Weekly Round-Up #22 featuring Hellboy in Mexico, Orc Stain, Buffy the Vamire Slayer, Amazing Spider-Man

Archive, Capsules, Columns, Reviews

This week-end was TCAF – the Toronto Comics Art Festival, which is my favourite comics show of the year.  There are no vendors and very few publishers in attendance; instead, the show is made up of comics artists, illustrators and cartoonists, representing the semi-mainstream, the webcomic, and the mini-comic/zine realms.  While I barely bought anything, it was nice to see what some local creators like James Turner, Michael Cho, and Jim Munroe are up to, and to meet guests like Larry Marder (I got a Beanworld action figure!) and Jim Rugg.  This show is very civilized, and many of the creators mentioned it as being one of their favourites to attend.

Best Comic of the Week:

Hellboy in Mexico

Written by Mike Mignola
Art by Richard Corben

I started, a little over a month ago, to read my way through Hellboy and the rest of the Mignola-verse titles.  My goal is to get caught up to the titles, and to then start picking them up monthly.  The problem with this title is that it’s difficult to trade-wait, as individual comics such as this one are sometimes not collected for a few years.  And also, when the subject matter involves Hellboy fighting vampire luchadores with art by Richard Corben, it becomes impossible to wait at all.

This is one of the best Hellboy comics I’ve ever read.  While on a mission in Mexico in 1982, Abe Sapien discovers old newspaper photos of Hellboy with a trio of luchadores.  He then begins to tell the story of the year he spent in Mexico in the 50s, fighting vampires and witches alongside these three wrestlers.  One of the brothers, the youngest, is captured by vampires, and things go from light-hearted to grim pretty quickly.

As usual, Corben’s artwork is brilliant, and Mignola tells a simple story not weighted down by a ton of mysticism or prophecy.  Great stuff.

Other Notable Comics:

Demo Vol. 2 #4

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan

I find it hard to describe the feeling I get right before I start a new issue of Demo.  I never read the solicitation text for comics like this, and avoid all hints of what might be inside them before reading.  The reason for that is so that I can experience the comic with as few preconceived notions as possible.  Looking at the cover and the title, it didn’t take much to guess what the ‘hook’ for the story would be – that someone is able to breathe underwater.  It’s what Wood and Cloonan do with that hook that is so amazing.

The book opens with this guy, Colin, stuck in traffic on a bridge.  When his car overheats, he jumps off the bridge into the water below.  From there, we flash back to his childhood summer vacation at a run-down trailer park, where he becomes the target of a group of local bullies.  It is through their dumping him into a lake that he learns of his ability, and uses this new knowledge to engage in a very adolescent form of revenge.

While many of Wood and Cloonan’s Demo characters are haunted by their actions, few have them stick with them the way Colin’s do him.  There is clearly so much more to his story than what we are given in this short comic, but that is the beauty of their work – that they are able to strip a story down to its barest elements is what makes their stuff so interesting.

Cloonan outdoes herself with her water-based scenes.  Having read tons of Sub-Mariner and a good selection of Aquaman comics, it’s clear that very few artists get water the way she does.

Ghost Projekt #2

Written by Joe Harris
Art by Steve Rolston

I quite enjoyed the first issue of this new series from Oni.  It had a nice mix of supernatural elements with a bit of a Whiteout feel, as an American weapons inspector toured decommissioned Soviet-era unconventional weapons sites in Russia, including one where thieves broke a mysterious vial, clearly letting something out.

This issue has Will, our hero, being ordered to work with Operativnik Romanova, the Russian detective who gave him a hard time last issue, in tracking down and containing whatever was stolen.  There is a lot of time given over this issue to character development, as we learn the story behind Will’s cough, and get some insight into both characters’ motivations.

This is a nice mix of ghost story, murder mystery, and political thriller.  I like the way Harris paces this issue, and I always like seeing Rolston’s art.  Definitely worth picking up.

