Batman: The Adventures Continue #3 - DC Comics

BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE No. 3, May 2020

Providing an intriguing insight into the Bat-Family triad of Batman, Robin and Batgirl, as well as an excellent guest appearance by Matt Hagen’s gigantic, shape-shifting alter-ego Clayface, this opening instalment to “Mentors” certainly must have impressed its audience upon its digital release in May 2020. For whilst Issue Three of “Batman: The Adventures Continue” contains plenty of crime-fighting shenanigans familiar to those fans of “Fox Kids” 1992 animated television series, it also weaves a fascinating sub-plot involving Deathstroke throughout its proceedings.

Indeed, having vanquished the mud-like former-movie star, courtesy of a “fast-acting sedative” which’ll keep the super-villain asleep for six hours, Slade Wilson’s colourfully costumed presence is felt in every subsequent scene, including a delightfully humorous breakfast set in Wayne Manor’s kitchen, where the billionaire inadvertently brings his two excited partners-in-training down to earth with a verbal bump following the praise Deathstroke has previously heaped upon them; “Don’t put too much stock in his compliments… Men of Wilson’s ilk are visible only when they need to be.”

Equally as enthralling, alongside an all-too brief aerial battle high over Midtown between Batgirl and “the rogue daredevil Roxy Rocket”, is this comic’s ongoing theme of the Caped Crusader being spied upon by a mysterious man with a white streak running through his dark hair. Spotted by Slade, when the nefarious mercenary is busy trying to smooth-talk Batgirl into joining him in a “bigger theatre for a woman with your talents”, it enticingly seems clear that the binocular-carrying rogue is playing some patiently long game with the Dark Knight and his adolescent entourage.

Very much adding to this fine blend of nostalgic Nineties story-telling with a much larger “DC Comics” cast, are Ty Templeton’s layouts, which really manage to capture the “film noir aesthetics” allure of the broadcast show’s outsourced cartoon studios. Wilson’s look and dynamic posturing, particularly at the end of this book when he’s practising against a plethora of target dummies, genuinely looks as if he’s been taken straight off a South Korean film reel produced by “Dong Yang Animation”, and arguably fits in seamlessly with the much more well-established drawings of Bruce Wayne’s inner circle.

Writers: Alan Burnett & Paul Dini, Artist: Ty Templeton, and Colorist: Monica Kubina

The Last American #3 - Epic Comics

THE LAST AMERICAN No. 3, February 1991

Such is the gripping sense of suspense which Alan Grant creates with his penmanship for Issue Three of “The Last American” that it is hard not to imagine at least some of this book’s readers back in February 1991 sneaking a quick peek at the comic’s conclusion to see just who was contacting Ulysses S. Pilgrim over the radio from Virginia. In fact, as the excited titular character encounters setback after setback during his increasingly desperate dash to reach the source of the wireless transmission, the urge to race ahead and find out what awaits the lonely soldier at the end of this twenty-eight page periodical, arguably becomes almost unbearable; “Even if they turn out to be Russian cannibals armed with I.C.B.M.s, I’m still going to be glad to see them!”

Fortunately, at least for the most part, there’s still plenty of pulse-pounding panels to enjoy within “An American Dream” before the US Army Captain discovers at the highest point in the Shenandoah National Park whether he truly is the sole survivor of the planet’s past global nuclear conflict. True, this action predominantly focuses upon Michael McMahon delightfully pencilling Pilgrim’s armoured wagon traversing all manner of ‘natural’ disasters, such as an underground coal seam which had caught fire during the war, and a heaving storm whose rain water was “low-to-medium radioactive with a pH similar to dilute sulphuric acid.” But Ulysses’ reckless determination to push on regardless of the dangers surrounding his mission easily carries the narrative along at a fiendishly brisk pace.

