Moon Knight #17 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 17, September 2015

Anyone perusing this comic’s disconcertingly sinister opening third will arguably find it hard to believe that “Duality” actually saw its title’s circulation fall by almost a thousand issues in July 2015. For whilst the initial narrative lacks any of the spectacular “two-fisted justice” action set-pieces this series of “Moon Knight” is known for, it does contain a compellingly tense nervy trip through a rather creepily run Church of Khonshu. In fact for eight or so pages, Cullen Bunn’s writing is at its very best, as a heavily disguised elderly-looking Marc Spector slowly potters his way through the intimidatingly lengthy corridors of the murderous institution and discovers just how far “the welcoming committee” will go in order to “bring in tithes” for their saviour.      

Sadly however the Bram Stoker Award-nominee’s narrative takes a decidedly dire turn for the worse, once the street-level crimefighter finds his way to the establishment’s basement basilica, and promptly flattens the three muscle-bound Egyptian warriors who were planning on slitting his throat with their curved sacrificial blades. Indeed in many ways it is actually hard to believe that this book’s later stages were scripted by the same storyteller, as having spent a considerable time building up a claustrophobic atmosphere of ‘dark doings’ within a ‘House of God’, Bunn suddenly has “New York’s wildest vigilante” going toe-to-toe with a half-naked homicidally deranged imitation of Laura Kinney, complete with X-23(ish) claws.

Admittedly this confrontation, which quickly shows Moon Knight’s female adversary to be as formidable a killing machine as she is a sadistic slayer, is as brutal and bloody as any of this twenty-page periodical’s 20,615 readers could want. But having initially intimated that his tale was going to concentrate upon Spector as “the night’s greatest detective”, the American author’s abrupt abandonment of such a ‘sleuth-story’ in favour of little more than a one-sided ‘punch-up’ exasperates the senses and even arguably suggests that this comic’s script is simply two separate ideas jarringly bolted together; “That must have been some night in Vegas…”

The artwork of (returning) penciller Ron Ackins would also appear to suffer from the ‘duality’ of Bunn’s somewhat contrived plot, as the self-taught illustrator’s rather unique ‘quirky’ style really helps accentuate the disconcerting happiness of the Moon Deity’s supposed followers. Regrettably though the Philadelphia-born graphic designer’s later drawings, especially those depicting Mister Knight’s ‘rip-roaring’ mêlée with his ‘sister’, are far less successfully sketched and genuinely suggest that (once again) the artist was in a rush to meet his deadline.

Writer: Cullen Bunn, Art: Ron Ackins, and Inkers: Tom Palmer with Walden Wong

Master Of Kung Fu #4 - Marvel Comics

MASTER OF KUNG FU No. 4, October 2015

Having endured this anti-climactic concluding instalment to Shang-Chi’s “Secret Wars” mini-series, many readers will arguably wish that writer Haden Blackmore had somehow managed to find a way “to pass up on an opportunity to flesh out a new corner of the Marvel Universe”. For whilst his “Battleworld” narrative is successful in “revolving around martial arts and the supernatural”, the former “LucasArts” producer’s uninspiring final premise that the long-time enemies of the Emperor’s “disgraced son” would actually aid him in his ‘mission’ to become Zheng Zhu’s better, just because he admits he “sacrificed his honor” for the sake of rival and former love Red Sai (Elektra), is implausible nonsense.

Certainly it is hard to imagine anyone who hates the true “Master Of Kung Fu” as much as Daniel Rand-K’ai has been depicted doing throughout this storyline, suddenly channelling their own life-force into their arch-nemesis’ dying form just because the ailing combatant admits he “only killed” Iron Fist’s Master to stop the Emperor from murdering an entire martial arts school. As the unlikeable wielder of the mystical living force says himself at the time of this unconvincing revelation “He should have found another way. He could have killed his father instead…”

Dubious plotting and questionable motivations aside however, the computer games “creative director” does arguably produce something of a memorable confrontation between Shang-Chi and his parent within the final third of this comic book. In fact for close to eight pages it is hard to disassociate Blackmore’s new version of Jim Starlin’s co-creation from the old, as the master of Wushu goes toe-to-toe with Zheng Zhu and uses all manner of fighting techniques in order to eventually outwit the evil tyrant…

Admittedly Steve Englehart’s extraordinarily skilled warrior from the Seventies never manifested unearthly magical proficiencies such as “the power to harden my hands into the mortal blade” or “to force all of my most painful memories into the mind of another…” But considering within this ‘alternative universe’ martial artists are bestowed with “a wide range of powers and abilities” like “intangibility and even shape-shifting”, such an extreme variance to the original ‘powerless’ Shang-Chi is just about tolerable.

