Man Of Steel #5 - DC Comics

MAN OF STEEL No. 5, August 2018

Considering that this penultimate instalment to the American author’s “Man Of Steel” mini-series both shows Superman to be almost nonchalantly bested by his new nemesis and then disconcertingly left alive on the Moon despite the “religious zealot” making it abundantly clear that he wants to eradicate all Kryptonians, it is difficult to imagine that many within this twenty-three page periodical’s 62,468 readership actually believed that Brian Michael Bendis genuinely felt “the legacy of the [titular] character” when he first ‘hopped on’ to deliver the comic’s narrative.

Indeed, the logic behind this publication in particular doesn’t debatably make much sense when compared to what the Cleveland-born writer has penned before, with Rogol Zaar’s decision to permit his hated foe to be revived by the Justice League simply being the tip of the literary ice-berg. For one, considering the sheer cataclysmic confrontation which tears up great divots into the Moon’s surface, how come it takes Supergirl so long to realise that that is where her cousin is battling for his life? True, scientifically-speaking “you cannot hear any sounds in near-empty regions of space”, but surely that would be a clue in itself to one with super-hearing that just such a location was a possibility, and judging by the huge billows of dust previously being raised by the duo’s bout of fisticuffs it surely wouldn’t have been impossible for Kara Zor-El to have spotted what was taking place with her super-vision..?

Similarly, having been battered to near-death by the Phantom Zoner (for a second time in as many issues) and buried alive beneath the Moon’s surface, Kal-El supposedly just needs a moments bed-rest before being able to drill through the Earth’s crust at such an incredible speed that he quickly reaches the planet’s core. This incredible feat of recovery admittedly provides this comic with an awesome-looking conclusion, as Superman faces the “anti-Kryptonian mass-murderer” for presumably a final face-off, yet surely if the Metropolis Marvel’s constitution worked so fast such classic crossover event storylines like his near-fatal fight with Doomsday would have had remarkably different resolutions..?

Quite possibly this magazine’s least frustrating element therefore, is its focus upon Jor-El’s visit to the modern-day Earth-based House of El, and his arrogant offer “to take Jon across the galaxy and show him a side of his heritage Jon's parents can't teach him” without even discussing such a trip with the boy’s stunned parents. This infuriating haughtiness, superbly pencilled by Jason Fabok, must genuinely have irked those parents within the comic’s audience which have encountered similar attitudes from their own children’s grandparents, and Clark Kent’s ability not to punch Mister Oz in the face for such a suggestion does him proud, especially when a brattish Jon impudently declares “I’m going.”

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, and Artists: Adam Hughes & Jason Fabok

The Brave And The Bold: Batman And Wonder Woman #6 - DC Comics

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD: BATMAN AND WONDER WOMAN No. 6, September 2018

Described by “DC Comics” in their pre-publication publicity as supposedly featuring “an epic battle for Tir Na Nog” in which “both Fomorian and Dé Denann creatures are spilling into our own realm”, Liam Sharp’s actual finale to this six-issue mini-series probably left its audience feeling badly let-down, if not entirely mislead. For whilst the Derby-born writer’s concluding instalment to “The Brave And The Bold: Batman And Wonder Woman” does feature certain elements of King Elatha’s fight against the forces of his tyrannical brother, it does so in arguably the most cursory of manners, and definitely fails to deliver any lasting satisfaction with its “End Of Book One” conclusion.

Indeed, in many ways the narrative for this twenty-two page periodical seems to be far more concerned with raising more questions for an evident sequel publication than it does answering, or at least eloquently exploring, any of the issues its previous chapters created. For example, having been a mainstay of the central cast for this storyline’s entirety the formidable-looking Captain Furf is disrespectfully dispatched ‘off-screen’, presumably during some great pitched conflict, and is subsequently given just the simplest of death scenes in the presence of his mournful king. Likewise, Gotham City’s invasion by Balor’s armies would surely have made for a short-lived series in its own right, and yet the “co-founder/CCO of Madefire Inc” squanders such an opportunity courtesy of a double splash which straightforwardly depicts the Batplane dousing the orcish trespassers with sleeping gas so Commissioner Gordon can simply “send your men in now.”

Perhaps this comic’s biggest disappointment however, is in Elatha’s highly-anticipated confrontation with Balor Evil-Eye, which initially looks set to simply be a portrayal of the king impotently being roasted alive by his all-powerful sibling. Considering that Ethné’s husband was somewhat cognisant as to what his foe was capable off, it seems utterly ludicrous that such a powerful ruler would simply stand still in front of so lethal an attack, especially when the quickly badly burnt leader doesn’t even bother to carry a shield with him..?

