Dark Horse comics

Review-The Strain #1

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By Chuck Suffel

Publication Date: December 14, 2011 Format: FC, 32 pages Price: $1.00


Story by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan ,Script by David Lapham, Art by Mike Huddleston

From the Dark Horse page:

“When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Center for Disease Control, fearing a terrorist attack, calls in Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of expert biological-threat first responders. Only an elderly pawnbroker from Spanish Harlem suspects a darker purpose behind the event-an ancient threat intent on covering mankind in darkness.”
Guillermo Del Toro?  Chuck Hogan?  David Lapham? With writers like these the story should leap off the page and tell itself! Did it?  Let’s start by saying that as usual Mike Huddleston’s (Butcher Baker and The Homeland Directive) artwork doesn’t disappoint. Some panels are really creepy and disturbing. So the art wasn’t my problem. The problem I had was there really wasn’t that much to this book. I get it, it’s a one dollar number one, all setup. I just thought it would suck me in more. This could be, may very well be a great story but I can’t tell from this issue. It opens well enough with a peek at the mythos of our villain(s) and then jumps to present day where we meet some of the players. Then the big plot point hits! Dr. Goodweather and his team react to a modern day nightmare scenario. Though the big plot point just didn’t play all that big to me. It was kinda flat for a horror comic. It wasn’t very gory or even violent which is fine but I didn’t even get that sense of unease of foreboding that is usually conveyed in a good horror comic.

Now to be fair I haven’t read the New York Times Best Selling trilogy that this was based on but I really think the comic should be able to interest me on its own. I hope issue two has something more in store for us because this vampire comic? It didn’t suck, I just couldn’t sink my teeth into it.

Come see me @ http://charlessuffel.com

Review- House of Night #1

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By Chuck Suffel
Writer: P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast, Kent Dalian
Artist: Joëlle Jones, Karl Kerschl
Cover Artist: Jenny Frison

P.C. Cast is an accomplished novelist who has written eight novels in the “House of Night Series” (one of those is pending) her website describes the series like so: “This spellbinding new book series follows fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird as she enters the mysterious House of Night school, gains astonishing powers and searches for eternal love.”. Oh boy you can imagine how much yours truly (41 yr old comic book and sci-fi nerd) was looking forward to it. I stopped reading Sookie Stackhouse novels because they were too “touchy feely”and a little whiny. I dig heroins in comics Batgirl and Batwoman are both on my monthly pull list only after New 52 did I lose interest in Birds of Prey and I still miss Scandal Savage and the rest of the Secret Six. But this sounded like a teen romance novel with vampires or vampyre as they’re referred to here.

So I sat down with my cup of coffee put up my feet and dug in. First and foremost Joëlle Jones and Karl Kerschl’s artwork is simply beautiful, the style is fresh and interesting and the characters are defined and recognizable.

I haven’t read any of P.C. Cast’s novels so I’ll admit I was a little lost as to the world these characters inhabit and it’s rules and such. The story is pretty straight forward and accessible though, our main character Zoey Redbird a sixteen year old vampyre, is attending House of Night a finishing school for young vampyres. She has been marked (chosen) by NYX the vampyre goddess to be her “true daughter” which of course makes her quite the teacher’s pet. There’s also the obligatory “scooby gang” group of friends (called the nerd herd by the mean girls). But for all the “chosen one” and “nerd herd” similarities this story doesn’t feel stale. It’s handled a little differently and in some ways it actually feels a bit more believable.

In the midst of this we get treated to a story that takes place in Norway circa 1270 giving us a glimpse of the vampyre mythology. These aren’t the vampires you’re used to seeing, this isn’t True Blood or Blade or even Lost Boys these vampires are presented as more of a race not good or evil per say at least as far as issue one.

Novelists don’t always make a smooth transition to comics but P.C. Cast has really scripted a good story. I’d love to know who did the panel breakdowns because it flows really well and isn’t bogged down by over narration.