I, Zombie #1

Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Michael Allred

I thought this new Vertigo series was worth checking out for two reasons:  1.  Michael Allred art; and 2.  It only cost one dollar.  I think that the one dollar first issue promotion has worked well for Vertigo – many of the series they’ve tried it with have maintained better sales figures than usual, although I think this is the first one that I might not have bought at regular price, and that’s because I don’t know the writer (I haven’t read his Cinderella Fables spin-off).

The story of I, Zombie is set in Eugene Oregon, and features a strange cast of characters.  Our main character, Gwen, is a zombie who needs to eat human brains about once a month to maintain her own synaptic fortitude.  Her best friend is a ghost who has been dead for a number of years.  Also poking around town are Scott/Spot, a werewolf who is smitten with Gwen, and a vampire who works at a paintball place (and who, in this issue, doesn’t seem to have anything to do with any of the other characters).

It’s hard to tell from this issue where this series is going.  Gwen has a former life that she’s hiding from, and collects Dixie Mason Action Girl dolls.  She also likes to hang out at a diner called Dixie’s Firehouse.  The preponderance of Dixie’s can’t be a coincidence, but I have no clue what its significance could be at this point in things.

Roberson is writing this in a knowing, ironic way which works well here, but could turn irritating in a few months.  I’ll definitely read it through the first arc on the strength of Allred’s fantastic art, and the fact that Gwen reminds me of Dead Girl from Milligan and Allred’s classic X-Force and X-Statix runs.

The Killer: Modus Vivendi #1

Written by Matz
Art by Luc Jacamon

I’m very happy to see this title return to the stands.  It was the original Killer series that first got me to buy any Archaia comics.  This was always my favourite of their titles, and to see it return just as the company returns to regular publication and increased visibility feels good.

The ‘killer’ of the title has grown bored after four years of retirement.  He has decided to return to his old assassin business, taking a three-part contract that has him working closer to home than he would normally like.  After two successful (and creative) hits, he finds that his next target is a nun.  This does not feel right to him, and so he returns to his old friend and partner Mariano for information.  As it turns out, these hits are all related to the Venezuelan oil industry, and our killer finds himself in trouble.

Most of this issue is concerned with setting up the story for the next five, yet there is plenty of space in the comic for some character development, and for Jacamon to give us some lovely establishing shots.  One of the things that has always drawn me to this character is his ability to rationalize the horrors of his job.  This time around, the moral issues of murdering a nun lead him to examine his thoughts on religion, which while very French, are also quite interesting.

This book is highly recommended.

Orc Stain #3

by James Stokoe

I love this book.  Hardly anything happens, as the entire issue consists of One-Eye escaping from Pointy Face, who has called for a Poxagronka on him.  Basically, that’s a blood feud sort of thing, calling for an eye for an eye and a gronch for a gronch, which is somewhat justified, as One Eye did lope his gronch off last issue (a gronch is exactly what you think it is).

The beauty and madness of Stokoe’s book lies in the way in which he structures his chase scenes.  One Eye’s escape, carried out while lying naked in a bathtub is brilliant, and much of this issue calls to mind the old Warner Brothers chase cartoons, but in a twisted, more violent sort of way.

What I love most about this book is the use of colour, and the way in which Stokoe is laying out the pictures on the page.  This is one of the more inventive books on the stands right now, and deserves a lot more attention than its been getting.

The Secret History Book 8: Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Written by Jean-Pierre Pécau
Art by Igor Kordey

I think it’s cool that this new issue came out the same week that I finished reading through the entire run for the first time (see below).  And I have to say, this is my favourite issue so far.

This time around, the focus in on the discovery of the ancient city of Kor in the Arabian desert by St. John Philby, a double agent allied with both Aker and Dyo’s houses.  In Kor, he finds a new set of runes, just as powerful as the ones used by the Archons. This story is set during the closing days of the Great War, as Aker and her pilot from book seven join up with Lawrence of Arabia to hunt down Philby.  This issue also addresses the issue of William of Lecce.

