Exciting Comics #2 - Antarctic Press Comics

EXCITING COMICS No. 2, February 2019

Undeniably “building a universe one brick at a time”, Issue Two of “Exciting Comics” probably gave the majority of its “faithful followers and comic connoisseurs” precisely what they wanted with its mixture of modern-day super-heroics, Egyptian mummery and a poignant flashback to the Forties. But whilst some of this anthology’s arguably all-too brief tales managed to provide plenty of closure to those readers eager to better understand the “deadly power” imbuing the Crimson Scorpion or witness the legacy of Madam Mask being passed from geriatric Geema to her grand-daughter, there’s a distinct feeling to its overall pacing, particularly where its artwork is concerned, that strongly suggests much of this thirty-two page periodical was rather rushed.

For starters, Carlos Tron’s storyboards for “The Revenge Syndicate” appear a little Spartan for the majority of Bradley Golden and John Crowther’s narrative. Sure, the collaborative writers have penned an interesting sub-plot to the exploits of Black Jaq in the guise of the Murder Prophet, the Griever and Black Rat cold-bloodedly murdering both Benny and Fats McQueen. Yet that doesn’t debatably explain why numerous scenes are padded out with depictions of the heroine working her day job, or a security guard following a few rats through the corridors of the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Shoddier still is David Doub’s disconcerting finale for Madam Mask, where the latest incarnation of the bullet-resistant costumed crime-fighter miraculously manages to save her grandma from a fiery death only to have her elderly inspiration expire of old age straight afterwards; “Geema, You… You can’t leave me… You can’t. Nooo!!” Disappointingly illustrated by Larry Jarrell, to the point where it’s hard to believe “Spike” drew this adventure’s prodigiously pencilled previous instalment, matters abruptly turn even more surreal as the tale ends with Diana inexplicably being surrounded by the living dead in a graveyard..?

Perhaps this compilation comic’s most successful asset is therefore the concluding chapter to Professor Samuel Kocian’s exploits thwarting a terrorist cell in an ancient temple, several hours drive from Cairo. Appearing rather cartoony to the eye, courtesy of Joseph Olesco’s quite humorous sketching style, this twelve-page central feature is absolutely packed full of automatic gun-play, knife-fights, poisonous gas and everything else a reader might well expect from a pacifist protagonist suddenly empowered by a mystic scorpion.

Writers: Bradley Golden & John Crowther, David Furr and David Doub

Exciting Comics #1 - Antarctic Press Comics

EXCITING COMICS No. 1, February 2019

Proudly publicised as a “premiere title” returning to stores “for the first time in over seventy years”, Issue One of “Exciting Comics” undoubtedly delivers upon Ben Dunn’s editorial promise of teleporting its readers back to “a time when heroes knew what to do and fought for what was right” with its wonderful concoction of street-level super-heroic shenanigans, Ancient Egyptian altercations and zany acrobatics. In fact, this “Antarctic Press” anthology’s only disappointment comes with each “Superverse” tale’s cliff-hanger conclusion, which always seems to arrive far too soon and invariably means that the book’s audience must frustratingly wait a while before they can get their hands on the next exhilarating edition…

Starting off this “new shared universe” is “The Revenge Syndicate”, a collaboratively-penned piece by John Crowther and Bradley Golden, which follows the feisty vigilante Black Jaq as she tackles Fats McQueen’s hard-hitting protection racket in New York City. Stunningly sketched by Carlos Tron, this twelve-page knock-out is as attractive to the eye as the female crime-fighter’s punches are bone-breaking, and contains an ending which shows just how close to the line a person may go when their fists are fuelled by their heart.

Similarly as successful, “The Scorpion’s Sting” must have momentarily taken its fans back to a far simpler storytelling time before radioactive substances haphazardly affected parts of the populace and creators relied upon the mystic arts and supernatural potions of our world’s ancient civilisations for their character’s super-powered origins. Brought bang up to date however, with a disturbing script focusing upon modern-day terrorist atrocities and the devastation of archaeological heritage sites, David Furr’s narrative rather neatly combines the two, and undeniably sets up plenty of anticipation for this story’s subsequent instalment by leaving its leading cast surrounded by bloodthirsty murderers just as Professor Samuel Kocian begins to feel the full effects of his chance encounter with a predatory arachnid.

Finally comes David Doub’s “Madam Mask”, an incredibly fast-paced nine-pager which zips along with such gusto that it debatably requires a second read before all of its plot points, such as the titular character’s motivation for industrial theft being that her grandmother requires $30,000 dollars-worth of medical care, properly come to light. Drawn by Larry Spike Jerrell with all the dynamic athleticism which the legendary Steve Ditko imbued his Amazing Spider-Man with, this uber-energetic escapade easily captures all the high-octane antics of a Twenty First Century thief and then without warning scintillatingly lands any perusing bibliophile smack bang in the middle of an Early Forties “Whiz Comics” adventure.

Writers: Bradley Golden & John Crowther, David Furr and David Doub