My View
David LeBlanc
ComicBkNet@aol.com
David LeBlanc was the Editor of the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine for
over ten years. He is a life-long fan of comics and moderated online comic book
forums long before the Internet became the place to be. David works part-time at
That's Entertainment, the Eisner-winning comic store in Worcester, MA.
REVIEWS
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
are welcome to respond to David directly by Email at the address above.
Title: THE TWELVEIssue Number: 9 (of 12)
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Chris Weston
Colors: Chris Chuckry
Letters: Jimmy Betancourt
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
This series may hold the record for longest time on hiatus. Issue #8 came out in
November of 2008 and after more than three years we have #9 finally on the
racks. There is a basic synopsis at the beginning though so much has happened so
far it is hard to cover it all. The Twelve were a band of heroes in the 1940s
that all set off to fight the Nazis in the war. They were trapped in Berlin and
put into cryogenic suspension to be studied by their captors in order to
duplicate their powers - though not all of them have real powers. That never
happened and the group was left in those chambers only to be dug up and revived
in 2008. They are put under the care of the military and housed together in a
mansion where they receive counseling and support in adjusting to a brave new
world. They are eventually offered roles as heroes in the twenty-first century.
They adjust in different ways. The swashbuckling Blue Blade becomes a celebrity;
the Phantom Reporter starts a column for the Daily Bugle, Dynamic Man allies
with the FBI and begins a new crime-fighting career while the only female, the
Black Widow, resumes her mission as an instrument of justice for an unknown
party. Rock Man is still bemoaning the loss of his underground civilization. At
the close of the last issue the Laughing Mask has been arrested for a crime from
the 1940s. As the story resumes the mentalist of the group, Mastermind Excello,
has bailed out the Laughing Mask and has returned to the mansion to let the
others know that he has come to grips with his future. An end is coming but what
the final scene may be is not yet clear. Meanwhile Dynamic Man is putting on an
exhibition in a baseball park and the Blue Blade prepares for the debut of his
one-man show. The main focus of the plot has to do with the robot of the group,
Electro. He was the brainchild of Philo Zog who controlled the automaton through
an electronic mind link. His niece, Elizabeth Zogolowski has temporary custody
of the robot but lacks the funds to fight the court battle against the
government. Blue Blade has graciously agreed to fund her suit in return she
agrees to have Electro appear in Blue Blades show. But there are fears that
Philo was going mad before he died when Electro disappeared with all the others.
Has his mind been imprinted on the robot brain and does that spell danger? Later
in the chapter the Phantom Reporter will probe deep into that question in an
attempt to find out Electro's secret. And speaking of secrets, the Fiery Mask
finally opens up to Excello revealing the shame and guilt he feels about how he
gained his flame powers. This may be a bit much for a new reader to jump into. A
lot of what I have detailed is what has gone before and is not mentioned in this
chapter. However, the plot in this issue is easy enough to follow with the focus
clearly on Blue Blade, Elizabeth, the Phantom Report - the narrator of the
series, and Fiery Mask. JMS does an excellent job on the script and the art team
makes it come alive. I think it is well worth your time to try it out at its
reasonable price. You may just want to get the collected or single issues once
you do.
Title: MAGIC THE GATHERINGIssue Number: 1
Publisher: IDW
Writer: Matt Forbeck
Artist: Martin Coccolo
Colors: J. Edwin Stevens
Letters: Shawn Lee
Price (USD): $3.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Fantasy/CCG adaptation
A special note about this comic: If you buy the sealed edition you will get a
free "Treasure Hunt" Magic card. Here is what Wizards of the Coast put out in
some promo material:
It follows the adventures of a new Planeswalker by the name Dack
Fayden. Dack's not just a powerful mage but also one of the
greatest thieves of his age. Unlike other thieves, though, he
steals - he'd prefer to say "borrows" - not for money but
knowledge.
Dack has a special power called psychometry. This allows him to
pry into an artifact, figure out how it works, and teach himself
the spells it uses. It also gives him visions of the most intense
times the object has been used, which can be both horrifying and
enlightening.
