A Man Among Ye #8 - Image Comics

A MAN AMONG YE No. 8, January 2022

Rather neatly bringing this comic’s second story-arc to both a satisfying and disconcertingly tragic end, fans of Stephanie Phillips’ incarnation of Anne Bonny should get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from Issue Eight of “A Man Among Ye”. In fact, considering that this twenty-page periodical’s plot so succinctly ends “one year later” with the central protagonist giving birth to a baby girl, it is sadly somewhat difficult to imagine where else the pirate queen’s future adventures could really go, unless the famed female buccaneer decides to once again threaten Governor Woodes Rogers’ control of the Caribbean.

Fortunately though, the American author does pen plenty for this book’s lead cast of characters to do before they all seemingly sail off contentedly into a star-lit night’s sky - including the final confrontation between Calico Jack Rackham and his former lover. This swashbuckling duel has arguably been a long time coming, considering the Captain’s early treachery, and doesn’t debatably disappoint as a somewhat sick at heart Bonny manages to hold her own against her significantly stronger opponent, courtesy of at least one feisty kick up into the man’s groin area; “That’s my girl… At least I know you still care.”

Likewise, the ultimate fate of the duplicitous Amira is suitably apt, following Anne’s revelation that she knew the cold-hearted killer was working alongside the disloyal Rackham all along. The smug, overconfident look on the arrogant bounty hunter’s face when she is initially threatened by Bonny imbues her with a distinct unpleasantness, which is later only matched by a genuine sense of ‘just deserts’ as an emotionally distraught Mary Read plunges a fatal sword blade through the lavishly-dressed woman’s chest from behind.

Just as successful as Phillips’ penmanship is Josh George’s pencilling, which does a truly cracking job of depicting the strained relationship between Calico Jack and Anne just before and then during their exchange of sword strokes. The stunned look on Rackham’s face when he realises he’s to become a father is wonderfully illustrated by the “2000 A.D.” artist, and many a reader would undoubtedly have ‘heard’ the parental excitement in his next words if it wasn’t for the Captain’s suddenly savage demise at the hands of the back-stabbing Amira.

Written by: Stephanie Phillips, Art by Josh George, and Colors by: John Kalisz

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure #1 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE MEESEEKS ADVENTURE No. 1, February 2022

Whilst there are arguably few followers of the animated television series “Rick and Morty” who haven’t fast become fans of the blue-skinned humanoids universally known as Mister Meeseeks, Jim Zub’s decision to pen an oversized one-shot starring them somehow battling their way through Gary Gygax’s role-playing game probably had many of them scratching their heads in utter bemusement. Indeed, this comic’s opening perhaps unsurprisingly just depicts the short-lived ‘task completers’ as mindless Djinn successfully achieving the physical burdens metered out to them by a couple of fairly unimaginative, low-level thieves; “Carry that sack of loot back to town.”

Happily however, “The Meeseeks Adventure” soon shows just how badly misused a Meeseeks Box can be when Crinious Ravenscry takes a shine to her partner-in-crime’s brand new, Keltar-leather boots and asks for her own pair. The sheer hilarity which then ensues is tremendously well-penned by the Canadian author, and debatably few within this book’s audience will be able to stifle a genuine belly laugh as Blodgette Blaggard fights to keep his footwear intact – at least until the shocking moment when the determined Meeseeks turns murderously homicidal so as to achieve his goal.

The rogue’s disconcertingly brutal downfall really is incredibly impactive, and establishes an increasingly dark-humoured theme which eventually turns the lonely Meeseeks into such a dangerous killer, that even a trio of die-hard adventurers ultimately turn their back on the now foul-smelling, heavily-bearded creature before it leads their increasingly battle-weary party to a ghastly end. This ‘snowball effect’ makes for an enthralling read, especially once the bulbous headed creature summons an army of his own people and, following a tremendous attack upon an adult Blue Dragon, subsequently storms Castle Kludgemire in an effort to seize the King’s crown.

