The comics reviewed are chosen by David not by That's Entertainment management
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Title: FLASHPOINT: PROJECT SUPERMANIssue Number: 1 (of 3)
Title Story: The Hero's Road
Publisher: DC
Writer: Scott Snyder & Lowell Francis
Script: Lowell Francis
Artist: Gene Ha
Colors: Art Lyon
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover Artist: Gene Ha
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
If you have been following the FLASHPOINT tie-ins you may have been waiting as I
have to see how the Superman of this alternate present differs from the
traditional hero. We have seen characters drastically altered. Some heroes are
now villains and visa versa. Some, in the case of Batman for example, are
different people and some have no powers at all. If you have wondered where
Superman has been in all this you will have to wait a bit longer. He does appear
in the last panel of this title but as an infant 27 years ago. The story begins
30 years ago as Lieutenant Neil Sinclair reports to General Lane at a top secret
underground facility. The project will give Sinclair super powers. The idea is
not to have powered vigilantes with no allegiances but to create a super soldier
to lead the effort against all threats in the future. The first part of the book
deals with the process over the first few years as Sinclair gains strength,
speed, invulnerability and more that Sinclair did not reveal. As he gets eager
to get in the field it seems to him the urgency is not the same with Lane.
Sinclair can see and hear through the walls to witness discussions about how he
is evolving. When the day finally comes for a field operation Sinclair goes
beyond his directive and soon learns the price he must pay. But as he formulates
what to do next fate intervenes as a meteor shower in Metropolis brings with it
a certain infant in a rocket. So we have elements of secret projects, General
Lane and finally the arrival of the infant all back 27 years from the present.
In such a different setting it will be interesting to see what happens to the
young alien and how he will impact the present time, if he makes it that far.
Gene Ha does a great job on the art and Art Lyon's colors finish it well.
Whether Sinclair or the future Superman will impact the war in Europe remains to
be seen. I will be staying with it until the end.
Title: GOBS
Issue Number: 1
Publisher: Antarctic Press
Creator: Richard Moore
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Fantasy
Mature Readers
I have been a fan of Richard Moore since I read BONEYARD and sought out his
other works. His drawing style is very appealing for black and white comics. He
uses detail and shading capably and the characters are unique and often quirky.
His writing in this case brings elements of horror, fantasy and the mythical
into believable stories in not so traditional settings. In this case we have a
typical town in a land where goblins coexist with elves and even interbreed. The
two lead characters are part goblin. Gretchen has wings out her head and a tail
while Milo, a half-goblin has large pointed ears and wings on his back allowing
him to fly. They are about the size of hobbits compared to humans. Gretchen has
a thing for Milo but hesitates to approach him. When their friends who are
goblins get thrown out of the local pub the owner goes a step further and bans
all goblins from the place. The gang decides they need their own pub and with
the help of Heather, an Elven waitress, the start to renovate a petrified giant
for their own business. What could possibly go wrong? As I said Moore is a good
story teller. He introduces the characters, lays down the premise and then moves
things along with a lot of humor along the way. The lover triangle between Milo,
Gretchen and Heather leads to frustration on Gretchen's part. The supporting
characters are funny and add to the overall story nicely. This is a fun book
with only modest suggestive language. It is a professional package worth the
cover price.
Title: EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERSIssue Number: 4 (of 4)
Publisher: Radical Comics
Creators: Matt Cirulnick & David Manpearl
Story: Matt Cirulnick
Writer: M. Zachary Sherman
Artist: Colin Lorimer
Colors: Kyushik Shin
Letters: Rus Wooton
Cover Artist: Alex Maleev
Price (USD): $3.50
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Future Western
MATURE READERS
This issue wraps up the reimagining of the story of Wyatt Earp, his brothers and
friends set in a not-so-distant future where things have reverted to the way
they were in the Wild West. In this story Wyatt decided to retire to Las Vegas,
America's last boomtown, after the death of his brother Virgil in a train
robbery. Doc Holiday convinced him to establish his own casino, the AOK, along
with Wyatt's brother Morgan and Doc's girlfriend Kate. Wyatt met and fell for
Josephine, a beautiful lounge singer in the Flynn Casino. But Flynn, the city's
biggest billionaire and mayor wants her for himself as does his head of security
Alan Pinkerton. The Earp's soon learn how heavy handed Flynn runs the town -
demanding "protection money" for the safety of the AOK. In defiance Morgan join
the James gang in a heist, is captured by the Pinkertons, but escapes back to
the AOK. In the fight that ensues Morgan is killed, Josephine is taken prisoner
by Alan Pinkerton, and the AOK is set on fire. Wyatt also learned that it was
Alan Pinkerton who was the masked bandit that killed Virgil in the train
robbery. All this has led up to this issue. Wyatt, Doc and Kate are left to take
down Flynn and the Pinkertons to rid Las Vega of its corruption, rescue
Josephine, and avenge the deaths of the Earp brothers. It seems like it would be
futile mission if not for the unlikely help of Jesse James and his gang. Now
that Wyatt is newly-reappointed as a U.S. Marshal he deputizes them all and they
eventually head to the Pinkerton compound for the epic battle that will follow.
That sequence is more of a traditional shoot 'em up if with modern guns. Getting
to Flynn first is a key to the plan and how Wyatt deals with him is fitting and
a bit humorous. The whole story has been interesting though it took a long time
to get to this point. As a final chapter it is spot-on with all the elements of
the plot coming together nicely and wrapping up with hope for the future and
room for a sequel. The art is a little gory in parts but well crafted. The
coloring is superb in bringing out highlights in a variety of scenes. I would
recommend this issue for anyone who wants to sample the series but the entire
four issues tell a great tale.
