Month: May 2017

Writer: Adam Glass
Artist: Dennis Calero
Colorist: Adriano Augusto
Publisher: Aftershock Comics

What if your entire life was fiction? What if you woke up one day to learn that everything you knew was a lie? This is an idea a number of other writers have explored in the past, and it’s the basis of the excellent new title from Aftershock Comics Normals. I review a lot of comics and especially a lot of first issues, but this one very well may be my favorite new series of the year so far.

The story opens with parents Jack and Mary, and their three kids. The family lives a peaceful, suburban lifestyle in which nothing out of the ordinary happens. Yet that all changes when their son Aidan falls out of his treehouse and wakes up with a glowing light on the back of his head. Desperate to find out why this is happening, the family returns to Jack and Mary’s hometown in Liberty, New York. Upon arrival though, they discover that not only does no one in the town remember them, but there appears to be no record of Jack and Mary ever existing.

What makes this book so intriguing is that it’s a good mystery story that manages not to be convoluted. Not to downplay a lot of the indie comics I’ve read, but too often I see an excessively complex story with amazing art. I’m all for creating narratives that are less traditional and non-formulaic, but I still need to have a sense of what’s going on. Here, writer Adam Glass does this beautifully, telling a straightforward story with great characters and an amazing twist at the end. Having been a writer/producer on TV’s Supernatural for several years, he clearly has a knack for engaging sci-fi mysteries. I also quite enjoyed his Suicide Squad run during the New 52.

Penciler Dennis Calero and colorist Adriano Augusto make for a dynamic duo, giving Normals a top-tier cinematic quality. Arranging the panels in such a way that makes the reader feel like he or she is actually viewing the story through Jack’s lens makes for an electrifying experience. In many ways the issue feels like a pilot episode for a TV show, which isn’t a bad thing. There are numerous creator-owned comics that I would love to see adapted for TV and film, this being one of them. Again, I read a lot of comics, and there are plenty of quality ones that I either lose interest in or just forget about. Normals however has me hooked, and I absolutely can’t wait for the second issue.

KEVIN SCHAEFER for Ultimate Comics

Written by Victor LaValle
Illustrated by Dietrich Smith
Colors by Joana LaFuente
Published by Boom! Studios

In modern times, Frankenstein’s Monster has generally been seen as a sweet-natured guy who doesn’t know his own strength. He was a family man in The Munsters, a hero in the recent Dean Koontz novels and comics, and a stalwart friend in Marvel and DC comics. But in the original book, he was a scary dude, and this week, Victor LaValle brings that horror back to life using the lightning of police violence.

In LaValle’s story, the Monster has been hanging out in Antarctica, a gentle loner who loves animals and quiet. But the modern world breaks in, he responds with violence, and he returns to civilization to hunt Victor Frankenstein’s last known heir. Meanwhile, that heir has been using family recipes to recover from the pain of losing her 12 year-old son to a scared policeman’s bullet.

The second half of the book is great, the art blending the alchemical and technological into arresting visuals. Dr. Baker is a thoughtfully-constructed character, and her story carefully explains the madness of her grief. But the first half is an art mess, a jumble of stiff characters and inconsistent proportions – the Monster is maybe person sized or maybe whale sized, characters teleport around set pieces, people wake up without any indication they’d been asleep… I guess it makes sense for a story about Frankenstein’s Monster to feel a little stitched-together at this point. The saving graces of this half are the phenomenal colors by Joana LaFuente and the commitment of LaValle’s script to the horror of Mary Shelley’s original work.

This book is going to be awesome, on track to blend the antique atmospheric horror of Frankenstein with the too-real modern culture of fear and tension between citizens and police. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, make sure to check out next weekend’s Resistance Con, ResistanceCon.com, at the Durham Convention Center, put on by Ultimate’s own Brockton McKinney and with a comics panel including your favorite employee, Marta Mickelson.

-MATT CONNER for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Christina Strain
Artist: Amilcar Pinna
Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro
Publisher: Marvel

I’ve been pleased so far with the revamped lineup of X-Men titles, particularly X-Men: Blue. Yet one thing that the books have lacked up until now is a focus on the mutant students who are training at the Xavier Institute in Central Park. With Gold, Blue and Weapon X, there’s no shortage of exciting missions and bombastic action, but I’ve been craving more scenes at the school and more adolescent banter. Fortunately, Generation X provides exactly those elements.

Aside from Jubilee as the team leader, this group is comprised of all C-listers: Bling!, Kid Omega, Nature Girl, Morph, Hindsight and Eye-Boy. If you want to know more about these characters, come by the store and talk with Ultimate X-Men guru Jeremy Tarney. The good thing though is that writer Christina Strain makes this book an easy jumping on point for any reader, regardless of how familiar you are with them. All you really need to know is that they’re misfits, and Jubilee is anxious about leading her own team.

