Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #2 - Marvel Comics

WARHAMMER 40,000: MARNEUS CALGAR No. 2, January 2021

Focusing far more upon just how an adolescent Marneus Calgar prepared himself for the Astartes tests under the instructor Crixus than the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines’ current battle against the Forces of Chaos on Nova Thulium, Kieron Gillen’s narrative for this twenty-page periodical caused quite a bit of controversy amongst fans of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game when it originally hit the spinner racks in November 2020. For whilst the British author arguably does an excellent job of providing this comic’s audience with a thoroughly riveting read, courtesy of some surprisingly dark treachery on the Agri-world’s moon, the writer also takes “one of the franchise’s most beloved characters” in an entirely new direction by having the twelve year-old shockingly die in the arms of his best friend at the very end of the book; “No, Tacitan. It is over. I am over. I… Marneus Calgar will never be a space marine.”

This act of ultimate betrayal by the adolescent’s bitterly twisted trainer is admittedly a little disconcerting at first, with this twenty-page periodical seemingly therefore depicting the beloved Lord of Macragge as being an ignoble imposter rather than the high-born heir to “the richest house on the planet”. However, such a potential mass cover-up is quickly shown to be nothing of the sort as the Lord Defender of Greater Ultramar quite openly talks about how he took on the name of his closest companion to “little Quintus” Heximar following the true Calgar’s demise, and even goes as far as to show the Adept the impressive family statue dedicated to the deceased youth who “died… in service of the Emperor.”

In addition, the shocking casualty certainly makes some sense story-wise considering the would-be marine Marneus and his ferociously-loyal serf Tacitan are superbly pencilled by American artist Jacen Burrows haplessly stumbling upon their treasonous team-mates’ nightmarish temple to the Blood God Khorne with no weapons apart from a small knife and a couple of lanterns. Surrounded by a sizeable number of ‘brain-washed’ trainees, their barking mad mentor and over half a dozen cybernetically-enhanced Chaos acolytes, this comic’s narrative would debatably appear far too contrived if the two unarmed boys managed to escape the turncoats’ deadly underground trap with nothing but a couple of bruises and cuts.

Writer: Kieron Gillen, Artist: Jacen Burrows, and Colorist Java Tartaglia

Mississippi Zombie #2 [Part Two] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #2, November 2020

Setting up a strong second half for this corpse-laden compilation is “Return To Horn Island” by Marcus H. Roberts. Clearly penned as something of a sequel to “Zombie Attack On Horn Island” from this title’s previous volume, this twelve-pager rather neatly weaves America’s current obsession with building a great wall “to protect the country and its citizens” with the fate of a man whose great great grandmother somehow managed to survive the aforementioned assault on the nation’s earliest settlers by an old witch woman.

Dynamically drawn by Dan Gorman, this yarn doesn’t debatably contain any surprises for those fear-fans familiar with Roberts’ earlier adventure, as it seems clear from the very start that the military’s decision to turn the island into a safe haven for evacuees isn’t going to go down terribly well with its brain-eating inhabitants; especially when the General decides to split his forces so as to get the clearance job done in double-quick time. But it is still enormously entertaining watching as the elite seal team soon realise that their automatic weapons are no match for a horde of flesh-eating creatures who can tear a man’s still beating heart from out of his chest despite the soldier wearing advanced body armour.

Alfred Paige’s “C.H.E.S.S.: The Dead” is similarly as straightforward in its story-telling, with the Indie comic book creator penning a piece about a pair of super-skilled operatives being helicoptered into a crisis-hit chemical laboratory on a rescue mission to save a family friend of their director. Unsurprisingly, carnivorous cadavers abound throughout the ominously dilapidated facility, and need dispatching ‘toot sweet’ if Mary Maise is ever going to be located safe and well. However, it is the lead protagonist’s excellent interplay with one another alongside John Epple’s highly stylised artwork, which really makes this narrative’s opening instalment essential reading for zombie-loving maniacs.

