Task Force Z #11 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 11, October 2022

Crammed with numerous frenzied fights, two seriously strong powerhouses in the shape of Gotham Girl and her late brother, Henry Clover, as well as some truly disturbing body horror, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Eleven of “Task Force Z” certainly delivers the goods as far as good old fashioned comic book action is concerned. However, it’s doubtful that many within this publication’s audience actually understood who was fighting whom and for what reason, without them having first read “DC Comics” solicitation synopsis; “I didn’t come here to fight a bunch of rent-a-cops. But I don’t mind the warm-up.”

Thankfully though, this quibble is a relatively minor one once Red Hood takes his “fight to Powers International” and foolishly faces all of his former team-mates in a battle royale of the most savage order. Indeed, Jason Todd’s furious assault upon the likes of a zombified Man-Bat, Arkham Knight and Deadshot is so well-paced it arguably doesn’t matter what the lead protagonist’s motivation is – especially when it superbly sets up the former-Robin’s one-sided confrontation with the insanely formidable metahuman he previously murdered in cold blood when he thought they were actually Bane.

In addition, the American author does a first-rate job in providing Mister Bloom with a genuine moment of terrifying mutilation when an absolutely aghast Geraldine Powers discovers “the psychotic scarecrow” is keeping Doctor Acheron’s severed head in a glass jar because the decapitated scientist still “won’t stop screaming.” So grotesque a scene really helps to show that the gangly super-villain is capable of ignoring any moral compass, and subsequently adds to Two-Face’s intense fear when Task Force Z’s boss is later cornered by an armour-suited Bloom beneath the city’s centre.

Adding even more macabre magic to this twenty-two page periodical is Eddy Barrows’ sense-shattering layouts. Along with Eber Ferreira’s inks and Adriano Lucas’ colours, the Brazilian artist quite beautifully captures all the raw emotion on show by this comic’s considerably-sized cast, with Gotham Girl’s evident appreciative delight at having her dead relation returned to her, along with Powers’ sheer shock at Acheron’s ignoble fate, being just two of this book’s numerous visual highlights.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #11 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #3 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 3, November 2022

Tightly focused upon “the apocalyptic” Suicide Squad’s all or nothing attempt to rescue Koriand'r from the diabolical clutches of Baron Cinder, this twenty-four page periodical’s plot must surely have had its audience riveted throughout every scene. Indeed, the notion that any one of this comic’s protagonists could suddenly meet with a grisly death at a moment’s notice repeatedly leaps out of every panel, especially when the perilous mission riskily relies upon the good will of a blood-sucking Batwoman; “I think she’s legit. But if you have doubts just incinerate her.”

Equally as terrifying is Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s ability to imbue the vampire’s medieval-looking fortress with a genuine creepy vibe, which arguably appears able to sends shivers down any reader’s spine the moment Deathstroke, Azrael and Kate Kane approach its guarded gates through a heavy sea of blood-splattered mist. This ‘Hammer House of Horror’ ambience really adds to the storytelling, as it repeatedly hints at the possibility of a gory demise occurring just around every corner. In fact, the perpetual suspense is so well-penned that it debatably almost comes as a relief when one of the party is finally slain through dark witchcraft.

Artists Pasquale Qualano and Nicola Righi must also take a well-deserved bow for their contribution to this publication’s success, as their sombre-coloured layouts, occasionally made all the more unnerving with a garish splash of red pigmentation, are truly mesmerising. Moreover, the duo are responsible for possibly this book’s biggest highlight when they depict a formidably brutal Bane squashing a load of hapless thralls beneath the castle’s main door and then go on a ferocious rampage alongside “one of Gotham’s daughters” up the fortification’s inner stairwell.

