All-New Captain America #3 - Marvel Comics

ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA No. 3, March 2015

Considering that Steve Rogers’ “adopted son from Dimension Z” had had his throat slit and been exsanguinated by Baron Zemo at the culmination of this title’s previous edition, the “Marvel Worldwide” tag-line to Issue Three of “All-New Captain America” publicising that “Nomad stands tall against the ruthless might of one of Cap’s oldest foes!” must have really bemused many of its 50,045 readers. Indeed Helmut’s cold-blooded murder of a captive Ian directly in front of a child whilst Sam Wilson ‘fled’ into the streets of Bagalia was doubtless one of the reasons this series momentarily obtained a Top Sixteen placement in the January 2015 Comic Book sales figures (as estimated by “Diamond Comic Distributors”).

Disappointingly however, such erroneous sensationalism is probably the least of this twenty-page periodical’s problems, as Rick Remender’s narrative painfully veers off-course from what he has penned previously, and disconcertingly starts after the titular character and Misty Knight have apparently discovered both Nomad’s bloody hanging corpse and something called “the infinite elevator.” The avoidance of these crucial events must genuinely have jarred the America author’s audience from his storytelling, especially when what follows at first appears to involve the star-spangled flying acrobat ‘teleporting’ back in time to a period when Nick Fury (Senior) and his Howling Commandos were battling the Axis Forces; “This far and no further! Show these Krauts what the Howling Commandos’re made of, Boys!”

Such baffling bewilderment is ultimately explained as simply being some sort of simulation devised by the Red Skull’s daughter, Sin. But even that knowledge doesn’t help explain just why Wilson is subsequently chained to a mini-tank and then subjected to a series of flashbacks suggesting that his life as “a steady companion to Captain America” was merely a concocted “tale of nobility” created by Johann Shmidt to entice Steve Rogers into offering the “liar… thug, and… gangster” his friendship. It certainly seems that the facially-disfigured female lunatic would have been far more successful if she’d simply gone through with her initial threat of shooting a captive Sam in the head than trying to ‘break-him’ by having the All-New Sentinel of Liberty willingly throw himself off of a snowy precipice?

Fortunately, despite the script’s errant nonsense, Stuart Immonen’s artwork throughout the entirety of this comic book is excellent. The Canadian penciller really imbues this magazine’s lead protagonist with an almost palpable sense of power and energy. This, coupled with his breakdowns being inked by usual collaborator Wade Von Grawbadger, provides each and every panel with a vitality that finally makes the heart pound when this somewhat contentious incarnation of Captain America ultimately soars to victory.

The variant cover art of "ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA" No. 3 by Neal Adams

Predator Vs. Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens #1 - Dark Horse Comics

PREDATOR VS. JUDGE DREDD VS. ALIENS No. 1, July 2016

Touted by “Dark Horse Comics” as “the ultimate science-fiction crossover” by pitting “legendary Judge Dredd against [both] the universe’s supreme hunters… [and] the galaxy’s ultimate killing machines”, this opening instalment of a four-issue miniseries actually lives up to its ‘online community hype’ by being “exactly as awesome as it sounds.” In fact, besides John Layman strangely scripting for a lone Hish-qu-Ten to be unforgivably outfought by some spear-carrying animal-men during the book’s opening, this twenty-two page periodical provides a near-perfect platform upon which to base “the greatest showdown in the history of the universe.”

For starters the Eisner Award-winner soon establishes a suitably gritty feel to “Splice And Dice” by initially focussing almost exclusively upon Mega-City One’s “judge, jury and executioner” as he leads a team of fellow judges into “the vast atomic wasteland known as the Cursed Earth” looking for a group of “robot-worshiping apocalypse cultists.” The subsequent search of Smeg’s Saloon and fist-fight with the “group of terrorist fugitives” instantly provides the former “Wildstorm” editor’s tale with plenty of pulse-pounding gusto, and additionally allows the America Author ample opportunity for both Judge Anderson to demonstrate her psi-powers and the moustached Gilligan his ‘flawed’ thinking.; “Looks can be deceiving, Judge Gilligan.”