Delightfully, the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award-winner’s thirty-page script is made all the more amusing by some terrific tongue-in-cheek pencilling by Troy Little. The cartoonist does a tremendous job of showing each individual Mister Meeseeks wearing their respective hearts upon their sleeves, so as to ensure each member of “the cobalt-coloured death” all display their own unique personalities. In addition, the animator seems to have the perfect sense of timing when it comes to a character being ‘dispatched’, with both the demises of Ravenscry and the Castle’s Royal Guardsman doubtless catching many a bibliophile completely off-guard.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Troy Little, and Colors by: Leonardo Ito

Shang-Chi [2021] #7 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI No. 7, March 2022

Whilst Gene Luen Yang’s narrative for this opening chapter to his “Family Of Origin” storyline is arguably something of a sedentary affair, it’s explanation as to just “who was Shang-Chi’s mother” probably still kept the vast majority of its readers thoroughly enthralled. In fact the tale of the woman’s youth within the dimension of Ta Lo and her subsequent meeting with Zheng Zu also provides a disconcertingly grisly backstory to the Master of Kung Fu’s grandfather Chieftain Xin – who seemingly has a penchant for his daughter bringing him the head of any outsiders she happens to harbour.

Of course that isn’t to say that this twenty page periodical doesn’t contain a modicum of pulse-pounding action, as it certainly does once Zheng Zhilan despicably betrays her brother to the likes of Lady Iron Fan, and stealthily grants the criminal access to the ordinarily impregnable headquarters of the Five Weapons Society. However, these fleeting moments of violence are rather crowbarred in amidst this comic’s central narrative, and only really come to the fore at the book’s cliff-hanger of a conclusion, when Shang-Chi spies the villainous Red Dot lurking in his House’s shadows.

Up until this moment, the American cartoonist is apparently much more interested in penning an engaging love story, and one in which the usually murderously maniacal Zheng Zu is surprisingly portrayed as a caring, family man – at least until a massive Hydra invasion force materialises from the fast-darkening skies. In addition, the Harvey Award-winner appears to be keen to ‘paint’ Chieftain Xin as the new ‘big baddie’ of this ongoing series, masterfully manipulating Commander Hand’s sister and emboldening Shang-Chi’s enemies to successful siege the Chi-Meister’s very home; “Son, I told you that my mind is finally clear! Clear enough to defend myself! And clear enough to detect his presence. Observing us from above!”

Nobly supporting Yang in this entertaining endeavour is Dike Ruan, who somehow manages to illustrate the panels depicting Jiang Li’s affair with Zu with a genuine air of romance. The Chinese artist seems particularly good at pencilling a parent’s pride on Zheng’s face, as the crime lord merrily carries his infant daughter on his shoulders, and touchingly smiles at the sight of his son running through some lavish gardens just ahead of them.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI" #7 by Leinil Frances Yu & Sunny Gho

Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #106 - DC Comics

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT No. 106, May 1998

Whilst many within this twenty-two page periodical’s audience may well have viewed “Duty” as being a narrative firmly focused upon the deductive capabilities of Captain James Gordon, C.J. Henderson’s script for Issue One Hundred and Six of “Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight” also contains an enthralling insight into the psychology of the Joker, and the Clown Prince of Crime’s obsession with having the Dark Knight attempt to thwart his homicidal plans. Indeed, at the very climax of this comic when the entire metropolis of Gotham City is about to be liquidated by an oil-tanker sized bomb, the green-haired psychopath surprisingly halts everything when he realises that his arch-nemesis is still no-where to be seen; “Batman! Where are you? I set it all up so beautifully. It’s all so perfect… So classic” So epic! This was supposed to be the moment of our deaths.”

This disconcerting depiction of Jerry Robinson’s co-creation is arguably the hook which makes an otherwise run-of-the-mill police procedural piece incredibly enticing, especially when it is made clear quite early on within this publication that the chilling criminal mastermind hasn’t actually got a final end goal in mind, and was impatiently waiting for Batman’s response to all the death and destruction the Joker has caused so as to ‘tell him what to do next.’ Of course, the author still gives plenty of spotlight upon the future Police Commissioner, most notably when the senior officer is forced to strike a terrified mayor when the fast-greying politician realises that the Caped Crusader isn’t around to protect him from the mass-murdering super-villain. But over half this book actually features “the embodiment of everything Batman fights against” either waxing lyrical about how much he needs his arch-nemesis to make an appearance, or ultimately deciding to blow everything up anyway when he tires of waiting.