Perhaps this comic’s only disappointment therefore is the somewhat sedentary nature of Grant’s dream sequence where the severely unstable survivor finds himself encircled by all the Presidents of the United States in Heaven. There’s undoubtedly some interesting connections being made with this colourful interlude set inside the White House, which debatably shows the “Apocalypse Commander” now mentally seeing himself as a peer to the other commanders-in-chief like Reagan and Washington, thanks to him being previously “vested with the authority of the United States Government.” However, compared to the sense of palpable urgency found elsewhere within this publication, the somewhat dry dialogue and political in-jokes soon become a frustrating side-show, and it’s all too easy to overlook Pilgrim’s intriguing relationship with Jackie Kennedy Onassis at the party…

Writers: Alan Grant & John Wagner, Artist: Michael McMahon, and Letterer: Phil Felix

Red Sonja: Age Of Chaos #5 - Dynamite Entertainment

RED SONJA: AGE OF CHAOS No. 5, July 2020

For those readers who enjoy an abundance of decapitations or grisly bodily dismemberments inside their comic books, Erik Burnham’s script to Issue Five of “Red Sonja: Age Of Chaos” must have entertained them enormously with its seemingly endless carousel of sword-hacking and arm-ripping shenanigans. In fact, many within this twenty-page periodical’s audience would probably struggle to recall another title the safe side of a Teen-rated publication which contains quite so many flying heads and severed limbs as the “Minnesotan writer” manages to weave throughout this mini-series’ particular instalment.

Happily however, such graphic violence isn’t simply gratuitous nonsense either, and actually helps progress a truly pulse-pounding plot which predominantly focuses upon the titular character’s headlong dash across the Great Desert of the East towards a long-hidden temple in order to “resurrect an infamous Necromancer.” True, Chasity’s shocking beheading doesn’t surprisingly keep the “half-breed” vampire out of the action for too long, but the gruesome demise of Red Sonja’s travelling companion certainly spurs the Hyrkanian warrior on to some truly breathtakingly brave moments whilst fighting “a newly powered Purgatori”.

In addition, the death of Brian Pulido’s mohawked co-creation, alongside that of Jade, provides the hilarious Evil Ernie with two ready-made puppets with which to claim Kulan Gath’s highly-sought after talisman. Indeed, the green-glowing drones’ attack upon Purgatori and Sonja produces some of this comic’s most memorable actions sequences, including a genuine laugh-out-loud moment when the “She-devil with a Sword” unflinchingly dispatches her resurrected friend with a merciless sword-swipe much to Chasity’s chagrin; “Just make it fast, huh? And then put that amulet on my corpse… Geez, didn’t take much convincing…”

Imbuing this book’s impressive “Chaos! library of characters” with plenty of animated life, even those which are noticeably Undead, is artist Jonathan Lau, whose pencilling goes a great way to depicting the sheer speed of the events which Burnham has penned. One moment Red is furiously fighting off a frenzied horde of blood-drinking thralls, and then in the next a revitalised Jade is making more martial art moves against Lucifer’s bride-to-be than the human eye can possibly follow before the four thousand year-old vampire-sorceress has her limbs vividly torn out from their sockets.

The regular cover art of "RED SONJA: AGE OF CHAOS" No. 5 by Alan Quah

Future Schlock: Branded #1 - Millsverse Comics

FUTURE SCHLOCK: BRANDED No. 1, July 2020

Published digitally as a free story for subscribers to the “Spacewarp” newsletter, and masterfully evocating all the atmosphere of “Tharg’s Future Shocks” from the British weekly “2000 A.D.”, Pat Mills’ marvellous script for this six-page periodical undoubtedly must have seemed like manna from heaven for any reader fortunate enough to receive the download. Indeed, just as soon as the alien narrator Schlock politely introduces himself to the audience with the promise of a short tale about Earth 3563, where “their planet is in big trouble”, those bibliophiles who remember the godfather of British comics’ early days creating IPC Magazines’ renowned sci-fi anthology title will immediately be transported back to the late Seventies when a certain alien from the planet Quaxxann was the comic’s extra-terrestrial editor.

Homages aside however, “Future Schlock: Branded” easily stands upon its own merits as a distinctly disturbing vision of the future, where the modern-day obsession of companies to utilise every opportunity possible to market their wares has been taken to the nth degree so that even a pioneering space exploration mission has been funded simply so the manned expedition can be exploited as a huge advertising campaign; ““Mars… Jupiter… Saturn… I’m just watching the worlds go by… Drinking Kalma Kola… Without a care in the Solar System. Wanna stay cool. Too? Drink Kalma Kola.”