I’m haven’t been into teen angst since Paul Zindel wrote “The Pigman” and “The Undertakers Gone Bananas” and I enjoyed this book it may get to emo as time goes on but as of right now I’m interested in seeing where she takes the characters.

Follow Chuck: Twitter @Chuck_Suffel  http://getglue.com/chuck_suffel http://chucksuffel.tumblr.com

DARK MATTER RISES FROM DARK HORSE!

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NEW SERIES FROM STARGATE CREATORS!

Fresh off their long tenure on Stargate, one of television’s most successful science-fiction epics, series writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie flex their comic-book storytelling muscles to create a thrilling new science-fiction universe for Dark Horse Comics! Mallozzi and Mullie, best known for their work on the Stargate franchise series (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe), give you: Dark Matter A derelict ship floating in space. Its troubled crew awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got onboard.

Their search for answers triggering the vessel’s deadly security system, awakening a relentless android bent on their destruction. Facing threats at every turn, they will have to work together to survive a dangerous voyage charged with vengeance, redemption, betrayals, and, ultimately, hidden secrets best left unknown. Science fiction by science-fiction veterans is sci-fi action at its best! Dark Matter #1, the first in a four-issue miniseries with kinetic artwork by exciting newcomer Garry Brown, is on sale January 11, 2012.

Hellboy : House of the living dead review

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By Chuck Suffel

Writer & Cover Artist: Mike Mignola

Artist: Richard Corben

Colorist:Dave Stewart

This book is a real treat for Hellboy fans, coming right on the heels of Halloween we’ve got a classic monster story! Mr. Mignola dedicates this tome to Boris Karloff (the mad scientist), Glenn Strange (the monster), John Carradine (the skinny Dracula), and Lon Chaney Jr. (the always-sad Wolf Man) so you can see where his head was when crafting this tale.

We go back to Mexico in 1956 where on an investigation Hellboy meets three wrestlers, brothers, who had a vision of the Virgin in which they were told to quit wrestling be ready fight monsters. After teaming up with them Hellboy went missing for 5 months, this is that story.

Interestingly he doesn’t spend all that much time on Hellboys adventures with the brothers instead he shows us Red drunk brooding and pissed grieving over the loss of a good friend. With a wonderful use of flashbacks we see what Hellboy can’t forget, Esteban wasn’t just killed by the vampires he was turned and sent to battle Hellboy. I immediately thought this comic was heading towards a showdown with the big bad who did this to Esteban. Instead we see Hellboy in an alcohol fueled spiral, drinking and wrestling and trying to forget. Then Red gets propositioned (mind out of the gutter people), he gets offered money to participate in a private wrestling match and what a match it is!

With cameos from the three classic Universal monsters this book strikes just the right cord for a Hellboy fan. No B.P.R.D., no big world ending monsters or conspiracies just Red doing what he does, getting in to deep and fighting his way out! As to the art? Corben does an amazing job (as usual) in depicting Hellboy but also his take on the classic monsters was great. He didn’t abandon his style but kept the characters recognizable to those who know them. It’s hard to review a book like this, it’s more of the same wonderful stuff we’ve come to expect from Mr. Mignola and crew. And I can’t wait for more.

Publication Date: November 02, 2011 Format: FC, 56 pages, HC, 7″ x 10″ Price: $14.99 Age range: 16 ISBN-10: 1-59582-757-9 ISBN-13: 978-1-59582-757-9

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Dollhouse: Epitaphs #5

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By Juan C Pineda

Dollhouse: Epitaphs #5

Writer:Andrew Chambliss, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon
Penciller: Cliff Richards
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Michelle Madsen

