The Unexpected #8 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 8, March 2019

Announced as far back as October 2018 that the title was being cancelled, Steve Orlando’s script for Issue Eight of “The Unexpected” at least provided its remaining 6,857 readers with the satisfaction of successfully wrapping up Neon the Unknown’s battle against Mandrakk on the planet Nil - the “capstone of the Multiverse.” However, just how exactly the matter manipulator is able to achieve this victory, considering the Dark Monitor had just previously torn Colin Nomi’s throat out, is another matter entirely, and one which will doubtless have many of this comic’s owners scratching their heads in bemusement for years to come.

For starters, the GLAAD Media Award-nominee’s narrative would have its ever-dwindling audience believe that in extinguishing their physical lives the Vampire God somehow instantly transported both the Bad Samaritan and Neon’s souls to the World Forge in order to be annihilated. This intriguing plot-twist is certainly as surprising as its action-packed ride in boiling hot lava is eye-catching, but it arguably makes little actual sense, especially when all Nomi needs to do to avoid both himself and Alden Quench being “vaporised at the core” is to simply ‘will’ the pair of them back to the Monitor World; “I can get you out of here, get us out of here… It was never about winning! Never about beating you…” 

Equally as contrived a solution is Orlando’s suggestion that The Unexpected and Hawkman never needed to destroy Dax Novu with a “kill-shot”, just completely rewrite the villain’s personality in order for him to become a ‘good guy’. This lack-lustre answer is seemingly produced from completely out of the blue, just as Mandrakk appears on the verge of brutalising his opponents into oblivion, and debatably must have struck many of this book’s bibliophiles as a serious anti-climax to such a sense-shattering showdown.

Mercifully, much of this bizarre “Multiverse on life support” storyline, which as an aside bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to “DC Comics” marketing synopsis, is dynamically-drawn by Ronan Cliquet and coloured by Jeromy Cox. The creative pair’s work on the aforementioned volcanic-themed scene set on the World Forge looks excellent, and more than makes up for the occasional decline in the Brazilian artist’s (potentially rushed) pencilling later in the book, when perhaps this comic’s end was in finally sight.

Storytellers: Ronan Cliquet & Steve Orlando, and Colors: Jeromy Cox

The Unexpected #7 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 7, February 2019

As book-length pitched-battles go, Steve Orlando’s narrative for Issue Seven of “The Unexpected” must surely have delighted the vast majority of its disconcertingly dwindling 7,547 readers in December 2018 with its fantastic mix of highly-anticipated fist-fights and duplicitous backstabbing. True, the comic’s twenty-page bout of non-stop pugilism doesn’t debatably take this series’ overall “Call Of The Unknown” storyline all that much further forward, but what with Mandrakk the Dark Monitor smacking the titular characters all over the place, and the Bad Samaritan making a triumphant return so as to sock Colin Nomi squarely in his jaw, such a lack of plot progress is easily forgivable.

Indeed, this book’s only debatable disappointment is that Alden Quench’s rematch against “Creation’s Guardian” is frustratingly cut all-too short by Dax Novu effortlessly thrusting his gnarled hand straight through the chest of Neon the Unknown, and then turning his not inconsiderable supernatural abilities upon the “mysterious man empowered by the Fires of Destruction” who was supposedly his loyal servant; “I’ve already freed myself from the Dark Multiverse. I stand at the threshold of creation, and you, Quench, are too late to mater… You’re nothing but trash.”

Hawkman and Firebrand are also given plenty to do in this frantically-paced free-for-all, repeatedly hurling themselves against Mandrakk for all their worth, and demonstrating precisely why it took all the strength of Superman to knock Grant Morrison’s co-creation into the Overvoid. Carter Hall seems to suffer particularly badly during these bouts against “the vampire god”, with the archaeologist’s famous wings being partially torn asunder during one especially nasty attempt to distract the fanged killer of a Tempus Fuginaut.

Adding lots of dynamic action, palpable tension and buckets of blood to the proceedings are Ronan Cliquet’s well-pencilled panels. Initially it is arguably hard to see just how Mandrakk is going to be able to withstand the combined might of The Unexpected and their friendly flying Justice Leaguer, especially when he so quickly turns upon such a powerful ally as Quench as well. Yet such is the sheer power with which the Brazilian artist imbues the Dark Monitor within the space of a few scenes, that it soon becomes crystal clear to any perusing bibliophile just whose ‘team’ actually outmatches whose.

Storytellers: Ronan Cliquet & Steve Orlando, and Colors: Jeromy Cox

The Unexpected #6 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 6, January 2019

Arguably providing an intriguing insight as to just what fuels Onimar Synn’s demonic body, rather than "DC Comics" publicised “showdown at Castle Frankenstein with the souls of Berlin on the line”, Steve Orlando’s storyline for Issue Six of “The Unexpected” probably pleased the majority of its rapidly diminishing 8,462 strong audience in November 2018. In fact, the opening half of this twenty-page periodical makes for a pretty enthralling experience as Colin Nomi seemingly defies all the odds by allowing himself to be swallowed whole by the ancient Thanagarian devil in order to successfully rescue Firebrand’s soul from an eternity incarcerated inside an Nth Metal prison.

