Moon Knight [2016] #6 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 6, November 2016

It is unmistakably clear from Jeff Lemire’s narrative for Issue Six of “Moon Knight” that the “confident” Canadian cartoonist was indubitably trying to pen a script which whilst full of mystery, erred “on the side of intrigue, rather than alienation.” However, although the Joe Schuster Award-winner’s storyline for “Incarnations” does decidedly draw upon “Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz’s original run”, as well as “Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey’s recent spin on things”, it is doubtful either of the aforementioned creative teams would have been so “popular” if they’d produced so utterly unfollowable a confusing mess as this twenty-page periodical.

Indeed, for many of this comic’s 41,884 followers, the suggestion that “the mummies, Anubis” and everything that has occurred within the title’s preceding five editions has only actually taken place in Marc Spector’s unhinged mind must have proved tremendously frustratingly, especially when the result, as succinctly verbalised by Crawley, is that the titular character is unnervingly “right back where you started” at the beginning of the series.

Admittedly, Lemire does try and suggest that his audience’s time over the past five months hasn’t been entirely wasted by utilising both places and persons made familiar by the former “harrowing quest designed to wear away the last of Marc’s mind”; a technique which allows the Ontario-born writer to even incorporate Mercy Mental Hospital’s sour-humoured goons Bobby and Billy as waiters. But such nods to the five-part long “Welcome To New Egypt” simply makes matters even more befuddling as both Steve Grant and reader alike struggle to work out what is real and more importantly what on Earth is happening. Has the god Khonshu really betrayed his loyal servant? Is the ‘fist’ of the Moon God still trapped within the walls of a mental institution despite previously being portrayed as having “escaped through the subways”? Or are such images merely the schizophrenic delusions of a Manhattan-based movie producer, a taxi-driver called Jake Lockley, and the pilot of a futuristic space-fighter entitled Moon Knight One?

Sadly adding to the incomprehensible insanity of such “Moon Knight madness” is the bravely bizarre decision to utilise Wilfredo Torres, Francesco Francavilla and James Stokoe as the book’s illustrators. This innovative approach to the visualisation of Jeff’s tale certainly provides each of the titular character’s personas with their own unique individual look and style. Yet such inconsistent and contrasting artwork repeatedly breaks up the flow of the story, and eventually reaches the point where it becomes disastrously detrimental to the publication’s enjoyment.

The variant cover art of "MOON KNIGHT" No. 6 by Christian Ward

The Amazing Spider-Man [2015] #14 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 14, August 2016

Despite featuring some seriously impressive fist-fights between Regent and a plethora of ‘A-List’ superheroes, such as Captain America, Nova, the Vision and Thor, it’s hard not to feel that Dan Slott’s script for Issue Fourteen of “The Amazing Spider-Man” is an absurdly rushed affair, which deprived many of the book’s 65,646 strong audience with an opportunity to showcase just how truly powerful Augustus Roman’s “seemingly-heroic alter ego” can be. Indeed, in many ways the driving force behind the events explored within this twenty-page periodical could easily have been expanded upon for several more publications, if not as a “Marvel Worldwide” multi-title crossover comic book event, such are the lengths to which the “tech mogul from New York” slowly contains all the “superhuman threats” he encounters and incarcerates them deep inside "The Cellar”.

Unfortunately however, rather than slowly unravelling the supposedly well-meaning machinations of Empire Unlimited’s CEO, the Berkeley-born writer’s narrative for “Avengers Assembled” flies through Regent’s battles so quickly that by the magazine’s end, the defeats of titular characters like Daredevil, or notable X-Men such as Iceman and Quicksilver, aren’t even given any actual ‘screen time’ at all and are simply mentioned as already being held captive inside the “maximum security prison for super criminals.” Such frustrating pacing really does increasingly grate upon the senses, especially when the Diamond Gem Award-winner insists on additionally cramming in scenes depicting Tony Stark visiting the parents of Miles Morales, Aunt May disconcertingly coughing up blood at Jay Jameson’s Penthouse, and Harry Osborn’s overly long meeting with Roman to discuss a business proposition.

