Eye on Comics

Worlds’ Finest #1
“Rebirth”
Writer: Paul Levitz
Pencils: George Perez & Kevin Maguire
Inks: Scott Koblish & Kevin Maguire
Colors: Hi-Fi & Rosemary Cheetham
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover artists: Perez (regular)/Maguire (variant)
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99 US

Of the four New 52 second-wave titles to debut this past week, this one offers the most traditional, purest approach to the super-hero genre, and consequently, it’s a thoroughly fun title. It also stands out as writer Paul Levitz’s strongest work since leaving his executive position at DC Comics and returning to writing full-time. The strength of his storytelling stems from a couple of sources: a strong friendship built on a shared tragedy, and the disparate ways those two friends chose to deal with it. What will like draw a number of readers to this book is the strength of the artistic talent. George Perez and Kevin Maguire are deservedly popular artists, and they demonstrate here why they’re so sought after. The writer and artists aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, but they’re building on a solid foundation. Despite the cosmic catalyst of dimensional displacement and the title’s connection to the continuities of two different worlds, at its heart, Worlds’ Finest is about a friendship that’s strengthened due to a shared obstacle. Read the rest of this entry »

G.I. Combat #1
“The War That Time Forgot”
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist: Ariel Olivetti

“The Unknown Soldier”
Writers: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Dan Panosian
Colors: Rob Schwager

Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover artists: Brett Booth (regular)/Ariel Olivetti (variant)
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99 US

Of all of the entries in DC’s second wave of New 52 titles, this was the most curious. When G.I. Combat was announced as one of the six replacement titles, it seemed an odd move to move this title into the slot of the cancelled Men of War. Furthermore, the two features DC planned for the revived G.I. Combat — “The War That Time Forgot” and “Unknown Soldier” — had both been the subject of scuttled reinventions in titles of the same name. Nevertheless, I went into this debut issue with an open mind, as it features the work of some creators — notably Ariel Olivetti and the writing team of Gray and Palmiotti — I normally enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »

Dial H #1
“What’s the 411?”
Writer: China Mieville
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Colors: Tanya & Richard Horie
Letters: Steve Wands
Cover artists: Brian Bolland (regular)/David Finch & Richard Friend (variant)
Editor: Karen Berger
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99 US

You couldn’t find a better target audience than me for this new title. I’ve loved the “Dial H for H-E-R-O” concept since I discovered it in Adventure Comics in the 1980s in a stint by Marv Wolfman, Carmine Infantino and Don Heck. I never submitted a hero for inclusion in the book, but I devoured every issue and marvelled at how DC accepted ideas from its readership. Skip forward a decade or two, and I was gobbling up just about every title being offered by DC’s Vertigo imprint, headed by Karen Berger, the mature-readers’ brand’s editor, who also happens to be editing this new spin on the H-Dial (heh, “spin”). I suppose if I was familiar with China Mieville’s prose works, I’d represent the perfect demographic trifecta. Admittedly, I was receptive to this book going in, but one could argue I had high expectations as well. Well, if I did, Mieville and artist Mateus Santolouco lived up to them. Despite my love for the title concept, I really didn’t know what was in store for me, and what I found was unreal, unconventional and unique. The creators have crafted something dark but goofy, surreal but grounded. Read the rest of this entry »

Earth 2 #1
“The Price of Victory”
Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Nicola Scott
Inks: Trevor Scott
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Dezi Sienty
Cover artists: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado (regular)/Bryan Hitch (variant)
Editor: Pat McCallum
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99 US

