. Skip this one!
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R-Z
SILVER
SURFER: DANGEROUS ARTIFACTS
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cover date June 1996
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cover price $3.95; color
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published by Marvel Comics
There are some panels here that give me that same sense of amazement
I had when I read comics as a kid. I don't know if Claudio Castellini's
pencils were directly reproduced onto the page or if the inking was
done by computer (apparently that's the latest trend; I have yet to see
an example of computer inking labelled as such, so I don't know what it
looks like), but the detail and grays are phenomenal. Castellini's
backgrounds and panoramic shots are breath-taking (Galactus' "World Ship"
never looked so imposing, even when drawn by Kirby!) and his Surfer looks
just like John Buscema's classic rendition of the character. My major
complaints with the book are that the story is not exactly intricate or
surprising (perhaps it's just a vehicle for Castellini's art?), and the
full bleeds sometimes make it difficult to determine immediately whether
I'm looking at a two-page spread or two pages meant to be read separately.
Nevertheless, fans of the Stan Lee/John Buscema Silver Surfer series
will want to check this one out!
STREAK
OF CHALK
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first released in North America in 1994, published in Europe as early
as 1992
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cover price $15.95; 88 pages, full color
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published by NBM under its ComicsLit imprint
The graphic novel Streak of Chalk is an example of what comics can be,
yet only occasionally aspire to and rarely achieve. Ironically, writer/artist
Miguelanxo Prada solidly drives the point home by setting his story on
a small island that in a subtle way mirrors how the world perceives comics.
Somewhere out in the middle of the ocean is a tiny mysterious island which
is home to only two people, a woman and her son who tend an inn and adjoining
cafe. The lighthouse perched atop the tall rocky pile is deserted,
but is one of two main features on the tiny speck of land. The other
is the long jetty that stretches out to the sea to catch any who may sail
nearby. In a sense, comic books are like the island in Streak of
Chalk: in some ways, all of the wonderful things that comics can
be have been abandoned and arguably fewer people work to see the art form
fulfill its potential. While a casual reader is occasionally snagged
by comics because their pages can be filled by beautiful art and interesting
people with interesting experiences, more often than not comics are passed
by. And so it is with the island in Streak of Chalk:
Innkeeper: "Never been here before?"
Raul: "Oh no! I didn't even know that this island existed!
In fact, it doesn't show up on a lot of maps, right?"
Innkeeper: "On none of them I think."
Thus, Prada has drawn a parallel between his strange island and the
state of comic books. Long ignored, few people ever really see the
potential of comics. And by missing comic books, they've missed Streak
of Chalk, a good example of the kind of quality work that comics can be.
Streak of Chalk opens as the narrator Raul, who has just endured
two stormy days on the ocean, first arrives in his sailboat at the unnamed
island. He encounters another woman staying at the island, Ana, who
is waiting for another man to meet her. Although she has never met
him, she is certain that he will come because he left her a graffiti message
scrawled on the jetty. Oddly enough, the man she waits for is also
named Raul. But she is also certain that the Raul who has just arrived
on the island is not the person she is waiting for.
Other mysteries lurk just around the periphery of Raul's consciousness.
Somebody has been killing the local seagulls with darts, the innkeeper
Sara makes strange comments to Raul as if he should know something that
he does not, and why does her son seem so aloof from him...? And
then another pair of visitors to the island are murdered. Or are
they? When Raul makes a return trip to the island, Sara seems strangely
aloof... and the murdered men are alive. A deliberately slow and
subtle tension builds through the story and in the end, all is answered
in an unexpected twist.
The title Streak of Chalk comes from both the graffiti messages
on the pier and from the artwork itself. Prada has chosen chalk as
his medium, unusual for comics. The result delicately adds to the
surreal atmosphere of the story. Sunlit rocks stand out in sharp
contrast to the dark colors, which seen especially shadowy when done on
dark paper whose color can be glimpsed through the flecks of colored chalk.
Not to mention that the use of chalk dictates that the artwork must be
at least silghtly impressionist and lacking in some details.
For those interested in comics, Streak of Chalk is a model of what
comics can be. The pictures contain clues that are unnoticed initially
but which ultimately confirm the book's conclusion of the book, deliberately
and carefully hidden until the last few pages. But to the nonreader
of comics, this graphic novel can also serve as an initial point of entry
to the artform because of its mature and sophisticated approach and its
demands of the reader. What the European art films are to the cinema,
Streak of Chalk is to comic books. It is something different, a tale
produced outside of the umbrella of commercialism and told in its own way.
It is like a message scrawled on the jetty, asking the reader to come back
and promising more good things on a return trip.
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