Undoubtedly aiding (and abetting) the success of this comic’s storyline is illustrator Trevor Von Eeden, whose occasionally odd-angled layouts really help embellish the fragile state of the Clown Prince of Crime’s fractured mind. The “American visual artist” also does a terrific job of adding plenty of dynamic pace to the Joker’s final confrontation with Gordon, and through the use of rapidly-placed panels makes it clear just how deadly a close-quarters combatant the one-time Red Hood can actually be.

Writer: C.J. Henderson, Artist: Trevor Von Eeden, and Inker: Joe Rubinstein

Warhammer 40,000: Sisters Of Battle #5 - Marvel Comics

WARHAMMER 40,000: SISTERS OF BATTLE No. 5, March 2022

Unapologetically throwing away any sense of covertness to Canoness Veridyan’s secret assignment on Siscia for an “all-out war” against the minor Imperial Mining World’s chaos-infested population, Torunn Grønbekk’s final instalment of “Warhammer 40,000: Sisters Of Battle” certainly contains plenty of pulse-pounding moments. Indeed, at one point on the planet’s surface, “behind enemy lines”, the Prince of Pleasure even opens up a literal gateway thronged full of Slaanesh’s most purple fiends, steeds and heralds in an attempt to thwart the formidable firepower of an Adepta Sororitas Immolator; “Was it overkill..?”

Happily however, all this mass destruction doesn’t stop the Norwegian author from reaching a conclusion to the Order of Our Martyred Lady’s mission, even if the revelation is that the entire celestial body has given itself over to the "Lord of Excess" purely because the miners unwittingly uncovered a small corrupted statue in an abandoned temple’s wading bath whilst digging underground. This arguably underwhelming disclosure is debatably made all the more disappointing when the planetary-wide revolt’s instigator, Crea, is simply shot in the head by Sister Superior Cassia whilst the gaunt-looking priestess is taking a refreshing dip in the pool’s chaos-contaminated water.

Equally as bemusing is the fate awaiting the traitor Origen, who having been the sole objective for Veridyan’s semi-doomed operation, is seemingly killed straight out of hand by Inquisitor Ander, just as soon as the heavily manacled prisoner is brought before him. Admittedly, the grim-faced member of the Ordo Hereticus doesn’t execute his former acolyte until the exact location of Slaanesh’s statue has been confirmed. But this information is already made partially available to Ander courtesy of Sister Dialogus’ deciphering of Origen’s encrypted letters.

Much more satisfying than this mini-series’ storyline is Edgar Salazar’s pencilling, which does a proficient job in depicting the utter carnage taking place on Siscia’s surface once the Sisters of Battle roll out their forces in full. In addition, the Mexican artist sketches a truly epic sacrificial demise for an encircled Tedra, who quite literally blows the guts out of the uprising by dousing herself in highly flammable promethium, and then calmly walks towards the nearest group of gun-toting chaos cultists.

The regular cover art of "WARHAMMER 40,000: SISTERS OF BATTLE" #5 by Dave Wilkins

Alien #9 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 9, April 2022

Undeniably living up to its ‘solicit synopsis’ that “carnage consumes the settlement”, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script for Issue Nine of “Alien” must have had the majority of its audience wondering just how many of this comic’s considerably-sized cast were even going to make it to the book’s conclusion – let alone actually “survive the night” by evacuating the somewhat self-contained Garden. Indeed, the invading xenomorphs appear to have so thoroughly penetrated the inner buildings of Euridice’s backwater community, thanks in part to the despicable treachery of Ambrose, that with almost every turn of a page another colonist is depicted being horribly eviscerated by the razor-sharp teeth, claws or blade-like tail of an alien.

Intriguingly however, one of the ways the Eisner-nominated writer still manages to keep his readers guessing as to who will remain alive, is by penning the seemingly impregnated Jane as being able to withstand the ‘tender touch’ of a face-hugger due to her being terminally ill. The parasitic life-form appears to be about to bring a terrifying end to the community leader’s existence at the start of this publication, but then suddenly releases the woman from its deadly embrace having presumably realised that its host’s body wasn’t suitable to nurture a successful embryo; “I “cough” – I don’t know. It just... Let me go.”

