DC Universe Presents #5 : DEADMAN Twenty Questions The Conclusion

January 24, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

PAUL JENKINS & BERNARD CHANG Storytellers
BLOND colorist DAVE SHARPE letterer
RYAN SOOK cover artist WILL MOSS editor
DEADMAN created by ARNOLD DRAKE

So with issue number five we see the end of the first story arc of this wonderful Deadman series. I never read a book with Boston Brand in it (that I remember reading anyway) and I must say I’m hooked.

Let’s get a little info on Deadman (Boston Brand) shall we?

Deadman is a ghost, a former circus trapeze artist, he was murdered during a performance by a mysterious assassin. The goddess Rama gave him the ability to possess any living being ostensibly to search out the persons responsible for his death. But so far she has forced him to possess certain mortals in need in order to “help them”, and avoid damnation himself. She gives him no guidance on why this person needs help or how he should go about helping them, nor is she forthcoming in how long this task will last of how many people he needs to help.

This first five issue arc really dealt with Boston’s acceptance of his situation, in life he was an arrogant obnoxious user and in death he wasn’t much better. But that’s what this arc was really about, becoming more than you are. Deadman is well on his way to becoming a real hero and I was happy to be along for the ride.

Deadman also appears in Justice League Dark, another of the New52 titles I’ve been reading, along with Zatana, John Constantine, Shade, and Enchantress. Since next month starts a new story in DC Universe Presents I strongly recommend checking out Justice League Dark for more from this very cool character.

Next month in DC Universe Presents

DC Universe Presents #6

Written by DAN DIDIO and JERRY ORDWAY
Art by JERRY ORDWAY Cover by RYAN SOOK

On sale FEBRUARY 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T

The Challengers. Out of time and on the run. Eight survivors of a fiery plane crash, bound by fate and death, are on a desperate mission to uncover the mysteries of the Unknown before the powers that saved their lives, claim them for eternity.

Come see me @ http://charlessuffel.com

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Witch Doctor – The Resuscitation (One Shot) (MR) SKYBOUND – Image Comics

January 19, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

The Writing Brandon Seifert, The Art Lukas Ketner, The Colors Andy Troy, The Editor Sina Grace (Skybound / Image Comics)

From the comic:
“It’s a sick world – LITERALLY. The universe is a living thing, and the monsters of legend are its parasites… but Dr. Vincent Morrow is on the case! Dr. Morrow’s on a quest to understand the supernatural using every tool at his disposal, magical and medical. It’s a sick world – He’s here to treat it.”

Hot on the heels of last years four issue mini Dr. Morrow is back with an organ swapping, dead raising mystery.

This is a horror comic, or is it? It’s definitely occult and it does get gory but that’s where the similarities end. This book is more of an occult action adventure a la Dr. House. Morrow is acerbic, obnoxious, always right and pretty damn brilliant. With his assistants / partners Eric Gast a Paramedic and Penny, Dr. Morrow’s Patient and Anesthesiologist, he investigates all manner of mystical medical maladies. This book is definitely different, I’ve read a lot of horror comics but the direction Seifert takes with this character is unique. The art is mesmerizing it’s one of the books I reread just because the imagery is so intense.

This book is a great starting point for new readers, Dr. Morrow is gross, interesting, good fun.

Check it out at your local comic shop this week!

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Preview / Review Princeless Issue #4

January 18, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

Jeremy Whitley – Story (@jrome58 on twitter) M. Goodwin – Art, Colors Dave Dwonch – Letters (@DaveDwonch on twitter)
Action Labs Entertainment (@ActionLab on twitter) with Firetower Studios (@firetower_news on twitter)

So yea I’ve reviewed every issue of this comic to date. Why you ask? Because this book deserves to be talked about. There are a bunch of writers out there constantly going on about the big two (Marvel and DC) not doing enough to draw in the female demographic. They should be pushing this book on everyone they meet. You want to change how the comic book industry views women? As fans and as characters? Make a book like this a best selling title. Complaining only gets us so far, we need to point to titles like this one and say see this is what we’re talking about! Okay rant over, let’s get to the good stuff!

Adrienne makes a friend! At the end of number three Princess Adrienne and Bedella the smith were trapped and under attack, what follows if some good old fashioned fighting and some well written bonding between the girls. Will they stick together? Is Bedella the heroic type? What about Adrienne’s sisters? Read this book. This was an action packed issue with some of the best artwork of the series. I really hope we can keep the good buzz going on this series, I’m looking forward to the further adventures of Adrienne!

Speaking of further adventures issue number four may be the end of book one but I have it on good authority (twitter that is LOL) that book two is already in the works!