What I like best about this is that the story takes the time to develop the ancillary characters a little more, and because it is much less Euro-centric than the previous volumes have been (not including the first).  I also like that the price has dropped, making this the best buy I picked up this week.

Sparta U.S.A. #3

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

Lapham’s post-Apocalyptic football saga is becoming better with every issue, and it was pretty good from the start.  This month, Godfrey begins to lay the groundwork for his fight with the Maestro, training his army of women, securing new allies, and informing people of life outside of Sparta.

It’s becoming clear that the world where this story is set is vastly different from what one would expect from a casual study of the way the town is portrayed in the first two issues.  Whatever has happened to create these conditions, it was huge.

The thing I like best about this issue is the way in which Lapham has the citizens of Sparta use so many football metaphors in their daily speech.  It really helps to cement the fundamental importance of the sport to this society.  I also like the way in which the story jumps around in time, creating more suspense.

Timmons’s artwork continues to impress, and is getting better with each issue.  This is a really unique and interesting title.

Spider-Man: Fever #2

by Brendan McCarthy

This really is a cool comic.  Spider-Man’s spirit or soul is trapped in some weird spider dimension, and he has to either capture the Sorror Fly, to prove that he’s a spider, or the other spider demons are going to eat him.  Meanwhile, Doctor Strange is scouring the Webwaze dimension in order to rescue him.  That’s about it, except that Strange chats with some dog creatures and rescues a beautiful woman from a trap, and Spidey has a chat with the spider that bit him, giving him his powers.  Oh, and because it’s a Spider-Man comic, he suffers acute feelings of guilt and helplessness.

The story is a throw away, but that’s because a comic like this is all about the art.  McCarthy’s stuff is always cool, but he does some very neat things with this issue.  I love Spider-Man’s desert nomad look, and many of the other design touches he incorporates.  When Doctor Strange is in the dog creature house, their wallpaper is a pattern of cat heads.  Many of the pages are splash pages, and the whole thing looks fantastic.  I would love to see McCarthy do some more superhero work.

Sweet Tooth #9

by Jeff Lemire

Sweet Tooth is not like any other book on the stands right now.  It has a different pace than most comics – I wouldn’t call it decompressed, but it is most definitely not a quickly moving story.  Like in his brilliant Essex County trilogy, Lemire knows how to use wide open, silent panels to express the passage of time or the emptiness of a blasted out landscape.

In this issue, we learn more about Jeppard’s connection to Abbot, the man he ‘sold’ Gus to.  We also check in on Gus at the Preserve, and see Abbot and Dr. Singh argue over what to do with him.  There is very little added to the mystery of where Gus came from, after last issue’s big revelation, but that’s fine, as it seems clear that Lemire is taking his time with this story.

I love the cover this month – it sums up what is best about Lemire’s quirky and unconventional art.

Quick Takes:

Amazing Spider-Man #630 – I love what Chris Bachalo can do with an otherwise standard comic plot.  His off-centred panels and strange action sequences really work well in this ‘Return of the Lizard’ story.  Wells’s writing is pretty nice too.

Batman and Robin #12 – This is a very strange comic.  The story is jumping all over the place, as Morrison has a lot of balls in the air.  The revelation of Oberon Sexton’s identity, however, is unexpected and welcomed.  I also liked seeing Damian face down his mother.  At this point, I think I’d be more interested in seeing Morrison write a Damian series than a second (or third) Batman title.

Brightest Day #1 – I’m not sure I’m impressed yet.  I think this is feeling a little more Countdown than 52, and I promised myself I wouldn’t get suckered again.  I’m not going to pre-order this for July, and decide by issue 5 whether or not I’m going to commit to it.  It just feels a little slapped together, like DC was saying, “We finished Blackest Night, and can’t possibly stop there.  Think of something drawn out!”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #35 – This keeps teetering between excellent and ridiculous, with some nice character work making up for an absurd premise that undermines completely the excellent earlier issues of the series.  I’m sure some people were excited by the last page reveal, but I found myself groaning.  I’ll stick out the rest of Season Eight, but I’m not sure I’ll be on board for Season Nine.