Admittedly, the idea of Neon the Unknown somehow surviving the self-same journey “within the Bones of Onimar Synn” which has cost the lives of so many other entities across the centuries is a little difficult to believe, especially when its soon becomes clear that the realm into which the “infamous Burnside artist” finds himself can only be accessed “through the void in Synn’s hand.” But the sincerity in the blind atheist’s involuntary action to follow Janet Fals straight ‘down the rabbit hole’ provides this comic with a nice, touching moment as to just how important the former paramedic’s friendship has become to the matter manipulator; “Say you’ll fight your way back out with me. I acted on instinct following you…”

Unfortunately however, once Nomi and Firebrand literally tear themselves free from inside Onimar’s horrifically mutilated torso, the same praise can’t debatably be bestowed upon the rest of this book’s plot, with the heroes’ sudden arrival on “the Homeworld of Frankenstein’s teachers” seemingly ending on a ‘to be continued’ cliff-hanger with a little over a third of the publication left to peruse. This splash page shocker depicting “the most important tombstone in the DC Multiverse” is definitely impactive, yet somewhat smacks of this comic’s pacing being badly at odds with its page count, particularly when the self-same scene is oddly recapped just a dozen panels later as if the first illustration was originally intended to end the magazine..?

Disappointingly adding to this book’s aura of inconsistency are Ronan Cliquet’s layouts. Initially doing an excellent job of injecting the sense-shattering shenanigans of Colin’s captivating quest inside Synn’s body with plenty of dynamic drama and tension, the Brazilan artist’s prodigious pencilling takes a noticeable downward decline in quality for a short while after the aforementioned grave marker, almost as if he was suddenly required to add the Bad Samaritan’s resurrection at the last minute as a filler…

Storytellers: Ronan Cliquet & Steve Orlando, and Colors: Jeromy Cox

The Unexpected #5 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 5, December 2018

Packed full of more Nth Metal Isotope related gobbledygook than even this title’s loyal 13,825 readers could perhaps handle, Steve Orlando’s script to Issue Five of “The Unexpected” still probably provided them with an exhilarating insight into the bowels of Castle Frankenstein in the Bavarian Alps. Indeed, despite the twenty page periodical’s plot throwing revelation after revelation at its audience as to the mysterious origin of Onimar Synn’s highly sought after prize, “Mad Science” still proves to be an interesting instalment to the Tor Books Best Comics Award-winner’s lengthy “Call Of The Unknown” storyline.

For starters, the sudden introduction of Hawkman to this comic’s proceedings definitely helps give Colin Nomi someone reasonably rational to talk things over with, at least once Carter Hall has had his double vision of the Dark Multiverse and “Mandrakk on the Night Wind” shocked out of him through Neon the Unknown’s transformation of the winged adventurer’s “white-hot grief” into hope. This duo’s dialogue is admittedly rather wordy and at times, arguably a little incomprehensible, yet it also delivers some tantalising insights into the interior workings of Doctor Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory, as well as an intriguing history between the Birdman and the ancient Thanagarian demon pursuing The Unexpected team.

In addition, Orlando’s inclusion of the former Justice Leaguer permits the infuriatingly dislikeable Firebrand to (once again) brutally batter an obvious ally into the ground with a flurry of punches, and resultantly imbue this book with a rather enjoyable, all-out action sequence. Completely overcome by her Conflict Engine, this exchange of blows certainly should get any bibliophile’s pulse pounding. But it is hard to take Janet Fals seriously when she unconvincingly keeps telling Hall to calm down as she needs his help, whilst simultaneously repeatedly smashing him in the face; “You can either calm down --! Or I can put you down!”

Pencilling plenty of pace into a decidedly discussion-heavy narrative are Ronan Cliquet’s excellent-looking illustrations. The Brazilian artist imbues Castle Frankenstein with plenty of atmosphere with its odd mix of dust, cobwebs and advanced technology, whilst also adding a copious amount of emotional edge to Hawkman’s impassioned speech when he realises that Nomi is wrong and that the Nth Metal Isotope isn’t “from within the Multiverse.”

Storytellers: Ronan Cliquet & Steve Orlando, and Colors: Jeromy Cox 

The Immortal Men #6 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 6, November 2018

Supposedly planned “to go to at least twelve issues and have a mega-crossover” James Tynion IV’s narrative for this sixth (and final) instalment of “The Immortal Men” sadly must have come as a bitter disappointment to its remaining 15,341 followers in September 2018, with its numerous unanswered plot threads and somewhat rushed production values. In fact, even the comic’s ending, which finishes with a panel of Batman asking the rest of his fellow Justice Leaguers what they’re going to do about the book’s titular characters now the super-group know they’re real, arguably interrupts the action mid-way through as Caden Park leads his team-mates in a desperate jump off of Kyra Arg’s now visible flying fortress whilst hotly pursued by the Hunt and doubtless a number of heavily-fanged Bloodless…

Disappointingly however, such open-endedness absolutely plagues this twenty-page periodical’s storyline, with the Diamond Gem Award-winner even starting an entirely new, unresolved scenario at the very beginning of this publication involving the Infinite Woman calling an unprecedentedly early gathering of the “Great Council of the Bear Clan” and panicking the likes of the Forever Child into meeting “at the Old Rock in one month’s time.” Such odd penmanship from an author who apparently knew well in advance of this cancelled comic’s fate proves particularly frustrating when other sequences, such as Roderick Clay’s interrogation by Director Amanda Waller, clearly run out of space just as things get interesting; “Yeah. Okay. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise to find the boy.”