Sadly, perhaps this comic’s only real disappointment comes once the lawmen realise that Archbishop Emoji has escaped west into the Alabama Morass and all of the audience’s attention is then turned upon the foolish ‘DNA doings’ of Doctor Niels Reinstot. Although Layman’s script makes it clear that the multiple-eyed mutant “geneticist supreme” has only just manufactured his laboratory’s assortment of face-hugging extra-terrestrials from one of his captive predator’s skeletal trophies, it is still somewhat unfortunate that these encapsulated second stage endoparasitoids are as close to a living mature specimen of Xenomorph XX121 as the plot allows artist Chris Mooneyham to go…

However, besides failing to depict one of H.R. Giger’s famous Necronom IV-inspired creations, the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art graduate’s contribution to Issue One of "PvsJDvsA” is hard to fault with its punchy panels and square-jawed depictions of Mega-City One's finest; especially as the Milwaukee resident’s heavily-lined rough-looking pencilling is rather reminiscent of former flagship “2000 A.D.” artist Cam Kennedy.

Script: John Layman, Artist: Chris Mooneyham, and Colors: Michael Atiyeh

Rom [2016] #1 - IDW Publishing

ROM No. 1, July 2016

Apparently an “IDW Publishing” comic book title which was in the making since Chris Ryall first joined the publisher and partnered with Hasbro on “Transformers” in 2005, this “extra-length official debut” of “Rom” arguably manifests “one of the key comments” posted online when the return of the Spaceknight was first announced, by failing to “live up to fans’ expectations.” Indeed with the exception of the titular character’s appearance proving reasonably similar to his “Marvel Comics Group” incarnation, and the Long Beach-born author’s evident insistence on calling the extra-terrestrial infiltrators Dire Wraiths, there would seem to be very little in common between this disappointing nonsense and the highly successful seventy-five issue run of the early Eighties. It's certainly disconcerting (though perhaps understandable) that the Lord of the Solstar Order inhabits a “universe that also includes the Transformers, G.I. Joe, the Micronauts, and… M.A.S.K.” as opposed to Marvel continuity.

Admittedly it would have been a huge mistake for the Eisner Award-nominee to have simply directly copied the narrative from that of Bill Manto’s stories, and undoubtedly certain elements of those classic tales are nowadays subject to complicated legal taboo. Yet the decision to have the cyborg from Galador’s foes already be so ingrained into human society that both the “seemingly idyllic town” of Cooper’s Mill, as well as Vandenberg Air Force Base, have already been “overrun by Dire Wraiths” makes it seem that a lot of the potential suspense generated by readers having to guess just which person is an evolutionary offshoot of the Skrulls has instantly been lost. This isn’t a world upon which the aliens are trying to gain a foothold through planetary subjugation. It is a planet where the “Wraith-rot [already] pervades the very landscape” and the shape-shifters can already affect flora and fauna, as well as surprisingly de-activate Rom’s neutralizer with their magicks; “Too many for you to slay, Space Knight. We are prepared for you. And for what follows.”

To the credit of the Editor-In-Chief however, this thirty-five page periodical does additionally contain the short story “offered up in this past May’s Free Comic Book Day”. Such a generous gesture to “many international fans” who found Issue Zero “impossible to come by” is doubly welcome as “Earthfall: Prelude” is really “where our ongoing tale begins” and without the magazine repeating that material it is doubtful many purchasers would actually have understood “the full story.”

Sadly, David Messina’s pencils and colours arguably prove just as disenchanting as the comic’s unsatisfactory script. There’s no doubting the new streamlined Spaceknight looks suitably sleek and sophisticated. But the Italian’s somewhat fiddly-looking panels, especially those depicting events such as the manifestation of Rom’s neutralizer, prove somewhat hard to discern, even when long-time fans of the “Parker Brothers” toy know precisely what the cyborg is meant to be doing.

The variant cover art of "ROM" No. 1 by Sal Buscema and Mike Cavallaro

The Amazing Spider-Man [2015] #10 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 10, June 2016

Perhaps unsurprisingly registering a circulation drop of approximately 15,000 readers in April 2016 (at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”), it is hard not to view Issue Ten of “The Amazing Spider-Man” as a twenty-page periodical which contains many a missed opportunity for Dan Slott to return the global conglomerate owner back to his less “cutting-edge technology” days when all the former Daily Bugle photographer needed to battle his foes was “a good ol’ fashioned, low-tech push!” Indeed the Berkeley-born writer’s narrative even begins by having international terrorist leader Scorpio point out to the titular character that Web-head is in a “pitiful state”; “Out of web-fluid. Armour destroyed. No spider-mobiles or spider-rockets… There’s nothing left to save you now.”    

