Astonishing Tales #1 - Marvel Comics

ASTONISHING TALES No. 1, August 1970

Conceived as a ‘split title’ depicting the solo exploits of Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom in their own separate ten-page stories, this inaugural issue of “Astonishing Tales” not only provided its readers with “Two of Marvel’s mightiest together in one mind-shattering mag”, but also two markedly contrasting stories. Indeed, Roy Thomas’ ancillary adventure, “Unto You Is Born… The Doomsman!” is so much more noticeably complex when compared to Stan Lee’s singularly straightforward lead tale, that this particular publication is arguably an excellent example as to just why Lieber felt he could trust his eventual successor as “Marvel Comics” editor “enough that he virtually never again read anything I wrote.”

Happily however, despite these differences this comic’s opening yarn, “The Power Of Ka-Zar!”, is a great first feature for Kevin Plunder, following the son of an English nobleman simply being side-lined as a supporting character in “The X-Men” and “Daredevil”. Clearly the master of all he surveys in the “vast unchartered jungle, bordered by the ever-drifting glaciers of far-off Antarctica”, the Lord of the Jungle’s tenacity to free his ‘friendly’ sabre-tooth tiger drives the action forward at an admirable rate, and resultantly, this book’s audience don’t have too long to wait until the "Son of the Tiger" cataclysmically confronts Zabu’s abductor in a no holds barred wrestling match.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly though, the star of this story is undeniably Kraven the Hunter, who despite seeming to be rather overly-reliant upon his tranquilizer spray to defeat his foes, dominates each and every panel Jack Kirby pencils him in. In fact, even when Sergei Kravinoff’s face shows fearful incredulity as the “jungle savage” breaks his much-lauded grip, it is difficult not to still admire the dangerous nature of one of Spider-Man’s “most formidable enemies”.

Containing a far more convoluted narrative is Thomas’ “dramatic debut of a startling new series”, which depicts Victor Von Doom both developing “the ultimate weapon -- a super-powerful living being -- fed and activated by Cosmic Rays” and fending off an attempt by “the rightful ruler of Latveria” to depose him of his crown. Illustrated by Wally Wood, “a veteran of Nineteen Fifties EC Comics stories”, this entertaining mash-up of horror, romance and political intrigue soon bears an uncanny resemblance to one of Alex Raymond’s “Flash Gordon” escapades, courtesy of Prince Rudolfo’s rebels successfully attacking Doom castle whilst wearing jet-packs; “See how they gape, wide-eyed, at our flying belts!”

Writer: Stan Lee, Artist: Jack Kirby, and Inking: Sam Grainger

Mississippi Zombie [Part Two] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE, February 2020

Much more your typical campfire fright-fest feature than the two terrifying tales which preceded it, Marcus H. Roberts’ “Zombie Attack On Horn Island” is this anthology’s sole historical contribution, and resultantly provides an enjoyable romp back to yesteryear when American settlers had little to hand with which to fend off the flesh-chomping cadavers threatening them, except muzzle-loading firearms and a trusty wood-axe. Firmly focused upon the flight of the Johnstone family from an island packed full of the walking dead, this twelve-page chronicle is well-paced with plenty of pulse-pounding moments as Adam desperately attempts to keep the zeds at bay as his panic-stricken wife, daughter and friend try to run to the safety of a nearby vessel.

Crammed with examples of heroic sacrifice, misplaced elation, and just plain old bad luck, this headlong dash for survival is well-drawn by Dan Gorman, whose ‘old school’ styled pencils will surely take the more mature comic reader back to the days of the early Seventies and “Weird Mystery Tales” by “DC Comics”. Indeed, the artist’s ability to imbue his characters with plenty of dynamism as they’re chopping heads, spilling putrid guts and blowing out brains, somewhat imitates all the charm of such Bronze Age greats like Luis Dominguez or Abe Ocampo.

Further fixed in the post-apocalyptic world, complete with zombie panthers, pirate galleys and pet crocodiles, Peter and John Breau’s “It’s All About Commerce” definitely has a story to tell about old college friendships, and the sense of trust those relationships develop during a time when everything seems to want to eat your flesh. Initially concentrating upon having good cardio, similar to Columbus’s rule #1 in the 2009 comedy film “Zombieland”, this ultimately successful ‘last stand’ has some nicely penned moments where experience and a pre-conceived plan of attack certainly help increase one’s chances of survival; “Raina… Play 14.”

