Author: Robert Greenberger

Human Nature: Book 1
By Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, and Jeff Welch
208 pages/Abrams ComicArts/$29.99

When an inventive filmmaker like Darren Aronofsky produces a graphic novel, it warrants attention. His work on Black Swan, The Wrestler, and Requiem for a Dream, among other movies, shows an inventive director but also an inquisitive storyteller, examining different aspects of the human condition. Here, without budgetary limitations, he tackles the biggest issue of them all: life after death.

Here, he partners with his frequent screenwriting collaborator Ari Handel, along with screenwriter Jeff Welch (Bet Your Life), who first conceived the idea in 2011, although none of them could craft a script that secured studio funding. (George Clooney was considered for Duke, which would have been an interesting approach.) This is a first for them all, which may be why the story takes so long to ramp up.

We are introduced to Duke, a self-made success who leverages his poultry business to become one of the world’s richest men. He seeks a way to cheat death, taking the Walt Disney route of cryogenics, hoping that the brain tumor slowly killing him can be cured at some future date. He finds such a company but decides it costs too much, so he buys it out and grows it into profitability through scale by offering to freeze the near-dead for a mere $99.99.

Duke is not a pleasant person, letting the bottom line dictate his choices, refusing to acknowledge people’s frailties. The only glimmer of kindness emerges when he discovers the existence of Pembroke, an adult daughter he never knew. He’s frozen before he can search, thanks to the unscrupulous actions of his number two.

His search for her drives some of the story. When he awakes, Duke discovers an unrecognizable world, one where aliens have invaded and remain unknown, their motivations and actions unexplained. We see him slowly learning to please his captors by singing whatever songs he can recall, and trying to engage with his neighboring captives.

We learn all of this as an elderly Duke tells a group of initiates his story sitting around a campfire. Most of the book is then an extended flashback.

It’s billed as a satire, and it’s a very subtle satire, more about the human failings and corporate greed – so far. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s also billed as Book 1 of a trilogy and utterly fails the reader by ending on a cliffhanger. For $30, I would think the reader deserves enough story to feel satisfied, welcome to return for the next installment. Here, we are forced to buy Book 2 to continue the story.

Martin Morazzo is best known for Ice Cream Man, a title I am unfamiliar with, but I really enjoyed his work on 2018’s She Could Fly. But his art is richly textured, and the writers give him plenty of space for vast vistas or thousands of chicks. He doesn’t skimp on detail and invites us to immerse ourselves in this new reality. He is ably supported by the subtle colors from Chris O’Halloran and Aditya Bidkar’s lettering.

Overall, it’s a breezy read with plenty to look at and enjoy. As for giving us much to consider, well, that will just have to wait.

The Undertaker Volume One
By Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer
112 pages/Abrams ComicArts/$25.99

While the Western has risen and fallen in favor here in America, it has continued to fascinate European creators, who have produced works set in an era they know only from history and movies. Among the more interesting offerings has been the Undertaker series from French-born Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer. They have been producing multiple story cycles since 2015, and last week their English-translated stories (by Tom Imber) finally reached us.

“The Gold Eater” cycle introduces us to Jonas Crow, who is, in 1868, an itinerant undertaker, arriving in Anoki City to collect the body of mining tycoon and grade-A asshole Joe Cusco. Rather than bequeath his wealth, he has decided to take it with him, swallowing gold nuggets. He has contracted with Crow to bring his corpse to the spot of his first gold strike and bury him there. His faithful assistant, Rose Prairie, is blackmailed into assisting him because if she doesn’t, some unknown innocent will be killed in three days’ time.

As they set out, they collect the Chinese governess Miss Lin, and the three are beset by Cusco’s former employees, led by McKullen, the town’s sheriff,  who learn of the gold and want it. Add in American soldiers seeking Crow, wanted for murder and known as the Butcher of Skullhill, and we’re off to the races.

Meyer wanted to write a Western, and Meyer conceived of the Crow to subvert the traditional notion of the Western hero. Here, he’s closer to Jonah Hex than John Wayne, cynical and solitary, uncomfortable with sharing the hearse wagon with the women. He is accompanied by the injured vulture Jed, whom he speaks to more than the women.