Of course, such a ludicrous lapse in judgement does provide Sharp with the opening to have Wonder Woman literally come out of nowhere to smack the God of Blight and Droughts squarely in his laser-beam eye and resultantly save the day. But such a contrivance seems to have been lazily orchestrated just so the Princess of Themyscria had something to do besides bewail Cernunnos’ shocking death at the hands of an unknown spearman, as well as allow Balor to escape justice and rather mercenarily set-up a follow-up publication…

Writer/Artist: Kevin Sharp, and Colors: Romulo Fajardo Jr.

The Immortal Hulk #3 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 3, September 2018

Apparently “inspired in part by an episode of the Italian strip Il Commissario Spada which involved the titular policeman chasing a purse-snatcher and asking various witnesses about him,” Al Ewing’s script to Issue Three of “The Immortal Hulk” probably seemed like a clever(ish) idea on paper, especially as its execution would mean editors Tom Brevoort and Wil Moss inviting a handful of artists in alongside regular Joe Bennett to provide the required carousel of creativity. Unfortunately however, those illustrators chosen for this pencilling gestalt are so markedly different from one another in technique, and arguably poor in their performance, that “Point Of View” debatably fast becomes such an unpalatable assault upon the senses that it is all too easy to put the publication down and perhaps just simply stare in wonder at Mahmud Asrar and Edgar Delgado’s awesome-looking variant cover celebrating ‘Fifty Years of Carol Danvers’.

For starters Leonardo Romero's “The Cop’s Story” segment, whilst admirably based upon “the classic super hero style”, debatably suffers as a result of its mimicry of Sixties printing processes. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Brazilian’s line-work, as the more modern-day colouration of his panels proves, and quite possibly an entire twenty-page periodical populated with such ‘vintage’ story-boarding would be perfectly passable. Yet seeing as the Sao Paulo-born artist’s pictures are persistently interposed with the utterly amateurish-looking “art-comix” drawings of Paul Hornschemeier, and then later Garry Brown’s heavy, scratchy-styled sketches, the entire look of the British writer’s narrative makes this magazine difficult to stick with even for a few minutes.

Indeed, with the exception of Jeff Lemire’s 2017 run on “Moon Knight”, it’s hard to recall a more diverse-looking “Marvel Worldwide” publication, especially when it intermixes its questionably more roughly hewn-looking passages with Marguerite Sauvage’s beautifully romanticised illustrations for “The Old Lady’s Story”. Sadly however, it may well have struck many in this book’s audience that there probably isn’t that much of a plot hidden beneath the multiple artists’ failing façade anyway, as this entire book’s script seems to tell a relatively straightforward tale of the Hulk thwarting Hotshot’s hostage-taking antics inside a church despite taking an energy bolt straight through the stomach. Admittedly, this plot does conclude with the surprising deaths of Lou Lembert and Jailbait, as well as the introduction of Walter Langkowski, but any sensationalism created by such twists are lost amidst this comic’s ill-conceived implementation.

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 3 by Alex Ross

The Immortal Hulk #2 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 2, September 2018

Al Ewing’s script to Issue Two of “The Immortal Hulk” definitely demonstrates just how hard the author was “pushing for a horror take” on the Green Goliath in July 2018, with it’s subtle avoidance of the titular character’s obligatory “mass destruction” and fascinating focus upon “his shadowy nature” instead. Indeed, the British writer’s decision “to reset the tone” of the series “to the very start” and show the Hulk’s “unstoppable” strength actually taking “a back seat” to the storyline’s more frightfully shocking elements as the world-weary Bruce Banner investigates a mystery illness which is spreading through “a random small-town”, is arguably precisely why his pitch ultimately “won out” with “Marvel Worldwide”.

This ‘new take’ upon the doctor’s “forever companion” really does make for an enthralling read, with the somewhat emaciated man one moment desperately trying to find a sense of inner peace by enjoying the simple things in life, like “two eggs, sunny-side up”, and in the next acting upon an “itch” when he hears from the locals that “four people fell to the same thing… When the Frye boy died.” “Intelligent, [and] still a nuclear scientist”, the “physically weak” physicist’s distraught reaction to discovering that a well-visited grave is emanating gamma radiation is incredibly well-penned, and must surely have had this book’s audience feeling their hearts noticeably beat all the quicker when an enraged Banner fails to convince the Environmental Protection Agency to dispatch a radiological emergency response team to his location until after he aggressively provides their telephone operator with his details; “Fine. Fine. You want my name? My name… is Robert Bruce Banner. Don’t make me angry.”