Perhaps debatably therefore this book’s sole salvation can only be found in its dynamic depiction of the Immortal Men’s desperate attempt to destroy the Siege’s cloaking tower. This pulse-pounding display of pugilism genuinely provides some ‘thrill-a-minute’ shenanigans as the deceased Communion forms a truly intriguing, almost symbiotic, partnership with the Blood-Mask’s latest wearer, and helps the American student to enthusiastically pummel a fair portion of the Kill’s surrounding dog-like creatures to pieces. Add Reload’s personal duel with his former comrade-in-arms, Walter, as well Timber’s formidable show of super-human strength into the mix, and for a while at least, many bibliophiles who perused this magazine will debatably have forgiven artist Tyler Kirkham his scratchy, potentially rushed pencilling.

Storytellers: Tyler Kirkham & James Tynion IV, and Colorist: Arif Prianto & David Baron

The Curse Of Brimstone #4 - DC Comics

THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE No. 4, September 2018

Arguably featuring the ongoing series’ first self-contained story, Justin Jordan’s “classic water verses fire showdown” for Issue Four of “The Curse Of Brimstone” must surely have pleased the majority of the comic’s 13,741 readers in July 2018, with its pulse-pounding pugilism and the welcome appearance of the mysterious Enoch; “a former agent of the Salesman, granted powers in exchange for working for the… Home Office". In fact, having firmly established both the background to the titular character’s origin and his cataclysmic powers across this book’s preceding three instalments, “All That Remains” is debatably the Pennsylvania-born writer’s opening opportunity to pen a proper adventure for Joseph Chamberlain’s fiery alter-ego to undertake as a bona fide super-hero. 

Interestingly however, it isn’t this twenty-page periodical’s main protagonist who captures either the spotlight or probably its audience’s imagination, but his truly horrific-looking adversary Detritus. Somehow transformed by the Faustian super-powers broker into a multi-skulled giant water creature, this gruesome monstrosity, superbly pencilled by incoming artist Eduardo Pansica, disconcertingly sets ‘alight’ every sequence within which he features, whether it be liquefying an unnamed victim in the now extinct town of Aitch or horrifically having his skeleton’s spine literally torn out from inside his liquid torso, and resultantly it actually seems a real pity that Elijah dies at the conclusion of his fast-flowing fisticuffs with York Hills’ Brimstone.

Similarly disheartening is the abrupt departure of the mysteriously powerful Enoch, who despite needing to have the red-haired Annie point a loaded gun at his head so as to prevent him from finishing off her battle-weary brother, would undoubtedly have made an intriguingly welcome permanent addition to the Chamberlains’ party. Shrouded in inscrutability, and somehow able to steal just “enough juice to finally stop” the Salesman’s creations, this lone ‘gunslinger’ raises infinitely more questions as to the strange world where “it’s always decaying, always rotting” than he answers. Indeed, his apparent ‘intimate’ knowledge of “the Batman Who Laughs... from Earth-22 of the Dark Multiverse”, as well as Detritus' background, makes him fascinating to ‘listen to’ even when he’s simply catching a fish which would rival Springfield’s Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish when it comes to piscine mutations; “Corruption. This place is tainted, scarred. The Salesman is just an appendage. Imagine sticking your fingers in this water. To the fish, it would look like five worms. But they aren’t worms. All extensions of something bigger. Just one thing that looks like many. That’s what the Salesman is.”

Storytellers: Eduardo Pansica & Justin Jordan, and Inks: Julio Ferreira

The Unexpected #4 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 4, November 2018

There’s arguably a hint of desperation behind both the promotion and penmanship of Issue Four of “The Unexpected”, considering that “DC Comics” declared Steve Orlando’s narrative for the twenty-page periodical involves “a race to save Gotham City from exposure to the toxic Nth metal” and it crams in no less than three of the Burbank-based publisher’s current ‘bigger named characters’ within its utterly befuddling plot. For whilst “Answers In The Sky” alludes to the Caped Crusader’s metropolis being where the membrane between our reality and the Dark Dimension is at its thinnest, the New Yorker’s treatment hardly depicts Neon the Unknown dashing anywhere in particular so as to save the “fictional American city”, nor is it ever justified why Helena Bertinelli's alter-ego knows so much about "the poisonous Nth metal." 

Indeed, the greatest danger to Batman’s home town would seemingly be the incredibly dislikeable Firebrand and her increasingly grating sense of self-righteousness; “I am [here to fight] whether I want to or not! Don’t you get it? I don’t have the luxury of that choice, because of how you people handle things!” Just how Colin Nomi contrivingly teleported himself and his fiery friend within the proximity of the Huntress is never convincingly explained, yet it soon becomes evident that it’s the very presence of Janet Fals and her disagreeable desire to battle all and sundry which is putting every Gothamite in danger, courtesy of the loose cannon’s “aggression triggering the Nth Metal isotope.”

Such constant rage genuinely becomes tediously overbearing real fast, as the former paramedic launches into Bertinelli and then later the Signal without any rational reason except perhaps to inject a bewildering script with unfounded action sequences. Admittedly, the crossbow-armed Bird of Prey does strike first and Firebrand needs to “start a fight once every twenty four hours” in order to maintain her super-human abilities. But that doesn't explain why no sooner have the pair’s differences concerning Fals bringing “a dirty bomb into a city of millions” been physically resolved than Janet, supposedly sizzled “back to my senses”, then shockingly socks an unarmed Huntress in the mouth simply for voicing her (entirely correct) opinion that the Conflict Engine-driven ‘heroine’ is “out of control.”

