Monday, June 22, 2020

Longbox Junk - First Issue Fun (Part 5)

Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the blog stuffed absolutely FULL of comic reviews that nobody ever asked for!

Here we are.  Month four of The Apocalypse.

Things are trying to get back to "normal", but we're not quite there yet.  There's new comics back on the shelves, but not many I subscribe to. . .which is good news for my local comic shop because I spend about three times as much money during deep dives into their back issue bins than I did on my subscription pulls.

Here at Longbox Junk, I've been taking a look at some first issues I've been buying lately. . .trying to find a new series or new character I can get into, with varying degrees of success.  But I noticed that my "First Issue Fun" has been pretty light on Marvel comics.  Only one out of nine reviews.

SO. . .

Let's remedy that shortage with a bit of Mighty Marvel style First Issue Fun, shall we?

We shall!

FIRST ISSUE FUN
(Part 5)

ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER #1
MARVEL (2014)

ENGINES OF VENGEANCE (Part One)
SCRIPT: Felipe Smith
PENCILS: Tradd Moore
COVER: Tradd Moore

THE COVER:
It's a pretty unusual art style here. There's a great sense of movement and some very nice, brilliant colors. The muscle car instead of a motorcycle is interesting, but Ghost Rider (Ghost Driver?) himself looks a little strange.  Overall a real eye catcher.

THE STORY:
Our tale begins in East Los Angeles, where young auto mechanic Robbie Reyes is struggling with trying to make enough money to move somewhere safer, where he can better take care of his physically and mentally handicapped little brother.

One fateful night, Robbie decides it's time to make it or break it.  He steals a car from his employer's shop and enters an illegal street race, hoping to win the $50,000 cash prize.  Robbie is a skilled driver and quickly finds himself in the lead. . .until the police show up.

Terrified by the thought of being arrested and sent to prison, leaving his little brother in state custody, Robbie runs from the police, leading them on a long chase through the streets of L.A. until he is finally cornered.

Robbie surrenders to the police, but instead of arresting him, he is gunned down!  As he lies dying, Robbie sees the SWAT team retrieving duffel bags full of drugs from the trunk of the stolen car before dowsing it with gasoline and setting it on fire.

As Robbie dies, engulfed in flames, a mysterious transformation changes him into an inhuman, skeletal creature.  The stolen car is also transformed into an unearthly flaming version of itself. Robbie Reyes is now the Ghost Rider! We last see him leaving a fiery trail behind as he speeds into the city on a mission of vengeance.

To be continued. . .

THE REVIEW:
Okay.  Not bad. . .not bad at all.  A good start to this Mighty Marvel-focused bit of First Issue Fun! There's really not too much to this first issue.  The story is pretty light and mainly directed toward introducing the reader to Robbie Reyes and his situation.  Ghost Rider (or should it be Ghost Driver?  He's in a car, not riding anything) only shows up on the last couple of pages.  We literally learn NOTHING about Ghost Rider. . .but you know what? It's okay.  It just makes me want to read more of this story.

There's TWO things I look for in a first issue.  The first is if it introduces characters and their situations in a new reader-friendly way.  Since this issue is almost entirely concerned with introducing Robbie Reyes to the comic world, it easily hits that first mark.

The second thing I look for in a first issue is if it makes me want to read more.  Yes! I want to know more about this crazy new version of Ghost Rider!  I'm already a big Ghost Rider fan, but until now I've passed on reading any comics with the "New Ghost Rider" because if the old Ghost Rider ain't broke, why fix him?  NOW I want to dig in and see what's going on.  This is just a great introduction for a new (to me) character.

Let's talk about the art.  It's certainly unique and it's going to be one of those "make or break" sort of things for anyone reading this series.  Compared to my usual Longbox Junk, this is a VERY heavily reviewed issue and opinions are definitely mixed on the art style.  I'm sort of half and half on it myself.

The sharp, angular, exaggerated art gives even mundane scenes of Robbie and his brother eating dinner a twisted, nightmarish feeling that distracts from the character-building moments.  On the other hand, during action scenes the unique style really shines with unusual panel layouts and a fantastic sense of movement.  It's pretty clear to see what the artist enjoys drawing more.  His action scenes are truly great and are the best part of the comic.  It's unfortunate that he couldn't have toned it down a bit for the quieter moments.


Overall, All-New Ghost Rider #1 is a great introduction to the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider (Driver?).  It takes its time to introduce the main character through most of the issue and leaves Ghost Rider himself until the end, making me want to jump right into the next issue and find out more.  The art is a bit hit and miss for my taste. . .not really suited for character moments, but delivering in a big way on the action.  

This was a little pricey compared to my usual back issue bin finds (Paid ten bucks for my copy), but if you don't want to shell out the "collector" price for the individual first issue, it's also been collected in trade and you can get the first five issues for about fifteen bucks. Definitely give this one a chance if you like your comics with some supernatural flavor.

NEXT!

ALL-NEW INVADERS
MARVEL (2014)

GODS AND SOLDIERS (Part One)
SCRIPT: James Robinson
PENCILS: Steve Pugh
COVER: Mukesh Singh

THE COVER:
A pretty darn good team portrait!  There's a lot of interesting detail and I like the muted color scheme (maybe a bit TOO muted for the Torch). The smug look on Namor's face is just great.  Captain America, on the other hand. . . maybe he needs a bit of Metamucil? Just sayin'.  He IS 102 years old.  But even with Cap looking a little constipated, this one's a winner!

