Doctor Who: Origins #4 - Titan Comics

DOCTOR WHO: ORIGINS #4, September 2022

It's difficult to imagine that many bibliophiles perusing Issue Four of “Doctor Who: Origins” would agree with the fan website “DC Comics News” that this book “is the perfect comic for all Doctor Who fans, old or new” considering that Jody Houser’s narrative for it is arguably a seriously sedentary affair. Sure, the publication’s plot does contain a moment of movement when the Gallifreyian gets all “timey wimey” and ferries her people’s numerous renegade colonists into the TARDIS in an act similar to the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark. But even this sequence hardly exudes much tension as each planet’s inhabitants calmly walk to safety inside the Police Box, courtesy of a textless, two-page long montage proficiently pencilled by Roberta Ingranata.

Similarly as unconvincing is the notion that each settlement’s supposed total destruction was allowed to happen by the titular character even though she knew she could stop her opponent at any moment with a second Division strike team. Such a callous disregard for life seems particularly perverse when the Doctor only calls in her heavily gunned ‘back up’ squad when it appears that the Time Lord’s opponent is finally about to kill her; “I hope you got what you needed, because I’m really not in the mood to regenerate today.” Up until this point, the American author would have her audience believe that the clandestine agency’s operative was covertly gathering testimony and evidence against her overly talkative foe, even though its debatably clear such a threshold was achieved just as soon as the fiend revealed he already had explosives planted upon all the civilisations he wanted to eradicate.

Perhaps this comic’s biggest disappointment though is just how wholly impotent the Fugitive Doctor appears to be throughout its conclusion. Having stood by and witnessed mass-murder on a multi-planetary scale simply so she can make a case against a rogue member of the council, it seems clear that the short-fused time traveller was simply going to then set-off on another mission until the highly disagreeable Taslo provides her with the spatial co-ordinates needed to go back and rescue each world’s inhabitants. Just why the Division’s top agent didn’t consider such a solution herself is baffling, as is Houser’s unpersuasive notion that even if she had done, she’d still need the mathematical skills of her treacherous one-time assistant to work out the calculations.

The regular cover art of "DOCTOR WHO: ORIGINS" #4 by Jess Taylor

Task Force Z #9 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 9, August 2022

Intriguingly depicting the titular characters as “public enemy number one”, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Nine of “Task Force Z” certainly contains a super-tense stand-off between Red Hood’s zombie-like goon squad and a heavily-gunned Gotham City Police Department. In fact, the sheer amount of officers stood outside the Snyder Ice Rink in Bludhaven arguably suggests that without Bane’s surprising distraction, Jason Todd’s team might not have survived the encounter intact; “Head for the Van! Copperhead, No! Don’t eat him… Good little monsters. Good job not eating the cop.”

Disappointingly though, the rest of this periodical’s twenty-two page long plot doesn’t debatably seem to lead anywhere until its very end, with the American author spending some significant time spotlighting the treacherous Mister Bloom’s investigations into Powers International’s deepest, darkest secrets. True, these incredibly dialogue-heavy scenes do eventually divulge that the “twisted meta-human” has established some sort of hold over King Snake’s Venom-enhanced, super-strong son using a covertly implanted brain chip, but such a revelation could probably have been told within a much shorter time-frame.

Instead, this book is padded out with Sundowner single-handedly almost taking out the entirety of Task Force Z, courtesy of an obvious ambush inside a pitch black recreation facility. So bloody a subsequent battle is undeniably pulse-pounding as Hanna Hobart’s alter-ego savagely slices her way through her former colleagues one-by-one. However, the villain’s eventual defeat and demise at the hands of Solomon Grundy is then solely used by Two Face as a means to obtain some more Lazarus Resin so as to resurrect the very undead criminals “their most dangerous foe” slaughtered during her attack in the first place. 