To make matters even more unbearable though, once a surprisingly mature and calm Duke Thomas arrives on the scene, Neon’s travelling companion goes into ‘hostile overdrive’, patronising the “kid” one moment as if the always-angry recent addition to the DC Universe is actually the one trained by Batman, and then in the next threatening to beat the costumed crime-fighter to a pulp even when he makes it clear “I’m not here to fight” by helpfully whisking the travellers off underwater to the Bat Cove.

Storytellers: Yvel Guichet, Cary Nord & Scott Hanna, and Steve Orlando

The Immortal Men #5 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 5, October 2018

Printed just as co-creator James Tynion IV rather unsympathetically announced the series’ cancellation at the San Diego Comic-Con due to his “bigger books” potentially delaying it and him not wanting “to bring in another writer”, this perceptibly lack-lustre twenty-page periodical must have struck many in its demoralised audience as simply being printed so as to ‘set them up’ for the final instalment to “The End Of Forever”. Indeed, except for Caden Park interfacing with the Bloodmask, and resultantly discovering that the supposedly benevolent Klarn Arg only wanted him so he could callously “overwrite your mind with his”, absolutely nothing of much interest occurs within Issue Five of “The Immortal Men”.

True, Roderick Clay’s potential gun-play at a DIY-A-Bear store in Midtown Manhattan does imbue the Diamond Gem Award-winner’s narrative with a modicum of action as the former Lieutenant Colonel tries to force his way into the A.R.G.U.S. black site and is overpowered by an agent wearing a ludicrously cuddly-looking teddy bear suit. But the vast majority of this publication is disconcertingly directed towards either portraying Timber Wolf slowly burying the corpses of her numerous team-mates who failed to escape The Campus, or depicting the mind-sweeping American lead conversing with Communion in an incredibly slow-paced, word-heavy sequence; “Look, I’m not all that good at beating around the bush. You were the contingency plan. If Infinite Woman incapacitated him, he planned to pass his consciousness into you.”

Unhappily, not even the sixth escape attempt by Reload from the House of Conquest generates much excitement either, as his determined flight through the first house of immortals in order to destroy its blood engines and “take the entire fortress down” is shown to be a futile endeavour within the space of a pair of panels, courtesy of his ineffective progress being monitored on a gigantic surveillance screen by Kyra Arg herself. However, what Patrick Kowalski’s efforts do produce though is enough material with which artist Tyler Kirkham can ‘pad out’ the New Yorker’s plot in order for Ghost Fist to finally teleport the Immortal Men to the Vietnam War veteran’s location as part of a “foolhardy rescue mission”, and dangerously position the heroes in direct conflict with the Hunt, the Kill and a plethora of bloodless.

Storytellers: Tyler Kirkham & James Tynion IV, and Colorist: Arif Prianto

The Unexpected #3 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 3, October 2018

Despite containing an engaging history of Elligh, “the prince of an advanced society of creatures known as Orcks", at the very start of this twenty-page periodical, Steve Orlando’s script for Issue Three of “The Unexpected” must have utterly bewildered its audience in August 2018 with its dialogue-heavy dabblings upon Blackhawk Island and subsequent sojourn to Siberia’s secretive Monster Valley. In fact, June Robbins baffling gobbledygook concerning “a machine whose only function was to signal loved ones when you passed” and brief recollection of the Chronokinetic disaster which “all but wiped the Orcks from time” is so cumbersomely penned that it arguably would have deterred many a perusing bibliophile from traversing deeper into this comic and accompanying Neon the Unknown into the dinosaur-infested “sunken refuge one mile deep where, impossibly, it is still the Cretaceous Period.”

Unhappily however, even Colin Nomi’s adventure in the ‘Land That Time Forgot’ is rather poorly plotted, with the “infamous Burnside artist” being inexplicably ambushed by the formidably powerful Onimar Synn himself. Just how the Thanagarian tyrant happened to locate the defender of the multiverse when the molecular manipulator’s location is supposedly “silent and unknown to even its monstrous guardians” is never explained by the GLAAD Media Award-nominee, and resultantly smacks of little more than a lazy contrivance rather than the cataclysmic confrontation this comic’s dynamic cover illustration would try to suggest.

Of course, no matter how disappointing the New Yorker’s writing may debatably be, it must still have been hard for this book’s followers not to enjoy the sense-shattering surprise of a giant Brontadon momentarily flattening Neon’s startled opponent under the large reptilian beast’s massive girth; “You sicced a dinosaur on him?” Yet even this ‘highlight’, timed to perfection as both the “blind leader” and Firebrand appear to have finally been bested, is soon overshadowed by Orlando’s obsession to over complicate matters by depicting Synn waxing lyrical about “the renovation of your corpse to the Necrophists” and bewildering request for a Necropsy-chariot in order to aid “two for astral sublimation!”

Potentially this book’s biggest strength is therefore in the artwork of Cary Nord, which whilst a little inconsistent in its portrayal of the Challenger, Robbins, undoubtedly captures the pulse-pounding fisticuffs which ensues following the Nth metal-hungry dictator’s revelation to this comic’s leading cast that his bones contain “thousands of fragile souls”. Packed full of the sort of punch one might expect from a publication featuring a character who must “start fights to stay alive” and another who controls “gravity itself”, the Canadian penciler’s panels fortunately bring all the majestic might of such a formidable contest to sense-shattering life.

