Moon Knight [2016] #2 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 2, July 2016

Despite containing a particularly ponderous beginning which somewhat laboriously focuses upon Khonshu’s explanation as to the circumstances surrounding Marc Spector’s mysterious incarceration within a “nightmarish insane asylum”, Jeff Lemire’s script for Issue Two of “Moon Knight” eventually makes for a genuinely thought-provoking read and certainly towards the end of the twenty-page periodical must have partially conjured up within its audience the sort of pulse-pounding euphoria that actor Christopher Reeve once generated in the 1978 “Superman” motion picture when he first tore open his well-pressed shirt and revealed his alter-ego’s world famous ‘S’ symbol. For whilst the Ontario-born writer’s story is far from action-packed and instead in places horrifically wordy, it does ultimately lead to the titular character once again finally donning the crisp white three-piece suit and hood of Mister Knight; “I found that in storage. I thought you would like it back.”

Disappointingly however, some of this comic’s 35,282 followers probably struggled to reach such feelings of elation upon their first attempt, on account of the Egyptian deity didactically debating Seth’s invasion of the modern-day world with the titular character for almost the entirety of the book's opening half... A lengthy, soul-destroying sequence whose tedium unquestionably isn’t helped by it predominantly being told via a series of small-sized panels featuring large white elaborately-styled text and printed upon black-backed speech bubbles. Indeed in many ways the Canadian author's purpose may well have been better served if he’d simply stuck solely to the far more succinct rationalization of events that “we are dealing with an invasion of immortals from another dimension, and we are on the clock, people…” as subsequently given by the Fist of Khonshu to his fellow escapees.

Fortunately though once Lemire has (re)introduced ‘long-time supporting cast members’ Jean-Paul “Frenchie” Duchamp, Marlene “Blondie” Alraune and Gena Landers into the mix, as well as the sudden realisation by Spector that Doctor Emmet is in fact the “God of Judgement” Ammut, this second instalment of “Welcome To New Egypt” really starts to take off, and the group’s fearful tension as they explore the heavily-hieroglyphic sublevels to where the hospital “connects to an old subway tunnel” is pulse-pounding palpable prose. Certainly one could easily argue that as they incorporate Greg Smallwood’s fantastically-drawn living mummies, along with the American artist’s “raw and creepy” dilapidated underground train station, this comic book’s final five pages are worth the cover price alone.

The variant cover art of "MOON KNIGHT" No. 2 by Julian Tedesco

Conan The Slayer #1 - Dark Horse Comics

CONAN THE SLAYER No. 1, July 2016

Cullen Bunn’s narrative for Issue One of “Conan The Slayer” certainly seems to be “one that fans will no doubt be familiar with” as the Ghastly Award nominee undoubtedly manages to capture the mood and feel of Robert E. Howard’s writing with this story of animalistic human savagery, gruesome mutilation and Turanian affairs of state. In fact in many ways “Blood In His Wake” actually reads like an adaptation of one of the Cimmerian’s genuine novels rather than simply a twenty-two page officially licensed comic book.

For starters the American author immediately replicates the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre’s writing technique by ‘picking up’ the “brazen” fighter’s adventure part-way through its telling and introducing the “black-haired, sullen-eyed” titular character literally just after he has single-handedly survived a large-scale battle in which the barbarian’s “proud desert wolves” have been slaughtered to a man by an all-encompassing Turanian host. As a result this publication’s audience are instantly thrown into a compellingly dramatic action sequence which follows the bloodied and bruised blacksmith’s son as he ambushes his heavily-armed pursuers with extreme prejudice and finds safety within the tent of a Kozak settlement; “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them, Cimmerian. I have less use for Turanians than I do for warlords and even less for those who refuse to show respect to their betters.”

However Bunn’s script doesn’t simply rely upon providing plenty of panels depicting grisly decapitations and dismemberment in order to tell his tale. But instead additionally weaves the primal political machinations of the Hyborian Age into his work; something which gives a smattering of depth to Mykylo’s motivation for sparing Conan’s life after the bandit Hetman’s reputation is arrogantly insulted by three “Turanian bloodhounds.”   

