Ryan Porter and Suine Hallock look back on the weekend that was for the 30th Anniversary of HeroesCon! Who did they meet, what panels did they attend and most importantly: what kind of loot did they bring home? Find out inside this special episode of the Comics Corner!
Follow Suine on Twitter @SuineHallock
Welcome to the Comics Corner! There’s a long list of comics to get through this week and the debut of a new segment: ‘Good, but not good enough’! What comics are on the chopping block this week and what comics continue to impress? The world didn’t end with new Watchmen material last week but can it survive the collision of the Traditional and Ultimate Marvel Universes? And what is the deep, dark secret of the Wayne family? Find the answers to these burning questions, as well as the reveal of the comic at the Top of the Stack, in this week’s Comics Corner!
Audio:
[podcast]http://3.141592653589793238462643383279.com/media/mp3/ComicsCorner/011_ComicsCorner.mp3[/podcast]
By Robert Greenwood
In the current world we live in, those fleeting moments we call life sometimes seem to pass us by. With the advent of the TV shows like American Idol and America’s got talent, millions of normal people can have those preverbal 15 minutes of fame. It can make even the most mundane person Jump out of their comfort zone. Now imagine a world filled with super powered beings all fighting for those same 15 minutes?
This is the world that Aspen Comics presents in their new comic series Idolized. In the #0 issue we learn about the new reality show “Superhero Idol” and what it takes to become a superhero.
The grand prize isn’t a record deal, No trip to Vegas, or even their own TV show. That would be a silly prize for a would- be super hero. Instead they get to be a part of the greatest group of Super powered beings ever assembled.
“The Powered Protectors”
The comic follows one girl’s dream of being a superhero and doing what she always wanted to do. Does she succeed, or will she fail miserably? Well you are going to have to read the book for yourself and find out.
You will follow young Leslie aka “Joule” on her quest in Idolized. The book is written by David Schwartz (“Meltdown”) and drawn by one of our favorite artists Micah Gunnell (“Shrugged”, “Dellec”)
Sometimes, when I see comics that grab from real life in a parody type fashion it always leads to disappointment. Idolized doesn’t parody, it excels at telling a hard hitting story with hits of action and simple yet stunning art.
Idolized issue #0 comes out June 27 go and buy it up and check out their FaceBook page here http://www.facebook.com/IdolizedComic
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By Edward Gambichler
Helldiver : The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
Book One
Most people can remember reading either Marvel or DC Comics growing up as teenagers. Unfortunately, the young comic book reader must grow up at some point and graduate to subject matter that reflects their own maturing reading habits. For some, ( in the 50’s ) it was consuming the Horror, Science Fiction, and True Crime stories found in pages of EC Comics. Other reader’s found it in the subversive humor of MAD magazine and racy cartoons of Playboy magazines. I was lucky enough to come of age in the mid 70’s early 80’s era that defined Heavy Metal magazine. First released in France under the name Metal Hurlant in 1974, it included science fiction stories with an erotic bent that featured the work of such artists as Moebius, Milo Manara, and Philippe Druillet. It was brought over to the United States in 1977 by National Lampoon publisher Leonard Mogul who was in France trying ( ironically enough ) to release a french version of the Lampoon over in that country’s market. The American version featured the art of Richard Corben, H.R. Giger, Berni Wrightson, and Esteban Maroto. The publication became so popular it even spawned a cult animated movie in 1981 ( with vocal performances by SCTV mainstays John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis ).
When the magazine went up for sale, Kevin Eastman ( co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ) stepped in and became both owner and publisher. Under his direction, another animated movie was released called Heavy Metal 2000 ( aka Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2 ) with the main animated protagonist based on his then wife, B-Movie actress and model Julie Strain. The plot of the film was based on a story Eastman wrote with Eric Talbot called The Melting Pot. It featured artwork by Eastman, himself, and British artist Simon Bisley. Bisley has always been one of my favorite artists. The first time I’ve ever set eyes on his artwork was when I read the graphic novel, Batman/ Judge Dredd: Judgment On Gotham. I’ve been a fan ever since and i’ve been on the look out for his work. That led me to his work on Slaine, Lobo, his covers for the Verotik imprint, and now Helldiver: The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.