Once we’re off, the action is fast-paced as Crow and company have to contend with a harsh environment and with men willing to risk everything to get the gold their families need. There’s desperation to spread around, along with violence.

Working within the tried-and-true Western conventions, the story also addresses universal themes of loyalty, responsibility, and, of course, greed. Justice and morality are examined in the actions the Undertaker takes to protect the women and fend off the men, as he tries to honor his obligation.

Meyer’s Franco-Belgian art is rich in period detail and paces the action sequences quite well. He colored the work with Caroline Delabie in subtle tones, subduing the harsh glare of the sun and desert.

Each cycle is in two parts, so we can hope this does well enough for the remainder of the series to come to the States.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Omnibus
By Various
384 pages/IDW Publishing/$24.99

While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine may never achieve the commercial success of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, it is, for many, the best of the many series. Produced while the focus was on TNG and the development of Voyager, it allowed the series to delve deeper into characters and themes that its predecessors had not explored. It really found its point of view once the Dominion was introduced, followed by the multi-season war, which led to some of the franchise’s strongest writing. 

It’s little surprise then that IDW waited three years after acquiring the license from Paramount Pictures before publishing any DS9 material. There have been miniseries and one-shots, which are now nicely collected into this omnibus.

Collected are Fool’s Gold, Too Long a Sacrifice, and The Dog of War, along with five short stories. These have been written by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, Mike Chen, Cecil Castellucci, Cavan Scott, Dave Baker, and Thom Zahler, with artists Fabio Mantovani, Emanuela Lapacchino, Francesco Lo Start, Greg Scott, Ángel Hernández, Megan Levens, Josh Hood, Nicole Goux, and Andy Price.

Fool’s Gold (clearly set between seasons three and four) focuses on the space station being a gathering spot for thieves and bounty hunters, testing Constable Odo and Colonel Kira, and delighting Quark. Too Long a Sacrifice (set late sixth season) is an Odo murder mystery, while The Dog of War (a 30th anniversary tribute) is a delightful romp as Quark brings a corgi aboard the station. What no one noticed is that the dog has some Borg components wreaking havoc in its wake.

While this provides entertaining stories, they all lack the real feel of the series, its busy population and numerous subplots dealing with nearby Bajor, the wormhole, the mysterious Founders who dwell within it, or Sisko’s spiritual journey.

These are serviceable and respect the characters and their actors; they don’t really explore anything new or delve deeper. Certainly, the short stories work well given their length, with “The First Year” being the best of the bunch.

Much of the writing is solid and serviceable; the art captures the look and feel of the station and its varied population, along with some nice cameos from races from other corners of the franchise.

Since we’re not getting a movie or even new novels, we have these to provide us with some reading comfort, and if these are new to you, this volume does a good job packaging them together, although there are just a few bonus pages.

Godzilla Rulers of Earth
By Chris Mowry, Matt Frank, and Jeff Zornow
592 Pages/IDW Publishing/$13.99

I grew up in the 1960s when the first Godzilla movies became part of the monster movies frequently found on television at all hours of the day or night. I recall being thrilled to be taken to see Destroy All Monsters because it was the monster team-up I always imagined.

But I never thought Godzilla lent itself to comic books, no matter who tried their hands at it, beginning with Marvel in the 1970s. So much depended on the iconic roar and the man in the suit. Company after company has tried, and it appears IDW found a winning formula with this particular series. It ran for 25 issues, the longest run for any Godzilla title, and remains fondly recalled by fans of the character. If you, like me, skipped this, you can now get a nicely priced omnibus of the complete series at the 6’ x 9” size.

The stories here pick up after the ongoing Godzilla as the kaiju begin appearing around the world. This typical problem is enhanced by the arrival of shapeshifting Cryogs, aliens bent on conquering the world. They form an alliance with the undersea Devonians, an ancient civilization new to the reader. 

This alliance appears to spell the end to humanity, with Destoroyah and Biollante dispatched to destroy Godzilla (as if). Meanwhile, the Counter-Kaiju Reaction Forces (CKR), led by Commander Steven Woods and a team of Kaiju Watchers, fronted by Lucy Casprell, represent the main humans involved in the story.