Sadly Sergio Davila’s breakdowns for “number one hundred and thirty eight in a series” are not quite as good as the plot, and at times disappointingly appear both rushed and almost unexpectedly amateurish in their execution. There is little doubt that the former “Dynamite Entertainment” artist can produce some outstanding illustrations, as his double splash of the sinisterly shadowy Ghul menacing “the uncountable dead men” the Cimmerian “left in his wake” attests to. Yet his rather anatomically correct, distinctive drawings become increasingly less disciplined in their pencilling, as the comic progresses…

Script: Cullen Bunn, Artist: Sergio Davila, and Colors: Michael Atiyeh

The Amazing Spider-Man [2015] #8 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 8, April 2016

As multi-issue story conclusions go, Dan Slott’s third and final part of “The Dark Kingdom” certainly manages to do a nice job of tying-up all of his narrative’s plot threads, and even succeeds in keeping the titular character’s romance with Lian Tang alive despite “his current girlfriend and designer of his spider-mobile… working for the terrorist organisation, Zodiac, in exchange for medical treatments for her dying mother.” But whilst Mister Negative’s defeat is all well and good, as is Cloak and Dagger’s return to normality now they’re immune to the villain’s poison, the “Arkham Asylum” author’s ending arguably must have struck many of this comic’s 71,599 strong audience as being a little too sickly sweet a finale for the infamously luckless Peter Parker. Certainly the Web-crawler’s morally righteous speech to his company’s female “mole” that he’d be a hypocrite “if we didn’t give you a chance to work with us… [to] take down Zodiac” seems rather conveniently contrived considering she had only just moments before caused thousands of pounds worth of damage whilst trying to kill him; “I promise to make this quick. If it helps. This isn’t personal.”

Fortunately, despite such reservations with its script, “Black & White” still proves to be a genuinely fun and thrilling read, crammed full of action sequences, such as the Shanghai Police Department’s battle with Martin Li’s demonic mask wearing minions, and the sort of smart-mouthed humorous banter that Spidey’s followers have come to expect. Indeed the “friendly neighbourhood” Web-spinner’s delightful remonstration of his old foe’s “worst Admiral Ackbar” impersonation ever as the ebony-skinned villain shouts “It’s a trap” in surprise, must have had the comic’s “Star Wars” fans smiling broadly.

Arguably somewhat less successful, though undoubtedly competently drawn, is Matteo Buffagni’s rather lifeless artwork. The Scuola Internazionale Di Comics graduate certainly knows how to pace a script, and does an especially fine job of storyboarding the hero’s fraught high-rise confrontation with his errant spider-mobile chauffeur, as well Cloak & Dagger's rescue of Quinghao after the “Humanitarian of the Year” is ordered to jump out of the multi-storey building’s window by the manipulative mind-controller Mister Negative. Yet sadly none of these theatrically dramatic occurrences appear particularly animated or even energic, and rather seem perturbingly two-dimensional despite Marte Gracia’s evident attempt to provide the figures with some much-needed depth courtesy of the Mexican’s colouring.

Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Matteo Buffagni, and Colorist Artist: Marte Gracia

Harrow County #3 - Dark Horse Comics

HARROW COUNTY No. 3, July 2015

Despite depicting fiery ghosts rising from beneath their long-forgotten grave markers, the haunting whispers of an adolescent boy’s skin confined within a satchel, and the gory body of an “angry, ferocious” haint, the most disturbing element of Cullen Bunn’s plot to Issue Three of “Harrow County” must undoubtedly be the savage murderous attempt to kill Emmy by the girl’s own Pa; “It’s good that you’ll be gone before you realize -- what you are! Stay back! Let me finish this!” Indeed the sequence where the tearful yet perturbingly determined farmer brutally throttles his daughter before the eyes of her friend Bernice must have chilled many of this comic’s 9,189 readers to their very bones.