Storytellers: Cary Nord & Steve Orlando, and Inks: Mark Farmer & Scott Hanna

The Immortal Men #4 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 4, September 2018

Pleasingly providing a look at a time “before common tongues and calendars, when Man was new, and the world was still taking shape”, this fourth instalment to James Tynion IV’s “The End Of Forever” storyline finally gave its readers an explanation as to just how the Immortal Man and Infinite Woman gained their super-powers 50,000 years ago. But whilst this exposition concerning the cave-dwelling Bear Clan makes for an entertaining start to the “DC Comics” storyline, it is delightfully soon overshadowed by the sheer sense-shattering shenanigans of the New Yorker’s modern-day based script, which features some stunning fight sequences between the likes of Timber and the Bloodless.

Indeed, the “member of the native Menominee Nation” initially takes centre stage with great gusto as she grows in size “to reach the height of a house” and with a smile upon her face, begins chopping Kyra Arg’s demonic minions to pieces, courtesy of Babe the Blue Axe. These early scenes, competently pencilled by Utah-born artist Tyler Kirkham, really are a joy to behold, and both demonstrate just how formidable a team member the fur-wearing Keshena Carpentier is, as well as provide an opportunity for the American author to detail her early 19th Century origin story; “The strange tale would carry east, to Philadelphia. To the Immortal Man. He would come to tell her that legends are shaped by great actions. And that as Timber she would shape many legends.”

Incredibly however, the majority of this twenty-page periodical actually predominantly focuses upon Klarn Arg rather than his House of Action, and in a demonstration of wielding a pair of laser swords which would truly put the likes of George Lucas’ Darth Maul to shame, this ongoing title’s audience are given a mind-blowing glimpse as to what perfecting “every fighting skill into an intimate art form" over "tens of thousands of years” looks like. In fact, the Immortal Man’s ability to best an entire army of savage, heavily-teethed Bloodless one-on-one makes for an incredible piece of action-packed story-telling, and only the epic confrontation’s conclusion, which results in his near-defeated sister cowardly skulking up behind him to fatally skewer her sibling upon her overly-large blade, probably drew a bigger intake of breath from the reader.

Storytellers: Tyler Kirkham & James Tynion IV, and Colorist: Arif Prianto

The Curse Of Brimstone #3 - DC Comics

THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE No. 3, August 2018

Selling just 15,949 units in June 2018, a disappointing drop of over four thousand copies on its previous instalment, Justin Jordan’s treatment for Issue Three of “The Curse Of Brimstone” arguably provided its audience with both a reasonably neat conclusion to the new title’s opening story-arc, and a moment of true tragedy which will doubtless haunt its titular character for the foreseeable future. Indeed, “Inferno: Finale” unquestionably packs plenty of punch within its twenty pages, as Joseph Chamberlain’s fiery alter-ego literally goes toe-to-toe with the ever-boastful Hound and Annie demonstrates a strength of will perhaps rarely seen before in a secondary cast member when she clobbers the Salesman straight into his next incarnation; “You kill me here, I am a dozen other places. It won’t matter--”

Luckily however, the co-creator of “The Strange Talent Of Luther Strode” doesn’t just use this comic to pen a straightforward fist-fight, and adds plenty of gravitas to its pulse-pounding proceedings by continually having the bizarrely-masked “persuasive operative working for… the Home Office” persistently offer the red-headed siblings deal after tempting deal. These emotional enticements, which initially start with the Faustian manipulator simply threatening to fatally slice the throat of Darren if the old man’s son doesn’t finish turning his local town into “human ash statues”, soon degenerate into bargains involving letting the demonic agent go, as well as him offering Brimstone’s sister the possibility of her not needing “to study for your nursing degree anymore”, and all add to the proceeding’s palpable tension through the possibility that at some point someone might actually yield to what’s being offered…

Coupled with the flurry of blows being exchanged between Joseph and his female super-powered adversary, plus the frail welfare of the human mutate’s evidently vulnerable father whose mortality constantly seems to lurch from one danger to another, such poignant story-telling genuinely produces a real roller-coaster of a ride, with every other turn of the page debatably causing the reader’s heart to race in anticipation of what artist Philip Tan may (or may not) pencil next. In fact at one point, just before the cold-blooded killer is momentarily surprised by Annie’s dad bodily bowling her to the ground, it actually looks as if Brimstone will be dispatched with an icy stake through the heart and his sister offered a similar deal to replace him in exchange for not bludgeoning the Salesman to death with a baseball bat.

Storytellers: Philip Tan & Justin Jordan, and Colorist: Rain Beredo

The Unexpected #2 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 2, September 2018

It’s difficult to believe that any reader was able to comprehensively follow Steve Orlando’s narrative for Issue Two of “The Unexpected” without them first owning either a working knowledge of this twenty-page periodical’s previous installment or a basic grasp of “the events of Dark Nights: Metal”. For whilst “Grenade Tour” undeniably supplies plenty of pulse-pounding panels packed full of urgent tension and only the sort of pace a frantic flight for survival can generate, its far from straightforward script contains little to no exposition as to what is actually happening, nor why the likes of Neon the Unknown and Firebrand are having to flee in the first place.

Admittedly, the Syracuse-born writer’s narrative does contain an early double splash summarisation of Colin Nomi’s origin story, and later it becomes relatively clear that the Bad Samaritan’s mysterious metal, which can apparently “detonate a second time” at any moment, is actually the “heavy isotope of iron” known as Nth metal. But none of this information arguably helps with a plot which sees the blind material manipulator teleport repeatedly from dimension to dimension in order to outrace Lord Onimarr Synn’s ferociously-fanged owl-minions and their female Twi'lek-lookalike “Lady Lamp”; “Manhawks! Hold the fool’s protector --! This shoat cannot keep the Nth metal isotope from me!”

