Friday, 7 February 2025

Conan: Battle Of The Black Stone - Titan Comics #3

CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE No. 3, December 2024
Somehow managing to make all of Robert E. Howard’s creations sound spookily convincing, as if their dialogue was actually penned by “the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre” himself, Jim Zub’s narrative for this “epic new Conan Event from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics” should have gone down very well with any readers even remotely familiar with the late lamented Texan’s considerable cast of characters. In fact, some bibliophiles might actually feel a little disappointed when the giant-sized, unspeakably evil nightmare that has been following the central protagonists is once again conjured up from beyond time, and brings the group’s fascinating conversations amongst one another to a bloody end.

Fortunately, what follows also appears to quite wonderfully expound all the virtues of Solomon Kane, Dark Agnes de Chastillon, John Conrad and John Kirowan, as the unlikely party of adventurers pit both their brains and brawn against a seemingly unstoppable foe from the past. This confrontation is incredibly well-written by the Canadian author, and genuinely taps into the highly inquisitive nature of Howard’s occult professor as he is irresistibly drawn “to a mysterious eye symbol etched in black stone”, having previously been depicted fretting over just how believable his hastily-scrawled notes would be once he’d returned to his own 'modern-day' time-line.

Just as enthralling though, is the ill-fated Sixteenth-Century “Sword Woman”, who credibly allows her infamous short temper to get the better of her, and impetuously decides to challenge the cyclopean monster one-on-one, whilst being armed with nothing more than a fragile-looking fencing blade. In many ways this incredibly one-sided skirmish is arguably more impactive than Kirowan’s tearful loss of his beloved bespectacled friend, as the French fighter’s gratuitous demise disappointingly brings any notion of a lasting relationship with Kane to a very sudden, shocking end; “If we make it back alive, perhaps I’ll seek out your elder wisdom and we’ll smile at the follies of our youth.”

Also well-deserving of a pat on the back for this twenty-two page periodical’s success must be “Jaunty Jonas Scharf” and “Jumping Jao Canola” – who together combine their pencilling and colour-work to craft a highly atmospheric Pictland Jungle, west of Conajohara. Of course, the creative pair’s highlight comes with the aforementioned scraps between Conrad, Dark Agnes and the Beast from Beyond. However, the haunted look upon Kirowan’s previously confident facial features is absolutely first-rate, as is the palpable fury etched upon de Chastillon’s entire physique whilst slashing away at her apparently immortal foe.

The regular cover art of "CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE" #3 by Liam Sharp

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Blood Hunters #5 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 5, February 2025
Whilst this final issue to “Blood Hunters” certainly seems to bring the brand new group’s battle against the Bloodcoven to a fairly satisfactory conclusion, it's probably a safe bet that some of this comic’s audience couldn’t shake off the impression that the twenty-page periodical was put together in a bit of a rush. Indeed, along with the creative team’s decision to employ two different artists to pencil the pulse-pounding plot for no obvious story-telling reasons, Erica Schultz’s script also contains arguably one of the oldest tricks in the game by having an upper-tier meta-human conveniently appear at the very last moment to salvage the day; “Does this mean you’ve healed from the damage Varnae inflicted on you..?”

Of course, the sudden appearance of Tyrone Johnson’s alter-ego could quite convincingly be explained by his close, emotional bond to Dagger, and the fact that just moments before Bloodstorm One detects his presence, poor Tandy Bowen was in a bit of a fatal fix. However, the shadowy teleporter’s direct interference rather disconcertingly suggests that this title’s lead protagonists were incapable of ever defeating The Structure’s elite group of vampires in the first place, and debatably causes such an end result to leave a rather unsatisfactory taste in the mouth.

Furthermore, the entire point of this five-part mini-series appears to have been equally as badly thought-out by its American author, with “Dagger’s super-powered blood” only seeming to give its drinker the ability to throw her infamous lightforce constructs at people. Gaining just such an ability may well appear immensely beneficial on paper. But when it’s welded by the likes of Dracula’s already formidably dangerous heavily-armoured clone, some readers will surely be questioning just whether all the time and trouble was in any way worth the somewhat second-rate reward..?