Written by Michael Mendheim, Mike Kennedy, and Sean Jaffee, the story centers around the character of Adam Cahill who is a member of the Order of Solomon. The Order is a religious group charged with the protection of the Seven Holy Seals foretold in Revelations. As a result of an attack on the Order and his family by the group’s ancient enemy, Cahill finds himself thrust into the bowels of Hell. His task is to enlist three corrupt souls, an Addict, a Madman, and a Deceiver, to help him go up against the biblical Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. The outcome of this battle will determine the fate of Humanity.
First off, the artwork. If you wanted Hell, then there is no better artist to serve it to you than Simon Bisley. I have to say that I was hoping this would be one of his painting efforts like Slaine, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mixture of inking and digital rendering. And this is definitely the type of story that is geared towards Bisley’s palette as well as palate. I have to say I favored the inking in this book more than I did his linework on Lobo.
As for the story, I found humor in the Wizard of Oz literary structure in Cahill having to meet up with his potential allies along his journey. Since this is only Book One, I can’t really comment on the overall story until I have seen its entire arc. I’m not familiar with the writers with the exception of Mike Kennedy ( Superman: Infinite City ). Although with a strong start like this, I doubt I’ll be disappointed.
Follow Ed on Twitter @EFG72
By Robert Greenwood
Boom studio’s kid imprint KaBoom has once again made me a very happy 34 year old. When they said they would be releasing a comic book for the Peanuts I was worried, My fears were laid to rest because they knocked it out of the park and with Garfield #1 the memories I had reading the strip (which I do daily in the newspapers) and the Garfield and Friends Saturday morning cartoon flooded my brain with amazing nostalgia.
Issue one, just like the peanuts comic is formated with a few short stories, Garfield’s most hated cat pal Nermal finds a vintage Ultra Powerful Guy #1 in a garbage and they try to sell it. there is a lot of tongue in cheek “breaking the 4th wall” moments, but Garfield is well known for that and with this story I found myself laughing out loud more than just a few times.
Issue two follows the same format and gives you another Iconic moment, Garfield and Odie’s complicated and confusing relationship. Is it that Garfield hates Odie or is it simply Garfield doesn’t want to play fetch?
All in all, I say if you want to get your children into comics KaBoom’s complete line of comics is a perfect stepping stone. Garfield is the quintessential book to do it with. Reading this book with your children will not only benefit them to learn and maybe get them to read more. But it will benefit the adult to look for more comics for themselves and more readers is always a win/win
Garfield #1 should make you love Garfield all over again and the art captures Jim Davis so well you would have thought he drew it himself.
Follow Rob on Twitter @AltMindz
Comic Reviews for 4/11/12 featuring: Batgirl #8, Batman and Robin #8, Demon Knights #8, Fantastic For #605, Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #8, Saga #2, Saucer Country #2, Scarlet Spider #4, Secret #1, The Secret Service #1 and Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #5 (of 5)
By Edward Gambichler
The Goon Volume 11
“The Deformed of Body and the Devious of Mind”
When I first began to study comic book illustration, I came across a brilliant artist by the name of Berni Wrightson. I was amazed at, what I thought at the time, was a revolutionary inking style. However, while pursuing Wrightson, I came upon one of his early influences, another artist by the name of Graham Ingels. Ingels, along with Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Johnny Craig, Al Williamson, and Reed Crandall ( to name just a few ) made up a stable of artists which produced work for an imprint known as EC Comics. Owned by legendary and controversial publisher William Gaines, the company specialized in horror, science fiction, as well as crime fiction titles. From out of this company sprang the popular “Tales from the Crypt”, “The Vault of Horror”, “The Haunt of Fear”, as well as “Mad” magazine. The stories contained in these books prompted a psychiatrist by the name Frederic Wertham to write book titled “Seduction of the Innocent” which blamed comic books for most of the juvenile delinquency in 40’s and 50’s era youth. This book in turn led to the creation of the Comics Code. And with that, and no pun intended, the final nail in the coffin of most of the horror titles associated with EC. Since these titles spoke more to my sensibilities at the time than did Superman or Spider-man, I was saddened by the industries lack of good and truly creepy horror stories since then ( and, I’m sorry, no matter how dark he could get……Batman was just not cutting it for me ). That is, til I picked up my first issue of creator Eric Powell’s “The Goon”.