But whilst the somewhat unthinkable attack upon his teenage child may well have unsettled many of this horrific tale’s audience, the American noir author’s narrative also uses this distressing situation as the catalyst for the protagonist’s realisation, and swift acceptance, that although she was “not some monster”, she “can be.” This sudden loss of all innocence in the lead character is “deftly written” by the Bram Stoker Award nominee, especially when it at first appears to convince the bloodied blonde that she must find “a way to get rid of” her father “and to make sure he stayed gone… forever.”

Equally as compelling as Bunn’s narrative though, has to be the “beautifully drawn” illustration work of Tyler Crook. The former “sports video games” artist does a terrific job in captivating the eye with his brightly coloured blazing ghosts wordlessly mouthing words of warning to the startled trespassers. But it’s his incredibly emotive facial expressions found upon the figures of the living which really help tell this story of paternal betrayal and treachery. In fact the utterly astounded look in young Emmy’s eyes as her Pa mercilessly strangles her whilst all the while telling her he’s sorry, followed by the young woman’s almost malevolent look as she subsequently considers the battered and bruised farmer’s fate, is actually far more hauntingly impactive than the comic’s cliff-hanger when a sobbing naïve witch inadvertently disturbs the slumber of a four-eyed demonic creature that “would just as soon kill the girl as lay eyes upon her.”

Script: Cullen Bunn, Art and Lettering: Tyler Crook, and Pinup Art: Shane White

James Bond #5 - Dynamite Entertainment

JAMES BOND No. 5, March 2016

Somewhat slower in places than its previous instalments, and certainly far wordier once the titular character returns to the relative safety of his superior’s office on the Albert Embankment in London, Warren Ellis’ narrative for Issue Five of “James Bond” still manages to imitate the franchise’s recognisable motion picture formula of sinister espionage and mastermind machinations by presenting a genuinely thrilling, no-nonsense grudge fight between the British secret agent and his nemesis Kurjak’s main assassin, the cybernetically enhanced ex-marine Dharma Reach.

Indeed, the sociocultural commentator dedicates almost the entire second half of this twenty-two page periodical to resolving the pair’s final confrontation, and even self-indulges in a thirteen panel sequence depicting the former Royal Naval Reserve Commander’s own motor vehicle being ambushed by his opponent as its being driven “through one of the old docks in the east.” There’s even room for the multiple Eagle Award-winner to illustrate Bond’s darker side by having the groggy, battered spy sadistically tell his would-be murderess that he actually tortured her homicidal lover Bryan Masters before killing him; something which understandably throws the woman into an uncontrollable rage and thus buys 007 some much-needed time in order to scramble free of the debilitating car wreckage.

Ellis is also able to incorporate the occasional reference to his subject matter’s previous adventures into the mix, such as having the intelligence officer’s driver at Heathrow use James’ “Diamonds Are Forever” alias “Peter Franks” on the arrivals placard; “You’re a funny man, Bill. I’d come over there and shoot you if I still had a gun.” Such delightful nods to the secret serviceman's formidable history doubtless caused a knowing smile amongst many of this publication’s 15,667 strong audience, as must have M’s familiar spikiness when he dispatches his unarmed operative to liaise with some MI5 colleagues, and reminds Bond he’ll have just his wits to rely upon.

Equally as impressive, despite having to handle a somewhat sedentary script, is Jason Masters’ artwork. The South African penciller really manages to capture the fierce manly arrogance of Sean Connery’s silver screen performance, without his protagonist actually bearing the actor’s physical features. As a result, a dapperly dressed 007 appears wonderfully at ease during the animated action sequences, and later dangerously constricted within the confines of his suit when moodily sat during a debriefing.

Writer: Warren Ellis, Artist: Jason Masters, and Colors: Guy Major

Revenger #1 - UK Comics Creative

REVENGER No. 1, September 2014

One of the highlights of the May 2016 “MCM London Comic Con”, Issue One of “Revenger” is undoubtedly a title worthy of its front page “suggested for mature readers” warning, with its grisly depictions of brutal beatings, gruesome gunplay and graphically explicit sex. In fact it’s hard to imagine a more disturbingly violent narrative than the one played out within this twenty-four page self-published periodical as headless torsos, bodiless entrails and sadomasochistic paraphernalia populate its panels.