Issue #4 drops on January 28th

In other Priceless news there’s this press release from Actionlab Comics:

“This April, Action Lab Entertainment presents the critically acclaimed Princeless: Save Yourself (Diamond Order Code FEB120706), collecting the first volume of the sprawling fantasy adventure series by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin. Join Princess Adrienne, her guardian dragon Sparky and a rough and tough sidekick named Bedelia, as they begin their own quest for adventure designed specifically for those who are tired of waiting to be rescued, and who are ready to save themselves.

Plus, as an added bonus, Princeless: Save Yourself contains a special, never-before-seen team-up short story between “Princeless” and “Skullkickers” written by Skullkickers creator Jim Zub and featuring the art of M. Goodwin. Skullkickers (www.skullkickers.com) is Image Comics’ irreverent sword & sorcery action-comedy series, and we are proud to be able to present this team-up that will give fans of both series something fun and memorable.”

read the full post here: http://www.actionlabcomics.com/2012/01/17/the-prodigal-princess-returns-to-kick-some-skulls/

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Review of Usagi Yojimbo #143

January 18, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Alex Vazquez

This is my first time reading a Usagi Yojimbo comic; my only exposure to the character being the ’87 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, and owning the vintage toy. I’m aware of the high praise this long running series has received though and I can see why. There is an unabashed love for traditional Japanese culture, a charming simplicity to the artwork, and a protagonist with gravitas.
The plot in this issue revolves around the brewing of shoyu, or soy sauce. Not the most stimulating of subjects, but our writer extraordinaire, Stan Sakai, filters it through an endearing shoyu brewer, who walks Usagi (if not us readers) through the brewery process. The love of traditional crafts, as portrayed by the hapless brewer, is infectious.
He is, I surmise, the latest of victims that Usagi protects from whatever villainous lot. In this case, our antagonists being a rival brewer and his hired thugs. While the story may not be groundbreaking it’s still a rewarding and educational read nonetheless (I now have a new found love for soy sauce).

If this issue is any indication of what this series represents then consider me on board. The story ends off on a cliffhanger, so some sword swinging action is bound to ensue in the next issue. As such, I’ll be there faster than our wandering samurai can swing his sword.

Follow Alex on Twitter @Nettomono

Review of King Conan #1

January 16, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Alex Vazquez

I’ll have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve read an American comic book. If there was ever a comic to bring me back into the fold. I couldn’t think of any subject matter better than Conan the Barbarian. I’ve read The Phoenix on the Sword as written by the man himself, Robert E. Howard, and this first issue hits the mark with tone.

Our writer, Timothy Truman, accurately captures the characterizations from the source material. In addition to that, he expands the scope of the narrative a bit. This is evident from the first page, but I’m pleased to find that this approach doesn’t step on the toes of the original, if anything enhances it a bit.

Tomas Giorello’s artwork brings me back to the pages of Marvel’s Savage Sword of Conan, albeit in color. His appropriately hatchy line work isn’t lost in said colors either. On that note, Jose Villarrubia’s wonderfully drab colors serve to express the melancholia and paranoia that permeates the story.

This book would look just as amazing in black and white; the colors are almost the icing on the cake and the splash pages are epic. The story is broken up into four issues. Overall, nothing big transpires in this first issue. By the end you can surmise who the true villain is. I look forward to the upcoming issues when things start to ramp up story wise. Until then, enjoy this love letter to the very story that introduced us to Robert E. Howard’s barbarian, thief, general, and king.

Follow Alex on Twitter @nettomono

Reviews Princeless #’ s 2 and 3

January 14, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

I just finished rereading issue two and issue three and I’ve got to talk about it. With the final issue of this mini planned for release on January 25th I thought it would be cool to get everyone up to date on our favorite “princeless” princess.

As I’ve already said the art is top notch so are the inks and the lettering but the writing, the writing is what really puts this book over the top. Not only the story itself the dialogue also works really well. If you read my reviews you know that while I am a capes and tights fan there are other genres i delve into as well noir, thriller, sci-fi, horror, among others. well this All Ages, Swords and Dragons, Female protagonist, Adventure, Indie book is something I’m really enjoying!

Our story so far, our heroine Adrienne a teen age princess locked in a secluded tower by her Father and guarded by a (kind of) fierce dragon. She isn’t your run of the mill damsel in distress though, she’s decided that there’s no waiting for a knight to come rescue her. She going to rescue herself! And rescue herself she does, in doing so her father comes to believe she’s been killed and goes on the hunt for her “killer”. Now one would think after escaping from a tower and her parent’s she’d be off to find her destiny. No dear reader our heroine has sisters! And she’s not leaving them to rot in towers waiting for some goofball prince to show up, she’ll rescue them all, herself! All that all takes place in the first issue!

So if all that happened in issue one what went on in two and three?!?!