Harrison Wood’s artwork also adds a nice claustrophobic element to the storytelling, with many of his panels being populated by all manner of undead nightmares, such as bulldogs, fearsomely-tusked wild boars, and even a slithering King Cobra. These cluttered scenes make it seem almost impossible for anyone to even raise a barbed-wired bat in anger, let alone bludgeon a reeking ghoul to bloody bits, yet it also makes the trio’s final moments together all the more tense, as zombie after zombie appear from the woodland surrounding them.

Finally this graphic novel finishes with Joe Wight’s futuristic “Planet Z”, which rather enticingly teases that Judgement Day isn’t simply going to be confined to a single world of the ever-expanding human empire. Prodigiously pencilled by Rod Espinosa, this frantically-fast account of a factory facility suddenly being overrun by a gazillion ghouls contains some eye-wateringly gruesome deaths, especially once the plant’s security are deployed, and genuinely leaves the reader wanting to see more of Mister Adams’ exploits, if not his singing...

Writers: Marcus H. Roberts, Peter & John Breau, and Joe Wight

Batman/Superman [2019] #4 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 4, January 2020

Persistently rocking back and forth as to whether or not this comic’s titular characters have any hope of thwarting the Batman Who Laughs and his evil, toxin-infected, super-powered slaves, Joshua Williamson’s script for “Who Are The Secret Six?” may well have caused some of its 45,796 readers to feel a little green about the gills. However, for those bibliophiles able to weather such a sense-shattering storm, it’s hard to imagine them ever encountering another twenty-two page periodical crammed with half as many as twists and turns as the “New York Times Best Selling Author” somehow manages to crowbar into this publication’s action-packed narrative.

For starters, just as it looks likel the ‘dynamic duo’ might be about to outmanoeuvre the Blue Beetle’s stunning subjugation of the Fortress of Solitude in the Bermuda Triangle, the pair are shockingly hamstrung by the unforeseen arrival of a heavily-poisoned Donna Troy and Hawkman. This surprising revelation not only must have caught many a bibliophile off-guard, but also leads to some great dialogue where the likes of Jim Gordon, the original Wonder Girl and Carter Hall rebuke “Blue Boy” and the Dark Knight for a plethora of perceived injustices, such as the American archaeologist emphatically stating just “how sick Carter is of hearing about how you plan for everything, Batman”.

Similarly as stunning is the pulse-pounding entrance of Supergirl, and the almost nonchalant side-punch she subsequently smacks Troy into tomorrow with. The idea of Superman, Kara Zor-El and Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego knuckling down to a no-holds barred bout of fisticuffs against a party of poisoned heroes who have been turned “into the Dark Multiverse versions of themselves” is mouth-watering, until it quickly transpires that intercepting a toxin-laced bat-a-rang hurled by the Blue Beetle probably wasn’t the greatest idea of the Kryptonian’s cousin; “Is someone going to explain to me why all our friends have a metal fetish now?”

Nobly injecting all these non-stop shenanigans with plenty of pace are David Marquez’s scintillating storyboards. Moodily coloured by Alejandro Sanchez, the American artist really manages to imbue this comic’s punch-ups with some palpable impacts. In fact, it’s arguably hard to watch either Troy smacking the seven bells out of Superman or Kara cracking Hawkman squarely on his chiselled jaw, without involuntarily winching at the formidable force such blows would surely create.

Writer: Joshua Williamson, Artist: David Maequez, and Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

Mississippi Zombie [Part One] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE, February 2020

Playing out like a re-run of George A. Romero’s 1982 American horror comedy anthology film “Creepshow”, complete with its own ghoulish narrator, creator Bradley Golden’s “tale of horror based in the rural state of Mississippi” must have delighted any gore fans out there with its mix of grisly mutilations, genuinely touching emotional moments, and last minute acts of desperate bravery. Indeed, despite the brevity of some of this graphic novel’s yarns of brain-munching mayhem, every story will arguably leave an indelible impression upon the mind of its readers, whether it be caused by a hapless soldier suddenly realising he won’t ever be playing video games with his son again, or a heavily bearded local drunk shockingly coming face-to-face with the zombie apocalypse he thought his government were just lying about…

Initiating this plethora of “horror and dismemberment” is Golden’s very own “Mississippi Crossing”, which briefly depicts a trio of tales arguably set during the early days of the Undead uprising. Enthusiastically pencilled by Phil Williams, there’s a disconcertingly gripping terror to be seen in the faces of the figures ‘stumbling’ upon the gore-fest exploding around them, with Private John Hilliard’s brave final stand against a gigantic zombie horde “coming from south of here near Yazoo” proving especially poignant.