Finally bringing this gore-filled graphic novel to an end is Jonathan Hedrick’s “Freakshow Princess”. Initially appearing to contain a quite simplistic tale of a woman and her pet dog somehow surviving the apocalypse inside their claustrophobic bungalow, courtesy of the now dead Chris’s procrastination in building the dwelling a functioning garden deck, this deeply demoralising story ends with a tragic twist which really pains the heart, and probably brought many within the book’s audience back down to Earth with a resoundingly loud bump; “The freaks found a way in! She’s starving. I have been so worried about feeding myself that I neglected her.”

Writers: Marcus H. Roberts, Alfred Paige & Jonathan Hedrick

Dune: House Atreides #3 - BOOM! Studios

DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES No. 3, December 2020

Somewhat disconcertingly a comic of five distinctive parts, this twenty-two page periodical’s flow is repeatedly truncated by the book simply providing a short-lived awareness as to the ‘goings-on’ at one specific location before suddenly upending its readers and depositing them upon another planet entirely. True, such siloed storytelling does mean that Issue Three of “Dune: House Atreides” contains a handful of dramatic cliff-hangers with which to ensnare its audience for future instalments. But it also strongly suggests that this particular mini-series is probably much more suited to being enjoyed as a complete trade paperback, rather than the lengthy, twelve-part episodic format “BOOM! Studios” have decided to present it in for now.

Luckily, each compartmentalised insight is still extremely well-penned by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and definitely holds the attention, whether the perusing bibliophile be a fan of House Harkonnen, Pardot Kynes, Duncan Idaho or Leto Atriedes. Indeed, arguably every leading cast member is very well-served within this comic, as the writing duo appear to go to great lengths to award them both plenty of limelight and some quite noticeable character development; “The Sisterhood has issued their instructions. And I must obey… You must impregnate me. Rest assured, this will not be pleasant for either of us.”

Foremost of these moments is that involving the future Swordmaster of the Ginaz, and his harrowing efforts to escape being fatally recaptured by his Harkonnen captors on Giedi Prime. Armed only with “a knife, hand-light, [and] a few metres of rope”, the recently orphaned adolescent demonstrates all of the fighting savvy he will become famous for in Frank Herbert’s original 1965 novel by painfully removing his tracker implant from his back and using it as bait for a particularly nasty trap. Wonderfully pencilled by Dev Pramanik, there’s a palpable vulnerability to this sequence’s early panels, which soon hardens into deadly determination once the boy resolves to stand and fight, rather than give Glossu Rabban the pulse-pounding pursuit “The Beast” desires.

Likewise, the Imperial Planetologist on Arrakis is similarly well-served by the authors and comic book artist during his data collection in the vast open desert. Initially seeming utterly occupied by his job to discover how life somehow manages to survive on the supposedly waterless world, Kynes suddenly demonstrates a surprising savagery when the ‘scholar’ shockingly takes sides with an outnumbered group of Fremen against a band of Harkonnen thugs, and literally guts a handful of the barbaric antagonists with his blade before they even know what has hit them.

Written by: Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, and Illustrated by: Dev Pramanik

Mississippi Zombie #2 [Part One] - Caliber Comics

MISSISSIPPI ZOMBIE #2, November 2020

Offering an enjoyable continuation of the zombie menace within the Mississippi region, Bradley Golden’s second anthology of horror centred entirely within the thirty-second largest state of America certainly packs its pages with plenty of brain-chomping terror and thought-provoking adventure. Indeed, the graphic novel’s creator even goes so far as to cram in both a sequel story to this title’s original volume following a modern-day military expedition's unwise decision to pay Horn Island a visit, as well as a couple of exciting cliff-hangers which will doubtless have this book’s buyers clamouring for more details as to when the third volume of “Mississippi Zombie” will be released.

First up however is a quite delightful visit to the glorious Gulfport Beach to meet this weighty tome’s bikini-clad narrator nonchalantly drinking a fruit-laden cocktail whilst the long-haired decaying corpse enjoys watching some crows peck away at the remnants of a man’s dismembered cadaver. Toasty hot and glamourous in her gruesomeness, the skeletal-faced ‘babe’ sets the publication’s somewhat morbid-humoured ambiance as she encourages the local “beefcake” to run screaming for their lives with just her perplexing presence on the shore.