Just as disconcerting is Emma Vieceli’s unfairly labelled “backup” story “Dark Birth”. Prodigiously pencilled by Haining, this deeply disturbing tale of Dick Grayson being treacherously ensnared by his own half-sister, Melinda Zucco, into Bludhaven’s vampire civil war is desperately sad, due to the former Robin bravely facing an entire cartel of the Undead single-handedly and knowing full well that Barbara Gordon, the Teen Titans nor even Batman will be able to save him from a truly tragic fate.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #3 by Alan Quah

Ms. Marvel & Venom #1 - Marvel Comics

MS. MARVEL & VENOM No. 1, November 2022

Featuring an initially tense collaboration between its titular characters and then a pulse-pounding team-up with arguably some of Marvel Worldwide’s hottest current properties, Jody Houser’s storyline for this thirty-page “concluding movement of the super hero symphony of the summer” certainly seems to strike all the high-notes a reader might expect from so enthusiastically hyped a comic book event. Sure, the decidedly feel-good atmosphere of this publication’s ending doesn’t allow its script to delve too deep into the disconcertingly dark background of its main antagonist, the mutant-hating Man with the Peacock Tattoo. But there’s still plenty of gruesome mutilation, body horror and desperate, last minute acts of bravado to intimate just how truly despicable XENO’s world aims actually are.

Furthermore, the American author does a great job in demonstrating just how far Kamala Khan has grown since becoming “the newest holder of the Ms. Marvel identity”, by repeatedly comparing the teenager’s laudable actions with those of the much more inexperienced, and frankly petulant, Dylan Brock. These differences show an intriguing maturity in “Giant Girl” and definitely adds some credibility to her later ‘leading’ the likes of Wolverine and Moon Knight into battle against a small army of massively-mutated grotesques; “You realise they were targeted because of how hard it is to kill them, right?”

By far this comic’s greatest hook though, lies in its sense-shattering set-pieces. Houser does a first-rate job in giving both her central leads plenty to do within the investigation-heavy narrative, as well as showcasing their amazing special powers. In addition, the tension between the two contrasting personalities provides some memorable moments of dialogue, especially when Brock acts like “a real jerk” and unsuccessfully attempts to take the credit for them locating the underground lair of X-Force’s lethal adversaries.

Also nobly contributing to this book’s triumph has to be Dave Wachter’s eye-catching layouts. The illustrator does a particularly good job in pencilling the sheer chaos surrounding Khan early on in this story, when she is firmly focused upon saving a large number of residents from their fast-collapsing block of flats. However, it is arguably the artist’s incredibly repugnant flesh monsters, and their evident physical pain at being so tragically transformed, which will linger longest in the memory of this issue’s audience.

The regular cover art to "MS. MARVEL & VENOM" #1 by Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee

Omega #4 - Cutaway Comics

OMEGA No. 4, October 2021

Whilst it arguably wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to view Mark Griffiths’ narrative for Issue Four of “Omega” as a stand-a-lone story bolted onto the writer’s previously published three-parter, this particular twenty-four page periodical’s plot certainly differs somewhat in nature as to its predecessors. In fact, apart from prominently featuring Princess Malika and the dark-hearted renegade Time Lord “imprisoned in a black hole”, there’s debatably little within this tale which strongly connects it to the rest of Cutaway Comics' mini-series; “I’ve reached a conclusion… But I don’t think you’ll like it.”

Rather pleasingly though, such distance from the destruction of Minyos enables the ‘Radio Four playwright’ to pen an intriguing tale about "the Engineer" attempting to rule a civilisation of his own making as a benevolent and wise ruler. Naturally, considering the cruel temperament of the “great intergalactic engineer” things don’t work out terribly well for his planet’s population, particularly for the public who unwisely decide to stay to face his lethal wrath. But that doesn’t stop Omega’s apparently earnest endeavour, or Malika’s desperate effort to evacuate some of the megalomaniac’s mortified people to the safety of our universe, from being any less riveting a read.