As a result, the long-anticipated confrontation between Spider-Man and his power-mimicking opponent woefully lasts just three disappointing pages in length, and even then Web-head has to partially share the ‘limelight’ with the (not so) invincible Iron Man. Little wonder that at the comic’s conclusion a victorious Regent boastfully declares that “I am power incarnate! I am the only saviour Humanity needs!” After all, in the space of just a single book he has apparently bested the strongest superheroes the Marvel Universe has to offer…

Happily, not everything to do with Slott’s third instalment of his “Power Play” storyline is quite so rushed as the writing, with Giuseppe Camuncoli’s pencils proving to be both delightfully clean-looking and dynamically-drawn. In fact, the Italian artist’s renderings of Nova, Thor, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man, along with his ability to increasingly add menace to the figure of an aggressive Augustus, are worth the cover price alone, even if his sketches of a bare-headed Iron Man leave a lot to be desired.

Writers: Dan Slott & Christos Gage, Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Inker: Cam Smith

The Amazing Spider-Man [2015] #13 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 13, August 2016

Undoubtedly tapping into Dan Slott’s pre-publication promise that the American author was penning a “massive, seismic shift in Spidey’s world”, the plot for Issue Thirteen of “The Amazing Spider-Man” still takes an incredibly long time to ‘warm up’ and arguably doesn’t actually start ‘delivering the goods’ until Regent challenges Miles Morales, “the all-new and equally amazing Spider-Man”, two-thirds of the way through the comic. In fact, for the best part of this twenty-page periodical, the Berkeley-born writer’s narrative undoubtedly had its 65,519 strong audience experiencing déjà vu of the worst kind, by simply regurgitating the tediously juvenile ‘Wall-crawler verses Golden Avenger' quips and antics of the previous edition; “…I’m just saying, when Parker Industries crashes, I’m here for you Web-head. Yeah. You could work for me.” Little wonder perhaps that the title plummeted from tenth position to thirty-ninth in the “Diamond Comic Distributors” comic book sales chart for June 2016…

Fortunately however, the tone to the Eisner Award-winners’ storyline matures beyond recognition once “the enigmatic Regent” finally takes centre stage and launches a ‘sneak attack’ upon Peter Parker’s “very own protégée” at a “secluded spot.” Billed by Slott as “it’s Spider-Man verses Darkseid, it’s Spider-Man verses Thanos”, Augustus Roman’s formidable power is actually firmly established straight from this magazine’s opening, when the so-called self-proclaimed “saviour of Humanity” effortlessly ‘takes out’ the gigantic Homo Mermanus, Orka, an Atlantean soldier who has previously faced the Avengers, within the space of a single page.

Such an impressive display of the “unusual” villain’s indomitable strength definitely helps achieve Dan’s goal of depicting a foe well outside of Spider-Man’s “weight class”, and it is hard not to believe that the majority of this title’s readers didn’t feel that Morales’ confrontation with the super-powered CEO of Empire Unlimited was disconcertingly reminiscent of David and Goliath. It’s certainly not surprising that such a “mismatch” results in Regent dispatching the spider–powered “child” even faster than he did Prince Namor’s long-time nemesis.

All of this “Civil War Re-enactment” action, be it Parker and Iron Man’s verbal/physical sparring, Betty Brant’s realisation that Roman is “totally Regent”, or Augustus’ bone-crunching blows, is crisply illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Indeed, the Italian artist’s depiction of the comic’s oversized antagonist is so impressive that it is hard not to hear the impacts of the character’s thunderous punches or feel the actual vibration of his heavy ponderous footfalls.

Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Inker: Cam Smith

Amazing X-Men #10 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING X-MEN No. 10, October 2014

Containing plenty of action-packed dramatics, such as a seemingly one-sided battle between Rockslide and a Wendigo-infected Wolverine, in addition to some extensive cameos by the Avengers and Doctor Strange, it’s probably hard to imagine that the majority of this comic’s 36,405 readers weren’t satisfied with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost’s co-writing for Issue Ten of “Amazing X-Men”. Indeed, this furiously-paced third instalment to their “World War Wendigo!” narrative even goes so far as to feature a much-anticipated appearance by the (original) Alpha Flight members Guardian, Snowbird, Aurora and Sasquatch. Yet, for all the penning pair’s plans to make the much beloved characters within this twenty-page periodical “shine”, the disconcertingly haphazard nature of the collaborative creative team’s choppy storytelling arguably leads to a good deal of confusion as to just when within the plot’s timeline the depicted events actually take place and dispels much of the magic “the great hook” of a Wendigo plague creates.