When DC announced Earth 2 would be a part of its second wave of New 52 titles, I was thrilled. There were rumors of the book long before the official announcement, so I was already a bit keyed up for it. I’m a huge fan of DC’s Golden Age characters and the Silver Age notion of World War II super-heroes’ adventures taking place on “Earth 2.” Hell, one of the purchases I made at the same time as picking up the first issue of Earth 2 was Showcase Presents: All-Star Squadron Vol. 1. In any case, as the weeks passed and we neared the release date of this new project, the promotional images made it increasingly clearer writer James Robinson wasn’t restoring the icons of DC’s Golden Age to their former glory. Earth 2 isn’t a bad comic book. It’s actually quite a bit of fun, the kind of thing that made comics released under DC’s Elseworlds imprint years ago such a success. The problem with the book is the title and the creators’ decision not to fulfill the promise that title makes. Those hopeful for the return of the Justice Society of America and other related characters will be somewhat disappointed with what they find here as a result. Read the rest of this entry »

The nominees for the 2012 Eisner Awards were announced about a month ago, and as I did for a couple of Eisner-nominated books last year, I decided I’d offer some reviews of some 2012 nominees as well. There’s no way I could review all of the nominees; I just don’t have the time or resources for such an endeavor. However, I thought it would be interesting to spotlight comics selected by the Eisner judges as being the cream of the crop of the past year. By the way, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2012 will be presented July 13 at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

First up for the 2012 “Eye on the Eisners” is Optic Nerve #12, which contains “A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture,” a piece nominated in the Best Short Story category. Read the rest of this entry »

Captain Atom #s 2-5
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Colors: Jose Villarrubia
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover artist: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99 US per issue

I undertook last fall to review all 52 first issues of DC’s relaunched lineup, which it dubbed “the New 52.” It was a lot of comics, and as a result, I reviewed a lot of comics I never would have read otherwise. Among them was Captain Atom #1, to which I had a lukewarm reaction. In my review of the first issue, I dismissed the series, positing the title character was “a standard super-hero now, and aside from the terminal nature of his powers, he doesn’t seem particularly special anymore. Captain Atom #1 is, unfortunately, a rather boring read, and I’d rather my super-hero comics be campy or cheesy than boring any day of the week.”

That was the last I thought I’d see of the relaunched series, but thanks to my local comics retailer’s efforts to clear out surplus backstock, I had the chance to sample subsequent issues at a bargain-basement price. I couldn’t resist revisit the book at a buck an issue. I discovered Captain Atom wasn’t the boring comic book I thought it to be. However, while I’m pleased I took a second look, I still wasn’t won over, finding the pacing to be lacking and the concepts being explored too strongly influenced by a landmark comic of the 1980s that DC’s about to mine for new stories and sales this summer. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh man, I’m way behind on my writing for Eye on Comics. It’s been a crazy month, but I can’t attribute the lull on the site entirely to being busy. Some of the blame can be attributed to procrastination and laziness, which I’m assuming was caused by some sort of viral infection my stout frame has managed to fend off by way of a superior immune system and sheer, hairy manliness.

Ahem.

This small collection of capsule reviews has been lying around on my computer for at least a couple of weeks, unfinished and begging to be fleshed out. I finally managed to do so today, because, arbitrarily, I decided I needed at least one more site update before the end of April 2012. Contained herein, you’ll find reviews of Batman #8, Courtney Crumrin #1, Saga #2 and Saucer Country #2. Read the rest of this entry »

Secret #1
“Chapter One: Teeth With Which to Eat”
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Ryan Bodenheim
Colors: Michael Garland
Letters: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.50 US

When I saw this comic book on the most recent new releases list a few days ago, I had no idea what it was. But as soon as I saw Jonathan Hickman’s name attached to it, I knew I wanted it. Hickman’s creator-owned work is so strong, I told the manager at my local comic shop to add any Hickman-penned Image title to my pull list. I won’t miss any future projects should they fly under my radar again. Secret marks a bit of departure for Hickman, at least in terms of subject matter. I normally associate him with meticulously crafted science-fiction stories (Red Wing) or stories with a strong focus on social commentary (The Nightly News). With Secret, he offers up a story of intrigue. It boasts a convincing and intense tone. It feels a bit like The Firm meets Mission Impossible (and no, I didn’t pick two Tom Cruise flicks for the comparison on purpose). Maybe what’s most interesting about the first issue of this limited series is there are no good guys to be found. All of the characters seem corrupt or dangerous in some way, but their conflicting (and for some, unknown) motives are what create the drama. Read the rest of this entry »