This all-too believable concept really makes for an enthralling tale, as the seemingly endless necessity for the spaceship’s sole astronaut Steve to act in front of the computer-controlled camera ‘six times a day’, soon begins to wear a little thin upon the “serious” scientist’s nerves. Mills does a very good job of quickly putting across the frustrated cosmonaut’s inherent desire to genuinely contribute to the enterprise rather than just make television adverts, and like all good authors actually manages to fool the audience into thinking the spaceman has convinced Stella of his need to physically participate in some ship repairs before pulling the rug from beneath the audience’s feet at the shocking conclusion to this yarn.

Ably assisting Pat in this publication’s storytelling is the prodigious artwork of Cliff Cumber, whose detailed pencilling looks very good in just black and white. In fact, a lot of this comic’s emotion, such as Steve’s frenzied rant about eating one too many genetically modified apples and subsequent horror at the computer’s solution to him becoming “the ultimate product placement”, stems from the Englishman’s ability to imbue the increasingly disgruntled rocketeer with some wonderfully dynamic facial expressions.

Story: Pat Mills, Art: Cliff Cumber, and Lettering: Ken Reynolds

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Too Long A Sacrifice #1 - IDW Publishing

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - TOO LONG A SACRIFICE No. 1, April 2020

The second “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” comic released by “IDW Publishing”, this mini-series’ opening instalment may well disappoint those of the science fiction franchise’s fans who were expecting something of a fight-fest set during the Federation’s heavily destructive Dominion War. For whilst co-writer David Tipton has previously highlighted the fact that this twenty-page periodical is “set during the most difficult hours” of the major interstellar conflict, the entirety of this book’s storyline is actually based within the claustrophobic confines of the old Cardassian space station's promenade rather than some substantially-sized Alpha Quadrant battleground.

Fortunately however, the “legendary Star Trek scribes” have used this fairly limited locale to their advantage by penning an intriguing tale packed full of misdirection, intrigue, treachery and heroics. Indeed, such is the quality of Scott and David's story-telling that “Too Long A Sacrifice” quickly sucks its audience into its well-worded narrative, as if the publication itself were playing out before the readers’ eyes on the small screen; “A thousand pardons, my good Doctor Bashir. You know I’d never intentionally miss one of our lunches.”

Pleasingly, this comic’s plot also provides plenty of opportunity for almost all the television series’ leading cast to have at least one familiar moment, even the unscrupulous Garek, who once again manages to completely befuddle the station’s Chief Medical Officer by saving his life when the diner they’re eating in is suddenly blown sky high during a shocking terrorist attack. Chief O’Brien, Dax, Captain Sisko Quark and Worf all manage to help push Constable Odo’s politically sensitive investigation along, with perhaps this book’s highlight being the shape-changer and Klingon physically besting a pair of riled Nausicaans in the Constable’s office.

As a result this magazine’s only drawback is therefore some of Greg Scott’s illustrations, which whilst proficient in their portrayal of the action, appear disappointingly rough around the edges in several places. The comic’s aforementioned destructive opening sequence set inside Lavin’s Eatery is pencilled well enough, but by the time events have moved deeper into Odo’s inquiry as to the cowardly attack's potential suspects, the “noir artist” seems to be populating his panels with the vaguest of shapes, and relying far too heavily upon his audience’s familiarity with the characters to fill in the blanks…

Writers: Scott Tipton & David Tipton, Artist: Greg Scott, and Colorist by: Felipe Sobreiro

The Last American #2 - Epic Comics

THE LAST AMERICAN No. 2, January 1991

Providing its readers with a fascinating insight into the rapid mental decline of this mini-series’ titular character, John Wagner’s storyline for Issue Two of “The Last American” most probably disturbed many within this book’s audience in January 1991, with its disconcertingly dark depiction of life (or rather lack of life) following an atomic-fuelled World War Three. Indeed, considering that the vast majority of this twenty-eight page periodical simply depicts Ulysses S. Pilgrim endlessly trudging through the post-Armageddon wastes of the Big Apple on his seemingly pointless mission to locate any “operation station” receiving his wagon’s weak radio signals, the fact “Apocalypse: The Musical” still actually manages to provide plenty of thrills is undoubtedly a testament to the excellent penmanship of Judge Dredd’s co-creator.