Indeed, if anything this desperate dash from Red Hook, Brooklyn, to Penn City, then Vanity, Ivy Town, National City, Slaughter Swamp, and finally Blackhawk Island only muddles the various plot threads up even more, especially when Janet Fals’ accompanying dialogue concerning “whatever the hell the World Forge is”, is overshadowed by her sorcerous companion’s gobbledygook regarding his “other senses… [being] tuned to more planes of existence than most people’s”, Quench’s metal disrupting “our universe’s fundamental forces”, and another explosion which potentially “could puncture the membrane of reality like a water balloon.”

Happily, this magazine is blessed with some rather dynamically-drawn artwork by Cary Nord, whose storyboarding for Firebrand’s battle with Synn’s General Phade is undoubtedly the highlight of the publication. Clean-lined and well-animated, “the award-winning artist of comic books and graphic novels such as Daredevil, X-Men, and Conan The Barbarian” provides both plenty of gravitas to Nomi’s emotional loss at the death of his friends, Ascendant and the Viking Judge, as well as insurmountable rage in Fals’ furious assaults.

Storytellers: Cary Nord & Steve Orlando, and Inks: Wade von Grawbadger

The Unexpected #1 - DC Comics

THE UNEXPECTED No. 1, August 2018

Printed “in the aftermath of Dark Knights: Metal” and apparently described by Steve Orlando “as Seven Samurai meets The Dark Tower”, this twenty-page “manhunt ranging from Thanagar to the deepest heart of the Dark Multiverse” most assuredly lived up to its title when it first saw print in June 2018, by spectacularly killing off two of the series’ central cast members at the end of the magazine. Indeed, it was probably hard for this periodical’s 28,028 strong audience to recall a more blood-thirsty opening for a brand new book as the “malevolent” Bad Samaritan first dissolves Viking Judge’s left arm, then partially lops off one of Ascendant’s feet, and finally incinerates the super-heroic pair (along with himself) by foolishly attempting to cut Firebrand’s heart out using Turid Goldenaxe’s double-bladed weapon.

Admittedly, such sense-shattering shenanigans do help make the GLAAD Media Award-nominee’s narrative for Issue One of “The Unexpected” an increasingly gripping read, especially when Alden Quench proves himself to be so formidable a villain that he conclusively bests Neon the Unknown, as well as the element-molder's fellow super-powered team-members, one-on-one within the space of a handful of action-packed panels. But even so, the fact that the high-crowned hat wearing “citizen… who has walked between the multiverse raindrops” causes two such viciously savage murders at this comic’s conclusion proves substantially shocking, not least of all to Colin Nomi’s alter-ego, who despite his scarred blindness still realises that his friends are dead due to the fact he can “smell the burning flesh, the hair and hot metal… [but] I can’t hear them breathing… They’re dead… And I’m still here…”

Rather delightfully though, “Call Of The Unknown” doesn’t just simply focus upon this titanic tussle within the corridors and wards of a Veterans Affairs Hospital either, as the New Yorker’s script bravely attempts to start making good on his pre-publication promise to unify “the DCU” by “pulling together a lot of different stories… [and] picking up on the massive architecture of things like Final Crisis.” Such a huge task was never going to be achieved within the space of a single book, no matter how ably pencilled by Ryan Sook and Cary Nord, yet Orlando makes a seemingly suitable start by providing plenty of exposition and focus upon former dead paramedic Janet Fals, and her miraculous resurrection, courtesy of the Conflict Engine, as the fiery fist-fighter Firebrand.

Storytellers: Ryan Sook, Cary Nord & Steve Orlando, and Inks: Mick Gray & Wade von Grawbadger

The Immortal Men #3 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 3, August 2018

Many of this publication’s audience probably strongly related to Caden Park’s predicament when he awakes at the start of this comic from what the teenager clearly hoped had been a fevered nightmare in which he’d seen his murdered parents transformed into multi-fanged bestial killers. For whilst James Tynion IV’s script undeniably contains plenty of exposition concerning its plethora of cast members, most notably a condensed origin of Ghost Fist and an intriguing indication as to the complex relationship between former friends Reload and the Hunt, it also disconcertingly contains very little in the way of action, plot progression or escape…

Indeed, arguably all this twenty-page periodical provided its readers in June 2018 was a seemingly endless series of dialogue-heavy diatribes, which whilst occasionally interesting, such as Roderick Clay’s miraculous transportation into the near future, increasingly gets ‘bogged down’ with weighty word balloon after cram-packed text box. Frustratingly, to make matters worse for the optics though, a large portion of these conversations don’t even use the same font or colour scheme, and doubtless caused any perusing bibliophile to painfully squint at the ghastly red on black background speeches of The Batman Who Laughs or the Infinite Woman’s merging mix of orange upon orange...

Even Patrick Kowalski’s incarceration within the Siege holding cell suffers as a result of Carlos M. Mangual’s diabolical lettering, and scimitar-wielding gaoler’s purple-pigmented stylised font. True, it’s easy to understand the basic message behind the scene considering that their ‘flashback’ to soldiering in Vietnam shoulder-to-shoulder appears so very similar to the history behind “Marvel Worldwide” characters Wolverine and Sabretooth. But even so, it still takes something of a patient eye to slowly wade through all of its lengthy discourse; “If we don’t stoke the fire of the Eternal War now, they won’t be able to fight when it counts. Saving the World is no longer a future endeavour. It must happen now.”