However for those readers able to stomach such wanton carnage as a maimed drug dealer having his head blown away by a former British Para, mentally scarred by the mutilation and dismemberment he witnessed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Warwick Fraser-Coombe has undoubtedly crafted a narrative which is both packed full of suspenseful action and laugh-out-loud humour. It’s certainly hard not to guffaw when the mask-wearing vigilante finishes off his opponent Jason Fell with a sawn-off shotgun despite his victim’s demand to “call me an ambulance”; “You’re an ambulance.” Boom!

Fortunately the former Parachute Regiment Reserve writer proves just as adept at providing his ‘post 2008 banking collapse’ world with a strong element of gritty realism, as he does interspersing his blood-soaked storyline with moments of humour. Roger is undoubtedly not a comic book "hood and cape" character who miraculously manages to dodge bullets and shrug off punches. Indeed the writer goes to quite extraordinary lengths to demonstrate just how fragile the heavily-armed rookie actually is by having him bleed profusely upon receiving his very first blow to the head and then later ends this ‘Prologue’ on a knife’s edge courtesy of a somewhat claret-covered Revenger desperately trying to staunch his wounds within his semi-detached home, whilst the local Police Constabulary encircle the residence.

Having penned such a wonderfully absorbing tale as “Coming Home From War To A House Full Of Snakes”, Fraser-Coombe’s artwork additionally does a terrific job in depicting all the savagery of what is clearly “a very personal project”. His highly stylized, somewhat raw, drawing style is reminiscent of “Nemesis The Warlock” co-creator Kevin O’Neil and really imbues his fight scenes with some alarmingly dynamic energy.

Artwork, Story and Lettering: Warwick Fraser-Coombe

Doctor Strange [2015] #6 - Marvel Comics

DOCTOR STRANGE No. 6, May 2016

Predominantly focusing upon the magically-charged confrontation between the comic’s titular character and the Empirikul’s Imperator, Issue Six of “Doctor Strange” certainly showed its 52,440 strong audience in March 2016 just how doggedly determined the former “preeminent surgeon” could be when faced with an opponent he apparently cannot best… and likewise demonstrated to its readership the formidable power wielded by the deadly globe-headed spell-caster purifiers.

Indeed, Jason Aaron’s opening chapter to “The Last Days Of Magic” really seems to have gone that extra mile to exhibit just how truly cataclysmic the Sorcerer Supreme’s supernatural abilities really are by having Stephen literally “drain the Dragon Lines [and] drain the Earth itself of all its magical energy” in order to try and lay a decisive ‘smack down’ upon his terrifying opponents; “Abracadabra, You son of a bitch!”

Previous displays of “such power” by the Ancient One’s successor have usually been limited to him simply evoking a dread-sounding incantation or perhaps had the book’s illustrator sketch a flamboyant splash reminiscent of Steve Ditko’s Sixties surrealistic work. But for this twenty-page periodical the Alabama-born author’s script instead meticulously details the “Man of Magic” breathlessly fending off his lethal attackers with captivating shrubbery, numerous abandoned automobiles, the thick black tar-like despair of the Bronx and Harlem, as well as the bestial fire from the planet’s very heart. In fact in many ways this entire comic is arguably just one long battle between the “Little Wizard” and his monotone-coloured would-be killers, with the Harvey Award-winner’s narrative only occasionally giving its audience pause for breath with the briefest of interludes.

Fortunately these glimpses into the worldwide battle against the Empirikul’s forces are equally as enthralling as Doctor Strange’s toe-to-toe slugfest with the high and almighty Imperator, courtesy of artist Chris Bachalo weaving an incredible amount of characterful cameos throughout the action. Doctor Voodo, Professor Xu, Mahatma Doom, Hellstorm, Scarlet Witch, Wong, Count Kaoz, Magik, Shaman and Talisman all join Chondu and Monako in their fight against the crew of “a giant eyeball ship in the sky”. Whilst the publication’s secondary short story features the ‘demise’ of such notables as Mistress Miraculous, Mister Sunny, Lady Butters, Snoozy, Bipples and Captain Kazoo.

The variant cover art of "DOCTOR STRANGE" No. 6 by Butch Guice