Across the first dozen issues. We watch battle after battle, as buildings are toppled, people flee in panic, and the CKR try to hold things together. Things look pretty bleak for mankind until the Devonians betray their alien partners, resulting in the CKR and Godzilla turning the tide.

Undaunted by their seeming defeat, the Cryogs unleashed the Trilopods, parasitic aliens that absorb the DNA and powers of any kaiju they bite, creating hybrid clones of Earth’s monsters. Now we have something new to worry about, but it sure gives artists Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow something fun to draw, and they make it work, issue after issue. Their humans are never quite right, but their kaiju and aliens are lovely.

Things are looking pretty bleak as one by one, the kaiju are defeated and trussed up in Los Angeles hives. This, of course, puts all the creatures in one place for the climactic battle in the final issue.

Chris Mowry paces things nicely, making certain his humans have things to do and feel even though it’s clear he, like the artists, does better with the kaiju and aliens. Mowry certainly has been steeped in the Toho lore, and there are some nice deep cuts for long-time fans.

If you want monsters, you get them all: Godzilla, Gigan, Rodan, Mothra, Zilla, Kumonga, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Titanosaurus, Battra Hedorah, and Mechagodzilla. Even SpaceGodzilla gets some screen time.

Reading this took me back to the first battle royale with the monsters, and it felt nostalgic in a good way.

Prime Time Television all too often reduces great ideas to easily digestible concepts, often resulting in police procedurals of one sort or another. As a result, when the Vertigo Comics interpretation of Lucifer Morningstar was optioned by Fox in 2014, they quickly announced that the devil would be running a piano bar, like in the comics, but also partner with a policeman. I was initially turned off to the notion and was slow to sample Lucifer when it finally debuted in 2016.

A funny thing happened: the buzz was surprisingly good. The ratings were solid, and it kept getting renewed. Thanks to the miracle of On Demand, my wife and I were able to go back to the beginning and play catch-up.

For those who missed out on the initial run, can now find the entire 93 episodes spread across six seasons collected from Warner Archive as Lucifer: The Complete Series. Essentially, the individual seasons have been packaged together, unfortunately, with no new Special Features. So, if you already possess these, you can skip them. To the uninitiated, this is for you.

Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg created Lucifer Morningstar as supporting players in the acclaimed Sandman comic, and then Vertigo gave him his own series (2000-2006), written by novelist Mike Carey. The fallen angel was cast from Heaven to rule over Hell and was accompanied by one of Lilith’s offspring, Mazikeen, whose first act as his companion was to cut off his wings.

On the Fox version, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) has left ruling Hell out of boredom (you’d be bored too after 10 billion years) and now runs Lux, a piano bar in Los Angeles. Throughout the series, the tension between acting on one’s desires and fate versus free will is a recurring theme explored through the regular cast and the story du jour. As devils, demons, and angels spend more time on this mortal coil and interact with mankind, those interactions force them to reexamine their core beliefs.

Fascinated after an encounter with police detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), Lucifer pulls strings to get named a consultant and becomes Decker’s partner. The slow-burning romance between the two carries us pretty much through the first five seasons until they finally become the couple we knew they would be, but unlike many such couplings, this one burns brighter when they’re together, resulting in a very satisfying conclusion. Mazikeen (Leslie-Ann Brandt) initially objects strenuously to this diversion until she leaves Lux and becomes a bounty hunter and ultimately shares Decker’s home, leading to some enchanting exchanges between the demon and Decker’s daughter Trixie (Scarlet Estevez).

With every passing season, the cast grows and becomes more varied, enriching the interactions, especially as Lucifer seeks out Dr. Linda Martin (Rachel Harris) to process his evolving emotions and as his brother angel Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) spends more time among mortals. Add in the eternal optimist police scientist Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia), other angles, cops, exes, and more, and the ensemble became richer. One after the other learned Lucifer’s secret, spoiling some of the mystique, but it seemed inevitable.

Ellis is just wonderful as the title character, deliciously reveling in being the devil while letting himself become vulnerable and even fall in love. The remainder of the cast is solid, with nice chemistry among them. Their work made the series tremendous fun to watch.