Bradley’s penmanship, alongside co-writer Alex Barranco, is equally as heart-breaking in “Grave Times”, which follows the desperate efforts of Theodore Brown to keep his marriage alive despite the fact his wife has become ill with an untreatable sickness. Everyone in this comic’s audience will undoubtedly know what is in store for poor Angela, but what is surprising, and resultantly enthralling, is the change her zombification has upon her devoted husband. Clearly, a very morally-upright and adoring partner, Theodore’s decline into a grave-robber is wonderfully written within the space of just seven-pages, to the point where despite his misguided criminal acts, any bibliophiles will surely feel he deserved better than the grisly fate which ultimately befalls him.

Adding to the grim nature of this particular story are Antonio Acevedo’s layouts, whose heavily pencilled shadowing makes Brown’s world even darker to the perusing eye. Packed full of delicate details, such as the tangible rot on Juan Perez’s coffin lid, this narrative is made all the more haunting by the look in Angela’s eyes as she sees her aghast husband pitifully watching her feast upon a corpse and becomes enraged (or extra-hungry) at the sight; “And just like that, the zombie outbreak in Madison starts.”

Writers: Bradley Golden & Alex Barranco, and Artists: Phil Williams & Antonio Acevedo

Ghostbusters: Year One #2 - IDW Publishing

GHOSTBUSTERS: YEAR ONE No. 2, February 2020

Matching up to Erik Burnham’s intention of including “as much as possible from the original movie”, the former video store manager’s script for Issue Two of “Ghostbusters: Year One” not only must have delighted this supernatural comedy franchise’s fans by revisiting the Boys in Gray’s opening foray in ghost-busting at the New York Public Library. But rather splendidly then depicts a suitably tongue-in-cheek rematch between the proton pack wearing quartet and “the bibliothecary known as Eleanor Twitty” in which brains, as well as a battered copy of Ptolomy’s Cosmographical, undoubtedly wins the day over brawn.

In fact, the vast majority of this twenty-page periodical focuses upon poor Alice Sherman’s frightening confrontation with a “full torso apparition”, and Roger Delacourt’s desperate attempt to get the team back to his library in order to “finish what we started.” Crammed full of “symmetrical book stacking, just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947”, and a simply stunning splash page by artist Dan Schoening, which rather marvellously captures the sheer spectacular of the elderly spook transforming herself into her utterly hideous, fearsomely fanged other self, this thoroughly enjoyable return to both pastures new and nostalgically familiar must surely have provided most readers with a thoroughly entertaining trip down memory lane.

Similarly as successful, is the American author’s ability to provide plenty of characterful cameos into this comic, with the (re)appearance of Jenny Adams and Bob Douglas proving particularly amusing, as the students somewhat spikily reminisce over Doctor Venkman’s poorly thought out experiment to ascertain psychic gifts; “That maniac electrocuted me. You know? I’ve had weird dreams ever since!” Rather impressively, the “Minnesota writer” even manages to provide some ‘screen time’ to Ray’s much ridiculed “honest-to-goodness”, undersea, unexplained, mass sponge migration.

However, cleverly intermixed with all these nods to its source material, is Burnham’s take on just how Stanz and Spengler were introduced to one another, courtesy of the smart-mouthed Venkman. These particular verbal exchanges could easily have been viewed by some as something of a sedentary sacrilege, yet due to Erik’s ‘spot on’ dialogue, such as Peter’s sassily going to “grab a slice with the Ladies Fencing Team”, as well as Schoening pencilling Egon with a “Doctor Who” length multi-coloured scarf, they arguably fit in with the surrounding canon reasonably neatly.

