Review - Invincible 85

Invincible is one of the few long running titles I've had the pleasure of reading from its first issue. If there's one constant of Invincible, its that it's never one to sit still. Always moving forward, always changing, never afraid to pull punches (often times literally). That being said, The Viltrumite War
epic brought me dangerously close to dropping the title. I'm not sure what never clicked with me with that story, but after all the build up and excitement when the actual War started I found myself bored more then thrilled. I think it was Ryan Ottley's amazing artwork that held me on through that (and I'm not an 'art guy' so that's saying something to the talents of Mr. Wya). But ultimately I'm very glad I stuck through it, as the post-Viltrumite War fallout has been nothing short of excellent. The struggle the title's lead character Mark is going through right now, and how he's dealing with his physiological stress at who he is and what his purpose in the world should be, has been fascinating to read.

Issue 85 of Invincible actually doesn't have anything to do with Mark, or anyone on Earth. Ryan Ottley needed a break, so instead of dropping a fill-in artist into the middle of the main storyline, or delaying the title for two months, instead we have the original Invincible artist (and title Co-Creator) Cory Walker drawing a two issue side-story dealing with Mark's father, Omni-Man and Mark's half-brother Oliver out in space working with the Coalition of Planets and insuring the continuing peace in a war ravaged galaxy. Cory Walker was there at the launch of the series, drawing the first six issues of the series, before handing the reigns over to Ryan Ottley. So having him back on this fill-in arc really feels right.

This issue focuses on Allen the alien's (the current head of the Coalition) struggle with the idea of the last surviving Viltrumites living out on Earth. Omni-Man makes his case but the Coalition is not pleased with this development, and Allen is conflicted between the good of the Coalition and his friendship with Omni-Man and Mark. Not to mention the fate of an entire planet of humans caught in the middle.

I really liked this issue, I like Allen, and his new position in the title makes him even complex. Cory Walker's art is in top form, and the way its evolved from Invincible's early days is significant. Invincible in general has been on the uptick over the last few months, and while The Viltrumite War itself was a bit of a letdown, the groundwork it laid has been paying off really well.

Next: 2000 AD 1758

Review - Usagi Yojimbo 142

Three months ago I suddenly came to a shocking revelation. I'd never actually read any of Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo! Oooops! Not one to let such injustice stand I ran out and bought the first three collections. Going in I knew some of the basics, Usagi is a traveling masterless Samurai, also he's also a rabbit. The mix of fast paced action, quite introspection, physical comedy, historical drama, and fantasy adventure hit all the right notes for me and I immediately regretted not jumping on the title years ago. Along with working my way through the many (many!) collections I bit the bullet and hopped on the latest issue.

First off, one thing I really respect about Usagi Yojimo as a whole is its accessibility. Its stories typically are self-contained, either within a single issue or in a story arch. This latest issue illustrates this rather well. With Usagi wandering the Japanese countryside, as he does, and coming across people in danger and in need of assistance. In this case a team of runners in the employ of a local lord are rapidly transporting a precious cargo as a special gift to another lord. But their long over-land route is beset by bandits and wild animals. Usagi steps in to help, and finds himself taking up the duty of the runners though he has no personal ties to their lord. The beautiful elegance of this story is in its apparent straight forwardness, but taking a step back reveals its larger complex nature. Particularly where what drives Usagi to do what he does is concerned. At 24 pages long, it weaves a very satisfying narrative, that makes you long for other comics to have as much economy of space.

Stan Sakai might be a good writer, but he's also something of a deft hand with a pen too. The line work showcased in this issue is nothing short of inspirational. Characters are lively, backgrounds are detailed, motion flows from panel to panel you can definitely feel a lot of love goes into the creation of this comic.

After years of putting it off, I've finally jumped into this series with both feet, and have continued to find it rewarding. Its certainly the sort of on-going series I can see myself following for years to come, and this issue is a really good example of just why that is. EXCELLENT.

Next: INVINCIBLE (well... soonish. I don't actually have my copy yet. Its in the mail. Maybe not til the end of the week.)

Review - The Shade 2

James Robinson's Starman is arguably one of the more important comics to come out of the 1990s. In it the golden age hero-scientist Ted Knight, Starman, passes the torch to his reluctant artistic son Jack Knight. What follows is both a reinvention of a golden age hero and the creation of an all new hero for a modern age. Along with Starman, Robinson reintroduced another golden age character, the shadow manipulating Shade. An immortal that straddled the line between good and evil, he became one of Jack Knight's greatest allies, and one of Opal City's greatest protectors. But his history has always been kept in shadow (pun intended). Until now.