The series struggled in the ratings, despite positive reviews, so Fox canceled it, and the fans were loud enough to attract Netflix’s attention. They acquired it and ordered its final three seasons, which managed consistency despite the production pause during the pandemic. After meeting the angels’ mother, Charlotte (Tricia Helfer), we finally got around to meeting dad (Dennis Haysbert in the thankless role of God). This set up the final storyline as Mother and Father decided it was time to move on, and the fight for the Silvery City’s throne was on.

The discs come neatly packed in a plastic shell case and a cardboard slipcase. They are the original Blu-ray presses, with varying degrees of quality, ranging from good to very good. The 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s nicely reproduce the rich colors and preserve the shadows required for many of the storylines. The lossless DTS-HD MA is more consistent season to season and up to the task for comfortable home viewing.

Each season includes deleted scenes and gag reels. The first season includes four brief character profiles and the cast appearing at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. Season two’s discs have the 2016 Comic-Con panel and a look at the show’s move from Vancouver to Los Angeles in Reinventing Lucifer in the City of Angels (14:42).

The Shadowed Circle Compendium
Edited by Steve Donoso
180 pages/Renaissance Arts Press/$30 softcover, $50 hardcover)

There is no excuse for why this review is so late, and I owe editor Steve Donoso a major apology.

The Shadow has endured for 92 years, first as a radio voice, then in pulp magazine exploits, selling so furiously that it came out twice a month.  He has been adapted for movie serials, feature films, and comic books. His influence endures and is acknowledged as one of the key inspirations for Batman. That’s what fans generally know about the character.

One of the last true fanzines, The Shadowed Circle, carries on the tradition of exploring the character in all his permutations with unbridled joy. The Compendium takes the best of its first seven issues and sprinkles in several new pieces to make for a fine collectible. It’s not the only contemporary publication to study the Shadow mythos, as author/historian Will Murray released last summer’s Knight of Darkness: The Legend of The Shadow, the third volume of his studies.

This review is so late that Donoso is about to launch a Kickstarter campaign for the second Compendium.

So, what do we find here?  There is a foreword from Murray, followed by an introduction from former Shadow comic book writer Michael Uslan (who also has an article tracing his time as a Shadow scribe). We kick off with a fine essay from twentysomething fan Russell M. Moran, explaining how the cloaked vigilante remains relevant.

Nooks and crannies of history are explored, from the failed 1950s television pilot to the final radio broadcast on December 26, 1954. There’s also an index of all 325 magazine stories, crediting the authors all hiding behind the Maxwell Grant house name, as well as which volume of Sanctum Books’ facsimiles they were reprinted in.

One of the more imaginative pieces is Dick Myers’ posthumously published essay, written in the early 1970s—as Pyramid was reprinting selected stories under new Steranko covers—trying to figure out the economics of the Shadow’s operation from buying hats and cloaks in bulk to the cost of the automobiles and airplanes used and damaged in the cause of justice; from the stipends and salaries of his agents, and where did the money to fund the operation for decades come from.

Walter Gibson looms large over the entire volume, given his role as a radio narrator for Street & Smith’s detective stories and his ability to turn him into a captivating figure. Elements can be traced to other pulps and similar dashing tales, but there was enough of a twist and originality to make him wholly original. None of the other ghosts could add as much to the lore as Gibson, a former magician turned prolific writer, did. After all, not only did we get this crimefighting figure, but we got his network of agents, including Burbank, the first man in the chair, as detailed in Tim King’s essay.

If you’ve read some of the books, enjoyed the Alec Baldwin film, or comic stories, you might find this an enriching experience. The love and detail in each piece make for an enjoyable reading experience.

Wake Now in the Fire
By Jarrett Dapier and AJ Dungo
464 pages/Ten Speed Graphic/$38 (hardcover) $24.99 (softcover)

For several years, I taught Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis in my high school English classes, a chance to introduce readers to the graphic novel storytelling style while helping see what people their age endure in other countries. Last year, after a few parents complained about language and sex, I was asked to remove it from the curriculum (although I could keep it in my class library).

When I introduced the story, I referenced its international awards as well as the brief 2013 ban of the book from Chicago Public Schools. So, the parallels were not lost on me. But I never knew the full story.