Written by: Erik Burnham, Art by: Dan Schoening, and Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado

Danger Girl #3 - Image Comics

DANGER GIRL #3, August 1998

Considering that this twenty-two page periodical simply doesn’t stop producing pulse-pounding moments of exhilarating action right up until its jaw-droppingly sinister, cliff-hanger of an ending, it is easy to see just why Issue Three of “Danger Girl” saw its sales increase by a whopping forty thousand copies in June 1998. Sure, a small portion of the comic’s 120,588 readers might have found this sense-shattering pace a little too relentless as Abbey Chase and Johnny Barracuda desperately attempt to flee the Peach’s fascist forces with an antique shield, but for the vast majority of their fans J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell’s plot is a tour-de-force as to how to pen adventure comics perfectly.

For starters it soon becomes crystal clear just how fast-thinking this book’s leading ‘sexy female secret agent’ can be, when she utilises both her formidable feminine wiles and impressive improvisation skills to steal an ancient artefact from right under the nose of “the Manimal” whilst ‘enjoying’ an intimate bath with the arms dealer. Surrounded by gun-toting, gas-mask wearing goons, Chase defies all the odds with a well-aimed shot at a chandelier, and subsequently shows she also makes a mean snow sledge driver to boot by outpacing a number of trigger-happy, Hammer Empire operatives; “I race back with the shield, decipher the hieroglyphics, I’m a hero.”

In complete contrast, the collaborative team’s “charismatic” spy, Barracuda, rather delightfully seems to get by through sheer blind luck at times, with the secret agent’s elongated ego compelling him to be far more concerned with his boyish good looks and delivering witty one-liners, than the inherent danger he is clearly surrounded by. Such evident differences in character really helps make this pair a truly humorous partnership to watch, and creates some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments amidst all the storyline’s frantic fighting.

Equally as enjoyable, as well as yet another reason as to why this publication was the fourth best-selling title of the month, are Campbell’s luscious storyboards. Whether it be Abbey doing her best impression of Captain America riding down a snow-laden piste on a shield, or Johnny impressively blazing away at his numerous heavily-armed pursuers with a blowback-operated submachine gun, the Michigan-born artist imbues each and every panel of the publication with plenty of pencilled passion.

Plot: Andy Hartnell & J. Scott Campbell, and Pencils: J. Scott Campbell

The Immortal Hulk #24 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 24, December 2019

Opening with the ultra-nostalgic origins of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego, the Fantastic Four and the cosmic entity known as Galactus, Al Ewing’s screenplay for Issue Twenty Four of “The Immortal Hulk” probably had many of this comic’s 53,944 readers settling down to what they thought would be another enjoyable re-tread of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s classic tale from the Sixties. However, no sooner has Rick Jones been saved from the “experimental detonation of a gamma bomb” by a bespectacled scientist than the British writer flings his storyline forward to modern day events, so as to subject his audience to some of the goriest imagery arguably yet seen within the covers of a “Rated T+” publication; “…Was that necessary?”

Indeed, witnessing the green goliath simply pulling away the rapidly dissolving flesh from his horribly mutilated face probably left any hapless Hulk-Heads perusing this twenty-page periodical for the first time utterly dumbstruck. Astoundingly however, so over-the-top a demonstration of the human mutate’s indomitable will to survive is simply the beginning, as the grotesque, one-eyed titular character then proceeds to hurl his foetid epidermis at a nearby soldier and watch as it literally burns into their brain with a disconcerting sizzling sound effect.

Liquefying army grunts definitely seems to be the flavour of the day for the former “U.S. Avengers” author, with at least two more of General Fortean’s followers outrageously being reduced to unrecognisable puddles of blood and bone before “The Steel Throne” concludes. In fact, it seems pretty clear that penciler Joe Bennett is having the time of his life drawing all this spine-chilling bodily mutilation, especially when it only comes to an end following the apparently ‘dead’ Hulk still somehow managing to retain his fighting spirit long enough to fatally push one of his thumbs straight through the Abomination’s right eye in a truly grisly display of gratuitous violence.

Sadly though, after such a pulse-pounding display of pugilism, Ewing’s penmanship does debatably turn a little too intergalactic for so ‘grounded’ a member of the Marvel Universe as the Hulk. Followers of the invulnerable “World-Breaker” could probably see “Bruce Banner of Earth” being the last survivor of the Universe, and resultantly being “baptised in the energies of creation” in much the same way as Galan of Taa was before becoming Galactus. But to then scribe him tearing the Sentience of the Cosmos in half and eating him seems rather far-fetched even for so super-strong an anti-hero…

Writer: Al Ewing, Penciler: Joe Bennett, and Colorist: Paul Mounts