America’s Got Powers #1
Writers: Jonathan Ross & Bryan Hitch
Pencils: Bryan Hitch
Inks: Andrew Currie & Paul Neary
Colors: Paul Mounts
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover artists: Hitch (regular)/Leinil Yu (variant)
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99 US

The only competition-based reality show I watch with any regularity these days is The Amazing Race, and I have a serious aversion to those performance shows, such as American Idol, Insert Country Here’s Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars. As such, the title and apparent premise of America’s Got Powers didn’t appeal to me. On the other hand, Bryan Hitch’s artwork does. With that in mind, as well as Image’s track record of inventive new titles, I decided to give the first issue a look. After reading it, I find I’m of two minds. Jonathan Ross’s plot and script feels a little… formulaic. There aren’t any story developments in this debut issue that are particularly surprising (though it wasn’t exactly predictable either), and there are too many one-dimensional, cliched characters we’ve seen too many times before. However, I was also impressed with his commentary on the ugliness of Western culture, about its excesses and the ease with which people adopt prejudices and class distinctions. Hitch’s photorealistic art certainly works well with the subject matter, but it’s occasionally a bit difficult to follow. Read the rest of this entry »

Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 (Marvel Entertainment)
by Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, John Romita Jr. & Scott Hanna

A number of some of the best comics works the medium has ever seen — be it in the super-hero genre or otherwise — come from singular creative visions or focused collaborations. With its committee of writers (who outnumber the interior artists), Avengers Vs. X-Men obviously doesn’t fall into such a category, but then, no one was expecting this to be a milestone in comics craft. The crossover event is meant as a guilty pleasure; too bad the creators left out the pleasure part. There’s nothing particularly off-putting about the storytelling here, but there’s nothing particularly compelling either. Perhaps the most frustrating part of the story is the fact Cyclops, representing the X-Men’s perspective in this leadup to a battle royale between two factions, is so clearly in the wrong. As one of the other characters points out, he behaves like a villain here, seeing a potentially world-ending threat as an opportunity to advance his own agenda. Marvel has marketed this in part by urging readers to pick sides, but there’s only one side to choose. Read the rest of this entry »

The Waking Dreams End #1
“The Waking, Volume 2: Dreams End”
Writer: Raven Gregory
Pencils: Novo Malgapo
Colors: Michael Garcia
Letters: Crank!
Cover artists: Ale Garza/Eric Basaldua
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

Raven Gregory is a comic-book industry workhorse who’s developed a small but apparently successful little empire in that industry, but his niche readership is small enough you’ve probably not heard of him. But with Grimm Fairy Tales, various other titles and a lot of cheesecake covers, he’s tapped into a demand for particular material and carved out his own corner in the marketplace. I don’t think I’m a part of the demographic he and his colleagues at Zenescope are after, but there’s no denying the outfit publishes professionally crafted comics. After reading this comic, I was impressed with the unusual premise, but the script made something else clear: the Zenescope staffers believe they’re reaching a loyal readership and don’t seem all that interested in growing the audience beyond one dedicated group. Still, there’s a strong foundation here, as well as some capable, straightforward comic art that doesn’t reflect the gratuitous nature of so many Zenescope cover images. Read the rest of this entry »

As a courts/crime reporter for a daily newspaper, I’m well aware many of the people I write about don’t want me to write about them. Defendants have begged me and attempted to bribe me not to run their names in the paper. I’m been cursed out and lied about. It comes with the territory, and I take appropriate (though fortunately minor) precautions to protect myself and my family.

And now I face retaliation from someone I wrote about on Eye on Comics.