Significantly more convincing than this publication’s storyline is Eddy Barrows’ remarkable pencils, which go a long way to helping keep the reader fully invested in this book. The Brazilian artist proves particularly good when sketching Mister Bloom’s disconcertingly awkward mannerisms, so that even when the unnervingly masked menace is supposedly being friendly to the adolescent Derek Powers by ruffling the young boy’s hair, any perusing bibliophile will still feel that at any moment Commissioner Gordon’s arch-nemesis is going to cold-heartedly kill the kid.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #9 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #2 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 2, October 2022

Absolutely steeped in both nostalgia and treachery, this continuation of “the epic new era of Shang-Chi” most probably mesmerised the vast majority of its audience with the return of Leiko Wu and riveting re-tread of the Master of Kung Fu’s “early days as an MI-6 agent." Indeed, Gene Luen Yang’s penmanship of “Old Friends” is so highly evocative of the martial artist’s adventures during the Bronze Age of Comics, that it’s arguably a shame this twenty-page periodical’s battle against Carlton Velcro and his gun-toting goons isn’t somewhat longer.

Foremost of this narrative’s ‘hooks’ has to be the way the American Author wastes very little time getting his cast to assemble inside the professional criminal’s formidably-sized grotto at the gulf of Lions in southern France. This sequence contains a plethora of “James Bond” type tropes which really help maintain the plot’s old school atmosphere, whether it be a scuba-swim down a secret underwater tunnel, a dash across a single-tracked rock-bridge where one wrong step will send the protagonists plummeting into a panther-packed ravine, or a lavishly furnished living quarters crammed full of ornately-armed minions.

In addition, the tense, action-packed fight scenes arguably help distract the audience from the burglary taking place in the Appalachians by a group of red-costumed ninjas. This attempt to capture the Ten Rings isn’t given anywhere near the limelight thrust upon Shang-Chi’s rescue mission. So when it's brought to a truly shocking conclusion at the very end of the publication, it’s perfidious revelation is debatably all the more startling; “Agent Black Jack Tarr to MI-6. I have the rings. These bloody things better be worth the trouble.” 

Of course, such successful storytelling would not be possible without the engrossing layouts of Marcus To, whose pencilling of a certain former Freelance Restorations operative against some truly-demonic looking guardian statues is flesh-crawlingly disconcerting to say the least. The Canadian artist also does a first-rate job in portraying the angry anguish felt by “The Chi-Meister” when he realises he’s been played for a total fool by his old friends, and the determined look in the hero’s eyes now he realises they disappointingly regard the new Commander of the Five Weapons Society as an enemy.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #2 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #1 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 1, September 2022

As spin-offs from a limited series go, Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s storyline for Issue One of “DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War” definitely seems to do a reasonable job in depicting just how desperate things have become for those super-heroes (and villains) who have been able to endure Dick Grayson’s bloodthirsty betrayal of the Batman. In fact, the duo’s notion of the planet’s sole survivors living below ground in a cavernous stronghold is really well-penned, leaving little doubt as to just how tenuous its inhabitants’ grip is upon a ‘normal life’ due to thirty-six percent of the humans’ food supply being wholly reliant upon Captain Atom converting “his energy output into solar radiation for us so we could grow crops and get Vitamin D.”

To make matters even gloomier, this yarn’s riveting plot also shows just how disconnected some of the settlement’s Council members are with one another, courtesy of Deathstroke’s brazen attempt to resurrect Bruce Wayne’s emaciated corpse using a Lazarus Pit in Switzerland, and then encourage him to stage a coup against the likes of Lead, Midnighter, John Constantine and Metropolis’ Mayor Fleming. This shocking betrayal by Slade Wilson not only demonstrates just how ineffectively “bureaucratic” the so-called protagonists have become in their battle against Nightwing’s ever-expanding Vampire Empire. But also leads to what little stability they had being completely destroyed by an infected Damage, who unsurprisingly follows his former friends from the Swiss Alps back to their secret sanctuary so as to blow it up.