Former teen librarian at the Evanston and Skokie public libraries, Dapier knows his audience, and the teenagers in this fictionalized account of the true event sound authentic. As the students at Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School arrived on Monday, March 11, 2013, we see how a memo from the district began the sequence of events.

First, an English teacher has to take the books out of the classroom, and then we discover the entire district has to comply, which involves collecting and disposing of them. She bravely preserved her class set.

As word spreads, we focus on several sets of students, including those working on the school newspaper, who begin researching the event. For whatever reason, the Chicago CEO of Schools, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, refuses to respond to requests for comment. Satrapi, though, does, and mainstream media are directed to retrieve her quote from the student journalist.

Dapier does a nice job weaving the growing student discontent into their personal lives, making things complex and realistic. Apparently, the characteristics and life events were real, although characters were changed for dramatic reasons. I appreciate seeing the classroom discussions across the disciplines to make sure all voices and opinions are reflected.

As the 451 Banned Books Club plans a Persepolis read-in and others plan a walkout protest for that Friday. We watch each student wrestle with their choice of action and its consequences. This makes the book a rich reading experience as well as a breezy one.

Dungo’s artwork is relatively simple, mixing real and cartoon elements with thick ink lines, using a limited blue palette, with just red reserved for the banned book’s cover. I wish Dungo tightened the balloon shapes, which wasted a lot of space and, instead, provided more backgrounds, making much of the story seem simplistic/ I found the balloons (but not the captions, go figure) distracting throughout.

In the Note from the Author, we discover it was Dapier who used the Freedom of Information Act to retrieve the vital documents which proved Byrd-Bennett was behind the ban, despite lying about it, and this proved to be one of many instances of her misconduct, ultimately leading to her firing.

With books still under attack across the country, this book is a vital resource that shows students how to take action, have a voice, and hold adults accountable. It’s a compelling read, one I raced through and suspect you will, too.

A Brief History of a Long War: Ukraine’s Fight Against Russian Domination
By Mariam Naiem, Yulia Vus, and Ivan Kypibida
112 pages/Ten Speed Graphics/19.99

As the horrific Ukraine War continues, nearing its fourth anniversary, along comes this wonderful graphic novel.

A Brief History of a Long War: Ukraine’s Fight Against Russian Domination niftily blends a contemporary account of a young woman fleeing for shelter during yet another bomb attack from Russia. As she finds companionship among other victims of Russia’s aggression, they all share reflections of Ukraine’s contemporary situation, while flashing back to the 9^th century, when Ukraine can trace its history.

Yulia Vus & Ivan Kypibida provide detailed illustrations that show the evolution of the country and its inhabitants. With a simplified color scheme, it’s very easy to follow. They take the award-winning journalist’s words and bring them to vivid life.

While Vladimir Putin has wanted Ukraine since he wrote about it in 1997, Russia’s grip on the country dates back centuries, showing how the two are inexorably tied. Depending on your point of view, Ukraine was always a part of Russia and should remain so, while others contend its independence was undermined time and again, and the people should decide their fate.

They do not shy away from the various religious and ethnic controversies, such as the “linguicide” during the 1860s, which banned Ukrainian from being spoken by its natives or the Holodomor famine of the 1930s, which killed over 3.3 million people.

We have a frighteningly short attention span and memory, so let me remind readers that in 2004, Russia poisoned the independently-minded Viktor Yushchenko in the country’s presidential election. He recovered and won the office, only to see his rival, Viktor Yanukovych, replace him in the next election. He enriched himself while turning the country into an authoritarian state that leaned toward Putin, setting the stage for the 2014 seizure of Crimea and moving the pieces, resulting in the 2022 invasion.

Obviously, you can’t fully cover 13 centuries of complex history in 112 pages, nor can you cover all sides of the independence-versus-reabsorption issue that has confronted the Ukrainian people since the dissolution of the USSR. And yes, it isn’t very objective toward the people currently being victimized. It’s also challenging to tell this story when it lacks a definitive ending.

Still, this work provides greater context and vibrant images to help Westerners better grasp the issues at stake. As a result, this is a worthy addition to classroom libraries.