The comics reviewed are chosen by David not by THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT management
or staff. The opinions expressed are his alone. If you have an opposing view you
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Title: JUSTICE LEAGUEIssue Number: 22
Title Story: The Death Card
Title Arc: Trinity War
Publisher: DC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
Inkers: Joe Prado & Oclair Albert
Colors: Rod Reis
Letters: DC Lettering
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
This is the opening salvo in the Trinity War running through the Justice league
titles. There are several things going on in this first chapter, some that seem
not directly related to what the war is all about. But that is something Geoff
Johns does well - structure the script to show various elements and views that
come together later. In the last issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE we saw the final battle
between Shazam and Black Adam ending with the latter being reduced to ashes.
Billy Batson feels it is his duty to return Adam's remains to his native
Kahndaq. This is what he sets out to do as Shazam and that action is the
catalyst for the battle to come. American's are forbidden to travel there and
when the League detects his action they form up to retrieve him before he sparks
an international incident. This is exactly the opportunity Amanda Waller has
been waiting for since forming the Justice League of America. Her team has been
chosen, some against their will, to match up against the members of the JL. They
are sent to get the JL out of Kahndaq. You can see what is coming. The Kahndaq
armed forces attack Shazam just as Superman and the rest arrive to stop the
conflict. This sets up the obligatory Shazam versus Superman fight before it all
escalates. But as I said there is much more going on. The opening scene has a
mysterious female visiting Madame Xanadu about her dreams. Madame X has the
reputation of being able to see the future through the tarot cards and so the
session begins and runs through the issue. The story title alludes to the fact
that she sees a death coming, as indeed that is one of the big reveals in this
story. But she also sees something else as the issue winds down. She says to
herself that she knows what Trinity means - apparently much more than the
Trinity of sin (Pandora, Phantom Strange and the Question) or the three Justice
League teams. Speaking of Pandora, at the end of her comic's first issue she
decides that Superman might be the person to relieve her of her curse and return
the Seven Deadly Sins to the glowing skull known as the box. She will test that
theory this issue but the results have a far different effect on Superman. That
appears to be key to what happens later. Probably one of the most interesting
dialogues in the issue takes place between Superman and Wonder Woman as she
explains to him why she does not have a long list of villains as do Clark or
Bruce. Could this get in the way of their growing relationship? The newest
member of Waller's team is Dr. Light who has the power to absorb light. One side
effect is that any room he enters turns dark. He is being forced to work on the
JLA to use his power against Firestorm when the time comes. A couple of things
in this issue show that the Secret Society of Evil is working behind the scenes
taking advantage of events to achieve its goal. But who is the man behind the
scenes? Did he have something to do with Pandora's box or was he just taking
advantage of events to manipulate someone? I won't reveal who it is but hints by
Madame X indicate there is yet another trinity involved here. Speculation
abounds online with one pundit saying this story will eventually lead back to
Flashpoint, the event that lead into the NEW 52. Whatever the case this is
strong story that absorbs you from the beginning right to the end. Ivan Reis
does a spectacular job in bringing it all together. The layouts and panel usage
really ties intertwining plots together visually. The rest of the team finishes
it off with equally professional work. This is the event to follow even if you
are not a regular Justice League fan.
Title: QUANTUM & WOODYIssue Number: 1
Title Story: World's Worst
Publisher: Valiant
Creators: MD Bright & Priest
Writer: James Asmus
Artist: Tom Fowler
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Dave Lanphear
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
One of the fan favorites of the last Valiant Universe was QUANTUM AND WOODY. It
worked because it mixed the story of two accidental heroes who where of
different opinion about their powers and how or even if to use them with a good
amount of humor. Valiant has properly recognized the creators MD Bright and
Priest in the credits and have even chosen the familiar panel structure of the
old series using white lettering on a black panel to set off subtitles for each
major scene. This first issue is the beginning of the origin story. The two grew
up together as brothers. The Henderson family took in Woody as a foster child
and eventually adopted him. He is white; Eric Henderson and his Father Derek are
black. Through their childhood the two boys made it difficult for the single
father, probable more than most kids do, but they stuck by each other. In the
present they are two different people. Eric is on the police force now while
Woody is living a freer lifestyle, not always entirely within the law. He
usually gets by without a brush with the law and one step ahead of the bookies.
Both their lives change when their father is murdered. While the police say they
are working on it the two individually decide to take matters into their own
hands. There is a sinister reason Derek was killed and the clues may just be at
Quantum Labs where he worked. This is the origin issue, as I said, and by the
end you will witness the event that will change their lives forever. Those of
you who never read an issue of the series might be wondering, "What is with the
goat on the cover?" Heh, heh - that will come much later. I enjoyed this first
issue a lot. It brings in the elements of the strained relationship between Eric
and Woody, gives us a taste for their history, and gets right into the mystery
that leads to their transformation. Asmus tries to capture the personalities as
they were in the original series but at the same times makes the characters his
own. The art is sufficient though it is tougher for pencillers to try or even
want to mimic another's style. This is not meant to be an exact copy of the old
series. It is a new series with new creators using old characters. They have
given us their take on it and so far it is pretty good.