THE STORY:
Jim Hammond is the world's first synthetic human.  A person trapped between the world of humans and robots that fought in WWII as the original Human Torch alongside Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and Namor The Sub-Mariner in the team informally known as "The Invaders".

But that was a long time ago.  Hammond now seeks to move past his identity as a superhero and embrace humanity by living a normal life in a small, normal town as an auto mechanic.

But one day, Jim Hammond's peaceful life comes to an end.

When a Kree Warrior Assassin attacks and kills Hammond's employer and friend, Jim is forced to reveal his identity as the Human Torch in order to save the rest of the town.  During the battle, the assassin reveals that she's there for information locked and hidden in Hammond's android brain.  She shoots him with a strange weapon that seemingly throws him back in time to the war.

Hammond watches his own memory as an observer, seeing himself and the Invaders on a mission he doesn't remember involving Baron Strucker and a being named Hela that he seemingly had summoned.  To his surprise, Hammond senses that the other Invaders are also there observing the past with him.  After Hela kills an ally of the Invaders named Major Liberty, the vision fades and Hammond returns to the present day.

The Kree assassin reveals that she now has what she came for. . .the location of a part for a mysterious device that can summon and control Godlike beings that was hidden in three separate locations by The Invaders long before. . .information Hammond didn't even know he had.

Still not knowing the full story, but determined to stop the Kree from leaving with the information she had somehow gained from him, Hammond rejoins the battle, but is quickly overpowered.  As the assassin readies to strike the killing blow, Captain America and Winter Soldier show up just in time and ready to join the fight!

Epilogue:  We see Namor has somehow been taken captive and is being tortured on the Kree homeworld.

To be continued. . .


THE REVIEW:
Okay then. . .hmmm.  Not bad.  Not great, but not too bad.  Unlike Ghost Rider, this comic isn't presenting new characters, but established characters re-forming as a team.  I'm familiar with these characters (especially Captain America and Winter Soldier), so I sort of had to put myself in the shoes of a reader who might not be in determining if this hits the mark of introducing characters and their situations in a new reader-friendly way.

It sorta halfway succeeds.  As far as an introduction to Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, goes, this comic does an outstanding job!  99% of this issue is focused on Hammond, with the rest of the Invaders barely appearing outside of a couple of flashback pages and two pages at the end with their modern versions.  In other words. . .the cover lies!

This is not so much a Invaders comic as it is a Original Human Torch comic.  That being said, for what it is, it does an excellent job of introducing a classic character to new readers who might not be aware that there even IS an Original Human Torch.  As a big Captain America fan, I was a little disappointed in what amounts to a cameo role, but I did enjoy learning more about Jim Hammond.

On to the next thing I look for in a good first issue. Does the story make me want to read more?  Welllllll. . .no, not really.  Not that it's a BAD story, but it follows the rutted and extremely well-traveled path of "Former (insert profession here) forced to return to action against his/her will".  As soon as I saw the thought boxes of Jim Hammond on the first couple of pages musing about how much he liked being just an ordinary guy with an ordinary job in an ordinary town, I KNEW where the story was going.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I don't mind a good old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" story framework holding up a first issue of my funny books, but then Marvel doubled down and made it crystal clear that upcoming issues would be headed down the well-worn road of "Gettin' The Team Back Together For A Location-Hopping MacGuffin Hunt".  One cliche story prop is okay. . .two in one issue is a deal-breaker.

On the art side of things, Steve Pugh delivers some solid superhero art.  Nothing spectacular, but very nicely done.  Since this issue deals mostly with the Human Torch, there's a LOT of fire involved, and Pugh does an outstanding job not making multiple pages of fiery scenes look alike.  He also does a great job with the initial quiet character-building dialogue heavy scenes which are basically people sitting/standing around talking in a garage and a diner.  Not the best comic art I've ever seen, but good and solid.


Overall, I have mixed feelings about All-New Invaders #1.  It introduces Jim Hammond, The Original Human Torch in an extremely new reader-friendly way.  Unfortunately, the rest of the Invaders play little more than cameo roles.  The story is well-written, especially in the earlier character-building scenes introducing Hammond, but on the other hand,  it's propped up by not one, but TWO overused story frameworks that really don't make me interested in reading more.

Don't get me wrong.  There's nothing really BAD about this comic.  I don't have any other issues, so there might be some great moments for the other heroes coming up.  As an introduction to a character I don't have a lot of knowledge about, this was a great issue. . .so if you're interested in the Original Human Torch, I can heartily recommend this comic.  But for me, the double cliche framework this story is leaning on doesn't make me interested in picking up more issues of the series.

AND FINALLY. . .

STORM #1
MARVEL (2014)

STORM
SCRIPT: Greg Pak
PENCILS: Victor Ibanez
COVER: Victor Ibanez

THE COVER:
I really don't like the X-Men in general, but I bought this one just for the cover.  It's an outstanding character portrait with an unusual pose, combined with great colors and lightning effects that really give this one a feeling of motion and power.  Very nicely done, and definitely worthy of a turn on the rotating office "Wall O' Covers" at work.