In this opening story Dack is looking for the people that destroyed his town.
Not having ever played MTG I have no idea how well this comic ties in. Dack is a
Planeswalker - he can teleport between planes. I do recognize some names of
places he visits - Ravnica, where he is being chased by a rather large beast
with dragon wings - Fiora, where he has a price on his head and a female who
wants to run away with him - and back to Ravnica where he can heal his wounds
and probe the latest artifact. It may be the best clue he has had yet to his
endless quest. As a first issue this one is pretty good. It introduces the main
character and his immediate associates, shows some of the unique capabilities he
has and gives us a small sample of some of the creatures and places we can
expect to see. The plot is well scripted and the art is exceptional. I found the
story to be readily accessible and interesting. Perhaps Magic players will get
even more out of it, beside the free card, but any avid comic book reader can
enjoy it.
Title: GREEN LANTERN: THE ANIMATED SERIESIssue Number: 0
Title Story: True Colors
Publisher: DC
Writer: Art Baltazar & Franco
Artist: Dario Brizuela
Colors: Gabe Eltaeb
Letters: Saida Temofonte
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero - cartoon adaptation
In November Cartoon Network ran the first episode of this new series that will
debut in March. In that preview episode Hal Jordan and Kilowog head off into
space in a special long-range space ship powered by the energy of the Oa
lantern. It has an artificial intelligence computer dubbed Aya. Rather than
adapt that story this zero issue takes those basic concepts and begins a new
adventure in deep space. They are following an energy source in space and come
across a green power ring floating in space. But they both soon realize if this
were truly the power ring of a fallen comrade it would be flying off to find a
suitable replacement. That means that it is a fake and they have been lead into
a trap. This leads into an encounter with some Red Lanterns and Kilowog is taken
captive. The adventure will lead Hal to another planet and a mysterious object.
In true form everything ends well in the end and the mystery box is a clever
addition to the plot. The art is faithful to the animated characters and the
colors are vivid making the effect even better. I am also curious about the
colorist. Is it just a coincidence that his name is beatle spelled backwards?
Anyway, this is a great comic for all ages with the self-contained story format
and likable characters. If you are still into the cartoon versions of your
favorite heroes check out the series on Cartoon Network next month. That way you
can get a double dose after reading this comic.
Title: WINTER SOLDIERIssue Number: 1
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Butch Guice
Colors: Bettie Breitweiser
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Lee Bermejo
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
I am a sucker for first issues even when I do not know the characters very well.
Well, I know who Bucky is and followed him in his latest incarnation as Captain
America. He was supposedly killed, again, in the FEAR ITSELF event but as we
found out in one of those after issues his death was faked. The tag line for
this comic is "believed dead by the world at large, and haunted by his past,
Bucky fights for redemption as the Winter Soldier." I am not sure I get the
redemption part but decided to see what this is all about. It is essentially a
spy thriller with super villains thrown in. Bucky is working with Natasha
Romanoff, the Black Widow. They are tracking down elements of Department X, the
cold war Soviet Union Secret Science Division that brain washed Bucky to be the
perfect cold war assassin. Another sleeper agent has been released from stasis
and the trail leads to a long forgotten Soviet agent living in the US. True to
form Brubaker has an intriguing plot with action and romance aplenty. He leads
us through the maze while filling in some of the blanks along the way. He also
has some interesting villains and the end of the chapter that will make this
more exciting - especially when we see who the first target of that sleeper
agent is. I have always enjoyed Guice's art and Breitweiser has a special
coloring technique that gives a special look to the art. It is very effective
visually. This is not a book that needs a lot of familiarity. You can pick it up
and follow it easily. It is definitely worth your time.