Interestingly, such a loss of temper doesn’t actually result in the Hulk making an appearance either, forcing fans of the human mutate’s alter-ego to wait until the book’s horrifying conclusion when the scientist is shockingly murdered by Doctor Frye within the irradiated villain’s secret mountain-top lair. Sickeningly scary, as Bruce’s neck cracks like a rotten twig between the hands of the sincerely sorrowful, yet determined, translucently-coloured killer, Ewing once again produces a sombrely spooky stand out moment within the covers of “The Walking Ghost” by having the green-skinned muscular humanoid suddenly transform before his startled assailant’s eyes and angrily demand an explanation as to his unforgivable actions.

Well-detailed, dynamic and as energetic as the sight of Delbert John Frye’s eyes literally bleeding gamma goo is grotesque, it is also easy to see why Joe Bennett’s pencilling for this periodical was described by its author as being “fantastic”. The Brazilian artist has “a real way with layouts”, whilst his “really wonderful, almost unnatural mass to the Hulk” shows just why “most of the reviews” of this book have apparently mentioned the monster almost looming from “out of the page.”

Writer: Al Ewing, Penciler: Joe Bennett, and Inker: Ruy Jose

The Immortal Men #4 - DC Comics

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 4, September 2018

Pleasingly providing a look at a time “before common tongues and calendars, when Man was new, and the world was still taking shape”, this fourth instalment to James Tynion IV’s “The End Of Forever” storyline finally gave its readers an explanation as to just how the Immortal Man and Infinite Woman gained their super-powers 50,000 years ago. But whilst this exposition concerning the cave-dwelling Bear Clan makes for an entertaining start to the “DC Comics” storyline, it is delightfully soon overshadowed by the sheer sense-shattering shenanigans of the New Yorker’s modern-day based script, which features some stunning fight sequences between the likes of Timber and the Bloodless.

Indeed, the “member of the native Menominee Nation” initially takes centre stage with great gusto as she grows in size “to reach the height of a house” and with a smile upon her face, begins chopping Kyra Arg’s demonic minions to pieces, courtesy of Babe the Blue Axe. These early scenes, competently pencilled by Utah-born artist Tyler Kirkham, really are a joy to behold, and both demonstrate just how formidable a team member the fur-wearing Keshena Carpentier is, as well as provide an opportunity for the American author to detail her early 19th Century origin story; “The strange tale would carry east, to Philadelphia. To the Immortal Man. He would come to tell her that legends are shaped by great actions. And that as Timber she would shape many legends.”

Incredibly however, the majority of this twenty-page periodical actually predominantly focuses upon Klarn Arg rather than his House of Action, and in a demonstration of wielding a pair of laser swords which would truly put the likes of George Lucas’ Darth Maul to shame, this ongoing title’s audience are given a mind-blowing glimpse as to what perfecting “every fighting skill into an intimate art form" over "tens of thousands of years” looks like. In fact, the Immortal Man’s ability to best an entire army of savage, heavily-teethed Bloodless one-on-one makes for an incredible piece of action-packed story-telling, and only the epic confrontation’s conclusion, which results in his near-defeated sister cowardly skulking up behind him to fatally skewer her sibling upon her overly-large blade, probably drew a bigger intake of breath from the reader.

Storytellers: Tyler Kirkham & James Tynion IV, and Colorist: Arif Prianto

Aliens: Dust To Dust #2 - Dark Horse Comics

ALIENS: DUST TO DUST No. 2, July 2018

Firmly focusing upon Maxon’s perilous plight aboard a spaceship that fast becomes “a death trap from which escape seems impossible”, Gabriel Hardman’s treatment for Issue Two of “Aliens: Dust To Dust” certainly provides its readers with plenty of pulse-pounding action. Indeed, despite this particular instalment of the “Dark Horse Comics” mini-series only featuring a single xenomorph XX121, and an infant-sized “vaguely worm-like organism” at that, the diminutive endoparasitoid extra-terrestrial arguably proves just as lethal as it’s human phenotype by tearing out the throat of one hapless passenger and resultantly causing the vessel’s captain to remotely blow the ship up in the hope that "there aren’t any more this far out.. [as] we’re miles from Trono.” 