THE STORY:

Our story begins on the tropical island of Santo Marco, where Storm. . .a powerful mutant able to control the weather. . .uses her abilities to save a small coastal village from a tsunami.  As the villagers celebrate, military vehicles arrive and Storm is told that mutants are not welcome on Santo Marco.

Not wishing to instigate an international incident, Storm reluctantly departs, but finds herself needed for another emergency. . .this time at the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning, the school where Storm teaches. . .a place where young mutants learn to control and use their powers.

A student named Marisol Guerra (AKA Flourish) has taken over the school cafeteria.  She has used her powers of plant growth to fill the room with mold and mildew.  She informs Storm that she has changed her mutant name to Creep because that's what the kids who have been bullying her call her.

As Storm tries to talk to Marisol, she learns that the girl sees the school not as a safe place to learn, but as a place where children are taken from their families and indoctrinated into the X-Men's particular ideology.  Marisol feels that she was taken away from the place where her powers could do some actual good instead of simply doing what she's ordered to do by Storm and the other teachers.

Storm loses her temper when her purpose is challenged by Marisol, and she flies into the night.  Daybreak finds Storm over Santo Marco again. . .where she gets an enthusiastic greeting from the villagers she saved the day before.  Storm uses her powers to help the villagers clean up the aftermath of the tsunami, but once again the military shows up.

This time, they have brought construction vehicles and tell the villagers that they have to move because a company has bought their land to build a resort on.  Storm intervenes and a one-sided battle ensues.  Storm's powers are more than a match for the military and her example leads other villages to rebel against the corrupt government as well.

Back at the school.  Storm reluctantly apologizes to Marisol, and they fly to Mexico to reunite the young mutant with her family.  Storm has come to realize that a path can be shown to someone, but they have to want to follow that path instead of being forced down it.

The End.




THE REVIEW:
As I said above. . .I'm not a fan of the X-Men and I basically bought this comic for the awesome cover.  That said, I REALLY liked this story a lot!  It's the first issue of a (sort of short) series, but it stands alone very nicely as a one-shot story about an extremely powerful hero that has played many roles in the past, but is now forced to re-learn an important lesson now that she's a teacher. . .that a person must be guided down a path instead of forced.

It's a great little story with a lot of heart.  I may not like X-Men much, but I liked THIS X-Men story. It sort of stuck with me after I read it.  Especially the part where Storm apologized to the student.  I know from personal experience that sometimes a simple "I'm Sorry" are some of the hardest words to spit out.  Nobody wants to be wrong.  It's hard to admit when you're wrong, especially when you're in a position of authority over the person who was right.  Credit due to the writer for absolutely nailing the difficulty of something so simple.

So let's take a moment for the two things I look for in a good first issue.

Does it introduce characters in a new reader-friendly way?  I give this one a big yes!  I'm not overly-familiar with Storm beyond knowing she's an X-Man who controls the weather.  The story here DOES introduce that aspect of her, but digs deeper into the character than that.  Based on this story I don't know EVERYTHING about Storm, but I liked discovering what I know now about the character.

The second thing I look for in a first issue is if it tells a story I want to read more of.  Well, this is basically a one-shot, so it seems that there's not much more to the story at hand.  That said, with such a good dig into the main character, I DO want to read more. . .especially if the writer can keep delivering such though-provoking material built around the main character of the series.  So that's a yes. . .two for two!  It's a winner!

Before I wrap this up, let's talk about the art a bit.  The story here is great, but the artist really does his half of the work selling it!  Yeah, there's a few action scenes and they're nicely done, but where Victor Ibanez really shines here is in the facial expressions of the characters!  Sometimes you get a comic where the art is the star of the show, sometimes it's the writing.  This one combines the two equally to give the reader the best of both worlds.


Overall, for someone who tends to avoid almost everything X-Related from Marvel, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself reading what might be my favorite comic story in quite a long time!

From a story that is simple, but full of heart, to some incredibly expressive comic art, Storm #1 is a Longbox Junk gold nugget in almost every way.  I heartily recommend this comic to anyone looking for a thoughtful superhero story that isn't afraid to give an extremely powerful character some vulnerability that is relatable to even those of us who can't control the weather.  Very nicely done!

CONCLUSION

I forgot to mention it in the introduction, but as you can probably see from the covers of these comics, the were all part of one of Marvel's multiple soft reboot efforts in recent years called "All-New Marvel Now!", which was sold and advertised as a jumping-on point for new readers.  

So based on this small sample, did they succeed?

I'd say yes.  All-New Ghost Rider presented an intriguing twist on the familiar supernatural anti-hero, while giving the reader a great introduction to a completely new character.  Storm presented an established character with a long history in a way that made even a Non-X fan like myself take notice and want to read more.

 All-New Invaders was the only disappointment in that it was more of an Original Human Torch comic than a Defenders comic, with the other characters on the team playing cameo roles only. Plus the story was propped up by two overused story crutches.

That said, even though Invaders was a bit disappointing compared to Ghost Rider and Storm, it wasn't a BAD comic.  I was just expecting a little more than what I got.

Overall, I'd recommend any of these three comics. . .with the warning that you're not going to get much Invaders in your All-New Invaders #1.  My favorite of the bunch was Storm #1, which completely took me off guard with how much I liked a character I never paid much attention to before.

