Red Spike is an action filled story that basically tells you to shut up and enjoy the ride. The two main characters have had their bodies altered so that they’re pumping max adrenaline at all times. With their built-in gauge they can check to see when they’re close to maxing out, which is a nice way of saying they can see when they’ll make their hearts explode. They’re not super humans per say, but they are pretty extraordinary.
Tthe first issue of the Intrepids, was not a good first issue. It did not represented a good origin story to a first time audience. Yet, surprisingly enough the book sold well enough for Image to call it a hit. Issue two demonstrated a better representation of the characters and a more enthusiastic dramatic content. Although the book showed a better characterization and better chemistry between the characters and the artwork kept on being fresh and inventive. Is the third issue worth it?
Luckily, after reading a terrible seventh issue and a decent eighth issue Dracula: The Company of Monsters #9 hits many soft spots but still has quite a few rough patches that make me question why the series has been so acclaimed since the first issue. The battle between Conrad and Dracula finally begins here, with Evan playing the double-crosser of both Dracula and Conrad seeking help from the vampire-hunter Marta and her gang.
How the mighty have fallen. This issue of Artifacts may be the lowest point of the series filled with mostly boring dialogue, a million characters I can’t keep track of and artwork that reaches a new low. After a battle with Cyberforce, Sara and the rest of the team go to Hunter-Killer headquarters where they interrogate the now decapitated head of Aphrodite IV and run into a little more than they bargained for.
Blue Estate # 2 is out this week. It’s set in a pulp/noir world with a big cast of characters all in one city. Like the film Alpha Dog, this is a world connected by the dark secrets each character possesses. It is a dark world of betrayal, drugs, prostitution, mobsters, police, comedy, secrets and Hollywood – in short it is a vast undertaking of themes and characters. The previous issue introduced us to the characters like the loser detective, mobsters and a fake Hollywood couple (the actor looks like Steven Seagal) and it was a great first issue, especially if you’re into books by James Ellroy. With each introduction to a new character, the readers could see a connection to a bigger picture, like in The Wire.
With so many “gods” running around the Marvel Universe it’s hard to make them all interesting. As a whole, Marvel tends to lean towards the Norse side favoring Thor and the rest of Asgard over the typically more popular Greek mythology. That being said, how do you keep Hercules interesting when you have to constantly compare him to Thor? Hercules compared to Thor, with his constant do-goodery and his kick ass hammer and natural leadership skills? Well if you’re Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, you take away his godliness.
Axe Cop chops his way to the climactic conclusion of the Bad Guy Earth trilogy this month. I won’t spoil what happens in this advance review, but suffice it to say: It’s so good that it’ll chop off your head with awesomeness!
Bulletproof Coffin’s trade paperback came out last week, from Image Comics. This book is part Madman, part Twin Peeks meets the golden age of comics. The book is brought to us by the creative team of David Hine and Shaky Kane, both characters in this story. At first glance, new readers might confused this book with a Mike Allred one, as the art style of the book might look similar to Mike’s style. But don’t let this fool you, this is not an Allred clone. Its been a while since Mr. Kane has published something, but with this series it feels like he never stopped. Readers might recognize a whole plethora of golden age creators that influenced this book. Steranko, Kirby, Mobeus, Stan Lee are some of the cogs in the big machine. In fact this book is a love letter to comic book creators and a social commentary on the big companies that have taken advantage of said creators.
Not only is this the most unique format for a graphic novel it’s probably the most unique graphic novel I’ve read. The Sky Over the Louvre takes place during the French revolution and features a long list of paintings from the museum including: Woman With A Mirror, The Young Beggar, General Bonaparte, Death of Joseph Bara and Madame Charles-Louis Trudaine just to name a few. Altogether, the book features thirty-eight paintings from the Louvre to add a very authentic feel to the story and the book.
You might have heard this classic story somewhere: He was once a royal retainer until his lord’s death in battle. Miyamoto Usagi is now an unemployed samurai, a ronin, walking the warrior’s pilgrimage in search of harmony. But it seems that wherever this warrior’s journey takes him, trouble is not far behind. The concept of this story is spawned from countless samurai tales/movies. In fact it could be a great TV series. A Hollywood producer might imagine this story with a badass actor and see this as a bloody, gore and guts feature. But it would come with a surprise to them when they see that our protagonist is actually an adorable bunny.