Perhaps slightly more bearable than the script to “Master And Apprentice” is the action-packed artwork of Dalibor Talajic. The Croatian penciller’s panels depicting Rand-K’ai and Red Sai’s all-too brief battle with this comic’s “battered and exhausted” main protagonist is full of dynamic movement and rather well-drawn. Unfortunately though the same cannot be said for the illustrator’s portrayal of the Emperor’s ultimate battle with his son in the Thirteenth Chamber, with parts of "the Final Battle", such as Shang-Chi’s application of the “Lost Hope” technique upon his father’s brow, appearing rather amateur-looking at best.

Writer: Haden Blackman, Penciler: Dalibor Talajic, and Inker: Goran Sudzuka

Injection #4 - Image Comics

INJECTION No. 4, August 2015

Amidst the unnecessary and juvenile application of profanities within his characters’ conversations and the utterly unfollowable technobabble of “five crazy people” as they discuss their work’s final findings, storyteller Warren Ellis inadvertently also stumbles upon an all-too worringly apt description for this comic book’s narrative… “It’s so boring.” For whilst Professor Kilbride is clearly describing her team’s unappetizing vision for the planet’s future when she extrapolates that Mankind has previously reached “a peak of novelty and innovation” and must now “enter a long trough. Straight flat line”. The insane guilt-ridden ‘troubled scientist’ could just as easily be talking about the quality of this title’s writing and just how tediously poor the English author’s storyline is.

For starters this periodical squanders its entire twenty-page length in order to just simply depict Maria deciding to visit “an abandoned factory” in order to ascertain whether there has been “an incursion from deep history or another strata of space-time or a previously mysterious terrestrial life form that we once believed to be folklore” within its dilapidated ruins. Everything else, whether it be Control updating the new Dispatch (and reader) with a series of media files showing Kilbride facing “more than we can ever find the words to describe in plain briefing documents”, Simon Winters being collected from Criochfort Terminal Two at Dublin Airport or Robin Morel “circling around the notion of building something to accelerate the future and… doing it to the world without warning” is superfluous, arguably somewhat sanctimonious, padding… and discourse-heavy incomprehensible padding at that.

Admittedly the Essex-born writer does manage to ‘inject’ a little of his (in)famous humour, barbed or otherwise, into this “creator-owned project". The British Foreign Office serviceman inadvertently stepping in some ‘dog muck’ whilst out on a friendly ramble with his team-mates is rather droll, as is Maria’s “Star Trek” quote during a theological discussion; “Ye Cannae break the laws of physics! The budget cannae take it, cap’n!” There’s even a facetious ‘pop’ at the “Sapling Foundations” Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conferences. But such amusements are few and far between, and certainly don’t compensate for an otherwise lethargic read.

Equally as unfathomable as Ellis’ “sociocultural commentary” is Declan Shalvey’s inexplicably inconsistent illustration work. The Irish penciller’s misshapen, overly-angular and surprisingly undetailed figures, such as those drawn for a lack-lustre-looking ‘flashback scene’ staged within a public restaurant, are uninspiring at best, and genuinely make one wonder why Eric Stephenson, publisher at “Image Comics”, thought “the two of them together are an absolutely amazing team.”

The 'Haunted' variant cover art of "INJECTION" No. 4 by Declan Shalvey

Uber #10 - Avatar Press

UBER No. 10, February 2014

Whilst Kieron Gillen’s “unyielding vision of enhanced human warfare” could indeed be argued to have “redefined the altered history and super solider genres completely” in comic books, this particular issue of “Uber” is a disappointingly sedentary affair which almost exclusively concentrates upon dialogue-heavy conversations and discussions rather than depicting anything related to the actual “horrors of war.” In fact, apart from the magazine’s final few pages, within which the Germans ‘drop’ a modified V2 rocket into the heart of the British Empire's capital, absolutely nothing of any particular importance takes place.

Such an uninspiring script does however still contain the occasional ‘stand out’ moment, as “the master author” provides plenty of hints and teases within his characters’ conversations as to what the future of his narrative may potentially have in store for the title’s 8,133 followers.

