Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #1 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 1, January 2018

Excitedly announced by both “BOOM! Studios” and “Twentieth Century Consumer Products” in October 2017, David F. Walker’s somewhat sedentary and dialogue-heavy script for Issue One of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” probably still provided plenty of entertainment to its 5,788 readers upon the mini-series initial release courtesy of the “award-winning journalist” closely mirroring the opening twenty minutes of Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 American science fiction film. Indeed, the publication’s first four pages so closely follow the motion picture’s plot and dialogue that many within the book’s audience perhaps momentarily feared that they had mistakenly picked up an official comic adaption of the Charlton Heston flick, rather than a title which promised to “follow the rise through the ranks of the ape who has hated (and feared) mankind the most, including what first brought him to the Forbidden Zone.”

Of course, once astronauts Taylor, Landon and Dodge have either been captured, injured or killed, this twenty-two page periodical firmly focuses its attention upon gorilla General Ursus, and immediately starts showing a side to the titular character never before touched upon on the ‘Silver Screen’. Sentimental towards two photographs of his apparently dead wife Qama, and angrily agitated that his “morning will be spent among politicians… The enemy of every true soldier”, these scenes show Walker’s genuine desire to explore ‘what actually makes the villain tick’ rather than simply present the army’s veteran leader as a stereotypical warmonger solely interested “in his own dreams of conquest, glory and power.”

Indeed, Ursus’ subsequent discovery of Dodge’s corpse initiates a truly troubling flashback scene set within an ape coliseum called Terminus “many years ago”, where humans are trained to slaughter one another in brutal unarmed combat simply for the amusement of their Simian onlookers. Gorily graphic as its subject matter is disturbingly distasteful, this memory shows an adolescent Ursus hauntingly looking into the eyes of a grim-faced imprisoned black slave, who perhaps understandably, has nothing but hatred for Kananaios’ shocked son; “I have seen humans like this before. These dark-skinned beasts, they are the most vicious -- The most cunning.”   

Admittedly, so much ponderously slow background development to the General could so easily have turned this comic’s storyline into a dreadfully dire experience which contains little action despite its aforementioned reimaging of “The Hunt.” But whilst this particular instalment certainly does contain plenty of pedestrian-paced talk, particularly when Ursus confronts Zaius in the orangutan’s office, it is fortunately all wonderfully illustrated by Chris Mooneyham, whose pencilling imbues a good deal of emotion to his figure’s furry faces which definitely isn’t generated by this book’s penmanship.

Written by: David F. Walker, Illustrated by: Chris Mooneyham, and Colored by: Jason Wordie

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 - Titan Comics

DOCTOR WHO: THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR No. 1, December 2018

Published by “Titan Comics” at a time when some within the British National media were busy accusing the BBC science fiction series of suffering a significant ratings drop due to its viewers ‘branding the show as being too PC’, Jody Houser’s script for Issue One of “Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor” probably proved a far less contentious experience with its focus upon a pair of time-travelling thieves and some notable interactions between the Gallifreyan’s “three brand new companions” rather than any obvious promotion of SJW socially progressive views. Indeed, a fair amount of this twenty-two page periodical is seemingly spent just trying to reassure its readership that the “comic book author who wrote the 2017 comic adaptation of the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” can most assuredly capture both the televised mannerisms and vocabulary of Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien.

Of course, tucked inside this “new beginning” are the makings of an intriguing adventure involving a pair of hapless humanoid scientists who seem to be unwillingly stealing antiques from the Earth’s past in order to appease the desires of a rather regal-looking, blue-skinned extra-terrestrial. But for the most part, much of this publication could perhaps be rather unkindly criticised for simply showing how close the Doctor’s “most thrilling incarnation yet” is to her ‘small screen’ counterpart as played by actress Jodie Whittaker. In fact, the titular character’s dialogue is seemingly so spot on, that it would be very interesting to know just how much help the franchise’s producer and lead writer, Chris Chibnall, actually provided to the Eisner Award-nominee’s narrative; “Now if I’m right, and I’m pretty sure I usually am… We should be able to track the signature of the disruption.” 