Intriguingly however, the “co-writer/artist of Invisible Republic” doesn’t arguably make the highly aggressive creature the ‘villain of this particular piece’ and instead seems to favour simple ill-fortune in the role of antagonist, as the twelve-year-old's transporter desperately battles to climb through planet LV-871’s horribly polluted atmosphere in a frantic bid to reach the safety of the U.S.S. Carver; “Once we make contact, they’ll send another shuttle and we can attempt a transfer.” This seemingly endless battle against the elements really provides an enthralling roller-coaster of a ride with the vessel’s lack of knots to gain a safe altitude not being helped by either the fact that due to a hole in their port shielding it can’t actually reach orbit, or that its aft stabiliser snaps just as pilot De Vore is fast-approaching a towering mountain range.

Similarly, the previously gallant Assistant Administrator Waugh, whose heroic efforts ensured that young Maxon and his ill-fated mother successfully got aboard the spaceship in the first place, swiftly deteriorates into a rather brusque unlikeable fellow, once it becomes clear that any authority he apparently believes he has as a governmental official can be easily overruled by the shuttle’s no-nonsense captain. Such a change in personality proves fascinating, especially as the man appears to take his frustrations out on the twenty-page periodical’s central lead by scolding and roughly handling him, as if it’s the boy’s fault that the entire alien infestation has destroyed the bureaucrat’s settlement.

Slightly less successful than his writing though, is Hardman’s scratchy-style of pencilling, which occasionally makes it quite hard to discern what is actually taking place within a panel. True, the “Planet Of The Apes” artist for “Boom! Studios” sketches a genuinely heart-melting, utterly-silent sequence early on within this publication, when the craft’s passengers realise that Maxon’s mother is dead. Yet his story-boarding of the spaceship’s crash bags deployment as it nears an outcrop of deadly-looking stalagmites may debatably take several re-reads before it becomes entirely evident as to just how the bone-shuddering landing actually occurs…

The regular cover art of "ALIENS: DUST TO DUST" No. 2 by Gabriel Hardman

Planet Of Daemons #1 - Amigo Comics

PLANET OF DAEMONS No. 1, September 2016

Proudly entered “into our little family” by “Amigo Comics” in July 2016, this “hell of a book” undeniably contains an incredibly well thought out universe “created by the British team of Kevin Gunstone and Paul Moore” which seemingly mixes the very best elements of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem “Divine Comedy” with the paranoid prosecutions of the Salem witch trials. Indeed, up until her death by hanging, during which she curses the land “in the name of the succubus Nehema”, the persecution of poor old widow Barebones, which progresses throughout this twenty-two page periodical, appears to simply be the unjust maniacal imaginings of an overzealous magistrate rather than any actual practical demonstration of witchcraft.

Delightfully however, as this “bewitching” book’s audience immediately discerns, it is not just the Borough of Ipswich in Massachusetts, New England upon which the servants of Satan wantonly roam, but also the occult realm of the Qliphoth. Plagued by beaked bat-creatures and wookie-like horned beastmen, this shadow world “of sorcery and ill-intent” proves as fascinating a landscape as it is clearly deadly, and provides plenty of pulse-pounding action-packed exploits to beautifully counter the somewhat slower-paced court-room tensions of Amos Deathridge’s 17th Century investigation into a cattle plague; “For you and your kind, I offer only imprisonment or oblivion... There is no escape! Daemon, it is time we bartered words..."

In fact, one of the most harrowing scenes in this publication occurs upon one of the spheres “hidden from man’s perception” when the puritan discovers the corpse of his fellow adventurer Baron Aubert and utilises “the pure light of Adam’s Jewel” to command the cadaver to “tell me who is responsible for your ruin.” Dressed in the chainmail of a crusading knight, the image of the magistrate’s desperately struggling friend being stretched over Count Eligos’ sacrificial tree stump, held firmly in place by the blue-skinned demon’s red-robed acolytes so as to extend the fiend’s “influence on Earth and the Qliphoth” is disturbingly penned by Gunstone and additionally provides an ample example of just how perilously quick one’s gruesome death can be within the jailer of evil spirits’ world.

Quite possibly this book’s only downside therefore is in some of Paul Moore’s pencilled panels, which occasionally appear a little too roughly-hewn for a professional publication. There should though be no doubting the artist’s ability to imbue his figures with plenty of dynamism, as the gaoler of daemons’ closely fought battle with a pack of fur-covered fiends attests, but a fair few of the illustrator’s faces arguably appear to wear a disconcerting grimace which distractingly detracts from the overall storytelling.

Writer: Kevin Gunstone, Art: Paul Moore, and Colour: Stefan Mrkonjic