What does prove somewhat impressive though are Robert Gill’s pencils and inks, which for the most part do a prodigious job of depicting all the frantic action taking place within the Bloodcoven’s den in Brooklyn. Of particular note has to be the illustrator’s ability to show just how hard pushed Elsa Bloodstone becomes when tackling “the first of a line of vampiric shocktroopers utilized by Hydra's Department of Occult Affairs” in brutal hand-to-hand combat, as well as how disturbingly cute the monster hunter's newly acquired 'pet' cat appears, even when its attacking the odd grey-skinned thrall or two.

Writer: Erica Schultz, and Pencilers: Chris Campana & Robert Gill

Saturday, 1 February 2025

Nightwing #107 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 107, December 2023
There’s arguably an awful lot for Nightwing fans to enjoy inside this second instalment to Tom Taylor’s “The Crew Of The Crossed” storyline, ranging from a frantic fist-fight with a group of burly pirates through to the super-hero walking a thin line between his old flame, Beatrice Bennett, and the current love of his life, Barbara Gordon. Furthermore, the twenty-two page plot also hints at the high-flying vigilante no longer having the chops to throw his body into danger like the acrobatic genius he ordinarily is; “I… I can’t move. Pulse is racing. Heart is pounding. Something’s wrong with me. I can’t jump.”

These ingredients all come together to create an utterly enthralling situation for Batman’s former side-kick, and debatably help keep this comic’s audience completely hooked, despite a lot of the book being rather dialogue-driven. In fact, apart from the titular character’s short-lived, violent scuffle with the big-boned Lucas and his similarly disagreeable deck-swabbing cronies, the vast majority of this publication revolves either around Dick Grayson establishing just what Captain Blud wants of him, or investigating the underground syndicate behind the mysteriously enigmatic Hold.

Fortunately, the Australian author is able to navigate such sedentary set-pieces by punctuating them with moments of high melodrama and adrenaline-fuelled action, such as Nightwing freezing atop the pirate vessel’s guard-rail and helplessly watching one of its crew drown in the ocean. The revelation that at least a single member of Bennett’s crew is actually a traitor, and on the payroll of the woman’s criminally-inclined brother, also adds another fascinating element to the mix – firmly placing a question mark over the motivations of an entire secondary cast who already strongly dislike Grayson already.

Prodigiously pencilling all these gripping goings-on is Stephen Byrne, who does a first-rate job of making Beatrice appear as if the entire weight of the world rests upon her shoulders. The new captain clearly still feels very strongly for her former lover. Yet her eyes also convey the sadness of her father’s recent death, and the female swashbuckler’s grim determination to ensure that she remains in charge of "a secret bank serving the rich and powerful", no matter what the cost.

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #107 by Bruno Redondo

Friday, 31 January 2025

Highlight #4 - G-Man Comics

HIGHLIGHT No. 4, November 2024
Considering just how many super-powered characters Gilbert Monsanto throws at his audience in Issue Four of “Highlight”, it’s rather impressive that the periodical’s thirteen-page plot still manages to make the titular character its focal point. Indeed, arguably many a writer may well have succumbed to all sorts of temptations with so large a cast, and relentlessly flung their readers all over the place with a plethora of head-swirling origin stories; “From across all realities, they come. They are their worlds’ most brilliant minds.”

Happily however, the former chief instructor for Whilce Portacio’s comic creation school in Manila controls just such an urge by largely concentrating upon some of the issues Highlight is currently struggling with as a visitor to both our dimension, and the human form. Furthermore, the opening sequence contains some ominous foreshadowing as to what the hero’s future might hold, and this mysterious potential attack upon his life rather intriguingly sits at the back of the bibliophile’s mind throughout the rest of the publication.