Robinson returns to Opal City with The Shade, a 12 part mini-series that will finally bring The Shade's origins to light (god, these puns). Last issue someone put a price on The Shade's head and sic'd Deathstroke the Terminator on him with rather dismembering results. This issue picks up with The Shade having evidently used a decoy to get Deathstroke off his scent as he begins investigating the mysterious figures who have put the price on his head. After some goodbye's with his local allies (and lover) The Shade is off on what is sure to be a globetrotting adventure.

James Robinson has taken some heat lately for some mediocre to bad DC stories, and there was a lot of speculation of which Robinson was going to turn up for this particular series. At this point its pretty clear Robinson is bringing his Starman-era A-Game to the table. You can really tell he's comfortable with these characters, and the sort of story their tied up in. The Shade is a likable know-it-all, sure in his actions, and new character Will Von Hammer has a sarcastic gunman streak I can't help but love. The story is definitely starting to delve into The Shade's past, with run ins with other shadow based meta-humans. I'm not sure if these are characters that have appeared in DC comics before (I suspect not), but I'm honestly curious about them.

Art-wise the book is rock solid, if not quite as experimental as the Starman glory days often showcased under the deft pen work of Tony Harris (who provides the covers for this mini-series). Cully Hamner has an almost animated style of artwork that is both at once colorful, but also moody. I like it.

So two issues in and already I'm hyped for this series. Its really great to see James Robinson back in the zone where it concerns the characters that made a name for himself. Can't wait to see where it goes. EXCELLENT.

Next: USAGI YOJIMBO

Review - RASL 12

Jeff Smith is without a doubt one of the greatest independent comic creators of this era. His classic epic Bone sits atop a very short list of 'best comics ever' in my mind. That it continues to be a hot selling property is a testament to its longevity. When Bone ended, Smith went on to do a great Captain Marvel mini-series at DC, but what really got me excited was his new creator owned series RASL. About a dimension hopping art thief named 'RASL'. That was three years ago. You many notice we're only on issue 12 at this point. Jeff Smith, though a modern master is a little slow on the output, often putting 3 or 4 months between issues. Which as a result can sometimes make you forget just what the heck is going on. As best I can recall RASL has been being hassled by lizard looking goons for his won-ton dimension hopping, during which he's had a run in with his death ex-lover in a different universe.

At this point RASL is out driving in the desert in a world where the experiment he was involved with is going critical. He intends to infiltrate the facility to stop the same thing happening to another world that happened in his. Most of this issue is an extended history lesson on the life and times of famed inventor Nikola Tesla. Which is fascinating in its own right as a brief biography. And it does showcase why Tesla and his research is so important to RASL's life. But it also feels like this issue is just a transition to the next. A well rendered, and lovingly fleshed out transition. But a transition none-the-less. Next issue looks to really heat up, and it is my understand the series is actually entering into its end game. It won't be running to many more issues.  Which is too bad for a couple reasons. The main on being that there just aren't that many good science fiction comics out there, RASL, though erratic in schedule, has been consistently entertaining. There just aren't a lot of comics out there like this. Which is too bad. SOLID.

Next: THE SHADE.

Review - Dark Horse Presents 6

Ah. Dark Horse Presents. I remember picking up the first issue on a whim, looking to expand my pull list, and curious about what this new on-going anthology offered. 6 issues latter and it now rests securely at the top of my comics pile. Dark Horse Presents is easily my most anticipated comic these days. Which is strange. Because while I appreciate anthologies, they often leave me cold. Usually anthologies are themed, or have a number of creators I'm interested in. But nearly universally the short stories are self-contained done-in-one style. And while I can enjoy that. It doesn't necessarily make me interested in picking up the next anthology collection.

So what is DHP's secret? SERIALS. DHP has no fewer then 8 serialized stories going on at this time. Serialized means I can expect to read more of a given story in the future. I can get invested in the situation and character, and get excited waiting for the next installment. And boy-howdy, what a bunch of stories we have in this issue. As this is an anthology I'm going to break the book down by each story. For those who don't know, an issue of Dark Horse Presents typically contains 80 full-color pages, broken into ten 8 page story chunks. So there is a lot to enjoy.