Perhaps this book’s most eye-catching element however, lies with Pasquale Qualano’s pencilling and colourist Nicola Righi’s unnerving red, black, grey and white tones. This somewhat unique look to the twenty-three page plot genuinely appears to help reinforce all of its sombre themes, whilst signposting numerous elements throughout the publication’s panels, such as the blood-red moon, Deathstroke’s persistent presence and Captain Atom’s life-giving energy.

Equally as enjoyable is this comic’s ‘back-up’ tale, “Who’s Trapped”, by Guillaume Singelin. Featuring the final fate of Commissioner Jim Gordon at the hands of his daughter, Batgirl, this exhilarating, action-packed fright-fest is absolutely crammed full of high-speed antics, and strongly reminiscent of a Manga-style magazine; “You were a good cop, a good father, Mister Gordon. I promise to avenge you. All of you. And I keep my promises.”

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #1 by Alan Quah

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #1 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 1, September 2022

Proudly proclaimed by “Marvel Worldwide” as the start of “a bold new era” for the Master of Kung Fu, Gene Luen Yang’s script for Issue One of “Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings” arguably doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to involving its titular character in pulse-pounding pugilism and deep-rooted treachery. For whilst this twenty-page periodical’s plot does contain a brief sedentary sojourn to a crazy golf course so as to show the martial artist wooing current girlfriend Delilah Wang, the vast majority of this comic is crammed full of sizzling laser beams, deadly-sharp giant blades and gun-toting Hydra goons.

Indeed, straight from this book’s opening, where a pair of ill-thinking Warriors of the Deadly Hand unwisely attempt to interact with Ta-Lo’s mystical iron weapons, its American author appears determined to ensure that the reader is persistently kept ‘on the edge of their seat’ with a series of well-penned, dramatic occurrences involving some of Brother Hand’s most notorious opponents; “Makes you wonder -- If he’s got these, why isn’t the Five Weapons Society in charge of, well… everything..?! 

Perhaps foremost of these ‘guest appearances’ is that of William Young, who not only makes a surprising, savage attack upon “the Chi-Meister” whilst the Supreme Commander is busy putting. But also ‘enjoys’ a throwback comment to one of his early battles as Razor Fist when Doug Moench’s co-creation got one of his formidably-sized blades stuck in a statue. Sadly, this epic tussle only lasts a dozen or so panels. However, its brevity is actually crucial to Yang’s storyline, as the now heavily-bearded mercenary was supposed to delay Shang-Chi long enough for Lady Iron Fan’s winning bidders to successfully steal the Ten Rings.

Admirably adding some extra “Klunk”, “Hwak” and “Whump” to this publication’s proceedings is Marcus To, who amongst other positives, somehow manages to prodigiously pencil the absolutely lethal Heavenly Weapons with a disconcertingly deadly personality all of their own. In fact, coupled with the sheer amount of colourfully-attired assassins being brutally clobbered, as well as the Red Dot’s gruesome demise, and it’s debatably hard to imagine what else a bibliophile could expect from the Canadian artist inside a Kung Fu comic.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #1 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2022 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ANNUAL 2022, August 2022

Enthusiastically described by “IDW Publishing” as a “special self-contained issue that’s perfect for new readers and gaming fans alike”, Jim Zub and Ryan Cady’s two yarns for the “Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2022” certainly seem to live up to their hype. Indeed, as was probably intended, the authors’ exploration of the Feywild Realm will doubtless pique the interest of this comic’s audience so much so that many may well consider purchasing “The Wild Beyond The Witchlight” adventure sourcebook upon which its narratives are inspired; “Once every eight years, a piece of the Feywild returns to enrapture and entertain the good people of this town.”