Equally as dark, though somewhat lengthier than the long-dead chronicler’s all-too brief appearance, is the quite personal account of Doctor Madison Wilde in “I Did It All For Him”. Penned by Travis Gibb, this penitentiary-based nightmare depicts just how the utterly deluded prisoner manages to orchestrate his “largest controlled experiment” to date inside an incarceration facility following the discovery that his son has been transformed into a zombie. Intriguingly drip fed details of the disgraced medical practitioner’s plan bit by bit, this gruesome yarn genuinely gets the periodical off to an enthralling start, and is arguably only let down by some of Juan Pablo Milto’s somewhat unclear, scratchy-looking panels.

Somewhat easier on the eye though is the action-packed “Butcher Brothers” written by Lou Graziani. Boiled down to its most basic level, this eleven-pager just follows the two heavily-armed siblings as they gorily tear through a horde of the undead with all-manner of close combat weapons, and debatably seems to just be an excuse for Florentino Santibanez to demonstrate his insane, slightly Rob Liefeld-like pencilling. Packed full of pulse-pounding splash panels depicting the duo mercilessly chopping up their grisly opponents into ghastly bits, it’s no wonder the tale concludes just as reinforcements arrive with the text box “to be continued…”

Writers: Travis Gibb & Lou Graziani, and Penciler/Artist: Juan Pablo Milto & Florentino Santibanez

Batman/Superman [2019] #13 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 13, December 2020

It is difficult to imagine that many of this comic’s 31,000 readers in October 2020 didn’t get caught up in the pulse-pounding pace of Joshua Williamson’s plot for Issue Thirteen of “Batman/Superman”. For whether they be a fan of just the titular characters or this twenty-two page periodical’s guest-stars – Steel and Batwoman, the almost endless series of nefarious knockdowns, titanic tussles with mechanical arch-nemeses and brutal bouts of cybernetically-enhanced boxing, surely must have sated the pugilistic desires of even the most voracious bibliophile; “…It is clear your battles are never-ending. I must act quickly if I am to truly help you put an end to your enemies. You have passed many of my tests.”

Arguably leading this foray into some superbly-penned shenanigans is the half-blinded Batman, who despite being manacled upside-down by the robotic Prince of Puzzles, reveals just why he is both a formidable fighter and the World’s Greatest Detective by besting the android Nygma in a brutal game of Chess. Grim-faced, badly injured, yet still a formidable combination of brain and brawn, the Dark Knight absolutely tears through every trial Braniac's seemingly homicidal computer program can throw at him, and demonstrates just why the Caped Crusader is “listed among the greatest comic book superheroes… ever created.”

Similarly as impressive, at least as far as his ability to brutalise his motorised opponents, is Clark Kent’s alter-ego, who for once is given the opportunity to “enjoy the freedom to unleash your full power” upon his hapless foes. Superman’s action-packed sequences may well lack much of the mental agility depicted within his cowled team-mate’s scenes. But that doesn’t mean the Kryptonian wants for thought-provoking conundrums, especially when he is literally stopped dead in his tracks by his artificially-enhanced antagonist’s query as to why he doesn’t save Lex Luthor if he already realises that the people who raised the Metropolis businessman “would rather hurt him than teach him kindness.”

Also adding an enormous amount of bang to this book’s buck is Max Raynor’s dynamic and highly-animated pencilling. The artist’s layouts really help speed along this publication’s story-telling, and then provide its audience with the occasional splash-page long pause so as to help them gather their wits before hurling them head-first back into the awesome action.

Writer: Joshua Williamson, Artist: Max Raynor and Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

Conan The Barbarian #17 - Marvel Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN No. 17, February 2021

Whilst this book’s basic scenario of a lone warrior becoming possessed by their bloodthirsty weapon has debatably been done many times before, Jim Zub’s take on this ‘tried and tested’ fantasy trope still manages to deliver a few innovative nuances within Issue Seventeen of “Conan The Barbarian” which must have pleased the majority of those fans familiar with Robert E. Howard’s original pulp fiction character. Indeed, the Cimmerian’s famous honourable code of conduct would appear to be central to this publication’s plot, as the titular character seems to completely ignore the early warnings that the Tooth of the Nightstar is not all it seems, simply so he can “complete Naru-Li’s mission of returning the sword to Maltus-Ral -- Naru-Li’s mentor and the blade’s rightful owner…”