Another Whedonverse property has been given the comic book treatment, Dollhouse. If you were young and foolish, you probably are not aware of the TV show this comic book is based on because it aired Friday nights at 9pm on FOX. If for some reason you were home on Friday nights then you might have blinked and missed it, it aired from February 13, 2009 until January 29, 2010 for a total of 27 episodes.
Let’s say you are like me and you just got some fancy new DVR technology and decided to watch a few episodes because: a) it spawned from the mind of Joss Whedon b) it stars Whedon stalwart and nerd goddess Eliza Dushku c) Eliza Dushku d) see b and c So for the benefit of those who aren’t like me and actually had a life on a Friday night or didn’t waste precious hard drive space on a DVR, let me sum up the premise of Dollhouse. The Rossum Corporation runs several establishments called Dollhouses. Inside a dollhouse are “dolls”, people who have temporary personalities and skills imprinted into their brains for hire. Wealthy clients would go to Rossum to hire a doll for different purposes…from what you would automatically assume would be the first thing you would do to a doll that looked like Eliza Dushku to other nefarious purposes. When dolls are not on the job, their minds are wiped cleand and they live in the Dollhouse as a blank slate, just wandering around like a little child until the next gig comes along.

People volunteer to become Dolls for five years in exchange for money and other incentives while their original personalities are stored on hard drives. Dushku’s character is named Echo, prior to being made into a Doll she was Caroline Ferrell. She uncovers Rossum Corporation’s shenanigans and tries to bring down Rossum until she was captured and made into a Doll. Echo then becomes their most popular Doll. However, since she is the hero of the show, she develops self-awareness and is able to retain skills and memories after supposedly being wiped clean. She then tries to bring down the evil Rossum Corporation and their Dollhouse operations around the world. I didn’t stick with the series long enough; I just wasn’t hooked on the premise. I thought that if our hero is trying to bring down the evil corporation and would be successful then how long can these shows last? If there is no more Dollhouse, then no more Dolls and no more show, right?

So when I got the chance to review Dollhouse: Epitaphs #5, I was really lost. I had to read it twice. The first time to just read it…then realize I don’t know what the heck was going on or who half these characters were…then the second time after doing some research and refreshing my memory on the characters and plotlines on the show. I was still lost though. Dark Horse’s Dollhouse: Epitaphs comic book series bridges events between the main tv series and two TV episodes; “Epitaph One,” an
unaired episode that was released only on the Season One DVD and “Epitaph Two: Return” which served as the series finale. It turns out that Rossum’s imprinting technology led to the Apocalypse. In the year 2020 the technology has gone viral, turning everyone into mindless killers. The fifth and final issue of the series opens with Wash and Trevor finding Echo. Wash was the main villain of the TV series but now he is a good guy, as he explains to Echo. Trevor is a little kid that Wash implanted with technology to block any imprint attempts. Meanwhile in Hollywood, another group is trying to bring down the broadcast tower that is behind the Hollywood sign. It really isn’t fair for me to comment on the writing team because I came in so late. It would be like criticizing a movie based on the last 20 minutes. The dialogue was natural even though I had no idea what they were talking about. The artwork however I can comment on. Cliff Richards can draw Eliza Dushku as Echo, sometimes Alan Tudyk as Wash and Felicia Day as Mag but it really seems like he is copying their likenesses from headshots. Sometimes it doesn’t quite hit the mark on a medium or long shot. There isn’t any real distinction between male characters on a long shot, they all look generic unless in a close up. A couple of panels, I couldn’t distinguish between Wash and Paul Ballard even when close up. But then again…I’m lost because of being unfamiliar with these guys.

The art team is tasked to draw a post apocalyptic world, but their backgrounds don’t have much weight or substance to them. It looks like they are running around in an Ed Wood movie with cardboard cut outs for scenery. I was surprised where Whedon (Jed, not Joss) and wife Maurissa and Andrew took the premise of Dollhouse. If I had known they were going towards an apocalyptic disaster, maybe I would have stuck with the TV show until the end. Dollhouse had decent ratings, averaged about 4 million viewers the first season, 2 million the second season, which is way more than most comic books so there has to be a market for this series out there. So there has to be a Dollhouse fan out there that doesn’t know that there are further adventures in comic book form. I think they would totally love to see what happens. If you know of any, give them a heads up. Fair warning though, from what I gathered Echo doesn’t appear until the last couple of issues of “Dollhouse: Epitaphs” so they might be disappointed. If you’ve watched the entirety of Dollhouse but didn’t know about the Dark Horse series, pick it up and
the back issues, I think you will dig it. And feel free to email me any smacks upside the head for missing out on it. However, if you were like me, a casual Dollhouse TV show watcher but a hard drive full of Eliza Dushku pics, you may skip this series. Otherwise you’re going to be wandering around the wasteland with a blank slate like I was.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #3 “Firefall Part III” review