Doom Patrol #10 – This book can best be summed up by the following snippet of dialogue:

Cliff: Okay.  What do we know?
Larry: About the same as usual.
Rita: Hello?  Late to the party?
Cliff: You know as much as we do, Rita.
Larry: Tragically true.

That’s kind of how I felt too…

Great Ten #7 – My enjoyment of this book this month is overshadowed by the news this week that the comic won’t be reaching it’s planned tenth issue conclusion, and will instead be finishing with its ninth issue.  I hope this means that DC will allow Bedard to wrap up his story, if in a condensed form, as opposed to the book just stopping Stormwatch: Team Achilles style.  I never understand DC’s game plan.  This book should have been published two years ago when there was more interest in these characters.  Because it’s a really good comic (even with Scott McDaniel art).

Jonah Hex #55 – Another decent issue of Hex.  This month we have a vengeful boy with a proclivity for dynamite, and the rare ability to melt Hex’s heart.  I’m not at all familiar with Vicente Alcázar, but I’d like to see him draw more issues of this book.  He has a less polished Billy Tucci feel, and it works well here.

Secret Six #21 – This continues the long dark night of Thomas Blake, giving us some insight into his past, as he continues seeking vengeance on the men who took his son.  It’s good stuff, but even better is Black Alice accusing Scandal of chasing ‘her boyfriend’, and borrowing some major DC magic to face her.  I don’t want to spoil that scene, but it’s quite possibly the best thing that Simone has ever written.

Superman: War of the Supermen #1As this comic exists to wrap up the plotlines of the last few years and get things ready for the next creative team, Robinson and Gates start to clear out the New Krypton status quo by going after the planet itself.  So how does Supergirl survive an exploding planet but others don’t?  Oh that’s right, she was behind a door.  And that’s what we’re dealing with here people…  I do like Jamal Igle though.

Uncanny X-Men #524 – This is a bit of an interlude issue, as the ramifications of the last chapter’s death sink in, and Hope meets some of the people on Utopia (Utopians?).  The funeral scene is nicely written, with Wolverine’s reaction being the one that felt the most true.

Comics I Would Have Bought if They Weren’t $4:

Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine #1

Realm of Kings Son of Hulk #4

X-Men Second Coming Revelations Hellbound #1 (ridiculous title)

Bargain Books:

Akira #1

by Katsuhiro Otomo

I have a confession to make – I’ve never read Akira, or seen the movie.  I remember when Epic started printing these when I was a kid, and some of my friends were really into it, but it didn’t attract my attention.  Now that the comic is being reprinted in English again, I thought it might be time to check it out, and then when I found this first issue of the earlier printing for just a dollar, all signs pointed to yes.

This issue is mostly set up.  It introduces us to Kaneda and Tetsuo, a pair of motorcycle-riding juvenile delinquents, who race through abandoned and closed-off sections of old Tokyo, until Tetsuo has to swerve to avoid someone in the road, and has an accident.

As it turns out, the mysterious and ghostly child with an old man’s face, known only as Number 26, is being pursued by the army and by a pair who claim to have helped rescue him.

This first issue is nicely drawn, and I like the way in which Steve Oliff coloured it.  Considering when this book was published (1988), the colours really stand out.  Here’s the problem – the new printings are in black and white, and now I feel like tracking down all 38 of the Epic series instead.

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers #1 – While I can’t stand Hudlin’s writing usually, I do like Cowan and Janson, and I have a weak spot for WWII stories.  The strange thing is, the art looks very rushed and washed out by poor colouring, while the writing is more tolerable than usual.  Still, it’s a pretty standard set up for this comic, and not all that interesting.

Hellblazer #265-266

Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Simon Bisley

If there’s one thing that Milligan brings to Hellblazer, it’s a sense of authenticity.  This book needs to be written by a Brit that lived through the Thatcher era.  I imagine that Milligan is about the same age as John Constantine, and is putting some of his own experiences or impressions of the world into the character.