In the fall of 2009, I wrote about a federal court decision out of Ontario ruling in favour of American cartoonist Rich Koslowski, who won a legal action against Hogan Scott Courrier, the owner of Geeks Galore Computer Center in Marmora, Ont., for copyright infringement. Courrier used an image from Koslowski’s 3 Geeks comics in signage and other material for his business. A year later, I wrote a followup piece, in which Koslowski confirmed he hadn’t received the court-ordered monetary award and that Courrier hadn’t removed the image from his business material. In that followup, I also quoted Courrier after having reached him via email to allow him to tell his side of the story.

That was the last I heard of the story — until last week. Read the rest of this entry »

Hope For the Future #13
Writer/Artist: Simon Perrins
Publisher: Self-published
Price: $4.30 US/£2.70

When one reviews comics regularly, a lot of independent and self-published material makes it way across your desk (or desktop, as the case may be). There are a lot of unknown, tyro and amateur creators out there eager to promote their work, eager to catch the eye of other professionals or publishers — and, most importantly, eager just to have people see their work. Once in a while, a reviewer can happen upon a diamond in the rough, a gem of a book that hardly anybody knows about. Hope For the Future isn’t one of those gems… but it boasts the promise of being one. It’s not a diamond, but neither is it a lump of coal. It just needs a little more pressure, a little more polish, to become what it could be. I have no idea what Hope For the Future is about (and I’m not convinced creator Simon Perrins does either), but he strings together a number of scenes that impress. The problem is that those scenes don’t fit together or connect to one another in any meaningful way. His dialogue is sharp, the ideas compelling, whether they’re about the impossible or the everyday, and his art is occasionally powerful and fairly serviceable overall. Read the rest of this entry »

Jurassic StrikeForce 5 #3 (Zenescope Entertainment/Silver Dragon Books)
by Joe Brusha, Neo Edmund & J.L. Giles-Rivera

I’ll give this comic credit — its title tells you exactly what to expect from it. That’s right, this series is about five humanoids dinosaur super-soldiers, tasked with fighting an alien overlord and his loyal saurian troops. It’s ridiculous, over-the-top and actually quite a bit of fun, to be honest. Neo Edmund’s script, working from Joe Brusha’s story, is perfectly accessible; this issue picks up the story in the middle, with the heroes captured, but I had no problem following the plot and figuring out who the players are. Mind you, this isn’t exactly the most complex concept either. Despite the bestial look of the heroes and villains, this seems like appropriate fare for kids. In fact, it’s definitely more appropriate for kids than adults; the writing and concepts are a bit too rudimentary and obvious to appeal to an older crowd. The way the premise is constructed reminded me a great deal of kids’ cartoons of the 1980s, and the way the comic reads, it feels more like a springboard for an animated TV series than something meant for this medium. Read the rest of this entry »

Queen Crab original hardcover graphic novel
Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Artiz Eiguren
Cover artist: Sas Christian
Editor: Amanda Conner
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $12.99 US

I’m a lucky guy because the manager of my local comic shop is forever directing my attention to unusual and lesser-known comics and graphic novels he think I might find interesting, and this Kickstarter project of Jimmy Palmiotti’s definitely flew under my radar. I like it when Palmiotti takes on these personal, unconventional projects, so I was quick to grab a copy. It turns out the small chain of comic shops where I get my books was also a strong supporter and sponsor of Queen Crab, so my book was signed and included a couple of prints (one by Palmiotti and another by Amanda Conner). It was a nice bonus, but I was far more interested in this book with the unusual cover. Despite the premise of a woman who wakes up one day to find she has crustacean claws instead of hands, it’s really more of a slice-of-life book that examines the life of a woman who’s settled for a lesser life. Most of the book is a bit of a bummer, but in a resonant way. It’s an interesting character study that’s marred somewhat but some awkward pacing, but it merits a look just because it’s such a change of pace. Read the rest of this entry »