Princeless #2 Jeremy Whitley – Story (@jrome58 on twitter)
M. Goodwin – Art, Colors Jung-ha Kim – Letters
Action Labs Entertainment (@ActionLab on twitter) with Firetower Studios

I don’t like spoilers so I’ll do my best to be cryptic but give the gist of the issues. In two we follow Adrienne on her first rescue! Is it doomed to fail? Will she be recaptured by her father? And who holds the key to the secret to the sword that was under Adrienne’s bed? Will that person be friend, or foe?

Princeless #3 Jeremy Whitley – Story (@jrome58 on twitter)
M. Goodwin – Art, Colors Jung-ha Kim – Letters
Action Labs Entertainment (@ActionLab on twitter) with Firetower Studios

In issue three we begin to see that Adrienne’s fathers kingdom isn’t as wonderful as we would assume it to be. And definitely not a place for a girl with aspirations to grow up. New friends, and new enemies, are made. Oh and there’s armor lots and lots of armor. The added nods to fictitious women warriors found in the issue were really well done, I love a comic that’s written for all ages and really makes a grown up laugh (wait did I just refer to myself as grown up? damn). By the end of issue three I was totally on board not only with Adrienne as a hero but also with her quest. This is the kind of story I love, it doesn’t hit you over the head with its message instead the heroine is allowed to be the focus and you can sit back and enjoy cheering her on.

Issue number four’s release date is January 25th! More than enough time to catch up! Preview review? Here? Maybe! Check back tomorrow!

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Review of The Strain #2

January 10, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

Writer – David Lapham Artist – Mike Huddleston Colorist – Dan Jackson Cover Art – Mike Huddleston

Now we’re getting somewhere, this was what I waiting for! There was story, some gore, good character development. It’s always difficult to adapt work from one medium to another but looking at issues one and two together I truly think this will be a great story to experience all in one shot.

This book jumps right in following Dr. Ephraim Goodweather as he does his job as the CDC’s lead investigator. Scene investigation, witness (survivor) interviews even the press conference. We’re introduced to a new player Eldritch Palmer and The Stoneheart Group. Nefarious? Maybe. Definitely creepy and kind of wrong. We also get another taste of the cane and the “pick pick pick”. Things are getting interesting and it’s obvious that Lapham is just getting started. He’s giving us a good procedural while keeping the horror just on the periphery.

Then just when you think an issue has gone by without gore Mike Huddleston hits you with a couple of panels that flip your stomach and make your skin crawl. Well done Mr. Huddleston, well done.

This twenty four page comic packs a hell of a lot of story and I read it twice just to make sure I was keeping up, I’m glad I gave issue two a chance and I can’t wait for issue three.

Can’t wait till Wednesday? Follow the link below to see a six page preview posted over at Dark Horse’s site The Strain #2preview

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck _Suffel

Review Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #

January 9, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi (@artofmmignola) Artist: Tonci Zonjic (@tozozozo) Colorist: Dave Stewart (@Dragonmnky) Cover Artist: Dave Johnson (@Devilpig666)

From the Dark Horse site:
“When a tribe of phantom Indians start scalping policemen, Hellboy‘s crime-fighting hero Lobster Johnson and his allies arrive to take on these foes and their gangster cronies!”

TASTE JUSTICE!

You heard it right comic book fans, Lobster Johnson is back! For the uninitiated Lobster Johnson is a vigilante crime fighter who operated in New York in the 1930’s. He fought both criminal and paranormal threats with a small band of allies from his secret base in the city’s sewers. We first meet him in the pages of Hellboy years after his death when he appears as a ghost (spirit?) to come to the aid of Hellboy and Roger.

Now granted it’s only a five issue mini but when it comes to “The Lobster” I’ll take what I can get. And what we get is pretty great, taking place in February of 1932 this prohibition/depression era book hits all the right notes. Tonic Zonjic’s art is dead on, the clothes, cars and buildings look great. There’s at least one classic movie actor cameo (which I can’t believe was unintentional). Dave Stewart’s colors show the muted, drab qualities of the depression with out being depressing (couldn’t help it, sorry) while still having life and moments of true beauty. I truly hope Mike Mignola and John Arcudi had as much fun writing the dialogue as I had reading it, they use some of the lingo of the day without getting bogged down by it.

Speaking of the writing, I’d like to talk a bit about the story but it’s really difficult with out getting all spoilery. As I said it’s 1932, the city is New York City and something just ain’t right. Indian ghosts running the streets? Scalping police officers? Be prepared for; ghosts, mobsters, hitmen, reporters, thugs, oh and a great cliffhanger ending that had me trying to turn to a next page that wasn’t there! I call this story an Occult Hard-Boiled Horror Mystery Thriller. In other words another great offering from Mignola and the Hellboy crew!