Up Next. . .

I think that after five posts of First Issue Fun, it might have run its course for now.  So next time out something different.  I'm not sure exactly what that will be right now, but I invite you to join me on whatever trip I decide to take into the back issue bins.  So until next time. . .

Be there or be square!

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Longbox Junk - First Issue Fun! (Part 4)

Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the place to find all the comic book reviews you never asked for!

The Good News is that there's new comics on the shelves! The Bad News is that it's barely a trickle (and only a few series I regularly subscribe to - Doctor Aphra, Batman and Detective).  Well, I guess that means I'm still back issue diving for new-ish comics for a while yet. . .

SO. . .

As you know (or if you're a new reader, you will soon. . .and welcome!), I've been taking a look at single first issues of series I've pulled from the back issue boxes (not the bargain bins) of my local comic shop during this new comic drought.  I call this series of Longbox Junk entries "First Issue Fun".

Reading back over the 3 First Issue Fun entries I've done so far, I notice that almost all of them involve established characters being presented to new readers with varying degrees of success.  But what about some completely new characters?  Characters without any baggage?  Fresh and shiny, with that new character smell?  Aren't there any NEW characters out there for me to try to get into?

There are!

A while back, I saw lots of ads for a bunch of new DC comics falling under the imprint of "The New Age of Heroes".  They were promoted as being new characters and teams spinning out of the "Dark Knights Metal" crossover.  But since I'm not a fan of bloated multi-title crossover "Events", I never paid any attention to them.

BUT. . .

Digging through the back issue bins at my local comic shop, I came across whole runs of almost every "New Age of Heroes" title (6 full runs out of 8 total titles) and decided to grab the first issue of every one of them the shop had and give them an honest chance because why not?

So, let's take a look at a few and see what's happening with this "New Age of Heroes" thing!

FIRST ISSUE FUN
(Part 4)

THE SILENCER #1
DC (2018)

CODE OF HONOR (Part One)
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett
PENCILS: John Romita Jr.
COVER: John Romita Jr.

THE COVER:
John Romita Jr.'s art has always been a bit hit or miss to me. Fortunately, this cover is a hit!  It's a simple character portrait, but the pose, the action, and especially the colors come together and make this one a cover that makes me want to check out the comic.  Very nicely done!

THE STORY:
Honor Guest is just an average ordinary woman, living an average ordinary life, on an average ordinary street, with her average ordinary husband and son.  But things weren't always this way.

Just five short years ago, Honor was known as The Silencer. . .one of the top assassins in Talia al Ghul's Leviathan organization.  She paid her dues and managed to get out with her skin intact and with Talia's blessing to start a new life.

But now the past has returned to haunt Honor.  After having to fight off an attacker at the grocery store, Honor gets a personal visit from Talia al Ghul, warning her former assassin that Leviathan is in shambles and that Honor's life (as well as her family's) is in danger.

Honor insists that she no longer wants any part of Talia or Leviathan, but another attack drives home that the former assassin doesn't really have a choice in the matter, she's back in whether she wants to be or not.

To be continued. . .




THE REVIEW:
Based on the cover, I was sort of expecting "Female Punisher", but this tale of a former assassin's previous life coming back to haunt her is more along the lines of a Black Widow story.  Either way, this first issue of The Silencer follows a very well-worn path.  Maybe a little TOO well-worn in this case.  It's well written and the dialogue flows very nicely through the story, but the direction the narrative is going was pretty obvious to me from just the first few pages.

I usually don't mind a good "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." classic story hook to get things up and running in my funny books, but at the same time, it just feels a bit lazy and predictable here.  The only real surprise was the Talia al Ghul angle.

THAT SAID. . .

A predictable start still leaves room for improvement, so let's take a look at things from my personal expectations of the two things I want from a first issue.  Does this introduce characters in a new reader-friendly way?  Yes it does.  Honor Guest (AKA The Silencer) is very nicely introduced and the reader doesn't need any additional background material beyond this issue to understand her.  There IS an expectation that the reader knows who Talia al Ghul is. . .but even that expectation is fairly minimal through a bit of exposition in the story.  So well done on the introductions.

As for the second basic thing I expect from a good first issue. . .does it tell a story that makes me want to pick up another issue?  Welllllllll. . .not really.  Like I said above, The Silencer follows a well-worn story path that I've already been down many times in comics, novels, movies, and T.V. shows.  There might be surprises down the line, but this first issue doesn't really make me want to invest in discovering them.  I'm not saying it's BAD.  I liked this issue.  I'd just rather see what other stories there are out there.

As far as the art goes. . .it's John Romita Jr.  He's one of those instantly-recognizable artists that you're either going to love or hate. JRJ's art has always been equally hit or miss for me.  On The Silencer, it's more on the "Hit" side of the dial, so this is a pretty good looking comic.  I think this is some of Romita Jr's best work I've seen in quite a while.


Overall, what we have here is a first issue that nails introducing a new character to readers, but in following an overly-familiar narrative path it stumbles in telling a story I want more of.  It's not a bad issue by any means.  I'd say definitely give it a try if you spot it in the back issue bins. . .just prepare to know exactly where things will be going from just the first few pages.  

NEXT!