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By Juan C Pineda

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #3 “Firefall Part III”
Script: Andrew Chambliss
Pencils: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Dexter Vines
Colors: Michelle Madsen

I like Joss Whedon’s work. I may even consider myself  a Joss Whedon fan…wait, is there a name for Whedon fans? Whedoners? Whedonites? Whedonoes? Either way, I would faithfully run home to watch “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” on Mondays and then Tuesdays nights on the WB and loyally jumped to the UPN when Buffy switched networks. Life was difficult before DVRs, my friend. But when the series ended after seven seasons in 2003, I didn’t keep up with the Scoobies in comic book form, despite the fact Dark Horse had been publishing BtVS comics since 1998. Fortunately for ardcore…Whedonists…Dark Horse continued the TV show in a comic book series they called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight”, providing the further adventures of Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Willow and others. It picked up where the TV show ended in stories that can be considered canon, because fans love it when things are officially canon.
But somehow I missed all 40 issues. I am not making a strong case for myself as a…Whedonologist.
Lucky for me, Dark Horse is still creating Buffy comics in a new series called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine” and now I can find out what has happened to my favorite slayer family since the end
of the TV series. Let’s see what I can gather from reading “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine” #3 “Firefall, Part III”…magic is gone from the world because Buffy destroyed something called the Seed in Season 8, therefore Willow is powerless as are all the other slayers and they all hate Buffy. Xander and Dawn are now romantically together. Buffy is continuing to slay vampires but this attracts the attention of the San Francisco Police and now she is a wanted fugitive and no one is willing to hide her. Wait! What? Xander and Dawn are now together? Ew. I missed a lot. So Buffy has to slay vampires in a world where vampires are cool (thanks Twilight!) and people are volunteering to become fanged. But
with the lack of magic, the newly sired vampires are more vicious, so Buffy calls a Scooby Gang meeting to figure out how to deal with the consequences of her actions from Season Eight. Although Buffy may now be alone, she may get help from Severin an enigmatic dude with seemingly magical powers.
Oh and look, Spike is here too. He hears that someone is going after Buffy…really Spike? That shouldn’t be news to you.
BtVS:S9 #3 did a good job of bringing me up to speed on the status of the Buffyverse, color me intrigued. The story, despite it being part 3 of a 4 part storyline, is a good jumping on point for those familiar
with the TV show. The dialogue could have easily been filled with exposition but it flows. Sometimes it reaches for that familiar Whedon trademark of quick quips and witty banter, however writer Andrew
Chambliss (Dollhouse, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Vampire Diaries) keeps his own voice and is able to keep a good rhythm throughout the issue.

Handpicked by Joss Whedon, Artist Georges Jeanty has been working on Buffy since Season Eight, so his likenesses of the characters are spot on to their TV counterparts. This is especially important to a licensed property and it added to my enjoyment of reading the series. This particular issue didn’t have any fight scenes so I can’t comment on how he handles those but for a story where it’s mostly people
talking, Georges did an excellent job of storytelling.
So for me, a Whedontot and a Buffy fan, I was intrigued and entertained to see how Buffy had been doing (not so good actually, life is rough for her, as usual) Season Nine is set to run 25 issues so get in on it while it’s still early. I recommend picking this up if you are a Buffy fan, it still maintains the feeling of the show. If you’re not familiar with Buffy, give it a try. She still is a strong character, fleshed out and re-boot free. Although I would probably recommend one of the trades from Season Eight so you can read a complete story arc. However if you are expecting some gratuitous T & A, move on folks…nothing to see here. So get it, read it and pass it on, if you have a friend who is a big Buffy fan but they never read Buffy comics, or comics in general, this would be a great way to introduce them to the medium.