Equally as enthralling is the utter insanity gripping the religious zealot Gertrude, and her disconcerting ability to convince almost a dozen of her fellow pilgrims that they’ll be safe from the murderous xenomorphs if they simply sit on their church’s floor holding hands and singing hymns. This scene is truly disturbing, especially once the aliens unsurprisingly begin slicing their way through the hapless congregation, and the remaining members stay seated with their heads bowed in prayer despite knowing of the horrendous physical mutilation about to befall them.

Top marks must also arguably be given to Salvador Larroca for some great layouts, such as the sheer stark fear in Jane’s lone eye as Ambrose helps the face-hugger clamber onto her face and force its proboscis down her throat. Likewise, the holier-than-thou certainty on Gertrude’s haughty features when she essentially persuades a number of settlers to commit suicide-by-xenomorph with her is hauntingly pencilled, especially when the puritanical woman’s serenity greatly contrasts with that of the hysterical Madeline by her side.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #9 by Marc Aspinall

Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #105 - DC Comics

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT No. 105, April 1998

Editor Archie Goodwin’s decision to depict a Dark Knight-less two-parter was arguably something of a risk way back in 1998 considering that the then third major monthly Batman title was only created following the popularity of Tim Burton's superhero film nine years earlier. But whilst this twenty-two page periodical’s plot writes the Caped Crusader off as being busy out of the country “on the trail of the [terrorists] El-Kar’isha”, that doesn’t stop C. J. Henderson’s script for “Duty” being permeated by the cowled crime-fighter’s (non) presence throughout.

In fact, the American author’s excellently-penned storyline is specifically based upon the perturbing premise that Captain James Gordon and Sergeant Harvey Bullock must face the murderously mad machinations of the Joker single-handedly, without any help whatsoever from Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego; “Damn. You’re the one who’s handled this lunatic before. You’re the one who knows him, understands him. I work to put together a squad of honest cops… And the Joker slaughters them.”

Such a disconcerting vulnerability to the Gotham City Police Department really helps build up the tension as the future commissioner desperately attempts to determine just what the Clown Prince of Crime’s main motivation actually is, and as a result, successfully adds even more weight to every one of Gordon’s subsequent decisions when confronted with a clue-riddled China Town bought toy. In addition, it is abundantly clear that the Officer is no longer prepared to lose any more men due to his poor tactics – something which is bound to have dangerous repercussions when his investigation finally reveals that “the Joker is headed east on Petersen” with “his most likely target” being the American Industries’ high-rise building.

Equally as enthralling as Henderson’s writing are Trevor Von Eeden’s highly dramatic layouts, which go a long way to exaggerating both the sheer madness of the Joker’s mind, as well as the logical methodology employed by James and his crime scene staff during their dedicated deductions. Of particular note has to be the Guyanese-American artist’s incredible pencilling of Bullock’s patrol car racing through the rain en-route to the aforementioned tower block. Crammed full of screeching tyres, police sirens and a hot Gordon shouting numerous orders down his vehicle’s radio, many readers could doubtless almost feel the downpour on their faces and the tumultuous noise ringing in their ears.

Writer: C.J. Henderson, Artist: Trevor Von Eeden, and Inker: Joe Rubinstein

Star Trek: The Mirror War #4 - IDW Publishing

STAR TREK: THE MIRROR WAR No. 4, February 2022

Opening with a delightful ‘nod’ to the classic San Francisco-based car chase which actor Steve McQueen made so famous during the 1968 thriller movie “Bullitt”, and then cramming its twenty-page long narrative with all sorts of science-fiction shenanigans, there can surely be little argument that Scott and David Tipton’s storyline for Issue Four of “Star Trek: The Mirror War” is an exciting tour-de-force set deep within the franchise's alternative twenty-fourth century time line. Indeed, fans of the fictional parallel universe will find plenty of familiar plot-points with which to enjoy this comic, such as the excruciating agony booth, the seemingly never-ending treacherous nature of the Terran Empire, Regent Worf angrily blazing away at the I.S.S. Enterprise given half the chance, and a vital ‘guest appearance’ by Benjamin Sisko and his crew from Terok Nor; “I bet we could swoop in there and do some pretty good damage to the engines of one of them and then warp out before they even notice.”