Disappointingly however, as with so many stories penned during the ‘Nu Who’ era, this story’s telling does debatably suffer with an over-abundance of the “charismatic and confident” explorer’s sonic screwdriver. Whether the device is being used to scientifically assess an “almost certainly” dangerous time tunnel, provide the TARDIS with a unique energy signature in order to allow the sentient Police Box to “build an algorithm to calculate exactly where the [aforementioned] disruption will [next] appear”, or help the Thirteenth Doctor “stabilize the disruption as long as I can”, the protagonist’s repeated use of the audible probe makes one worryingly wonder just how the Time Lord has ever survived without it.

The regular cover art of "DOCTOR WHO: THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR" No. 1 by Babs Tarr

Stroper #4 - Stroper Store

STROPER No. 4, August 2018

Significantly expanding his Galactic Union’s universal canvas to one whose size is arguably comparable to that of another galaxy “far, far away”, Edward Porter’s narrative to Issue Four of “Stroper” must have delighted its “Kickstarter” based backers with both its grand vista of planetary visitations, and the forty-six page periodical’s plethora of new characters and extra-terrestrial creatures. Yet whilst contemporary fans of George Lucas’ “American epic space opera franchise” seemingly have found the most recent ‘Silver Screen’ instalments to their beloved science-fiction saga unnecessarily complicated and chock-full of dead-ended plot threads, Pak Booker’s unravelling lifestyle as an illegal hunter probably provided the majority of this digital comic’s readers with a genuinely entertaining experience, and even the occasional skipped heartbeat when the action momentarily looks set to deprive “the space drifter” of his family or friends.

Interestingly however, it is not the story-line’s central Stroper who perhaps provides this giant-sized, lavish-looking publication with its best pulse-pounding moment, but rather one of the mysteriously sinister Dim Tong’s other operatives known as Karl Wex. The visor-wearing, “violent” killer’s battle against three fish-faced Pri-Bots on the Red Moon of Banktar is potentially the highlight of Porter’s “ten-issue indie comic series” so far, with its wonderful depiction of the grim-faced ‘Black-marketeer’ initially botching his attempt to assassinate “these abominations” due to their “L.D.R. detection” and subsequently having to get in close and finish the slavers off in personal combat. Superbly drawn by this book’s creator, the oft-times blurry speed of this fight is tremendously well illustrated, especially when one of the primitive brained humanoids is literally scythed in two by a well-placed laser grenade or another later caught up in an all-encompassing explosion of webbing; “I should thank you. If you hadn’t have fallen out of your crashing ship and shattered your false body. I would never have been able to track you.”

Similarly as successful though is the visual effects artist’s introduction of this post golden age of space exploration's other ‘new’ inhabitants, such as the truly menacing, softly-spoken Mister Tong, and a somewhat disagreeably lead salvage team who inadvertently stumble upon the imprisoned Tribals Wex left to die after he slew the pot-bellied people’s Pri-Bot captors. In addition, Edward’s script also provides some much-needed motivation behind just why Pak does such a dirty job in the first-place, by momentarily giving his audience an all-too brief sentimental glimpse of the wife and two young kids the mullet-haired citizen of the Galactic Union is trying to protect.

First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

Writer & Illustrator: Eddie Porter

Judge Dredd: Toxic #2 - IDW Publishing

JUDGE DREDD: TOXIC No. 2, November 2018

It’s arguably quite clear, considering the feel and pacing of his script for Issue Two of “Judge Dredd: Toxic”, that writer Paul Jenkins “bought the very first issue” of “2000 A.D.” and subsequently “tore most of my skin off by applying biotronic stickers” from the science fiction anthology comic’s second edition, for whilst the lifetime fan’s storyline focuses upon an all-too real modern-day dilemma involving “the benefits of immigration and the chaos caused by anti-immigrant sentiment”, there is a definite palpable Seventies feel as to how this book’s pulse-pounding proceedings pan out. Indeed, with the exception of a wordy-heavy conversational piece between the titular character and an enraged Citizen Smed, as well as a somewhat sedentary interrogation of “Ol’ Harkie”, the Wizard Fan Award-winner almost relentlessly throws his audience into the thick of the action without seemingly worrying about whether it has any rhyme or reason.