Of course, the best part of this comic is unequivocally Red Halo’s ability to surround her comrade-in-arms with a small army of “selected detectives from different corners of the created realities”. This so-called League of the Minds conjures up an almost insurmountable number of questions as to just who each colourfully-costumed protagonist is, and the promise that these queries will be answered in the forthcoming battle for the persistently tormented Multiversal-Man’s sanity should have onlookers hooked for a fair few more future instalments to come.

Rounding off this particular publication is Monsanto’s secondary yarn “Welcome To The Jungle Dark!”, which depicts the always foul-mouthed Sgt. Flag and Joe Dragon desperately attempting to rescue a congresswoman from a mythical land just outside Beringan city . Gilbert does a good job in penning some nice verbal interplay between this tale’s leads, and also manages to pencil some cracking splash pages to boot – most notably a pin-up just before the adventure starts which showcases the artist’s ability to imbue all his figures with resonating dynamic life, and an inventively angled illustration which shows the two G-Men tackling a forest full of wonderfully imaginative Mushroom Men.

Story & Art: Gilbert Monsanto, and Story Assist & Letters: Eric N. Bennett

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #4 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V No. 4, January 2025
Despite containing a couple of rather shocking revelations which should genuinely catch this comic’s audience by surprise, Matthew Rosenberg’s palpable pacing problems throughout Issue Four of “DC Vs Vampires: World War V” arguably bury much of their impact. Indeed, this twenty-four page periodical’s plot is so suffocatingly sedentary, that even a pulse-pounding battle between Alfred Pennyworth and Ra's al Ghul is somewhat drowned out amidst all the word-heavy dialogue – and at the time Bruce Wayne’s butler is wielding all the awesome power of a Green Lantern, whilst the dead billionaire’s estranged father-in-law has just been revealed as the new Batman.

Quite possibly one of this book’s other big problems are all the mysterious characters it suddenly introduces throughout the narrative. These shadowy figures are clearly going to be central to this mini-series’ main plot in the long-term. But they simply appear absolutely out of nowhere with little explanation, and supposedly shake the people they encounter to their very core, such as the shrouded old woman who confronts Gorilla Grodd inside his high-rise palace, and informs him that she knows he has lost his formidable psychic abilities since becoming one of the undead.

Likewise, many a bibliophile may well become increasingly confused as to just what Robin’s role within this convoluted storyline now plays, following the death of his mother and rebellious followers. Having previously appeared to be a major thorn in the Vampire Queen’s side, the Dark Knight’s former sidekick first appears to be a pawn in his grandfather’s scheme to become an immortal blood-drinker himself. However, once Alfred intervenes and this opportunity passes, poor Damian is simply penned as a pitiable traitor to his own kind, whose life is now seemingly without any purpose; “I’m sorry, kid. Tell yourself this is a mercy killing if that makes it easier.”

Debatably as uninspired by all these slow-moving shenanigans as many within the publication's audience is Otto Schmidt, predominantly just seems to go through the motions with his pencilling. Fortunately, the illustrator does somewhat up his game throughout the aforementioned fracas between Pennyworth and The Demon's Head, even if it does appear a little odd that the former butler’s formidable Oan energy-fuelled powers are apparently little match for the elderly mastermind’s punches.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V" #4 by Otto Schmidt

Monday, 27 January 2025

Blood Hunters #4 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 4, January 2025
Considering that this comic contains a rather bizarre scene in which Elsa Bloodstone sends Spider-Man away for his own ‘safety’, rather than have him help the already under-powered titular characters battle against the formidably strong Bloodcoven, it is hard to imagine many “Children Of The Night” enjoying Erica Schultz’s plot for Issue Four of “Blood Hunters”. In fact, there’s arguably quite a bit about the American author’s twenty-page narrative which doesn’t appear to make all that much sense as a logical storyline; “You are a waste of Unusual’s time creature.”