Unfortunately, little solace can debatably be taken from the pencilling on show within Issue Three of “The Immortal Men”, despite Ryan Benjamin clearly trying to adopt every storyboarding trick in the book to try and liven up its sedentary-paced narrative. Irregular-size panels, single splashes, letter-box sequences and double-page layouts are all utilised by the American artist in an effort to imbue this title’s figures with some dynamism, yet nothing can seemingly save Tynion IV’s lack-lustre “Bloodless” penmanship.

Storytellers: Ryan Benjamin & James Tynion IV, and Inker: Richard Friend

The Curse Of Brimstone #2 - DC Comics

THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE No. 2, July 2018

Justin Jordan and Philip Tan’s storytelling for Issue Two of “The Curse Of Brimstone” must surely have provided a modicum of entertainment for many of this comic’s 20,244 strong audience in May 2018, what with its narrative’s emotional interplay between Joe Chamberlain and his strong-willed, determined sister, as well as the book’s subsequent brutal battle between the titular character and the Hound. But whilst the Pennsylvania-born writer’s script undoubtedly contains plenty of plot progression and pulse-pounding action, especially towards the end of the book as Annie fearlessly drives at the Salesman’s frosty servant in a car, the sense of personal realism which arguably made its previous instalment such compelling entertainment, is somewhat unaccountably lacking within this particular twenty-page periodical.

For starters, despite spending a considerable amount of ‘sheet-space’ patiently exploring the young man’s fiery curse, alongside his sibling’s almost simultaneous discovery of her brother’s fiery condition, the couple’s combined reaction to his apparent destruction of “the whole town” is to rather illogically seek out the “persuasive operative” working for the mysterious Home Office, despite the fact they know their “Dad’s out plowing so that emergency crews can get around. True, the pair quickly agree that “the devil” who transformed the jobless Joseph “tricked you into a bad deal with promises and persuasion”, yet as their father is out in such a dangerous environment, wouldn’t his children's first thoughts actually be to ensure his safety..?

Instead, courtesy of the ‘partially destroyed’ small settlement’s internet contrivingly still operating, Jo and Annie assume an unconvincing ‘Scooby Gang’ mentality by investigating a “thread… about a town in Oklahoma where something like what you saw in your dream happened”, and resultantly soon find themselves unashamedly rummaging through the “only room rented out” at the York Hills Inn looking for clues. Unbelievably, to make matters even more coincidental though, this publication’s audience are then asked to believe the Salesman would leave his ledger containing all his “transactions” behind; “He destroyed them all. Every town was emptied out. One was drowned, another fell to… cannibalism. I think that’s what he wants… To make every place a nightmare version of themselves.”

Fortunately, despite Jordan’s script feeling somewhat reminiscent of a Seventies Hannah-“Barbera Productions” animated television series, Tan’s instantly recognisable artwork imbues this comic’s cast with plenty of animated life, even when the dialogue-heavy, somewhat sedentary scene in question simply depicts a naked Chamberlain being roused from a nightmare by his concerned, similarly red-headed relation, or Annie answering her mobile phone to discover her father “has told” this title’s lead antagonist “so much about you.” Indeed, the Manilan’s scintillating sketching of Brimstone’s battle with the Hound is debatably this book’s highlight moment, with the astonishingly swift, cold-hearted “demonic agent” appearing disconcertingly deadly even though she is facing a hero capable of manipulating Hellfire itself.

Storytellers: Philip Tan & Justin Jordan, and Colorist: Rain Beredo

The Immortal Men #2 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 2, July 2018

Despite giving its readers with some modicum of tantalisingly slow exposition concerning “the last of the Immortal Men”, James Tynion IV’s script for this second instalment to his “The End Of Forever” story-arc simply doesn’t stop providing its audience with sense-shattering action-packed shenanigans until its final panel, and even then the twenty-page periodical frustratingly stops mid-way through a captivatingly concentrated chase sequence. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a more intense comic book reading experience than this “New Age of Heroes” publication, as the “emerging meta-human named Caden Park” runs for his very life from slavering demonic dog-creatures, a truly terrifying cold-blooded murderer who seemingly delights in the sadistic nature of killing innocents with a blade, and a missile strike which “breaks every immortal treaty, going back six thousand years.”

Fortunately though, none of this pulse-pounding pace actually ever gets overly-tiring, even if its intensity could arguably leave its readers as physically out of breath as the plot’s “point-of-view protagonist”. The New York City-born writer appears to know precisely when to weave some of his more sedentary scenes into the publication’s furious mix, and actually uses them, such as those based within the invisible Realm of Conquest, to help clarify what the various cast member’s rationalisation is for their animated antics; “My brother is playing some unknown game. It is imperative that we beat him at it before it’s too late.”

Perhaps this book’s most surprising and enjoyable highlight however, is the emergence of Roderick Clay as an innovatively determined protector of the Park family. Having left A.R.G.U.S. to take a more “cushy private-sector gig” and “never have to deal with super-powered freaks and monsters again”, the pistol-toting private investigator not only ‘rescues’ his employer’s son from the ‘clutches’ of the Immortal Man by crashing his car into the mysterious being’s anachronistic taxi cab, but also then goes on to make a last stand against a quartet of The Kill’s ferociously-fanged Bloodless.