Admittedly, such frantic plot pacing really does make for a roller-coaster of a read when a violent protest at the Spillover, “Mega-City One’s highly toxic sewer system”, suddenly somehow threatens to dissolve large portions of the futuristic metropolis in ultra-carborane acid. But the chemical ‘chain-reaction’ behind this underground-based mass disaster is debatably never properly explained within the narrative, especially as to just how the emergency will cause the conurbation’s population to start permanently breathing toxic air. Luckily however, it does undeniably make for an engrossing experience courtesy of artist Marco Castiello pencilling some terrific, volcanic-looking geysers of flesh-melting gloop erupting throughout the twenty-page periodical and the recruitment of “some of the old Alpha and Delta series janitorial droids to assist in the Spillover while the situation comes under control.”

Judge Joseph Dredd too seems to much more closely resemble the "tough cop" originally envisaged by co-creator Pat Mills than the more ‘heroic’ lawman disconcertingly depicted in contemporary comics. Whether the veteran Street Judge is busy cold-heartedly executing an already “good as dead” perpetrator “observed in the commission of multiple crimes”, chastising his colleague Scammon for recklessly “saving my life” by risking his own and taking a bullet in the arm for his trouble, or firing his lawgiver so as to intimidate citizens who “are violating multiple ordinances, including unruly assembly”, this particular incarnation of “Old Stoney Face” really is as mean as the situation is dire; “A Judge’s duty doesn’t diminish based on circumstance, Anderson. You know that.”

The regular cover art of "JUDGE DREDD: TOXIC" No. 2 by Mark Buckingham & Chris Blythe

The Immortal Hulk #9 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 9, January 2019

Despite Carl “Crusher” Creel acknowledging himself that he has “literally… never won a fight” with the Hulk, and always been “pulverized” by Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, the prospect of “The Sinners” storyline once again pitching the Absorbing Man against the Green Goliath must have had the vast majority of this comic’s Hulk-heads foaming at the mouth in anticipation for a re-match; especially when Alex Ross’s awesome-looking cover illustration depicting the two combatants engaged in a brutal fist-fight was released early as part of the book’s pre-publication advertising.

But whilst Al Ewing’s script for Issue Nine of “The Immortal Hulk” certainly delivers upon its promise to include the “greatest [of] enemies” going ‘toe-to-toe’ with one another towards the end of the twenty-page periodical, the lead up to their conflict, as well as its grotesque culmination, probably struck some readers as being somewhat choppy and frankly, rather bizarre. Indeed, at times it is debatably difficult to understand in just which direction the British author is actually taking his “Green Door” narrative with this tome's mix of a “Videodrome” like secret agent with a gun-transforming hand, a “cute little” gamma-powered hamster called Derek, and a creature which closely resembles the murderous extra-terrestrial in John Carpenter’s 1982 horror film “The Thing”..?

Of course, once “Codename Red Dog” and this publication’s titular character do finally meet in person, courtesy of General Reginald Fortean’s cold-blooded calculations, there are a plethora of pulse-pounding panels for the “2000 A.D.” writer’s audience to enjoy, particularly as Creel has rather unwisely agreed to be injected with the Bannerman Gene-Enhancement package beforehand. Disappointingly however, even Carl’s “Hulk Plug-In”, which rather unnervingly provides the super-villain with an incredible ‘emaciating edge’ over his hated anger-fuelled opponent, doesn’t allow this gripping bout of muscle-bound pugilism to last all that long, and their ‘classic’ confrontation is sadly brought to an apparently all-too fast end within the space of just a few heartbeats.

Perhaps this comic’s biggest frustration though is the persistent intermittent page swapping which takes place between regular artist Joe Bennett and the disconcertingly different Martin Simmons. True, there’s little not to like about Benedito José Nascimento’s dynamic pencilling even during this book’s more sedentary scenes, yet the same probably can’t be said for this tome’s guest illustrator, whose drawing, inks and colours appear somewhat lifelessly wooden and flat when laid out alongside the much more energetic work of his Brazilian counter-part.

First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 9 by Alex Ross

Avengers [2018] #7 - Marvel Comics

AVENGERS No. 7, November 2018

“Featuring Ghost Rider 1,000,000 BC” in a stand-alone origin story set “before the dawn of civilization”, Jason Aaron’s storyline for Issue Seven of “Avengers” probably pleased the vast majority of this comic’s 65,815 strong audience in September 2018 with its intriguing hypothetical insight into the life “of cave folk struggling to survive on the edge of the Big White” and its subsequent depiction of a seemingly unstoppable blood-crazed Wendigo, who in just one night “killed and ate them all.” In fact, it’s arguable that many within this comic’s increasing audience probably wished that “Fire And Bone” was the start of an ongoing series focusing upon the Spirit of Vengeance and “a period of Marvel history that’s never been explored” before, rather than a simple ‘filler’ following the conclusion of the Alabama-born author’s “first explosive arc featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”.