The comic book title centers around a character called the Goon, a grizzled giant of a man who poses as an enforcer for a long dead gangster named Labrazio. The Goon killed Labrazio ( who was hiding out in the carnival the Goon was living in ) when the Goon’s favorite Aunt Lizzie was killed in a crossfire between the police and the gangster. Since then, the Goon has taken over all of Labrazio’s criminal rackets and kept up the illusion that Labrazio is still alive. Unfortunately, for the Goon, the town where his operation is located is continually besieged by supernatural creatures ranging from zombies, vampires, carnival oddities, and the occasional giant squid ( forcing the Goon to take on the role of the town’s protector as well ). He is aided by his best friend and sidekick, Franky ( who the Goon saved from a pack of bullies ).
And with the publication of the collected issues that make up Volume 11, well…I just can’t say enough about this title. First, the artwork. As an artist myself, I usually follow book titles based on the artwork inside and these collected issues are just pure eye dessert. There are few artists who can use black ink with such precision and balance as Eric Powell does in these issues. The only artists who I place in this limited talent pool are Wrightson, Wally Wood, Dave Stevens, Steve Rude, Mike Mignola and, of course, Will Eisner. I’ve scanned through this collection twice already and I cannot find one panel that isn’t a master class in inking style. The drawing style and figurework harken back to the old EC Comics house style as well as Eisner’s spirit with a dash of Jack Kirby’s vitality of movement. And the carefully chosen color palette only enhances the already beautifully rendered panels and doesn’t overpower them. There are a great many artists working in the industry today. However, not many of them have the capacity to breathe this much “Life” in their books as Powell does in these issues.
As far as the writing goes, this collection provides plenty of laugh out loud moments. Powell rips apart and satirizes horror movie and mainstream comic conventions. You will literally piss yourself with Powell’s take on the “Twilight” craze, as well as the prevailing and uninspiring cross hatch inking techniques of todays’s contemporary comic book artists. Eagle-eyed film buffs will also catch references to Dracula director Tod Browning’s controversial film “Freaks”. And as a member of the Communication Workers of America Local 1101, I particularly appreciated Chapter 4’s subject matter dealing with greedy corporations and labor union disputes. If only we had the Goon on our side to prevent us from winding up being among the dreaded “99%”. And with an extra retro cheesecake factor provided by special guest, real life Canadian burlesque performer Roxi D’Lite ( in Chapter 3 ) and you have a book which speaks to every reader’s sensibilities.
It is my greatest wish that film-maker David Fincher will procure the funding needed to go ahead and give The Goon the full length cinematic treatment that was hinted at in the teaser trailer released at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con.
Follow Ed on Twitter @EFG72
part 1
Ryan Porter and Suine Hallock (famously of Radical Retro Turtle Toy Talk!) are back with an all-new installment of the Radical Corner of Turtle Comic Talk! What secrets are revealed in the second arc of the new series from IDW and how many more fan expectations were shattered (in a good way!) in the process? Ryan and Suine are ready to head into the sewers to explore, discuss and over-analyze issues five through eight as well as the Michelangelo and Donatello one-shots! Follow them down and discover the true potential of Turtle Power!
Follow Suine on Twitter @Suine_Hallock