DAMAGE #1
DC (2018)

OUT OF CONTROL (Part One): LET LOOSE
SCRIPT: Robert Venditti
PENCILS: Tony S. Daniel
COVER: Tony S. Daniel

THE COVER:
I'm a fan of Tony S. Daniel's art. . .I loved his work on New 52 Detective, so I'm VERY happy to see his name on this series.  Unfortunately, the cover is a bit underwhelming.  It's nicely-detailed in Daniels' signature style, but it just seems a bit generic. I'm afraid based on the cover alone that I'm going to be reading a DC knockoff of the Incredible Hulk.  Please let me be wrong. . .

THE STORY:
Ethan Avery joined the military because he believes that regular people can become heroes, even if they don't wear capes.  After serving honorably, he volunteered for a top-secret project. . .a serum that would give him the power to become a REAL hero.

But instead of a hero, he was turned into a living weapon capable of mass destruction, used by a black-ops government organization for dirty clandestine missions against his will.  Ethan is now a man who changes into a brutal monster code-named "Damage" once a day for one hour, destroying anything in his path.

Returning from a mission, Avery summons up the willpower to change into Damage and make his escape from a transport plane over Atlanta, Georgia.  As the inner soldier tries to mentally control Damage's destructive rampage through the city, he is pursued by Major Liggett, the sole survivor of the unit tasked with guarding Damage during transport.

After defeating and severely wounding Liggett, Ethan manages to convince Damage to go into hiding.  Colonel Jonas, the head of the project that turned Ethan into Damage, arrives on the scene of the crashed plane and the creature's destructive rampage, blaming herself for the deaths and for failing to control her pet monster better.

As Colonel Jonas surveys the damage caused by her failure, Amanda Waller and her superhuman Task Force XL "Suicide Squad" arrives to take command of finding and killing the escaped Avery before he changes into Damage again.

To be continued. . .


THE REVIEW:
Looking at the cover, I was afraid that I would be reading a DC knock-off version of The Incredible Hulk. . .and that's pretty much what I got.  There are a few differences here, with the military "super soldier" angle, the one hour time limit on Ethan's transformation to Damage, and the internal dialogue between the heroic Ethan and the brutal Damage fighting for control.  But even those differences are pretty obvious grabs from Red Hulk (the time limit), Agent Venom (the military experiment gone wrong), and Jekyll & Hyde (the internal struggle for control).

In other words, like The Silencer, Damage is a story that follows an extremely well-worn path that should be already intimately familiar to most comic readers.  In this particular case you CAN judge a book by its cover.

But does that make it bad?  Not really.  This first issue is mostly action, showing Damage's escape from his military handlers and the following battle with Liggett trying to recapture him.  There is enough information given during and between the action to successfully hit the first issue mark of introducing characters in a new reader-friendly way.  The only expectation put on readers to know anything outside of this issue is in the appearance of Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad at the end.

What about the second mark I look for in a good first issue?  Does it tell a story I want to read more of?  Also like Silencer, not really.  Again, this isn't a bad comic at all, it's just that I've already seen this story several times.  There might be some surprises yet to come, but this first issue doesn't really make me excited to read more of what has been presented to me as basically a DC version of existing Marvel characters.

 If I want to read about a man struggling against turning into a monster as part of a military experiment, I can just read some Agent Venom comics.  If I want to read a modern day Jekyll & Hyde mental battle of conflicting personalities trapped in one body, I can just read some Immortal Hulk comics.  So  on and so forth.  Anything to be found here can already be found elsewhere.

As far as the art goes, no complaints from me about Tony S. Daniels' fine work here.  If there's anything that would make me continue to read this series, it would be the art.  It's finely-detailed and features interesting angles and great, kinetic action scenes, many of which are spread over numerous double-page spreads.  If nothing else, Damage is a great looking comic!


Overall, what we have here is a story that is basically a combination of Marvel's Incredible Hulk and Agent Venom.  It succeeds in introducing the character for new readers very well, and it's backed up by some great art, but in telling a story I want to read more of I can't get past thinking I could just read the original stories that this stands on the shoulders of.

Once again, it's not BAD at all.  If you spot it in the back issue bin, give it a read for yourself if you're a DC comic fan looking for an Incredible Hulk/Venom story set in the DC Universe.   For filling that particular niche, this comic does a good job.

AND FINALLY. . .


THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE #1
DC (2018)

INFERNO (Part One)
SCRIPT: Justin Jordan
PENCILS: Philip Tan
COVER: Philip Tan

THE COVER:
WOW! Great colors on this one! A real eye-catcher. Philip Tan definitely hits a home run with this bright, fiery character portrait.  You can almost feel the heat from the flames coming off the page.  Outstanding work!

THE STORY:
Joe Chamberlain is young man with problems.  He's trapped in the small town he was born in, York Hills. . .formerly a mining town until the mines played out, then a factory town until the factories moved.  Now it's just a dead end he can't escape.  No education, no money, no jobs.

The only things Joe really cares about at this point is his sister, Annie. . .who is working her way through a nursing degree, and is the only person with any real prospects of escaping the dying town. . .and his father, who lives in a medicated haze on disability after an accident at one of the closed factories, barely able to keep up the mortgage payments on his meager pension.

Joe Chamberlain is a young man with problems and no way out.

UNTIL. . .