Title: BONEYARD: THE BIGGENINGIssue Number: 1-SHOT
Publisher: Antarctic Press
Creator: Richard Moore
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Comedic Horror
Black & White - Mature Readers
I have been a big fan of Richard Moore for a long time. He has a fantastic grasp
on the need to blend script an art to tell a story. This is most important when
you chose to work in Black & White. His style, particularly character faces, is
instantly recognizable. His females are not a parade of perfect faces and bikini
model figures. In fact the lead female in the Boneyard series has a very petite
figure. He knows the value of putting character into his people more so than sex
appeal. Having said that he has often done work in erotic comics to make ends
meet but that is a different genre entirely. This one shot is spun off from the
last Boneyard series. In that comic Michael inherited a cemetery in a small town
and found it to be inhabited by friendly creatures of the night (and day) like
ogres, werewolves, swamp creatures, gargoyles, and a very lovely vampire lady
named Abbigail. Through the series he became friends with most of them and had
battles with the town as well as a few within the group itself. In the end,
after some supernatural trials and tribulations, he finally settled down with
Abby. You don't really need to know most of that detail to follow this comic
book. The dialogue as we go through clues you in to the fact that they are a
couple and she is a 2000-year old vampire that has not given in to the dark
side. As it opens they have just entertained some of her "old" friends and
Michael is feeling a bit inadequate versus some of the rich and handsome with
supernatural powers men Abby has dated over the centuries. He seeks out the
local witch friend for a potion to give him an edge. She leaves it for her
somewhat dim assistant Glump to pass on and well he messes things up. By the
time the potion takes effect the two are at a romantic dinner and she has
informed Michael that she will basically rock his socks off tonight. That is
about when he begins to transform into a giant worm creature losing more and
more of his own identity until he is just a dazed head and arm sticking out the
side of a thirty-foot monster. It is up to Abby and the friendly witch to stop
the transformation before it is complete or they will lose Michael and pretty
much the whole town forever. As I said Moore tells a great story and this one is
very typical of what to expect. There is a lot of humor in the dialogue and
even in the action when appropriate. It is labeled for mature more for sexual
innuendo than anything explicit. There tastefully blurred out nudity and even
the few uses of the f-bomb, totally in context, are censored letters by having a
bat fly through them - trust me it works. If you haven't tried Moore's work this
is an excellent sample and very entertaining.
Issue Number: 1
Publisher: Image
Creator: Joshua Williamson
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Goran Sudzuka
Colors: Miroslav Mrva
Letters: Rus Wooton
Cover Artist: Sean Phillips
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Supernatural
Mature - Comics on the Edge
This comic starts off as what appears to be a crime drama. Jackson Winters is an
inmate with a pretty bleak outlook on his prospects of ever getting out or even
living long. That all changes when a woman somehow makes it into the cell block
and opens all the cells creating a riot for the sole purpose of creating a
diversion to break out Winters. When he awakens he is in the mansion of an
eccentric old man, Markus Schrecken, who collects things. In fact he collects
supernatural artifacts. But he is missing one thing that will make his
collection complete - a real ghost. Markus tells him the story of the Trask
Mansion that had been the home a family of cult killers until they committed
mass suicide back in the 1970s. Now the mansion is scheduled to be torn down and
Markus is positive that with over a hundred murders on its grounds it is surely
haunted. He proposes that Winters put together a team and get a ghost before
time runs out, or he can be dropped off back at the prison. If he succeeds he
will be set for life. So with Ms. Anderson along to watch him he sets about to
form the team he needs. This is an interesting concept. Can you actually catch a
ghost? What has Winters got to lose if he does not try? He will pull together a
few people that he knows from his previous occupation, a couple of ghost hunters
like you see on those cable TV shows and finally a psychic because you know they
can talk to the dead. There is one incident on the final page that that puts a
nice twist to it all giving me the feeling things are not all that they seem.
The plot is straightforward and moves along at a good pace. The art team does a
really nice job with the variety of characters and scenes involved. So far I
like what I see and am curious what happens next.
Issue Number: 1
Publisher: Image
Creators: Ed Brisson & Johnnie Christmas
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Johnnie Christmas
Colors: Shari Chankhamma
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
I was not sure how to categorize this one at first. It is a story about a bunch
of survivalists, or preppers as they are called and the subtitle is "A Pre-
Apocalyptic Tale." It is indeed an adventure and the mystery comes toward the
end. The encampment is called Safe Haven and it is not just cabins in the woods.