Strain does a particularly good job with the interactions between these characters, from the rebellious teenagers to a fun scene between Jubilee and Kitty. Likewise, the art is consistent with the upbeat and energetic tone of the story. Amilcar Pinna’s pencils and Felipe Sobreiro’s colors create a vibrant aesthetic that really jumps out at the reader. There may not be a ton of plot in this first issue, but it’s a great setup with fun characters which has me excited for this series to continue.

-Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: Renato Guedes
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Publisher: Valiant

Eternal Warrior: Awakening is one of four one-shots to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the titular Valiant hero. Given that there is no current ongoing series for the character, the idea behind these one-shots is to capture the mythological aspects and significance of Gilad through short stories. So far it’s a great idea, as Awakening is particularly stellar.

The story opens in a prehistoric era in which Gilad is a mere farmer with no memory of his past. Yet as new enemies surface, he must come to terms with his destiny and reemerge as the immortal warrior we all know. What’s even more interesting is that this book is also a throwback to the very first issue of Eternal Warrior from the 1990s by Jim Shooter and John Dixon, as it draws heavy inspiration from that story’s plot elements and overall style.

If you’re like me and loved Robert Venditti’s work on both X-O Manowar and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior, you’ll be equally impressed by his storytelling here. His script not only tells a captivating adventure tale, but it also elevates Gilad’s character beyond the status of being an immortal killing-machine. Like his work on Wrath of the Eternal Warrior, Venditti incorporates themes of loss, identity and family into this story.

Likewise, Renato Guedes’ pencils and Ulises Arreola’s colors merge together in a beautifully cinematic fashion. You might be familiar with Guedes’ work from Bloodshot: Reborn, and here he brings the same kind of glorious blockbuster action movie flare. Both he and Arreola are able to create bombastic action sequences as well as quiet moments of character development. All in all, if you’re a Valiant fan there’s no reason not to pick up this book, as it offers a heartfelt portrayal of one of this universe’s most iconic characters.

-Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Written by Kirsten Smith and Kurt Lustgarten
Illustrated by Naomi Franquiz
Published by BOOM! Box

Hands up if you love the Goonies. Good, good, we’re on the same page. And have I got a great new read for you.

In a seaside Oregon town, the local economy has dissolved into harvesting oysters and milking the tourists who want to see where cult adventure film, The Gloomies, was made. Four young women pass time working unfulfilling jobs and playing poker while whining about the obsessive fans. But one night, a local eccentric leaves a mysterious locked trunk to the town’s museum, and the girls find a treasure map inside. So it’s time to start an adventure of their own!

Writer Kirsten Smith has a pedigree including Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You, so it’s no surprise that the book moves like a film, with immediate character distinction and a rich pacing. The sense of these women as discouraged townies who hate faking smiles for entitled preps hoping to recreate their favorite movie – that’s real and different, and it never breaks the heartfelt Richard Donner optimism of The Goonies. Queer illustrator Naomi Franquiz gives these women a range of realistic bodies, always maintaining the innocent thread that hooked us as children with our worn-out VHS copies.

This book is only going to get better as the girls embark with their new map. If you are a fan of Lumberjanes, or The Goonies, or adventure, or your own childhood, this is the new book you have to read. Ultimate Comics has plenty of copies, so come on down! (They’ve also got some leftover Free Comic Book Day supplies if you act fast.)

MATT CONNER for Ultimate Comics

Story by Chad Bowers
Art by Jim Towe
Backup story and art by Rob Liefeld
Published by Image Comics

Twenty-five years ago, young Rob Liefeld launched a comics company with an exuberant team of heroes called Youngblood. These characters were fueled by a distinctive artistic voice and the energy of a young creator. This week, another team reimagines the concept for the new Millenium. And it’s a worthy successor.

Chad Bowers, a longtime friend of North Carolina Comicon, knows his nostalgia after great work on books like X-Men ’92 and has been telling high-energy stories since Awesome Hospital. With his version of Youngblood, teen superheroes carry out vigilante justice through the HELP! app, a cute spinoff of Uber and the like. Petra Gomez is worried about a missing friend who used to work with her on app jobs, so she switches code names and joins up with the new Youngblood to investigate. But the original Youngblood heroes aren’t done with the name yet, and felon archer Shaft and lovable rock monster Badrock have a lot to say to these new kids.

The team is terrific, a collection of classic super power sets with the optimism and enthusiasm of the Millenial generation. Bowers obviously respects his history but tells a standalone story. Youngblood is one of my comic book blind spots, and I had no problem keeping up with this issue.

Thematically important, the artist on this one is newcomer Jim Towe. His panels are strong, telling the story in different ways on every page but never switching too hard as to distract the reader. His lines are classic, his superhero costumes beautiful and realistic enough to inspire a cosplayer in time for this fall’s Greensboro show. The colors, by Juan Manuel Rodriguez, click wonderfully with Towe’s linework, popping with energy but never going too 90s.

This book has firm roots in the past, but it’s going to some great new places on its own. Grab a copy at Ultimate Comics, and bring it to Chad for a signature at the next NC Comicon!

-MATT CONNER for Ultimate Comics