The cold night a mysterious stranger picks Joe up on the side of the road after his pickup breaks down.  He introduces himself as "The Salesman" and, after listening to Joe's problems, he makes him a strange offer. . .become an Agent for The Salesman's "Company" and Joe's (and York Hills') problems will be over.  All it will take is an agreement and a handshake.

Joe (obviously never having seen any episodes of The Twilight Zone) shakes The Salesman's hand and immediately searing flames begin to consume the terrified young man as the grinning Salesman gloats about how his "Agents" never ask any questions.  

Joe is quickly and painfully transformed into a flaming , but still living, figure that The Salesman dubs "Brimstone" as terrifying visions of fiery death and destruction fill Joe's mind. 

To be continued. . .





THE REVIEW:
Okay, okay. . .not bad.  Of the three "New Age of Heroes" comics I read for this post, I think I like this one the best.  It seems a little derivative of Marvel's Ghost Rider (and maybe Image's Spawn), but not nearly as obvious as Damage's Incredible Hulk/Venom influences.  

There's not really much to this story in this issue. . .most of the comic is spent establishing the miserable life of Joe and setting the scene of the dying town of York Hills.  With a lot of dialogue and scene-setting and not much action (just a couple of pages of Joe's transformation into Brimstone at the end), what this comic reminds me a lot of is something that Vertigo would have put out. . .and as a big fan of the sadly-departed Vertigo imprint, that is definitely a good thing!

Since most of the comic IS devoted to dialogue, character development, and scene setting, I'd say that Curse of Brimstone nails the first marker of introducing characters in a new reader-friendly way.  That's really all that this first issue is!  We don't get to know much of anything about Brimstone, but we get to know Joe and the misery surrounding him, his family, and the town of York Hills very well.

Does the comic tell a story I want more of? Yes!  Admittedly, there are echoes of Marvel's Ghost Rider or Image's Spawn here. . .and the "When you deal with the devil, you better deal carefully" story path was a well-worn one before comic books were even thought of.  That said, it works here.  I want to see what happens next.  Like I said above, this reminds me of the darker, more character-driven Vertigo comics I used to love from DC as opposed to Damage and The Silencer's connection to the regular DC superhero universe.  

As far as the art goes. . .Philip Tan's dark and sketchy style also fits the appearance of this being a Vertigo comic.  It's not the greatest comic art I've ever seen, and I've actually seen better from Tan in other places (Like Spawn: Godslayer), but it's interesting and definitely helps sell this in my mind as a throwback to the more experimental art that was often found in Vertigo titles as compared to the slick superhero style of Tony S. Daniel in Damage, for example.


Overall, what we have here is a surprisingly good first issue that REALLY throws me right back to the glory days of DC's Vertigo comics.  It leans heavily into character development and scene-setting, with very little action to speak of.  In doing so, it nails both introducing characters in a new reader-friendly way and telling a story I want more of.  If you're a fan of supernatural-themed comics or if you (like me) miss Vertigo, then definitely pick this one up if you spot it in the back issue bins.  I'm not sure where the story is going to go from here, but this is a very nice start.

CONCLUSION

So. . .DC's "New Age of Heroes".  Interesting. . .

Based on these three issues, my main takeaway from this short-lived imprint (The only title of the 8 that hasn't been cancelled and is still ongoing is "The Terrifics".  None of the cancelled series made it past 18 issues.  Three of them lasted only 6 or 8 issues) is that all of them remind me of something else. . .

The Silencer's "Former assassin whose past returns to haunt her" story reminds me of Black Widow.  Damage's "Mental struggle between two minds trapped in one body/ Military Experiment turns man into monster" story reminds me of Incredible Hulk and Venom.  Even the best (in my opinion) of the three, The Curse of Brimstone, reminds me a bit of Ghost Rider (or maybe Spawn).

Taking just these three titles into account, I can sort of see why the whole "New Age of Heroes" didn't make enough of an impression for most of the titles to even last a year.  It's a bit of a shame, because there's some pretty good talent in these comics.  None of the three are BAD by any means, and are all worth a read.

It just seems to me to be a wasted opportunity for DC.  They had a chance to bring some new characters and stories to comic fans, but sort of fumbled  the ball (based on these three issues) by making everything so derivative of things already existing that it seems that nobody really embraced any of it.  I'm not sure if they were trying to play it safe by keeping things familiar, but if that's the case, they played it TOO safe and failed.

But like I said, none of these three comics are bad.  The Silencer looks like it would appeal to someone looking for an action-packed espionage/superhero tale.  Damage takes the more traditional misunderstood man/monster superhero route for fans of straight-up comic book battles.  Curse of Brimstone is a dark, character-driven tale of the supernatural that's should make readers who miss Vertigo happy.  Of the three, I can give the strongest recommendation to Curse of Brimstone.

STILL. . .

We NEED some new characters and stories from DC.  I was excited to think I would be getting something new here and sort of came away disappointed, with a "Been there, done that" feeling.  DC tried, they played it safe, they failed.  Now I'm sad.

Up Next. . .

Even MORE First Issue Fun!

I have three more "New Age of Heroes" titles I WAS going to do next. . .but I have the sad feeling that they will just be more of the same.  But looking over the First Issue Fun entries so far, I notice that of nine issues, only ONE has been from Marvel.  So I'm gonna have some Mighty Marvel First Issue Fun to even things out a bit next time.