Title: FLASHPOINT: THE CANTERBURY CRICKETIssue Number: One Shot
Title Story: The Scoundrel's Tale
Publisher: DC
Writer: Mike Carlin
Artist: Rags Morales
Inker: Rick Bryant
Colors: Nel Ruffino
Letters: Rob Leigh
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
This title introduces yet another character developed specifically for
FLASHPOINT. He will appear in LOIS LANE AND THE RESISTANCE as well. But this one
shot explores the team of resistance fighters he is working with and his origin
story. It opens in Southern England as an eclectic group of resistance fighters
are under attack by Amazons. We have Godiva who has prehensile hair, Mrs. Hyde
who you can guess is like her male counterpart with split personas, Wicked Jinny
Greenteeth who is a creature of legend - looks like a green hag of a witch and
eats flesh, Etrigan the Demon and of course the Canterbury Cricket. All are
fighting the invading horde but not all for the same reason. The cricket is a
man transformed into a man-sized cricket. Not only does have the proportionate
strength and hard shell exoskeleton but also his screech is like a sonic boom.
He joined the group in the middle of the latest fight and so feels obligated to
tell his story. His origin is nothing unlike we have seen in past comics. He was
a self-centered student named Jeramey Chriqui who took refuge in Canterbury
Cathedral when the Amazons attacked. When one followed him inside to finish him
off an apparent act of divine intervention saved Jeramey. Next in a flash the
handsome young con man was transformed into the new weapon against England's
enemies. He retells one of his earlier exploits with Queen Bee, Cockroach,
Firefly and Blue Beetle. We also learn that this latest group has backing from
outside the country and attentive readers of one of the FLASHPOINT mini-series
may guess who that might be. Bottom line on this one is that it is an
interesting enough story that sets the stage for this band to move forward in
the LOIS LANE book and eventually find out who is backing them financially. It
is not essential for the entire event but it is value for the price as a one-
shot.
Title: WITCH DOCTORIssue Number: 1 (of 4)
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brandon Seifert
Artist: Lukas Ketner
Colors: Sunny Gho
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Horror
MATURE - COMICS ON THE EDGE
This one had an intriguing cover and a glance at the art gave me a good first
impression about the quality involved so I picked it up. The lead character is
sort of like Dr. Van Helsing from DRACULA except younger, more of an action type
guy and in the present times. Doctor Vincent Morrow is a specialist in
supernatural medicine. His assistant is the able bodied Eric Gast and they are
aided by the young female Penny Dreadful who has mystical powers of her own that
come in very handy. The Doctor and his team rely on modern science as well as
magic and other means to fight the forces from beyond. In the first issue this
leads them to a young boy who is apparently possessed - a classic case. As
Morrow explains to the parents their son is suffering from diabiosis. As such
there are a number of ways to rid the boy of the demon. One he demonstrates
using a possessed rhesus macaque but the method proves to be imperfect. As He
gets deeper into his analysis of the boy he finds something odd about his aura.
Penny Dreadful confirms it using her special talent and before too long the trio
are fighting for their own lives as well as the boy's. Usually stories like
these will at some point lapse into forced humor before coming to a resolution.
That is not the case here. While there are some lighter moments the creators
take it seriously and keep the action and resolution on solid ground to the end.
The art, as I mentioned, is pretty good and certainly enhances the story being
told. I like the characters and would like to see more of them as this series
progresses.
Title: AVENGERS: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADEIssue Number: 6 (of 9)
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Allan Heinberg
Artist: Jim Cheung
Inker: Mark Morales w/John Livesay & Dave Meikis
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Letters: Cory Petit
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
If you haven't been reading this mini-series you may be missing out on what
could be a key moment in Marvel continuity. This is the story of the return of
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch. It started with the Young Avengers seeking to
find Wanda with the help of Magneto and Quicksilver. They believe that Billy and
Thomas, with powers of magic and speed, are her long lost sons. After rescuing
Wanda from Doctor Doom and narrowly escaping an attack on Wanda by Wolverine,
who believes Wanda must be killed for the good of everyone, Iron Lad transports
the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch to the past where not only is Wanda's
power and memory restored but the past is changed and Scott Lang, Stature's
father, is no longer dead. This chapter comes at the 2/3 mark of the story. It
is a touching reunion and explanation between Billy and Wanda after some tense
moments of Wanda floating in the sky and glowing with sparks and magicky stuff!
Once everything settles down Wanda is having bitter remorse for her past, saying
if the Avengers want her dead she deserves to die for what she has done (M-day
and all that stuff). While awaiting for the big gun Avengers to arrive Beast
suggest that maybe Wanda can undo what she did and make up for it. In essence he
wants her to reverse the spell she cast long ago but do it on a case by case
basis. He suggests she let former mutants decide whether they want their powers
back. But where to start? I know, X-Factor! They know lots of ex-mutants. Before
the end of the book we see whether or not this plan can work. If it does it
could have major impact in the Marvel Universe. I'm telling you - you don't want
to miss this. The art is some of the best Marvel has to offer so it is worth
your time.
*****
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:
Marvel released two comics in March 1963 both, which featured the first
Marvel character crossovers from other books. Can you name the issue titles and
numbers?
The Fantastic Four crossed into AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 and the Hulk was in
FANTASTIC FOUR #12. Many readers were in the know this week. The winner by the
dice roll is Christian Mock.
Here was your no prize question:
What artist was struck in the face with a mallet by an envious rival,
disfiguring him for life?
While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo
was struck with a mallet by his rival, Torregiano, crushing his nose and
disfiguring him for life.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
Who was 'The Seventh Super-Hero' to join the Legion of Super Heroes?
Here is your no prize question:
Who was the only fictional character in Time magazine's list of the 100 most
influential people of the 20th century?
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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