Admittedly, some of the actual ‘glue’ sticking all these pulse-pounding set-pieces together isn’t quite as convincing as perhaps this book’s American authors would have liked, with a prime example being the Klingon flagship fortuitously detecting that its galaxy-class prey had unwittingly dropped out of warp despite its helmsman previously having no idea just where in the Alpha/Beta Quadrant their human-filled target actually was. Of course, the leader of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance is ruthlessly determined to thwart Jean-Luc Picard’s plans, and is evidently utilising every probe at his command to ascertain the Enterprise’s location. But so happy a happenstance does seem a little contrived when a reader considers that their ship systems have spotted a single vessel momentarily stopping in the vastness of space, and then subsequently reached it in the blink of an eye so as to almost blast them to pieces…

Resultantly, Trekkies would probably be best advised to engage a modest ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ for this publication, and simply let Gavin Smith’s dynamic pencilling carry them through some of its more manufactured moments. In fact, this particular comic is debatably worth its cover price alone for some of the great action depicted by the Joe Kubert School graduate (and wonderfully coloured by Charlie Kirchoff), such as the aforementioned high speed race through the streets of Golden Gate City, the scaled up Negh'Var warship’s blistering attack upon the I.S.S. Enterprise, and the galaxy-class starship’s own, utterly merciless orbital bombardment of the semi-helpless planet Faundori.

Writers: Scott & David Tipton, Artist: Gavin Smith, and Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff

Shadowman #5 - Valiant Entertainment

SHADOWMAN No. 5, January 2022

As the beginning of an “all-new arc” goes, Cullen Bunn’s disconcertingly distressing opening to Issue Five of “Shadowman” certainly ticks all the boxes for its New York-based publisher’s wish list to making “the best fans on the planet the best stories that will pull them into the Valiant [Entertainment] universe…” Indeed, the notion of a truly desperate child inadvertently raising a hungry horde of the Undead whilst using a spell to reincarnate his beloved mother from a local gravesite is superbly penned, and genuinely provides this comic with a chilling, yet highly emotional, start to its story-telling; “They told me how to bring you back. And look -- you brought friends.”

Intriguingly, the Cape Fear-born writer also manages to use this highly engaging twenty-page periodical’s plot to throw some light on Jack Boniface’s private life as a simple musician from New Orleans. Alyssa’s evident admiration for the titular character’s skill with a sweet-sounding saxophone demonstrates that there is clearly more to Jim Shooter’s co-creation than a Darque powered super-hero who mindlessly battles grotesquely-shaped blights. The current Shadow Loa host clearly has both the discipline and passion to play his woodwind instrument with impressive gusto, and it therefore makes for a pleasant, momentary change of pace to see Jack basking in the cheering crowd’s applause following his successful stage performance.

In stark contrast however, this book’s final third is debatably a bit of a choppy, somewhat lack-lustre affair, which seemingly promises much and then delivers little apart from plenty of dialogue-filled word balloons. The notion of Boniface travelling to the Deadside to confront a literal army of multi-eyed, heavily-tentacled nightmares whilst armed with his deadly demonic scythe sounds like the recipe for a pulse-pounding fracas of the highest order. But lamentably, all Bunn’s narrative actually provides is Shadowman apparently trying to negotiate a peace-deal with his eternal enemies from Hell because he’s grown tired of killing them.

Fortunately, Pedro Andreo’s artwork definitely helps the reader negotiate such a surprisingly sedentary discourse, and undeniable adds some tremendous pathos to the aforementioned scene where a naïve infant son is briefly reunited with his dead mother. In fact, the Spanish illustrator’s exemplary handling of that deeply sad meeting, and the unsurprising consequence of Shadowman having to then cut down many a brain-eating cadaver afterwards when they attack some nearby hapless civilians, are easily the visual highlights of this comic.

Writer: Cullen Bunn, Artist: Pedro Andreo, and Colorist: Jordie Bellaire