Be there or be square!

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Longbox Junk - First Issue Fun (part 3)

Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the place to find more comic reviews that you never asked for than you ever asked for.  What? Well it makes sense to me!

Although things are slowly getting back to something resembling normal in the great state of Utah, my work schedule is still just flappin' in the wind.  It seems that the government in their "wisdom" has decided to pay an unemployment bonus that lets people make more money by NOT working than they usually make on the job.  I'm not gonna get political here, but it's created an interesting situation where my hotel has full-time jobs available, but nobody wants them.

ANYWAY. . .

Because my schedule is still pretty chaotic (and to make it worse, I've also been a bit sick. . .not "the virus"), I'm still sticking to some shorter reviews of single first issues I've picked up recently during my dives into my Local Comic Shop's back issue bins.  I call this little effort to keep the Longbox Junk posts coming on a somewhat regular basis "First Issue Fun".

When I read the first issue of a series, I look for TWO things:  Does it introduce characters in a new reader-friendly way?  Does it tell a story that I want to read more of?  Is that really too much to ask for?  I think it's actually a pretty low bar, but for some reason, it seems that a lot of first issues somehow manage to fail at one or both of those two little things.

So let's take a look at a couple more first issues and see what happens, shall we?

We shall!

FIRST ISSUE FUN
(Part 3)

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #1
Dynamite (2013)

MEMORIAL - Part One
SCRIPT: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
PENCILS: Cezar Razek
COVER: Alex Ross

THE COVER:
If you're a big Battlestar Galactica fan like myself, this cover is as good as it gets!  A real stunner by the legendary Alex Ross that not only perfectly captures likenesses of the T.V. show's characters, but also gives us a taste of the sci-fi combat action that Battlestar Galactica fans expect. I love everything about this cover!  Let's get inside and see what else is going on. . .

THE STORY:
Our story takes place many years into the Battlestar Galactica's long search for the fabled planet "Earth".  After a ceremony commemorating the human defeat at the hands of the Cylon Empire that led to the Galactica being the caretaker of the last known remnant of humanity, the fleet is taken by surprise by a massive Cylon attack!

By using the same nebula that Galactica had used to hide from Cylon pursuers, multiple Cylon basestars are able to take the human fleet completely unaware, forcing the Galactica to take the brunt of the attack in order to give the rest of the fleet time to escape.  

After Galactica is severely damaged by Cylon suicide attacks, Commander Adama reluctantly agrees to allow the young scientist Zee's experimental temporal weapons to be used as a last resort.  Ace pilots Starbuck and Apollo are pulled from the battle and are quickly given two heavily-modified Vipers with instructions to take down the Cylon base ships with the temporal weapons at any cost.

As the two pilots fight their way through the desperate battle, another suicide attack hits the Galactica, heavily damaging Zee's temporal generator onboard, causing an overload and wave of temporal energy that leaves Starbuck and Apollo alone in space without the Cylons, the human fleet, or Battlestar Galactica anywhere to be found. 

To be continued. . .



THE REVIEW:
As a big fan of Battlestar Galactica, I really liked this story a lot!  It explores an area I haven't seen stories going into before. . .the gap between the original Battlestar Galactica series and the later short-lived Galactica: 1980 series (which took place about 10 years later).  There's really not too much to it. . .a bit of exposition to set the scene and then a Cylon surprise attack that calls for desperate measures to escape that go wrong and sets up a cliffhanger going forward. . .but for a fan like me, this was pure candy!

And therein lies the problem with this issue.  Although it tells a story I definitely want to read more of, it utterly fails to present itself in a new reader-friendly way.  This is a story written for existing Battlestar Galactica fans ONLY.  It makes absolutely no effort to introduce any characters to new readers, instead assuming out of the gate that if you're buying this comic, you're already a fan and know who everyone is.

It's a well-written story with surprising nods to Galactica: 1980 characters like Zee, but if you don't understand what that means, this comic isn't going to do much for you.  

The art inside doesn't come close to matching the brilliance of Alex Ross's cover (but there's not many artists who can, so no foul there), but the style is well-suited for the story at hand.  It's darkly-inked and dramatic, really shining during scenes of space battles with some panels that are borderline great.  The quality dips a bit for character scenes, but not so far as to bring the story down at all.

Overall, what we have here is a great first issue for fans of the original Battlestar Galactica.  It explores an unusual area of BSG continuity and tells an interesting, action-packed story that ends on a cliffhanger practically begging me to pick up some more issues.  It's backed up by some really good art and sits under a cover that's practically worth the price of admission alone.

BUT. . .

If you aren't already a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica, this is NOT a good introduction at all.  This is a story written only for existing fans, which is a bit of a shame because the original series and Galactica: 1980 only made up 34 episodes total between them.  Comics are a great way to continue the story of the last Battlestar guiding the remnants of humanity toward the fabled planet Earth.  To not reach out even a little bit to new readers with this first issue just makes me sort of sad.

In other words, definitely grab this one from the back issue bin IF you're a Battlestar Galactica fan.  If not, you can pretty much safely leave it for someone else and not be missing much.

NEXT!