It is a remote location with lots of pre-fab or trailer type buildings surround
by a double fence topped with barbed wire and armed guards. These people take
their situation very seriously. Playing on the radio is the "Prepnet
Survivalcast" with tips on how to create weapons caches, not to leave a paper
trail when buying supplies and so on. The introduction shows us a couple of
teenagers involved in this group Victoria Eckersly and her friend Hailey. They
are planning a clandestine trip into the woods to have a few nips but have to
help Vic's dad with storing supplies first. Her dad has been at odds with Mr.
Sawchuk about how to make more preparations to their infrastructure - not so
much what to do but how to do it. Sawchuk is the real hardcore survivalist of
the group. So we get the setup. In one scene Sawchuk's son Marcus and his pal
Joey borrow a ham radio and what they talk about leads us to believe that there
really is some kind of impending disaster. We may never know if that will come
to be because right now Safe Haven's real threat is from within. There are
false alarms, conditioned responses and ultimately an unexpected betrayal that
begins in great tragedy. It seems at this point that Victoria and Hailey may
play a much larger role in the plot when they get back from their walk in the
woods. I wasn't too excited about the story as it started but the last third
brought action and tension until the major revelation showed this to be a much
different story than I thought it would be. The art is pretty good on people
but is minimal in background detail. This could be a sleeper like some of the
other great stuff coming out from Image these days. I suggest you give it a try
and see what you think.
Issue Number: 3
Publisher: Dark Horse
Letters: Nate Piekos
Cover Artist: Jim Pavelec
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Science Horror
This bi-annual anthology reprints classic tales of horror. Cousin Eerie is your
host and this issue presents three stories all with a space age theme.
"Hunger" by Landry Q. Walker & Troy Nixey
This is the tale of a visitor from another planet whose ship got in trouble and
he crashed on Earth. Fortunately he was able to send an emergency beacon but now
he must hide among the humans and wait. The only thing he cannot adjust to is
the food and the hunger for his normal nutrition from his home planet grows
daily. The twist at the end, when the rescue team finally arrives, reveals how
he finally sated his appetite.
"The Saturnian Infantroids" by Jonathan Case
This one is little more out there - on Titan the moon of Saturn to be exact. In
this Earth colony in the far future the lifestyle is quite different. A free sex
lifestyle is encouraged but all the women donate their eggs to the government
where they are trying to keep control of the population by freezing the eggs for
later. One colonist, Miss Kubelic, feels she is not cut out for this life style
because of dreams she has whenever she spends the night with one particular guy.
The twist of the story involves what is really happening to those eggs.
"The Manhunters" by Gerry Boudreau & Wally Wood
This story is also in the far future. It is the only entry in color and features
the great art of Wally Wood. The story revolves around Brenda who has been on a
mission with two men to find her husband who was lost in space eight months ago.
The time that has gone by with no trace wherever they look has left her almost
without hope. As the story begins they land on another planet and find to their
surprise that there is life on this planet and it is hostile. As the two men
eventually are caught and killed Brenda is sure she will die here as well. What
she learns about these creatures and the civilization they have formed is the
twist that for a change is a happier ending.
These stories are from a different era in comics and they hold up well. If you
get into the genre they are good examples of what was a very popular form in its
day. The facts that both EERIE and CREEPY are back on the racks shows that
enough comic fans have a taste for the form. EERIE only comes out twice a year
but for the price it is worth the wait.
*****
TRIVIA CONTEST!!!! WIN REAL PRIZES!!!!!
If you think you know the answer to the trivia question send your guess via
Email to me at ComicBkNet@aol.com and you could win the prize. The first six
correct answers will be assigned a number and a roll of the dice will determine
the winner. You should put your real name in your message so we know who you
are. Prizes must be claimed at our store within 30 days of winning. The prize
will be a $10 credit slip, which will be redeemable for merchandise at regular
retail or in-store ongoing specials only. Only one prize per person will be
allowed per every 4 weeks. I will be the sole judge of the correct answer even
if more than one answer could be correct. Submit only one answer per Email
please but guess as often as you like.
Last week's trivia question:
Who killed Tony Stark's sweetie, Janice Cord?
Titanium Man killed Janice. The winner by the dice is Mike Dooley.
Here was a no prize question for old timers:
How many freckles did Howdy Doody have and why?
Howdy Doody had 48 freckles, one for each state at the time he was created.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
Which main DC character said this in a #1 issue?
"Quiet or papa spank!"
Here is your no prize question:
Who was Zelda of "The Legend of Zelda" named after?
Folks, you never know who among the readers is knowledgeable about the question
so don't hesitate to send in an answer - even days after it appears.
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