Fortunately however, despite the somewhat sedentary nature of the US Army Captain’s depressing assignment, the “American-born British comics writer” still manages to ensnare the reader’s unequivocal attention, courtesy of the long-dead remnants of the metropolis’ inhabitants rising up as phantoms in order to perform a truly macabre vaudeville act amidst their city’s ruins. Of course, whether the ghoul-faced baseball players are real or not is a matter for debate. Yet their very presence, and the suggestion that Pilgrim might be imagining them singing, adds a few laughs to a rather unsettling plot which otherwise would simply depict Ulysses sat inside his robot-assisted tank looking out at an endless supply of skeletons.

Besides, the disgraced soldier’s descent into a suicidal funk is made all the more impactive by him hysterically laughing at the opening line of a song, and then essentially handing over the rest of any given scene to a cacophony of dancing, green-skinned ghouls who seem intent on gleefully bashing out a major musical number at the top of their voices. These various unhinged variety show performances, dynamically pencilled by Michael McMahon and packed full of humorous lyrics, are incredibly catchy, and brilliantly then go on to make the silence encountered by the titular character when he decides to spend the night alone in a Jersey-based cemetery all the more tragically haunting; “Are you there, God? Come on out! I got a bone to pick with you! A Bone -- Hah! That’s a good one! I got a million bones to pick with you, Pal! All the bones in the world!”

Writers: Alan Grant & John Wagner, Artist: Michael McMahon, and Letterer: Phil Felix

What If? Civil War #1 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF? CIVIL WAR No. 1, February 2008

Utilising a brief tale by Ed Brubaker entitled "The Stranger" as “a framing device around which the other two stories revolve”, Issue One of “What If? Civil War” probably helped the vast amount of its 58,909 readers in December 2007 appreciate just how wrong Tony Stark was to persecute his fellow heroes for not voluntarily submitting to the Superhuman Registration Act, as well as just how highly (and wrongly) Steve Rogers thought of his long-time friend before their differences arose. Indeed, Christos Gage’s plot for “What If Iron Man Lost The Civil War” lays the entire blame of the “Marvel Comics Event In Seven Parts” squarely upon Iron Man’s armoured shoulders for blatantly lying to the Sentinel of Liberty regarding his “plans for my twenty-first century overhaul.”

Admittedly, this particular eighteen-page epic undoubtedly lacks a lot of the emotional response Mark Millar’s mini-series generated, courtesy of a sugary-sweet plot which sees Cap team-up with an “honest” Shellhead so as to overcome a homicidal Thor cybernetic clone. But what it does provide is perhaps the only sensible solution to the super-powered pairs’ dilemma of just one government or person ultimately being responsible for both the training and secret identities of every costumed crime-fighter in the United States; “It’s not enough to be against something. You have to be for something better.”

Slightly more action-packed is “What If Captain America Led All The Heroes Against Registration?” by Kevin Grevioux, which manages to recreate much of the anger and resentment generated by the original 2006 crossover storyline. With Stark already dead following an Extremis injection, this marvellous reimagining unashamedly pits Steve Rogers and most of the Marvel Universe directly against the Senate and S.H.I.E.L.D. in a battle which somewhat resembles that seen in the “X-Men” comic book narrative "Days of Future Past".

Crammed full of pulse-pounding punch-ups against the impassive Sentinels, and the death of the spectacular Spider-Man, this dynamically pencilled fight-fest sets up Henry Gyrich and Maria Hill as two of the most despicably treacherous characters to inhabit a publication, with the deputy director’s cold-blooded murder of Jim Rhodes and subsequent framing of a dead Captain America proving particularly unforgivable. Indeed, such is the utter loathing engendered by Gyrich in his journey to become President and the despicable Hill’s ambition to be carried along on his coat-tails, that in many ways it is a shame this well-penned conspiracy from an alternative universe wasn’t awarded a limited series or ongoing title of its own.

Written by: Ed Brubaker, Kevin Grevioux & Christos Gage, and Art by: Marko Djurdjevic, Gustavo and Harvey Tolibao