MAGNUS: ROBOT FIGHTER #1
Dynamite (2014)

SCRIPT: Fred Van Lente
PENCILS: Cory Smith
COVER: Gabriel Hardman

THE COVER:
I really like the dark and moody feel of this cover a lot, and it's very nicely detailed, but between the giant title taking up most of the real estate up top and the pile of robot bodies down below, the main character seems a bit small and insignificant.  Maybe that  fits the theme of the story inside of one man against a world and was done on purpose, but it kind of takes an otherwise great cover down a notch, in my extremely humble opinion.  

THE STORY:
Our tale begins with Russ Magnus, a respected schoolteacher and martial arts instructor, living a life of peace and fulfillment in the sleepy mountain town of Maury's Peak with his wife Moira.  

After receiving the good news that Moira is pregnant, Magnus goes on a celebratory fishing trip with the town's benevolent Artificial Intelligence Overseer, A1. . .who raised Magnus from the time he was a child after the loss of his parents.

BUT THEN. . .

Magnus' peaceful life is violently interrupted by a mysterious attack on Maury's Peak! As Magnus rushes into town to his wife, he is confronted by robotic soldiers, whose attacks cause Magnus to wake up in a completely different place!

Confused by the sudden change from the idyllic mountain town to a network of filthy tunnels, Magnus is commanded by A1 to escape and try to find the Overseer at "The Central Network".  After evading a team of pursuing robotic soldiers, Magnus finds an exit from the tunnels, but when he emerges, he finds himself in the middle of a crowded, futuristic city!

As the overwhelmed Magnus tries to get his bearings, he realizes that somehow he can see THROUGH the faces of the surrounding crowd, revealing them all to be humanoid robots.  He manages to make his way to the Central Network Building towering over the city, where he is quickly identified as an "Unregistered Human" and attacked by robotic security guards intent on capturing him.

As Magnus fights his attackers, he discovers that he can somehow see the weak spots on the robots, and that his bare hands have become destructive weapons that can easily destroy his mechanical enemies. As the newly-empowered Magnus tears his way through the robot security guards, he is confronted by another human. . .his surprise at seeing the first human in the city makes him pause long enough for her to shoot, knocking Magnus unconscious and ending the battle.

To be continued. . .


THE REVIEW:
I'm not really familiar with Magnus: Robot Fighter.  I've read a few of the old Gold Key comics and have seen him here and there in some 90's Valiant Comics, but I've never been interested enough to seek out more than the few bits I already have.  He's a guy named Magnus. . .he fights robots.  That's pretty much what I know about Magnus: Robot Fighter.  I was a bit nervous about this issue because this is a character that started in the 60's and has been through several different versions over the years, with a Wikipedia page leaning toward a long and convoluted history.

THAT SAID. . .

Dynamite does a great job in this issue of presenting characters in a new reader-friendly manner AND giving me a story that I want more of!  All I ask of a first issue are those two things, and Magnus: Robot Fighter #1 gives me both of them.

Like the Supergirl #1 issue I reviewed for the last Longbox Junk First Issue Fun post (HERE ), the writer introduces Magnus by letting the reader share the character's confusion. . .one minute he's in a peaceful mountain town, the next he's on the run in a far future New York City populated by robots!  I really like this introduction to Magnus, even if it IS a bit derivative of The Matrix.  

I don't have to have any knowledge of past continuity or other versions of the character, I can just get right on board with this first issue and base my opinion on this and this alone.  And my opinion is that I want to read more! I like that Dynamite got it right with this one.

The art is a perfect compliment to the story.  It starts off with a muted color palette during Magnus' false idyllic life in the mountain town. . .

. . .and then switches to a darker, heavier, more colorful style when Magnus is awakened to reality in far future New York City. . .


It's a  great storytelling device that just made me like this first issue even more.

Overall, what we have here is a great first issue!  It gives a character with a long and tangled comic book history a fresh start geared toward new readers.  It tells an action-packed science fiction story about a man who discovers that he has been living a lie and finds himself surrounded by enemies in a strange place, ending on a cliffhanger that makes me want to get right into the next issue and learn more.  It's backed up by some pretty darn good hard-edged Sci-Fi comic art.  

Really, what more could you ask for in the first issue of a series?  Not much, in my extremely humble opinion.  You don't need to be an existing fan of Magnus: Robot Fighter to enjoy this.  If you're a science fiction comic fan and spot this one in the back issue bin, check it out!

CONCLUSION
Two pretty good first issue picks this time out. . .both from Dynamite, even though I didn't really plan it that way.  

 Battlestar Galactica doesn't hit the mark of being very new reader-friendly, but for existing fans it has an interesting story that you're going to want more of (SPOILER ALERT: I picked up the next few issues and it's a great little time-twisted Battlestar Galactica version of Star Trek's "Mirror Universe" stories).  It's a solid comic worth a read for fans.  If you're not a fan, you might not get much mileage out of it.

On the other hand. . .

Magnus: Robot Fighter is a great example of a comic that nails not only introducing a character for new readers, but also telling a very nice hard-edged science fiction "man on the run" story that makes me want to see what happens next (I haven't been able to find any other issues of this one yet).  You don't have to be an existing fan of long-time comic character Magnus to enjoy this story at all.

Up Next. . .

Even MORE First Issue Fun!

Can the next couple of picks manage to tell a good story I'll want more of AND start off in a new reader-friendly way?  Join me and we'll both find out.

Be there or be square!