Title: ALPHA GIRLIssue Number: 1
Publisher: Image
Creators: Jeff Roenning & Jean-Paul Bonjour
Writer: Jeff Roenning
Artist: Robert Love
Inker: Dana Shukartsi
Colors: Diego Simone
Letters: Drew Gill
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Horror
Mature Readers - Comics on the Edge
The opening sequence of this comic explains how civilization came to an end. It
was not atomic war, meteor strikes or seismic activity but it was caused by a
third rate cosmetics company, Moujou. The structure of the comic has two main
elements. First we meet the title character though we have not been told her
name. As a child she and her younger brother were orphaned when their single
mother overdosed. She bounced around a few foster homes and ended up with a
rather wealthy foster mom. Buddy was not so lucky. After a couple of bad
situations he ended up in juvenile prison. That is about all we see of them for
now. The girl narrates the story and the second half of the book reveals what
happened at that cosmetic company. This is basically a zombie story. Two
perfumers have stagnated in their positions and one day they are given a choice
between taking up research in pheromones with a pay cut or take to the streets.
It is what they develop that has unexpected results and begins the horror sure
to follow. The premise is straightforward. The artists do a good job with
characters that are varied and unique. The coloring is a good fit and changes to
fit the moods and characters in fine fashion. The writer is taking the time to
build up to the main event by spending time on the characters as much as the
events. It is easy reading and clearly leads to more mayhem next time. Just how
the story will revolve around the Alpha Girl remains to be seen. For now it is a
fun book with some promise.
Title: O.M.A.C.Issue Number: 6
Title Story: One More Amorous Conflict
Publisher: DC
Creator: Jack Kirby
Writers: Dan Didio & Keith Giffen
Artist: Scott Kolins
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Travis Lanham
Price (USD): $2.99
Release Date: NOW ON SALE
Genre: Super Hero
I looked at the first issue of this New 52 title and decided it was time to
check in again. The cover harkens back to the Kirby DC titles that spawned the
original OMAC series. As I had noticed with the first issue the story title
follows the same pattern being words with the same first letters O-M-A-C. There
is no major plot synopsis to start but at least we get the main idea. Kevin Kho
is connected to the amazing satellite Brother Eye. At times he changes into the
One Man Army Corp, or whatever the acronym stands for now - basically a much
larger hulking man with a large Mohawk and a larger attitude. It is not
something he wants but rather is stuck with. We see from the opening scene that
Brother Eye is in contact with him in his civilian identity through his
computer. Strangely enough Brother Eye is also in contact with the head of
Checkmate, Maxwell Lord, though they are both sworn enemies. Brother Eye has
discovered some secret files in the Cadmus database where Kevin works referring
to something called Zero Patient. But Max also has his contacts within Cadmus
and will be looking to find out what the files are about. But this story is more
about Kevin and his co-workers. Tony has the hots for a female consultant and
convinces Kevin to ask his friend Jody to join them on a double date. Each
person has his or her motivation in this outing. Tony wants to make it with
Leilani. Leilani has her own secrets and is searching for something she believes
Kevin has while Kevin just wants to make things better with he and Jody. When
Leilani makes her move and reveals her true nature Kevin has no choice but the
Omactivate (yes they actually use that word) to deal with it. For an old Kirby
fan this is a fun comic. The secret of Leilani and what she seeks is right out
of the Fourth World epic from long ago. It ties in nicely with the whole
OMAC/Brother Eye theme and Max Lord is just icing on the cake. Didio and Giffen
are having fun with this comic and the two Scotts do and admirable job with the
art. I found this chapter easy enough to get into having skipped to it from
issue #1. This may be one of those comics not high up in sales among the New 52
but it deserves your attention.
*****
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:
Famous first words of which comic book character?
"A few seconds more and we'll know whether we have succeeded or not!"
Bruce Banner debuted with those words before his rendezvous with a Gamma bomb.
The winner by the dice roll is Jeremy Mower.
Here was your no prize question:
In the TV show THE JETSONS, what was Astro's real name?
t was learned that the Jetson's pet dog was originally named Tralfaz.
THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
Nuck and Futz were supposed to be characters in what comic book series until the
editors caught the joke?
Here is your no prize question:
Many songwriters considered it the ultimate compliment to be recorded by Frank
Sinatra. What was the only Beatle song he recorded?
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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