Indeed, one of the biggest draws of this book is debatably that its audience knows “the anti-matter creature” cannot be trusted with the hapless lives of others, so is bound to come into direct conflict with the aquatic-looking amphibians who ‘rule’ his world, especially when some suddenly decide to profane his sacred image in an act of atheism. However, what the audience is potentially not anticipating is Griffiths imbuing the fish-men’s military with the surprising ability to so badly damage their “creator” with “some kind of anti-neutrino beam” that they temporarily deprive him of his great power and force Omega into hibernation.

Equally as enjoyable as this comic’s script are John Ridgway’s pencils, which quite beautifully manage to capture all the alien weirdness going on with great creative aplomb. The artist’s incredible splash page depicting Malika laser-blasting a giant Lion Mantis straight through the insect's head is a genuine feast for the eyes, as is the Englishman’s enigmatic design for Omega’s ill-fated extra-terrestrial beings.

Writer: Mark Griffiths, Artist: John Ridgway, and Colourist: Andrew Orton

Moon Knight [2021] #13 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 13, September 2022

Considering the sheer amount of conversational pieces covered within this twenty-page periodical as Jed MacKay’s script sedentarily saunters from one darkly-lit discussion to another, it may well have been difficult for its audience to initially imagine just how Marc Spector’s “war with the vampires of the Structure” was ever going to lure any new bibliophiles into perusing the ongoing series. But whilst Issue Thirteen of “Moon Knight” is undeniably assailed with word-heavy dialogue balloons from almost every angle, their contents and the comic’s incredibly creepy atmosphere makes the entire publication an impressively riveting read; “He’ll come at you faster than the speed of sound, go right through you and won’t care what it’ll do to him.”

For starters the book’s central plot concerning Tutor unsuccessfully trying to recruit the Taskmaster to kill the “Cowled Avenger” is mesmerizingly well-penned, courtesy of Anthony Masters talking about his potential target with both an incredible amount of respect and surprising trepidation. Such evident apprehension in a stone-cold killer who’d happily attempt to murder the likes of Spider-Man, Daredevil and Captain America, speaks absolute volumes for the reputation of the Fist of Khonshu. But also suggests the potential deadliness of the Structure’s own professional assassins, Nemean and Grand Mal, when they’re later assigned the mission.

Just as well delivered is the enthralling earnestness of Moon Knight to wipe his streets clean of criminally-inclined blood-drinkers. This silver-edged slaughter starts out simply enough with the “Crescent Crusader” staking out some prisoners just before sunrise so as to see whether one of them will tell him where their secret lair is. Somewhat shockingly, all of the fanged captives would apparently rather be fried alive than treacherously betray the Tutor. However, their sacrifice still sets a formidably-tense tone for the steel-like determination of Spector’s adversaries – something which is violently depicted later on when Marc skirmishes with some of the vampire leader’s more elite soldiers.

Working incredibly well alongside MacKay’s writing are Federico Sabbatini and colour artist Rachelle Rosenberg. Together, the creative duo provide some truly stellar-looking panels, most notably those showing the sun’s rays lancing across Moon Knight’s somewhat dishevelled costume, and then much later when the “Lunar Legionnaire” is mercilessly beheading a squad of supposedly immortal, automatic rifle-carrying hit-men.

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio, and Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Creepshow #1 - Image Comics

CREEPSHOW No. 1, September 2022

Considering just how high the anticipation was for this “five-issue comic book anthology based on Greg Nicotero’s hit Shudder television series” following Skybound's announcement in July 2022, Chris Burnham’s script for “Take One” was arguably always going to fall under incredible scrutiny from its readers’ nostalgia-tinted hand lenses. Happily though, the Halloween-based fright-fest is more than up to its task of depicting a disconcertingly disturbing thriller, and even manages to add an extra bump in the night at its conclusion by portraying the one victim with a conscience as the true villain of the piece; “Did he make it right? No! That little monster got his disgust desserts!” 