For starters, if Miles Morales is so desperately struggling to fight off some sort of overwhelming desire to drink blood due to all his team-mates’ open wounds, why isn’t the gore having a similar impact upon all the other vampires surrounding him, such as the cat Moggy..? This quite stark inconsistency appears to have been penned solely to ensure that the all-female group can subsequently be bested by Bloodstorm One and his cronies, and a helpless Dagger be carried off to a disused warehouse by her enemies.

To make matters debatably even more contrived though, the only reason Spider-Man is able to depart is because Ulysses Bloodstone’s daughter suddenly stops wanting to kill the Brooklyn-born teenager “who was bitten by a Genetically Altered Spider”, and surprisingly, temporarily sates his unhealthy thirst via the power of her Bloodgem. Such a dramatic reversal of the quite disagreeable woman’s attitude seemingly comes completely out of the blue, and also begs the question why the additional time she has bought Morales couldn’t have been used by him to batter the likes of Damascene and Smoke Eater, rather than swing away like a coward in the night..?

Likewise, a number of other manufactured moments are needed to implausibly fall into place to allow the Blood Hunters to locate their fallen friend, Tandy Bowen. Foremost of these is the decision by Dracula’s clone to simply have the three women tied up on roof-top and instantly be set free straight after the villains have teleported away. Just where the motivation for this compassion comes from is a real head-scratcher, considering all of the antagonists are mass murderers with a taste for blood. However, without this act of unconvincing clemency, there wouldn’t be any likelihood of a third act in which White Widow handily reveals she knows Dagger’s location because she bugged Cloak’s former partner beforehand.

Writer: Erica Schultz, Pencilers: Robert Gill & Chris Campana, and Inkers: Robert Gill & Cam Smith

Sunday, 26 January 2025

Sgt. Flag #4 - G-Man Comics

SGT. FLAG No. 4, November 2024
Arguably focusing more upon the trials and tribulations of a reality television show filming crew rather than this comic’s titular character, Rik Offenberger’s script for Issue Four of “Sgt. Flag” quite wonderfully captures all the restrained frustration found inside a super-hero having to do his difficult day-job under the scrutiny of the media’s spotlight. Indeed, such is Rob McFarlane’s increasing infuriation with Will White and Marcus Sherlock’s constant questioning and criticisms, that by the time the colourfully costumed Federal operative encounters an old Afghanistan veteran-turned-weapons dealer, the protagonist's barely contained fury is truly palpable to the reader; “There. Is that enough PG-13 for ya..?”

Likewise the audience should enjoy a fair amount of tongue-in-cheek humour, courtesy of some great one-liners from the rather straight-faced Agent Squires. Much of Christopher’s complaints about the naïve movie-makers exactly mirrors Flag’s own reservations. But when the security G-Man suddenly starts unfolding a giant inflatable splat calculator at the scene of a suicide bomber, and then later gets grumpy when the “idiots” misinterpret his request to prepare themselves for an attack by readying themselves to just film it, it’s surely going to be hard for many a bibliophile not to start laughing at the highly-trained martial artist’s evident impatience.

Equally as well done as all this twenty-page periodical’s pulse-pounding set-pieces, is the American author’s ability to make its more quieter moments feel just as authentic. This prodigious penmanship is perhaps best seen either when White and Sherlock decide to interview some of the other licenced meta-humans who work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation - so as to obtain a better picture as to what McFarlane’s team-mates think of working alongside him - Or after the pair verbally criticise Flag for “drinking on the clock” and for once, the former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant opens up as to the pressure he faces “Every. Single. Day.”

Finally, a considerable amount of this publication’s success also rests upon the shoulders of Gilbert Monsanto, who seemingly pours his heart and soul into making this book feel like a docuseries of some kind. The freelance artist is excellent in imbuing all the high-octane moments with plenty of explosive bang for the buyer’s buck. However, it’s the little things, such as Director Jameson’s obvious doubts as to the bankability of his department’s so-called social media superstar which help make each cast member’s motivations and physical behaviour much more believable.

The regular cover art of "SGT. FLAG" #4 by Stefani Rennee