So confusingly cluttered a chronology proves particularly painful on account of the comic’s promisingly explosive beginning, which depicts an exhausted and badly-beaten Northstar impotently staring up from the bottom of a crater at “some foul-smelling monster[s]” waiting to be eaten alive along with an unconscious young girl he was apparently trying to rescue. This thoroughly-enthralling splash illustration would arguably instantly draw any perusing bibliophile into the book, but it is then disconcertingly followed by an entirely different battle sequence involving a much-more formidable-looking Jean-Paul Beaubier “twenty minutes earlier…”

Admittedly these subsequent panels at least provide some explanation as to how the super-fast mutant came to be flying with a child in his arms, but disappointingly they are almost immediately replaced by a mass exodus of citizens across the U.S./Canada Border and then just as fleetingly abrupt, a trip to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Stephen Strange in Green Village, New York; “This is distasteful… It feels like retreat.” In fact, events don’t seem to really catch-up to the present day until halfway through the magazine, and then James MacDonald Hudson confuses the continuum once more by ‘flashbacking’ to a time when Shaman was able to trace the outbreak to “a meat packing plant [that] distributed tainted meat across the region.”

Such peaks and troughs within the comic’s plotting is, sorrowfully, mirrored by the inconsistent breakdowns of Carlo Barberi and Iban Coello, which prove wonderfully dynamic one moment and then amateurishly poor the next. It’s certainly hard to become enthralled in so irregular a tale when popular super-heroes like Sasquatch and Captain America are noticeably different in physical appearance dependent upon which artist has drawn them…

Writers: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost, and Pencilers: Carlo Barberi & Iban Coello

James Bond #10 - Dynamite Entertainment

JAMES BOND No. 10, September 2016

Hand-picked by the Fleming Estate to be the writer for this “ongoing spy thriller comic book series” it is clear from the British operative's ruthless killing of his foes deep inside an underground steam locomotive station that Warren Ellis’ incarnation of the titular character for Issue Ten of “James Bond” is arguably the “purest crystallization” of the fictional secret agent “since the original novels”. However even the franchise’s most ardent followers must surely have felt that the Eagle Award-winner’s depiction of 007 seemingly enjoying skinning a captive Gareth Cullen with a Stanley knife in order to “make nice chamois leather rags to polish our cars with” was taking the cold-blooded intelligence officer’s callousness a little too far. Certainly the torturous scene, graphically illustrated by Jason Masters and laden with (gallows) humour as Tanner complains about getting “all the blood out from my nails”, would seem more appropriate behaviour for one of the Secret Serviceman’s sadistic arch-villains rather than the title’s heroic lead?

Sadly, such a disconcertingly memorable sequence is also this magazine’s only real glimpse of “Jimmy” in action, not counting his ‘head shot’ of Hawkwood’s last remaining goon at the start of the comic, as the Essex-born author’s storyline interesting shifts its focus away from the Royal Naval Reserve Commander and instead settles upon the exploits of Bond’s mysterious superior M at “designated Safehouse India Uniform Lima.” Admittedly this surprising change of direction in the book’s writing does provide the audience with an opportunity to see just how formidable a gun-mistress the Head of the Secret Intelligence Service’s personal assistant Miss Moneypenny really is. But it also slows down the plot’s pacing with some quite disinteresting conversational pieces between the Intelligence Services Commissioner and Sir Stephen Mackmain; the majority of which strangely seem to make this twenty-two page periodical’s final third reminiscent of General Georgi Koskov’s somewhat lack-lustre post-defection debriefing in the 1987 motion picture “The Living Daylights”.

Jason Masters artwork for this particular instalment of “Eidolon” is equally as inconsistent as its script, on account of the South African pencilling a fantastically dynamic shoot-out between Bond and Cullen during the magazine’s opening, and then seemingly struggling to reliably illustrate the bearded Head of MI5 throughout the rest of the publication. Indeed, considering the poor quality of some of his panels, especially those involving the facially-disfigured Hawkwood, it is hard to imagine just why Ellis personally “requested” him to be “the artist” on the title…

Writer: Warren Ellis, Artist: Jason Masters, and Colors: Guy Major

James Bond #9 - Dynamite Entertainment

JAMES BOND No. 9, August 2016

Initially somewhat slow, yet nonetheless tense as frustrated senior MI5 field officer Eve Sharma gets uncomfortably close to M’s desk, Warren Ellis' narrative for Issue Nine of “James Bond” doesn’t really liven up until halfway through the comic book, and even then it arguably has the titular character doing little except noiselessly manoeuvre himself through “a maze of tunnels under a hill and quarry” where “a fleet of steam locomotives” is being held in case there is ever “a nuclear attack on Britain.” Happily however, such disappointing inactivity does finally come to an end once the British Secret Service “tourist” is spotted by Eidolon’s heavily-armed freelancers and the horribly disfigured Hawkwood instructs his goons to “Bring me a corpse. I’ll pay a bonus.”