Just as impressive is the transfer of pencilling responsibilities between this title’s co-creator, “DC Publisher and master artist” Jim Lee and Ryan Benjamin. The “digital production” illustrator somehow manages to provide Issue Two of “The Immortal Men” with a unifyingly strong imitation of the Korean American’s widely-regarded style, and resultantly the transition from the title’s previous cliff-hanger where Caden was supposedly facing a gory death in the jaws of the Infinite Woman’s savage pets, smoothly flows into this comic’s subsequent opening, which portrays the terrified young man plunging headlong through a spookily deserted underground tube line.

Storytellers: Ryan Benjamin & James Tynion IV, and Inker: Richard Friend

The Immortal Men #1 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 1, June 2018

Originally planned for a December 2017 release as “part of the New Age of DC Heroes line”, this twenty-page periodical would seem to have suffered a series of delays before the Burbank-based publishing company’s “Direct Channel” retail newsletter finally confirmed it had been re-solicited for April instead. However, no matter the reason for its delay, with one rumour being that co-creator Jim Lee subsequently signed “on to illustrate a Brian Michael Bendis’ story for… Action Comics #1000”, it certainly doesn’t seem to have affected the quality of either its writing or artwork. In fact, for some of this book’s younger bibliophiles they’ll doubtless be the enjoyably exhilarating feeling of following in a specially-gifted super-team’s footsteps for the first time and the excitement which comes with the recruitment to their roster of someone who will supposedly “save the world”; a somewhat familiar sentiment to those who experienced Chris Claremont’s opening instalment of “New Mutants” way back in 1983…

Fortunately, such obvious comparisons to “Marvel Comics” mutants and Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is arguably a strength to James Tynion IV’s script for Issue One of “The Immortal Men”, as it allows the New Yorker to consistently wrong-foot those within this comic’s older audience who unwisely believe that they’ve seen “The End Of Forever” all before. Foremost of these compelling contradictions is the fact that the Campus, “the Fifth house of the Immortals” and “one mile beneath Philadelphia”, has been utterly destroyed, along with hundreds of the refuge’s occupants. In addition, the remaining team members, whilst clearly a formidably-strong band of super-powered heroes, are alarmingly already on the run for their very lives from a foe whose seemingly easy ability to kill their kind make her appear awfully omnipotent.

Such ‘hooks’ really help immerse the reader into the narrative, and one can’t help but feel their pulse pound as Jim Lee dynamically pencils Ghost Fist leading the Immortal Man’s shell-shocked survivors headlong down “a much different sort of secret cavern” in a desperate escape bid, whilst the Infinite Woman, the Hunt and their multiple-fanged, dire wraith-like monsters track them down. Certainly, when coupled with Caden Park’s emergence as a meta-human, this all-pervading sense of persecution and flight makes it hard to put the publication down until it ends with a wickedly delightful cliff-hanger on board a claustrophobic underground train carriage; “I think you know the answer. I think you’ve always known we’re the Immortal Men. Now get up and fight.”

Storytellers: Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin & James Tynion IV, and Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

The Curse Of Brimstone #1 - DC Comics

THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE No. 1, June 2018

Announced by Justin Jordan whilst on the “New Age of DC Heroes” panel at New York Comic Con, the Pennsylvania-born author was quite correct in his assertion that his script for Issue One of “The Curse Of Brimstone” both looks and feels “much different than a lot of DC superhero titles.” For whilst the twenty-page periodical’s plot appears slightly reminiscent of the ‘naively sell your soul to the Devil’ narrative readers might expect from the “Colombia Pictures” “Ghost Rider” film franchise, this book’s writing is so realistically-detailed, so emotive and so engaging that it’s clear the publication’s creator is genuinely taking his audience on a very personal journey, rather than simply conjuring up some contrived circumstance with which to imbue Joe Chamberlain with his super-powers.

Foremost of these enthralling ‘hooks’ is the attention to detail which the Harvey Award-nominee lavishes upon his story-line’s central protagonist. Desperate “to save his small, forgotten town”, yet even more so to ensure that his sister finishes her Nursing qualifications and start’s “some place new”, the stark poverty of the disabled ex-factory worker’s son is absolutely palatable throughout this piece, and no more so than when he discovers his father has jeopardised his sibling’s future by foolishly handing over a portion of their meagre funds to a family friend who subsequently “damn near took off his leg this morning with a chainsaw.”

Similarly as enticing is Jordan’s suave, smooth-talking incarceration of the Devil himself. Polite, as well as infinitely amiable, the well-dressed car driver comes across with all the persuasive charm this series’ audience would anticipate from God’s fallen angel, and it certainly proves no surprise that the angrily frustrated young Chamberlain quickly falls for the archetype of evil’s befuddling discourse regarding the Home Office and making him their agent… Indeed, Officer Figard’s ability to resist the well-groomed man’s temptations earlier in the tale, makes the sheriff’s strength of will even more impressive upon reflection; albeit such a display quickly results in the lawman’s grim demise.

Enjoyably, all of this characterisation and exposition is rather well-pencilled by Philip Tan, whose work, despite arguably lacking the clean look of so many super-hero comic book contemporaries, still does an awfully good job of emphasising its horror-based themes. In addition, the occasional “Magic: The Gathering” illustrator seems to enjoy hiding the odd understated reference within the contents of some of his drawings, such as when Joe accepts a ride from the Devil and is carefully watched doing so by a snake concealed within the undergrowth or a sluggish lizard gazes at the youth’s ever-chugging truck unreliably starting-up. These subtleties really help add extra atmosphere to the proceedings of each panel, and also encourage any perusing bibliophile to pay far more attention to the artwork than normal.

Storytellers: Philip Tan & Justin Jordan, and Colorist: Rain Beredo