Perhaps foremost of this twenty-page periodical’s biggest draws is the way in which its Inkpot Award-winning writer pens the primitive life of the Neanderthal, at a time when neither names nor speech were even known, and Ghost’s fellow cave-dwellers simply “communicated with grunts and fists.” “Smarter than everyone I knew” the fledgling super-hero’s determination to track down the human-shaped monster who slaughtered his entire clan proves a somewhat mesmerising experience, especially when tired, alone and dying of exposure the young man encounters a giant talking snake called Mephisto and haplessly agrees to the snow-coloured reptile’s generous offer to “make it sso you’re never cold again.”

Of course, in making such a deal the semi-conscious adolescent curses himself to a fiery future, but at least finds himself in a position some five years later where he is sufficiently strong enough to challenge the savage might of the bestial stranger who once slaughtered everyone he knew. Indeed, the Rider’s ensuing battle with Wendigo, complete with Sara Pichelli’s perfectly pencilled woolly mammoths, really does bring this comic to a sense-shattering conclusion as the white-furred ‘feeder upon manflesh’ demonstrates just why his scourge would later prove so difficult for Alpha Flight to overcome in the Modern Age of ‘capes and cowls’, whilst Mephisto’s flame-headed agent has an opportunity to demonstrate his prehistoric powers by drawing the grim skeletal remnants of his opponent’s former feasts into a hellfire-fuelled chain; “The bones say you’ve eaten your fill. Now it’s their turn to feed.”

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Sara Pichelli, and Color Artist: Justin Ponsor

Boy Zero: Volume One [Part Three] - Caliber Comics

BOY ZERO: VOLUME ONE, January 2016

Predominantly maintaining its focus upon “Edmund’s cross to bear” some ‘twelve days, ten hours and two minutes before zero’, this third chapter to Charles Chester’s “Boy Zero” graphic novel must have made its audience almost taste the metallic tang of rust in their parched mouths, as the children living just outside Glass City show newcomer Christian their secret hideout buried deep inside a dilapidated factory and claustrophobically encircle themselves in a wall of decaying, half-eaten corrugated iron sheeting, red oxide covered machinery and chain-linked fencing. But any readers anticipating that this publication would subsequently provide a light-hearted insight into the craftiness of children “when looking for adventure” were undeniably in for a startling shock once the adolescent party’s game of hop-scotch is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a wizened old “homeless individual” armed with a seemingly blood-stained knife and a brain full of madness; “I think you lied to me! I need to speak to him! Noooo! No No! Where are you going?! No! Come back! I’ll tell you where the lion lives!”

Indeed, the utter terror on the faces of the youngsters as the dishevelled tramp heads towards their main hiding place is absolutely palpable, as is the adrenalin rush caused by the award winning filmmaker’s penmanship in his depiction of the kids rapidly bolting from out of their refuge and ‘pegging it’ past the gore-splattered vagrant towards the safety of a nearby cemetery. Of course, many perusing bibliophiles’ hearts probably stopped dead when the prone hobo manages to take hold of Christian’s ankle as the lad leaps over the fallen intruder’s form, yet fortunately for those holding their breath in anticipation of the 'cutting to come', the old man does not have the strength to drag the wide-eyed boy down to the ground, nor maintain his grip when he takes a well-placed kick to the head…

Perhaps somewhat disappointingly the rest of this particular twenty-six page instalment never arguably manages to ever replicate so pulse-pounding a predicament, even later on when an actress is assaulted at knife-point by a street-level criminal down a dark alleyway. However, that doesn’t mean that the dialogue-driven sequences which follow don’t still easily hold both the attention and imagination either, as Chester’s somewhat disrespectful (young) Detective Drekker unconvincingly assures the local petrified parents that “there is no reason [for them] to worry” despite the recent spine-chilling mutilation of Mister Adams’ two sons, and Christian’s truly nerve-wracking account to Edmund of the Boogeyman coming out at night to tell his next victim that “he is going to hang a child from a tree and gut him from neck to belly…”

Written by: Charles Chester, and Artwork by: Shiloh Penfield