Furthermore, the Canadian author adds an additional element to this twenty-page periodical’s story-telling by depicting precisely what “the noble savage” is actually seeing and feeling whenever Conan falls under the increasingly strong influence of the weapon he “liberated from the Uttara Kuru leadership”. These increasingly disconcerting insights into the malignant magic afflicting the barbarian really are rather disturbing, especially once they go beyond mere re-imaginings of the real world surrounding him and artist Robert Gill’s prodigious pencilling hurls the adventurer towards a demonic furnace situated at the very heart of some fiery fortification built of bone, skulls, brimstone and ash; “The forge is near. The Forge of Fear. The forge is made of sin. The blood is brought. The rage is wrought. A weapon forged within.”

Zub’s writing also arguably provides a good sense of the internal conflict taking place within the Sword and Sorcery hero’s head. As highlighted in the comic itself “the Cimmerian senses foul magic in the air” when his “gaze rests a moment upon the blood-tinged metal”, and for an instant Conan’s formidable strength of will would appear to have prevailed as he angrily abandons the Nightstar to the ever-enclosing woodland about him. However, the warrior quickly fools himself into believing he actually needs to have the sword if he is ever going to survive the dangers of the strange land he’s currently traversing, completely forgetting that he could always have taken the double-headed axe of the bandit he blindly dispatched just moments before forsaking the haunting piece of sharpened steel.

The original cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN" #16 by E.M. Gist

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #2 - Titan Comics

DOCTOR WHO: TIME LORD VICTORIOUS No. 2, November 2020

Despite pitching the Tenth Doctor and the Daleks together against a common foe, Jody Houser’s narrative for Issue Two of “Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious” probably contained far less action than its 6,000 readers anticipated. Indeed, apart from an all-too brief confrontation between the oddly rusty Prime Strategist and a lone Hond scout, not a single gunstick is fired in anger until this forty-four page periodical’s end, when unsurprisingly the extra-terrestrial pepper-pots turn upon their former ally in order to eliminate him; “The Doctooor is no longer of use to the Daleks. Exterminate!”

Up until this point, the bloated book’s plot predominantly focuses upon the fast-talking time traveller and his dilapidated guide to the Vault of Obscenities simply discussing how to access the derelict building’s “power not seen by any Dalek in living memory” and its weaponry’s subsequent use to defeat "the primordial ooze given sentience as an embodiment of the concept of pain.” Such a lengthy conversation might somehow manage to work on the small screen given actor David Tennant’s remarkable energy and a dynamic music score with which to underpin any tension the long-winded, word-heavy sequence was trying to convey. But in the medium of a comic it debatably just plays out as a seemingly endless carousel of well-pencilled panels portraying the brown-suited Gallifreyan pontificating about all life in the galaxy being of prime importance.

In addition, the presence of a lone Hond advanced guard on Skaro makes little sense when the publication’s entire purpose is to supposedly tell the story of how the titular character stopped the Dark Times terrors from ever reaching the Dalek’s home world; especially when it is intimated that if they did so then the universe would come to an end. To make matters worse though, it is never explained how the ‘immortal slime’ is in a position to tear its way up from the bowels of the planet straight into the most heavily-guarded fortification that Davros’ creations have ever built. The unkillable creature just suddenly appears in the Vault’s epicentre and starts up a conversation with its two enemies.

Perhaps this comic’s biggest disappointment however comes with its inclusion of the Thirteenth Doctor to supposedly save both her former incarnation’s bacon and ultimately, the day. Nonchalantly stood waiting for her predecessor to run by whilst being chased by a posse of angry Daleks, the apparently omnipotent blonde-haired “live wire” doesn’t actually do anything but run down a few corridors alongside herself. Yet the adventurer’s condescending arrogance and dislikeable demure strongly suggests that if she hadn’t shown up at the last minute, the Tenth Doctor would somehow have failed to escape from his gun-toting mechanical pursuers…

The regular cover art of "DOCTOR WHO: TIME LORD VICTORIOUS" #1 by Andie Tong