Sadly however, having implied that this comic’s 73,643 strong audience were about to enjoy a throwback to the Nineties when the Wall-crawler relied upon just his “spider-sense, spider-speed [and] spider-strength” to win the day, the Diamond Gem Award-winner not only swiftly veers away from such potential gritty story-telling by depicting Vernon Jacobs best Peter Parker’s seemingly impotent alter-ego with a clout from a nearby parked car. But then caps this disappointment off with a shameless reiteration of a scene from the 2004 “Spider-Man 2” motion picture, and scripts a semi-conscious Spidey, his costume partially disintegrated, being saved from Scorpio’s coup-de-grace by a crowd of well-meaning bystanders; “Back off! This man’s a hero! Want him? You’ll have to go through us!”

Such a poignant moment may well have made perfect sense in a big-budget “Colombia Pictures” screenplay where the titular character has previously saved the New York public on numerous occasions. Yet surely not when the action has only just started in the centre of France’s capital, and certainly not straight after the disorientated crime-fighter has literally caused the local Parisians to flee for their lives after falling amongst them from space...?

Fortunately Slott’s dissatisfying script is saved by some truly excellent pencilling by Giuseppe Camuncoli. The “Italian comic book artist” really seems to know how to give his figures a dramatic sense of momentum, with his panels portraying the rampaging Rhino and Spider-Man helplessly holding onto the roof of a train moving at 186 miles per hour, proving particularly pulse-pounding.

The 'Civil War' variant cover art of "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" No. 10 by Mike Perkins

James Bond #7 - Dynamite Entertainment

JAMES BOND No. 7, June 2016

Perplexingly publicised by “Dynamite Entertainment” as the first instalment of a story about a ghost cell “of SPECTRE loyalists acting as sleepers until the time is right for a SPECTRE reformation and resurgence”, Warren Ellis’ narrative for Issue Seven of “James Bond” doesn’t actually provide even the slightest hint of Ian Fleming’s “fictional global criminal syndicate and terrorist organisation”. But instead focuses upon what initially appears to be a fairly straightforward extraction by the titular character of a compromised British “agent from the Diplomatic Wing of MI6 from her post in the Turkish Consulate here in Los Angeles.”

Fortunately for this title’s 14,046 readers however, the Essex-born author soon impregnates his twenty-two page storyline with plenty of pulse-pounding action by having the well-dressed secret serviceman clash with a Milli Istihbarat Teskilati kill team. A somewhat “fraught” situation which quickly results in “the OO Section” operative speedily throwing his hire car into reverse, and splattering enemy operatives’ brains all over the place with some well-timed shots from his “girl’s popgun of choice.”

Quite delightfully, the Sideways Award-winner (for Alternate History) also finds the space within “Eidolon” to incorporate a potentially poignant cameo by Bond’s CIA ally and friend, Felix Leiter. Matching Fleming’s original description of the man from his 1953 novel “Casino Royale”, the inclusion of this “thin, tall… former member of the U.S. Marine Corps… [with] a mop of straw-coloured hair…” should certainly have pleased Bond aficionados everywhere, especially as the American agent openly discusses losing his arm and leg to a shark (as depicted within the 1954 novel “Live And Let Die”). Furthermore those bibliophiles familiar with James’ previous comic book adventure “Vargr” must doubtless have smiled as the former Royal Naval Reserve Commander realises his colleague's limbs have both been replaced with Slaven Kurjak prosthetics; “… I hear that maybe I might have problems with the repair warranty in the future. Thanks, buddy.”

All of this action and intrigue is competently drawn by Jason Masters, whose knack of implying sound effects through the use of imagery has never been better illustrated than when he pencils the disfigured Mister Hawkwood pulling a victim’s head backwards to the point where the neck horrifyingly snaps and the throat bloodily tears open.