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Preview – Review! Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #5 – Slayer Interrupted

January 1, 2012Rob Leave a Comment

By Chuck Suffel

Preview – Review! Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #5 – Slayer Interrupted

Writer: Andrew Chambliss Penciller: Karl Moline Inker: Andy Owens Colorist: Michelle Madsen

From the Dark Horse site:

“Buffy’s dreams have become all too real lately as she deals with a magicless world. She’s still fighting creatures of the night, as Willow and Xander grow distant and nightmares plague the Slayer. But something is telling Buffy that there is more to her dreams than meets the eye . . . and that her greatest fears may yet become reality!”
When I was in grade school I used to go to my grandmother’s house a lot. I would wind up there after school when I was too young to hang out around the school where my mom was teaching after-school. It was great, she always treated me like a little prince anything and everything I liked was always at my disposal, but I also remember her need to watch her “stories”. General Hospital was, I think, her favorite. I remember being so unbelievably bored when she had that on just waiting for my chance to turn on cartoons. I remember promising myself that I would never care about stupid stuff like that.

Well friends January 11th’s Buffy has shown me that I was fooling myself if I thought I didn’t have stories of my own. Buffy was a soap opera as a tv show and has definitely remained one in comic book form. The slayer army, Xander’s inability to have a girlfriend that doesn’t get killed, Dawn’s crazy love life, Willow losing her powers, face it fans this is a soap. So obviously I must hate it, right? Well no lately I’ve been noticing the comic books I really enjoy are definitely action packed and super-heroy but they all have very character driven plots. X-Factor, X-Force, iZombie, Irredeemable, Animal Man I could go on and on.

I do have to admit that the plot had gotten a little stale towards the end of Season 8. What with the whole “Big Bad” named the same as that annoying sparkly vampire series. Also the deaths not only of Giles but of all magic as well. It had gotten depressing and I was kind of reading the title out of habit, waiting for the plot to turn.

Well wait no longer fans of the Buffyverse! It finally seems like our heroes are getting back to just that, being heroes! Last months finale to the “Freefall” four parter was a good issue, chock full of action and drama (as well as a cool cameo by Spike) but it left me wondering where they would go next. This new issue really felt like a return to the show, there was slayer lore, Buffy getting help from a “scooby” or two and some really huge reveals. No the magic has not returned to the world but our heroine is finally working on it.

Buffy’s world has always been a little angsty and emo-ish and the start of Season 9 wasn’t much different. A lot of hand wringing and it’s all my faulting. Now it seems that Buffy has been punched in the gut and told to woman up! As well as stumbling across a clue to finding out just how, if possible, to undue what she’s done. And that big reveal I mentioned? Definitely big. I’m really looking forward to seeing just what Joss and the crew have cooked up for us this time. I just hope those dark kids will be quiet while I’m enjoying my stories.

Come see me @ http://charlessuffel.com

Review:Dark Matter from Dark Horse comics

December 21, 2011Rob 2 Comments

By Chuck Suffel

Writer: Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie Artist: Garry Brown (@GarryBoom) Colorist: Ryan Hill Cover Artist: Garry Brown

From the Dark Horse site: “A derelict ship floats in space, its troubled crew awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Their search for answers triggers the vessel’s deadly security system: a relentless android bent on their destruction. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, redemption, betrayals, and hidden secrets best left unknown.”

What else do you need to know! Buy the book when it comes out! Pre-order it.

What? Oh you want to know more oh okay…

When I looked this one over I was expecting a horror science fiction book with emphasis on the horror, very dark and gruesome. The theme lends itself easily to that idea. A derelict ship, the crew with no memories, I though it was going to turn into a slasher film. But it didn’t, this is a well written science fiction mystery. It makes sense that it would be since Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie are well known as the writer/producer team from the Stargate franchise. That being said at first glance it seemed like it was going to be formulaic but on second read through I was pleasantly surprised, issue one has a solid plot which set up a ton of questions. If Mallozzi and Mullie answer half of them it’ll be a fun ride.

The art work is dark without being overly broody and Garry Brown’s pencils (last seen in X-Men: To Serve and Protect story titled “Shells” as well as a 10 page story in last years Batman 80 page Giant) are a great fit for a sci-fi story. Ryan Hill’s colors (most recently seen in House of Night #’s 1 & 2) are deep and mysterious.

The storytelling isn’t what I would call suspenseful but there was a lot of story to get into this issue in order to get he reader hooked. I think this book accomplishes that and a little more. It reminded this
reader that I love a good mystery, even in space.

Publication Date: January 11, 2012 Format: FC, 32 pages Price: $3.50 UPC:7 61568 18060 2 00111

–Come see me @ http://charlessuffel.com