Resident Alien Part 3 - I've really liked this sci-fi murder mystery. Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse do a really good job at making a town live and breath. And I really like the lead character and his motivation. That being said, this third chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and doesn't appear to be continuing next issue, or the next few if the solicitations are anything to go by. Hopefully its back in a few months. Excellent.

Finder: Third World Part 6 - Finder is an exceptional series already, this series continues that trend in full color. Each installment seems to tell a self-contained story, but you can feel the entire thing is building to something. Carla Speed McNeil is very good at world building, and this series really lets her explore it more. Fantastic.

The Adventures of Dog Mendonca and Pizzaboy Part 3 - I'm not really sure what to make of this series. Its about a Private-eye who recounts his origins as a were-wolf captured by Nazis in WW2. Which sounds interesting, but the origin story is presented in a rather laid back fashion that I find hard to get into. The origin story is book-ended by the lead character saying and doing humorous things with his partners. Its those bookends I'm enjoying far more the meat of the story. I want to read about those guys. Juan Cavia brings some seriously good looking art to the table, but it runs the risk of being too busy. Entertaining.

Beasts of Burden: Story Time - The second in a series of Beasts of Burden one-shots brought to us by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson. This installment the Wise Dog tells a spooky story, that really is quite cleaver and epic. BoB is such a great series, I'm glad to see it here. Fantastic.

Change - Fabio Moon brings us a short one-off story that is poetry in comic form. I can't get over how cool this story was, in style and execution. And that art. To die for. Amazing.

Blood Part Part 5 - Oh, what can I say about Neil Adam's Blood. Not much that's very nice I'm afraid. A very confusing story, characters with no personality, a progression with no logic, muddy art that's mostly covered by dialog balloons. This series has been a dud since day one. But... if only one story is truly terrible I call that a win. Horrible.

Criminal Macabre: Die, Die, My Darling! Part 3 - I don't know much about Criminal Macabre the series, so this 3 part story has been largely hard for me to get excited about. The story seems to follow a pair of vampires given a task to perform by a strange supernatural being. The resolution felt rather rushed, and based entirely on the lead character's intuition then any kind of facts. Eh. Its okay I guess. Not really my sort of comic. Fine.

Number 13 Part 5 - This series took a little while before I really started to get excited about it. Its post-apocalyptic landscapes, strange twisted mutants, and strange cyberpunk designs finally brought me around. Robert Love's artwork is gorgeous. Unfortunately, like Resident Alien this appears to be the last installment for this series for the near future. And again, its another story that ends of a cliffhanger. Annoying. But I await its return! Fun!

Marked Man Part 6 - Two issues ago Howard Chaykin cemented himself as a creator I'm going to start paying attention to. With three pages he conveyed silent emotion in a comic like I've not seen in a while. Marked Man has been overall a decent series, Chaykin's art is nice to look at (though the shiny coloring can be really distracting), and the story of a hitman with a mark on his head has been largely interesting. Even though Chaykin sometimes leaves out some story transitions that could really make this series soar. As it is, its pretty good. But not exceptional. Solid.

Skeleton Key: Room Service - A very cute series, that's a sort of super-natural Doctor Who. With two girls traveling time and space with a magical 'skeleton key', spilling them into trouble wherever they end up. I really like Andi Watson's art style. Sort of whimsical. The series is presented as a series of one-offs, and appears to be sticking around for the near future. Adorable!

Phew, that was a lot of comics to mini-review. Dark Horse Presents is in my mind everything a monthly comic should be. High in content, high in talent, and low in price (80 pages for 8 bucks is a STEAL).

New Comics for the Week of 11-23-11

These are the five comics I was most interested in back on Monday the 21st.

The reasons I chose the following being...

DARK HORSE PRESENTS 6 - DHP has consistently been one of my most anticipated books for the last three months. It has a certain magic too it that many other comics don't manage.
INVINCIBLE 85 - Cory Walker's return to the title for a two-part fill-in arc has got my attention.
RASL 12 - This book doesn't come out nearly often enough. So every new issue is an EVENT.
THE SHADE 2 (of 12) - James Robinson's return to the characters that made him famous has so far been a treat. Lets see if the next issue keeps up the pace.
USAGI YOJIMBO 142 - I'm fairly new to Stan Saki's ronin rabbit. So I continue to get excited every time a new issue comes out.

So that's the five for this week. Tune in soon, as I run them down one by one.