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

Harrow County #5 - Dark Horse Comics

HARROW COUNTY No. 5, September 2015

Rather enthusiastically described by “Nailbiter” author Joshua Williamson as “one of the best horror comics I’ve ever read”, Cullen Bunn’s narrative for Issue Five of “Harrow County” is arguably far more akin to a piece of fiction penned by child-friendly J.K. Rowling than a Bram Stoker Award nominee, as the title’s protagonist simply goes about her daily duties of fixing supper, chatting with her friend Bernice, and negotiating the co-habitation between her town’s superstitious population and the plentiful ghosts and goblins who lurk “in damp cellars… crumbling and abandoned churches… [and] the muddy bottoms of near-stagnant fishing holes.” Indeed the American author’s scariest moment within this twenty-two page periodical is not the young girl’s meeting with “some kind of screeching devil” housed within Mefford Brothers grain house, or even the teenager’s confrontation with the four-eyed demonic bull sheltering in a derelict cabin. But actually turns out to be Jim Webb’s deeply disturbing request that Emmy permanently maim (or kill) a man called Cribbets, just because “he’s got his eye on my wife… Celia…”

This apparent abandonment of everything which previously has caused the Carolina-born writer’s work to be a “super creepy” experience, such as setting the entire book’s narrative during a bright sunny day rather than a haint-haunted night, must have undoubtedly disappointed many of this “Dark Horse Comics” publication’s 8,706 readers in September 2015. It certainly seems odd that Tyler Crook’s short story “The Bat House” can prove an infinitely more disconcerting read with its single-page tale of Earl Henry braving a vermin-stuffed attic, than the magazine’s lead feature “Twice Told”.    

Mercifully, Crook’s “art and lettering” for Bunn’s apathetic script are first rate, with the artist seemingly trying to use the setting’s brightness to highlight both the loving relationship Emmy’s father has somehow managed to re-establish with his daughter since trying to throttle her, and the young blonde’s valued friendship with Bernice; “Sorry I’ve been a stranger. I just wasn’t sure what to even say to you.” Sadly however, this opportunity to focus upon exemplifying the cast’s varying emotional states to the reader does mean that the “Petrograd” penciller’s cover illustration of Emmy and her twin sister seemingly being menaced by Hester Beck’s black-furred horned beast is in fact, regrettably, the book’s most sinister-looking piece of artwork.

Script: Cullen Bunn, Art and Lettering: Tyler Crook, and Publisher: Mike Richardson

Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 - Marvel Comics

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS No. 1, July 2016

Selling an impressive 99,768 copies in May 2016, Issue One of “Captain America: Steve Rogers” caused so much controversy at the time of its publication with regards to its surprise ending, that even nonagenarian Stan Lee ‘weighed in’ on the “crazy” twist of the super-soldier being “a double agent” of Hydra whilst attending a MegaCon panel; “It’s a hell of a clever idea. I don’t know that I would ever have thought of it… But it’s going to make you curious, it’s going to make you want to read the books…” Sadly however, this thirty-page periodical never actually lives up to any of its hype, and whilst Editor Tom Brevoort’s assurance that the Sentinel of Liberty’s dual identity had “been in the works for more than a year” may have appeased some fans, there is actually very little within Nick Spencer’s disappointing narrative that makes any real sense.

For starters the comic’s rather straightforward central plot of the Avenger thwarting a terrorist attempt to hijack “a train scheduled for routine maintenance… and detonate an explosive device” lacks any real menace, as the star spangled S.H.I.E.L.D. operative beats his numerous poorly-armed opponents so easily that it only takes him eight panels to reach suicidal bomber Robbie Tomlin. Hardly thrill-a-minute stuff even for a “man out time” who is still “learning” to use his new shield, and Rogers subsequent confrontation with Baron Zemo’s New Masters (of Evil) doesn't provide much in the way of suspense either; especially as the laughable Plantman, Flying Tiger and Firebrand are soon all-too soundly thrashed by Cappy’s sidekicks Free Spirit and Jack Flag.

As a result of such deficiencies all that is arguably left to enjoy is the America author’s entertaining, though perturbingly nonsensical flashbacks to Steve’s childhood in 1926, when his drunken brute of a father is shockingly outfought by posh socialite Elisa Sinclair, and his mother wined and dined by the female Hydra recruitment officer. Such a “trail of breadcrumbs” in order to ensure “people will be able to connect the dots” seems rather contrivingly choreographed, especially for a “Marvel Worldwide” character whose origin story has already been (re)told so many times in the past.

Equally as disquieting as Spencer’s script is Jesus Saiz’s somewhat cartoonish-looking breakdowns. “Best known for his work on Manhunter and Brave And The Bold” the Spaniard’s audacious pencilling certainly gives the comic a high-quality, almost glossy appearance. Yet his technique of giving all his figures a thick black outline additionally makes the characters look a little comical, and certainly doesn’t suit the reimagined Sentinel of Liberty’s sleeker, more rubberised (head-wingless) costume.

The regular cover art of "CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS" No. 1 by Jesus Saiz