First up is arguably the meatier adventure of the book, “Lost & Found”, which sees “fan-favourite D&D writer” Zub take the reader on a fun-packed romp full of humanoid rabbit warriors, wyrmling-guarded cottages and super-cute Owl-bears. The penmanship for this thirty-page escapade proves particularly effective as it will surely cause many a bibliophile to initially dislike its lead protagonist Billi Sharpe right up until the young rogue’s mysterious (and decidedly tragic) background story is revealed – after which they’ll probably be rooting her on as she desperately tries to rescue her brother from the clutches of a truly despicable old witch.

Somewhat reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”, along with a sprinkle of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice In Wonderland”, this fable is also quite cleverly bookended by artist Eduardo Mello, with Kyler Clodfelter tackling all the interior illustrations once Sharpe has taken the plunge through one of Witchlight’s numerous looking glasses. This visual emphasise that both the thief’s world, as well as its rules, have radically changed genuinely helps reinforce her character’s edgy nervousness at being placed in an entirely unknown environment, and also adds an extra element of potential danger to the sneaky lockpick’s perilous predicament.

Perhaps somewhat less venturesome is Cady’s “Something For Everyone”. Possibly best described as “Romeo and Juliet” but with fairies, this ten-sheet ‘short’ provides a fairly straightforward romp concerning a lawful faction of tiny, winged warriors and a pilfering band of similar-sized criminals. Gorgeously sketched and coloured by Vincenzo Riccardi, this intriguing yarn definitely delivers some well-pencilled eye-candy, and helps provide a romantic air to the two lovers' dramatic escape from the inflexible attitudes of their polar opposite cultures.

Written by: Jim Zub & Ryan Cady, and Art by: Eduardo Mello, Kyler Clodfelter & Vincenzo Riccardi

Harley Quinn #17 - DC Comics

HARLEY QUINN No. 17, September 2022

Supposedly promising “the moment we’ve been building toward for months”, Stephanie Phillips’ narrative for Issue Sixteen of “Harley Quinn” certainly should have sated most of this comic’s audience with its succinct conclusion to the American author’s five-part long storyline concerning the Verdict. Yet whilst this twenty-two-page periodical undeniably brings the “violent vigilante” to justice, courtesy of the titular character teaming up with Batwoman once again, its sickly-sweet nature and somewhat illogical set-up, rather ruin the moment; “I think you’re going to make someone really happy one day. But more importantly… We’ve got each other. And we’ve got this entire city.”

For starters, having only given “your hyper-verbal, semi-reformed former villain” a flesh wound with her close-range gunshot, Sam Payne suddenly decides to end it all by blowing up Gotham’s City Hall and all its innocent inhabitants with her still inside it. This suicide mission admittedly demonstrates just how deranged the former cop has become following her realisation as to the deep-rooted corruption infesting her metropolis’ justice system. However, it seems somewhat at odds for Kevin’s girlfriend to go ‘off the rails’ quite so dramatically that instead of continuing to target just the corrupt judges and council workers individually, she instead decides to just wipe the municipal building, complete with any innocent employees and unfortunate visitors, en masse.

In addition, it’s perhaps not as clear as it could be just how Quinn actually manages to save the day..? Batwoman is clearly busy desperately trying to deactivate all the Verdict’s explosive devices before the homicidal maniac detonates them. But just how Harley is subsequently still throwing Muhammad Ali-style haymakers with the same injured shoulder she could barely move an hour earlier is anybody’s guess, especially when Payne has literally just given the colourfully costumed trained psychiatrist a serious smackdown of her own.

Providing this publication with their swansong as its interior artist is Riley Rossmo, who arguably adds a lot of much-needed energy to this comic’s storytelling. Of note is the Canadian artist’s dynamic depiction of Quinzel’s delirious dream sequence boxing the Verdict. The pencilled punches are ferocious and readers will surely be able to hear both the sound of leather upon flesh, as well as the squeak of trainers upon canvas, as they enthusiastically peruse the scintillating sparring taking place in the squared circle before them.

The regular cover art of "HARLEY QUINN" #17 by Riley Rossmo