Foremost of these has to be the ‘unseen’ reveal by Stephanie at Bletchley Park of the Allies ‘new’ secret weapon, an enhanced human who is clearly capable of impressively horrifying their nervously inquisitive audience, even if the reader is not party to the actual sight themselves. Whilst the former computer games journalist also somehow manages to portray Adolf Hitler as being even more of a maniacal madman than he has been depicted before, with the Fuhrer dangerously insulting and goading the one-armed Battleship-class Ubermensch Siegmund during supper; “Hmm… A better craftsman than a warrior…Siegfried is a better man than you…”

Dishearteningly though, the vast majority of this periodical simply consists of talk, and whether it be the scientifically challenging gobbledegook of Stephanie’s ‘modified load technique’ or Sigfried’s insane glorification of dying in the service of the Third Reich, little of it is either entertaining or of particular interest.

Just as apathetic as the writing is regrettably Caanan White’s artwork. For whilst the African-American’s pencilling is competent enough, with the furrowed frowning visage of Germany’s lunatic leader being especially well-drawn during his fraught meal with Werner, the lion’s share of his panels lack any actual energy or suggestion of movement and instead appear to be comprised of little more than simple, static poses with plenty of wide eyes and grim unsmiling faces.

The variant cover art of "UBER" No. 10 by Gabriel Andrade

Lando #1 - Marvel Comics

LANDO No. 1, September 2015

Despite featuring a titular character “chosen” as the eleventh top “Star Wars” character by “Image Games Network” it is hard to imagine that this opening instalment of a five issue “Marvel Worldwide” mini-series managed to sell an astonishing 192, 949 copies upon its release in July 2015. For whilst actor Billy Dee Williams imbued the Cloud City administrator with both the wily charm and dazzling charisma of a space-faring scoundrel, writer Charles Soule disappointingly depicts the “man trying to make his way through an uncaring universe” as little more than a weak-willed cowardly loser who supposedly believes that “Blasters are for suckers. People with no imagination.”

Admittedly the New York Times best-selling author’s incarnation of the “prodigious gambler” isn’t necessarily unlikable or disagreeable. Indeed Calrissian demonstrates all of his silver screen counterpart’s simmering magnetism by wooing a murderous Imperial Governor into giving him one of her valuable trinkets; "I'm betting that the woman I love is real. That she can be more than just a tool [of the Emperor]."

Dishearteningly however, the kind-hearted thief then simply ‘gives up’ the prize he’s just ‘bet his life upon’ rather than confront the double-crossing gangster Papa Toren and instead agrees to steal a “pleasure craft for some rich imperial” in order to finally ‘clear his debt’. Such an easily rattled weakling is most definitely unrecognisable as the man who would approximately three years later bravely battle against both Darth Vader and the full might of the Galactic Empire.  

Unfortunately such a disappointing interpretation of this roguish adventurer is disconcertingly the actual highpoint of Soule’s sedentary script, as the book’s final third suddenly resembles a narrative ‘stolen’ from the imagination of Akira Kurosawa. In fact the Brooklyn-born attorney’s decision to have Lando, along with long-time friend Lobot, suddenly be accompanied by a pair of ninja-like black panther people and a cybernetically-eyed Ugnaut in their act of piracy is easily as bizarre a plot-twist as their mission to steal Emperor Palpatine’s space vessel is depicted as being unforgivably easy.

Equally as substandard has to be the amateurish-looking artwork of legendary “Daredevil” illustrator Alex Maleev. The Bulgarian painter’s panels lack any appreciable vitality, with Calrissian’s physical appearance in particular most notably suffering from wooden, robotic poses and even the occasional missing facial feature.

The regular cover art of "LANDO" No. 1 by Alex Maleev and Edgar Delgado

Wytches #6 - Image Comics

WYTCHES No. 6, May 2015

It is genuinely rare that a comic will contain so shocking and surprising a narrative that it requires an immediate second reading, simply in order to allow the bibliophile’s brain to comprehend and accept what they’ve just perused. Issue Six of “Wytches” is arguably capable of having just this affect though and in many ways makes Scott Snyder’s stated belief that this title “was going to be a dark one” a considerable understatement.