In fact, the Connecticut-born writer somehow manages to cram his ten-pager with all the tropes fans of spine-chilling show might expect - including the Creep’s rather humorous cackling narration, a strong sense of foreboding before the tale’s errant adolescents stupidly decide to steal some sweeties, and a stomach-churning conclusion full of extreme bodily mutilation. Furthermore, all these 'dark doings' are prodigiously pencilled by Burnham himself, with the American artist conjuring up a truly unpleasant antagonist in the guise of the long-dead Mister Xander, who vengefully wanders the local streets as a decomposing, heavily-moustached zombie.

Slightly less successful, partly due to its silly and debatably non-lethal ending, is Paul Dini and Stephen Langford’s “Shingo”, which follows young Fee’s last-minute birthday party. Initially appearing to establish the unimpressed girl’s dysfunctional parents as the yarn’s central sacrificial offerings, this demonic warning not to employ a carnivorous monster as your kid’s shoddily arranged entertainer certainly accumulates an impressive kill-count due to the titular character furiously munching its way through a seemingly endless carousal of hapless children.

However, by the time Sherrie, the ex-pole dancing princess, has been mercilessly wolfed down with a single gulp, the rather repetitive nature of this fearsome fable’s plot means that the orange-furred, purple skinned clown has probably outstayed its welcome with the comic’s audience. As a result, this particular "debut edition" anecdote will probably be best remembered for some marvellous gratuitously gruesome panels by artist John McCrea showing Shingo swallowing his numerous victims whole as opposed to its actual standalone storyline.

 Writer & Artist: Chris Burnham, Writers: Paul Dini & Stephen Langford, and Artist: John McCrea

Deliver Us From Evil #1 - Blood Moon Comics

DELIVER US FROM EVIL No. 1, November 2022

Repeatedly interspersed with disconcerting glimpses into the historical depravity of mankind whenever steered by the whispered word of the Devil, Peter Breau’s plot for Issue One of “Deliver Us From Evil” is probably best perused with the lights on and a stiff drink to hand. Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine a reader experiencing a more disturbing twenty-two-page periodical as they’re brutally thrown into the chaos-filled world of the mysterious Mister Lazar and the seemingly diabolical doings of D.R.E.D.D.

Foremost of these perturbances is probably the way in which this comic’s author pens its lead protagonist effortlessly wandering through life without so much as a single care, no matter what horrifying situation it causes him to witness. Some within this book’s audience may well think that being arrested by the Police for multiple warrants and a subsequent thirteen-year prison sentence is grim going, especially when the writer does such a splendid job in describing the savage nature of the penitentiary’s hierarchy; “The Yard. A perverse adult version of Elementary School. It’s primal… Wolves and Sheep. But butchers don’t concern themselves with the opinions of wolves or sheep.”

However, such a violent environment pales into insignificance once Lazar has been transported to Montauk via a black operation’s helicopter and given a sight-seeing tour of the enigmatic facility’s numerous underground levels. This sequence is truly haunting and is simply packed full of glimpses into exotic extra-terrestrial worlds, prehistoric subsistence, nefarious governmental cover-ups, anthropomorphized felines and age-old science fiction tropes – all of which are both unnervingly familiar and freakishly flabbergasting.

Just as discombobulating as this publication’s pleasing plot are Mattia Doghini’s engrossing layouts, which add an incredible amount of atmosphere to the storytelling, courtesy of the artist’s heavily shadowed sketching style and the decision to boldly print the comic in just black and white. The illustrator’s double splash-page of Montauk’s interior is well worth the cost of this comic alone as it should take any perusing bibliophile an eternity to fully assimilate all the different dimensions it depicts. Whilst the sudden appearance of an amiable, talking sasquatch and ghoulish nun later in the narrative are prodigiously pencilled, with both characters being imbued with plenty of personality despite their extremely limited ‘screen-time’.

Writer: Peter Breau and Art: Mattia Doghini