This two-part arc has Constantine hooking back up with his old friend Faeces McCartney, who has an effigy housing the spirit of Sid Vicious.  Faeces has been keeping up the good fight against the Conservatives since the punk days ended, and has with him a small commune of young believers.  They are being recruited by a dark wing of the Conservative party to help them return to power, and Faeces needs John’s help to put a stop to it.

This means that Constantine has to shave his head, and immerse himself in this sad little scene.  While the story has John examining his past on the eve of a return to power for the party he hates, it also gives Milligan a good reason to further examine the blossoming relationship between John and Epiphany, who is an interesting character.

The guest art by Bisley is quite nice (I don’t usually like him at all), although I felt that his Constantine is a little boxier and more burly than is usual for the character.  I’m starting to reconsider having dropped this title.

Punisher Max #6 – Jason Aaron is basically channeling Garth Ennis on this, as we get an extended sequence featuring a nude Bullseye on the toilet.  After that, things get better, but I don’t know how interested I am in this title anymore.

Realm of Kings: Inhumans #3-5 – I’d been curious to get caught up with this title, as the Realm of Kings ‘event’ has been very disjointed, and I thought maybe something had been resolved here.  No such luck, except for final proof that Medusa is a nasty piece of work.  I’m not sure I understand the efficacy of all her machinations, and question how long the Inhumans will rule the Kree.  The slow development of Crystal and Ronan’s relationship is the best part of this book.

The Secret History Book 6: The Eagle and the Sphinx

Written by Jean-Pierre Pécau
Art by Igor Kordey

Much like the previous books, this issue is a mélange of characters, real and imagined, mashed into a story without enough backstory or identification for the casual reader to easily follow.  I feel like this series has been a disappointment to me, as I had expected a great deal from it.  I love the central concept – that four immortals have been guiding the hand of Europe over centuries as they war with each other.

The truth is though, the comic is a little boring.  The four main characters, the Archons, have never been developed to the point where a reader might care for them, or be able to distinguish between them by their personalities (with the exception of Dyo).  The other characters that flit in and out of the book are equally ciphers.

It’s too bad, because like I’ve said a few times, the concept is killer.  This issue has Napoleon breaking from the Houses and trying to amass power for himself by traveling to Egypt and the site of the battle in the first issue.  The next issue is set during the first world war, which is a favourite topic of mine, so we’ll have to see how that works.

The Secret History Book 7: Our Lady of the Shadows

Written by Jean-Pierre Pécau
Art by Igor Kordey

I’ve written before about the depths of my interest in the First World War, and really, it was this issue that had me most interested in reading The Secret History from the beginning.  The Archons found their power base much diminished in the flight from monarchy that happened during the later 1800s, and had little influence left in Europe before the coming of war.  With the outbreak of hostilities though, all four Archons get involved, as does Dyo’s partner William of Lecce.

The result is a bloodier and more vicious war than we are used to reading about.  In addition to the hideous new weapons man invented on his own, we have dragons and other creatures fighting on the side of the Germans.  Actually, the early scene where a dragon goes after a biplane reminded me a little of the Busiek/Pacheco classic Arrowsmith series, which I miss.

This volume suffers from the same fault as the earlier ones – it jumps around and never gives characters enough time to be developed.  It seems that the Archons are always making use of earnest young men who get paired up with mercenaries – there is an extended scene at the Somme that reminds me of the Nostradamus issue.

At the same time, setting a comic in some trenches is always enough to make me happy…

The Spirit #1 – I’ve never been interested in Eisner’s Spirit, but with art in this issue by Moritat and Bill Sienkiewicz, I figured it was worth testing it out.  The main story, by Shultz and Moritat is pretty, but a little uninteresting.  I’m having a hard time trying to figure out if this story is set in modern times, or a while back – it seems to be a weird hybrid of the two time periods, as if it was set in 2010, but also in the 30s at the same time.  The back-up by O’Neill and Sienkiewicz was decent, but not all that you would expect from that pairing.