Weighing in with a hefty thirty-two pages, this edition’s storyline immediately throws Charlie Rooks and his daughter ‘straight in at the deep end’ as they tentatively but determinedly scour the seemingly endless tunnels of the title’s flesh-eating wytches for a way back to the ‘safety’ of the surface. Such a terrifying, scare-a-minute trek through the claustrophobically dark maze-like underground warren is perturbingly pulse-pounding and it is hard to imagine a more chillingly creepy beginning to a book than the opening third of this series’ concluding instalment.

However the dread felt as the magazine’s main protagonists encounter the necromancers truly hideous cannibal elders is as nothing when compared to the sense of sheer stark horror conveyed by the American author once the couple are actually attacked by the carnivorous ghouls and make a hair-raising dash up the tangled insides of a tree in order to escape the bulbous-eyed monsters. Such frantic fast-paced action is disappointingly over after just four pages. But for a short while at least, the New Yorker’s narrative is actually scary enough to stop all but the most-hardened of horror fans from taking a breath.

Having already raised the adrenalin-levels of this comic’s 34,259 strong audience, Snyder then manages to stun and astound them even further by revealing that Sailor was pledged to the grey-skinned monstrosities living in the wood by her very own mother, Lucy, just so the wheelchair bound invalid could walk again. The cold-hearted calculating killer has even ‘already packed her daughter’s things together’ so that when her offspring is devoured both parents can “just… burn the box” and “won’t even remember she [Sailor] existed.”

Numbed by such deplorable selfish treachery and choked by the pitiful look within the young girl’s tearful eyes as she begins to comprehend her mother’s betrayal, what follows next is the very best in heart-rending melodrama as the father chooses his ‘little girl’s life’ over that of a having “another chance” with his “healed” wife, and sacrifices himself to the “chit chit” gnashing teeth and claws of the demonic wytches; “Calling all monsters! I’m coming for you! Because I’m Charlie Rooks! Proud father of the greatest slayer of mythological beasts of all time!!”

Story: Scott Snyder, Art: Jock, and Colors: Matt Hollingsworth

Daredevil #12 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 12, March 2015

Having spent a considerable amount of time in the previous edition building up a sentimentally sympathetic backstory to the plight of the original Stunt-Master, and accruing almost a thousand new readers as a result, Issue Twelve of “Daredevil” proves a somewhat disappointingly choppy concluding instalment. Indeed it is hard to imagine a more contrived and convoluted narrative than Mark Waid’s premise of George Smith faking his own suicide in order to ‘mastermind’ a triumphant return to the public spotlight as “the ultimate Man Without Fear.”

Such unnecessary plot twists, like the television actor having to consume a supposedly fatal concoction of drugs in order to prevent Hornhead from detecting his lies or the costly head-scratching lengths the elderly stuntman goes to just to create a false history of “poverty… lawsuits and countersuits”, makes little actual sense. Especially when it’s revealed that Smith spent his entire lifetime's fortune funding the scheme simply in order to attain the title of “The Greatest Death-Cheater of All Time!”; “It’s not about the money! It’s about showmanship!”

Arguably it would appear that the Eisner Award-winning author wasn’t necessarily all that convinced with this periodical’s twenty-page script either, as Daredevil’s heart-pounding motorcycle race “seven hundred feet above the Golden Gate Strait” is cut dishearteningly short by the crimefighter throwing himself and his ride off of the bridge moments before the ‘new’ Stunt-Master impetuously self-destructs the superhero’s bike. This all-too sudden climax to a ‘set-piece’ which promised plenty of thrills, is instead replaced with the visionless lawyer ludicrously chasing down the ‘villain of the piece’ in a convertible whilst using his extendible batons to both steer and push the car’s throttle… The resultant pursuit of the motorcyclist, through rush hour traffic, is as preposterous-looking as it is impossible, and it is little wonder that the Alabama-born writer turns a blind eye to the fact that a Cadillac-sized automobile somehow manages to outpace a motorbike through the heavily congested streets of San Francisco.

Fortunately regular artist Chris Samnee provides plenty of dynamic, lively panels for such a somewhat relentless action-packed comic book. Fortuitously forgetting the ‘laws of physics’ the former pizza cook pencils Daredevil in some truly outlandish poses, and even somehow manages to illustrate, through the titular character’s body language, just how increasingly angry he is becoming as his ‘prey’ continuously eludes him.

Storytellers: Mark Waid & Chris Samnee, and Colorist: Matthew Wilson