DARK HORSE COMICS AND GAMERS DIGITAL RESURRECT GHOST

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Ghost Will Be Available in Early 2012 For PC, MAC and iOS Platforms

 

CITY, STATE– October 13, 2011– Dark Horse Comics, in collaboration with Gamers Digital, is proud to revive the popular paranormal intellectual property Ghost, the comic book series that centers on Elisa Cameron who must solve her own murder. Ghost is a digitally downloadable first person mystery (FPM) game that will be available early 2012 for PC, Mac and iOS platforms.

“Fans of the Dark Horse Comic’s Ghost will enjoy the game and its story arc. Ghost fits perfectly within the comic book’spantheon and provides fans with a satisfying experience from beginning to end. For gamers new to the intellectual property, Ghost will provide a mysteriously engaging storyline mixed with detective elements that any super sleuth would love to solve,” said Scott Zerby, president of Gamers Digital.

Ghost tells the otherworldly story of journalist Elisa Cameron who wakes in the alternative reality of Arcadia. Playing through the spectral eyes of Elisa, fans quickly discover that Elisa inhabits a realm between the living and the dead and that she is fully aware of herself and her surroundings. Even more surprising, her sister Margo can sense her. They both of them set off on an adventure to unlock the mystery of her murder.

 

Developed by Gamers Digital as a FPD game, Ghost features an immersive and entertaining experience for wannabe detectives. Players must carefully navigate through the city of Arcadia completing challenging quests, solving mini-games, collecting items in order to solve the mystery and possibly save the world in the process.

For more information, please go to www.GamersDigital.com.

NATE COSBY’S BUDDY COPS PUNCHES THROUGH DARK HORSE PRESENTS #9!

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November 2, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics announces a new story from Nate Cosby that will slap you silly! Dark Horse presents . . . Buddy Cops!

URANUS—A galactic space protector demoted to the NYPD (for drinking).

TAZER—A reprogrammed 1970s android that follows the exact letter of the law.

They hate each other. They are BUDDY COPS.

This February, Nate Cosby (Pigs, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller), Evan Shaner (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller), and Rus Wooton (The Walking Dead) bring da motherf***in’ ruckus in an all-new story featured in Dark Horse Presents #9!

Monsters! Glowing swords! White boys rapping Wu-Tang lyrics . . . WHAT THE HELL ELSE DO YOU NEED!?!?

Wanna tweet about it? BAM! Nate: @NateCosBOOM Evan: @DocShaner Rus: @RusWooton

Dark Horse Presents #9 is on sale February 22, 2012.

DARK HORSE COMICS TEAMS UP WITH BIOWARE

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TO UNVEIL A NEW DRAGON AGE DIGITAL COMIC SERIES

Dark Horse Comics announced an all-new digital comic series based on BioWare’s dark, fantasy RPG series, Dragon Age™. Written by Dragon Age Lead Writer, David Gaider, and featuring original art by Chad Hardin (Stan Lee’s The Traveler, Web of Spider-Man, The Spirit), the deep and fascinating lore surrounding the Dragon Age universe will unfold, as new adventures will come to light in the comic series.

The thrilling, six-part series will feature a riveting story that takes fans of the critically-acclaimed Dragon Age franchise deeper into the RPG’s mythology. Readers will follow Alistair, Isabela, and Varric, three important heroes from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, as they travel to Antiva, a nation ruled by deadly assassins. The comic series’ heroes will embark on an epic journey to uncover one of the greatest secrets in the history of Thedas while encountering a dangerous prison break and the mysterious and feared Witch of the Wilds.

Dark Horse Comics will release the six-part comic series exclusively at www.digital.darkhorse.com for $0.99 each starting February 22, 2012.