Wolverine: Weapon X #12 – Aaron continues his ‘Days of Future Past’ epic, and shows us Logan’s death in the future at the hands of the same Deathloks he’s now fighting in the present.  The story is a little convoluted, but decent enough for a mostly action-oriented issue.

The Week in Graphic Novels:

Insomnia Café

by M.K. Perker

I loved this graphic novel.  To begin with, it’s the only comic I’ve ever read that has name-dropped Richard Brautigan’s classic novel The Abortion, a favourite of mine from high school which I had kind of forgotten about, and now want to read again.

This comic, by Air and Cairo artist M.K. Perker is not really what I was expecting.  His work on those other two titles with G. Willow Wilson tend towards the magical realist, while this piece is a little more Kafkaesque in its plot and execution.

Peter Kolinsky is a disgraced expert on rare books.  He’s been stuck in a dead-end publishing job since being fired from a prestigious auction house, and he is not very happy about it.  When a gangster rare book collector (of course they exist) comes to him to get his help in authenticating a book, he is forced to go on the run.  His journey takes him to the Insomnia Café, where he meets Angela, a worker there.  She ends up taking him into the Archives, a rare library that contains only books that haven’t been published yet.  They appear on the shelves of the Archives as they are being written, and disappear once published.  There is an extensive Salinger collection, of course.

Okay, this aspect of the story is a little magical realist in a Borgesian fashion, but not in what happens next.  I don’t want to spoil anything, except to say that the ending was not what I expected.

Perker is a sharp writer.  His characters and style in this book is more angular and piercing than his Vertigo work, but I like this change.  The prickliness of it suits characters like Kolinsky, who aren’t very nice.  I would definitely like to see more work from Perker in this vein.

Random Acts of Violence

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo

As much as I like Palmiotti and Gray on Jonah Hex, and as much as I enjoyed their previous collaboration with Caracuzzo, The Last Resort, they really hit it out of the park with this slim graphic novel.

This book is about two friends, Ezra and Todd, who are just breaking into the comic industry with their new title, Slasherman.  The comic is an over-intellectualized serial killer horror comic with some serious issues directed towards women.  It looks pretty ridiculous, but is somehow a huge hit.  The two friends head out on a signing tour of comic shops in the West, where they draw a lot of attention.

Much of that attention is negative though, as a string of bodies are discovered in their wake, all murdered using ideas from their comic, or directly making reference to it.

What elevates the comic above its plot is the strength of Palmiotti and Gray’s writing.  They weave in a lot of jokes and asides about the comics industry (I’m sure there are many I didn’t even notice or understand), and they even tell the famous Mark Waid store signing story.

This is a really enjoyable graphic novel, and Caracuzzo’s art works as well here as it did on Last Resort.  Great stuff, and at $7, a worthy purchase.

Firebreather Vol. 1

Written by Phil Hester
Art by Andy Kuhn

I picked up and enjoyed the second Firebreather series, at least until it went on its unexplained hiatus, but had never read the beginning of the series until I found a copy of this trade.

Hester and Kuhn were doing some very interesting work with this book.  Duncan is the son of a human woman and Belloc, a gigantic dragon who lives in a UN-protected preserve in the American mid-west.  Duncan has been raised by his mother, while his father has visitation rights every second week-end.

Duncan has grown up ostracized for his strange appearance and his temper.  He’s very strong, can breathe fire, and when he’s angry, he loses control of himself.  When this book opens, Duncan is starting his fifth high school in three years.  Predictably, he’s the object of much attention, and most of his attempts to make friends are fruitless.  He does meet Jenna, however, a peer counselor who works to befriend him.  While he is beginning to develop a normal life, his father manipulates things in the background, working to turn Duncan into the type of man he wants him to be.

This book is not as good as the later issues, although that’s because Hester has a lot of stuff to establish in just four issues.  Kuhn’s work is less polished than his more recent art, but this is still a very good comic.  I wish it would continue publication.

Album of the Week:

Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh

Get in touch and share your thoughts on what I've written: jfulton@insidepulse.com