Such high-octane antics as the spy barrelling his way amongst the long-abandoned trains, gunning down the occasional long-bearded braggart despite their conspicuous body armour or hurling “a cheeky grenade or three” really must have pleased this comic’s 12,917 readers after such a dialogue-heavy and meandering start. Yet any such exhilaration caused by Cullen’s sour-faced ne’er-do-wells getting their comeuppance is frustratingly cut-short by Jason Master’s pencilling an unarmed titular character confronting a gun-toting mercenary in one bottom panel and “Dynamite Entertainment” ‘bolting on’ a “special preview of James Bond Hammerhead #1” into the next…  

This sudden and most unwelcome conclusion to the twenty-two page book is made all the more infuriating by the publisher’s bizarre decision to actually print a scene from their ‘new mini-series’ which is very similar in appearance and action to the darkly atmospheric firefight of “Eidolon”. As a result it isn’t until Luca Casalanguida’s noticeably different (and arguably inferior) art style sinks home that it becomes evident that Bond is not only no longer staving off the well-paid automatic weapon-carrying lackeys of SPECTRE. But is instead fighting a totally unknown group of foes from a totally unrelated periodical.

Potentially unenthused by so sedentary a script, Master’s breakdowns for much of this magazine are disappointingly lifeless and in many instances, such as when Tanner secrets a penknife down his sleeve in M’s office, contain some extremely stiff-looking, wooden drawings. Fortunately though, the South African’s artwork improves immeasurably once the Royal Naval Reserve Commander stealthily enters the “secret underground town” Box Tunnel and starts killing Cullen’s wilful dogs of war.

Writer: Warren Ellis, Artist: Jason Masters, and Colors: Guy Major

Star Trek: Waypoint #1 - IDW Publishing

STAR TREK: WAYPOINT No. 1, September 2016

Announced by “IDW Publishing” as a “blockbuster bi-monthly anthology to celebrate fifty years of Star Trek” and supposedly “featuring short stories across all Treks by the top talent of today and yesterday”, Issue One of “Star Trek: Waypoint” must surely have come as something of a major disappointment to its 6,554 audience, on account of the comic’s inconsistent artwork and tediously dull writing. In fact, considering just how anaemically actionless the mini-series’ opening instalment is, it's hard to believe Group Editor Sarah Gaydos genuinely felt that these two tales were “a place to stop and reflect on what’s come before, and look ahead to the next fifty years of Trek.”

Set both after the television series, as well as the crew’s excursions upon the silver Screen, it is certainly difficult to imagine that the quality of Donny Cates’ narrative for the “The Next Generation” story “Puzzles” would safely assure the science fiction franchise’s future for another half-century. For her twenty-page tripe unconvincingly places Captain Geordi La Forge in command of an unnamed Federation starship whose bridge is exclusively populated by numerous holograms of Doctor Noonian Soong's Data; a somewhat surreal situation supposedly due to the androids’s physical form deteriorating over time, rather than being blown up at the conclusion of the 2002 film “Nemesis”. Such an unconvincing development, which largely follows events depicted within "Pocket Books" novels, undoubtedly must have irked those readers with a casual understanding of official canon. Yet probably not as much as the storyline's conclusion which depicts the Enterprise's former Chief Engineer being reprimanded by an uncharacteristically callous Admiral Jean-Luc Picard for simply taking a very human course of action and saving “two hundred time-displaced Starfleet” engineers. Little wonder the one-time blind helmsman questions his superior officer as to “what would you have done” in the same circumstances.

Equally as lack-lustre is Sandra Lanz’s ‘Original Series’ short “Daylily” involving Lieutenant Uhura becoming incomprehensibly separated from “the rest of the landing party” “on a strange planet” and subsequently encountering “a bizarre alien creature.” Admittedly the writer/artist’s colourful illustrations are infinitely better than the rough-looking scratchings Mack Chater pencilled for this title’s lead story. But even her ability to capture a wonderful likeness of actress Nichelle Nichols is not enough to save a script which tediously portrays the lonely communications officer teaching an amphibian-looking extra-terrestrial how to weave planet leaves before being simply beamed back up to her ship; "Wait right here! We'll come back for --"

The regular cover art of "STAR TREK: WAYPOINT" No. 1 by Marc Laming