Review: ‘The Un-Men’ and ‘Faker’

Reviews
April 18, 2008

In a bit of a strange coincidence, Vertigo has two new collections out this week that both prominently feature futuristic science and genetic manipulation. The books couldn’t be more different, though, with The Un-Men ($9.99) shining a freaky spotlight on some minor Swamp Thing characters and Faker ($14.99) taking a more serious look at the intersection of intelligence of the natural and artificial varieties.

Let’s look at [[[The Un-Men]]] first, if for no other reason than it being the better of the two books. Writer John Whalen takes the largely forgotten mutated monsters and carves a perfect little niche for them – Aberrance, a town of genetic weirdos.

Without ever becoming self-serious, the story explores the rift that’s formed between those in charge of Aberrance and the lower class of freaks. When one of the protesters turns up dead, a federal agent (an albino, which makes him the normal guy) steps in to investigate. Wackiness ensues.

While the murder mystery never takes on any import, the book sludges along with constant splashes of the bizarre and disgusting, each chapter managing to out-freak the last. It’s spiced with some catchy dialogue, such as, “Rome wasn’t sacked in a day.”

The big conclusion doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and the art is a bit too ordinary for the subject matter, but The Un-Men is still one of the most entertaining and creative new series from last year.

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New York, New York, by Michael Davis

News
April 18, 2008

If you can make it there you can make it anywhere…

I hate Los Angeles.

I hate it here. I hate the food with its damn “tofu” slant. I hate the weather, always freaking sunny. I hate the girls (Asians girl exempt) and that ridiculous “Valley Girl” dialect. I hate the car culture, where what you drive defines you. I hate the stupid way they treat “stars” like these people walk on water. Listen, I enjoy Tom Cruise’s movies but unless Tom is writing me a check he and Katie can wait on line just like me at the airport. I hate gangs and would not shed a tear if they killed each other in a massive gang war.

But most of all, I hate the laid-back way they approach things in L.A.

Case in point, last week I had a severe migraine. I mean bad. I get them so bad sometimes that I go blind and my head feels like it will explode. Trust me, my description does not do the pain justice, let me put it this way, the only two times I have ever considered suicide is once when I was in such pain from a migraine and the other is when Bush won his second term. Anyway, I was sitting on my couch talking to Denys Cowan on the phone enjoying some all to brief relief from the pain when I heard my dogs barking from my backyard. I thought little of this as the barking could be from a number of reasons. Then the barking became crazed and I thought maybe there was a squirrel or something in my back yard then Mac (MY PIT BULL BOXER MIX) went ballistic! I asked Denys to hold on, then went outside to see what Mac and Dexter (my golden retriever) were losing their minds over. (more…)

Review: Three More Books for Kids

Reviews
April 17, 2008

Here are three more graphic novels for readers of varied ages, gathered together for no better reason than because I read them all recently:

Gumby Collected #1
By Bob Burden, Rick Geary, & Steve Oliff
Wildcard Ink, 2007, $12.95

Bob Burden’s connection with Gumby goes back twenty years, to the great [[[Summer Fun Special of 1988]]] (illustrated by Art Adams), and he’s pretty much the dream writer for a modern Gumby comic. (Although Steve Purcell, writer of the equally-great Gumby Winter Fun Special, did a damn good job as well.)

But the idea that a big media creation – even an old and quirky one like Gumby – would actually end up being written by an oddball outsider like Burden, instead of some safe writer of corporate comics, is…well, it’s as unlikely as any Bob Burden story, which I guess makes it doubly appropriate.

This trade paperback – which has an ISBN and price only on the inside front cover, tucked away like an afterthought, so it may be difficult to track down – collects the first three issues of what is supposed to be an ongoing Gumby series. (It’s been late regularly, though, so it’s anybody’s guess how long it will continue. But this book came out, and that’s more 21st century Gumby comics than I ever would have expected to begin with.)

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Happy Birthday: Ben Dunn

News
April 17, 2008

Born in 1964 in Pin-Tung, Taiwan, Ben Dunn emigrated to the U.S. a year later.

Growing up, he enjoyed reading comics and tried his hand at drawing, but it wasn’t until he returned to Taiwan for six months in 1976 that Dunn was first exposed to—and fell in love with—manga. Eight years later, tired of working for other people, Dunn decided to try his hand at comic books himself.

He founded Antarctic Press and began to produce Manga-style American comics. Dunn’s first title, Ninja High School, has remained one of Antarctic’s most popular and is still being published today—Dunn created, wrote, and drew the series for many years before handing it off to other artists and writers.

In 2003, Dunn sold Antarctic and started a new development company, Sentai Studios, but that venture failed and he later returned to Antarctic. He was also a major artist on Marvel’s "Mangaverse" line and has worked for Image and other publishers.

‘Spider-Man: Web of Shadows’ Leaked, Then Confirmed

Uncategorized
April 17, 2008

Oopsey! Activision was probably waiting for their New York Comic Con panel this weekend to announce this, but retailer Gamestop accidentally released some advertising materials for a new Spider-Man videogame called Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. The ad listed a website (currently inactive) for customers to vote on what promo they would like if they pre-order the game.

At first, not much was known about the game. The rumor mill had been gossiping for a while about a game called Spider-Man: Red Vs. Black. But then IGN got confirmation from Activision on what the game was about. A free-roaming game with a emphasis on vertical combat — that means "swinging web fights" to the rest of us. It will be released for pretty much any system that games are still being made for. They even released a trailer shown below.

Stay tuned to ComicMix this weekend where we’ll be sure to followup with Activision… and to see if Spidey could battle Video-Man, the arcade monster Electro created in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

First Picture of Scarlett from ‘G.I. Joe’ Released

News
April 17, 2008

ComicMix previously showed you pictures of Snake Eyes from the upcoming G.I. Joe movie when they were revealed, now we can bring you the first shot of Rachel Nichols as Shana "Scarlett" O’Hara. You can get a full sized shot of Scarlett, including the bottom half (you creepy nerd), at JoBlo.

G.I. Joe is scheduled for release on August 7, 2009. The film stars Ray Park as Snake Eyes, as well as Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo and Christopher Eccleston.

‘Prototype’ Videogame Morphs Into New DC/Wildstorm Comic

News
April 17, 2008

DC Comics/Wildstorm recently announced that they’ll be publishing a comic book based on the upcoming Prototype videogame from Sierra Entertainment.

From the press release:

PROTOTYPE puts gamers in control of Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated shape-shifter with no memory of his past hell-bent on solving the mystery of his existence – as he tears through a densely populated New York City moving with Parkour-style fluidity and consuming anybody that gets in his way…assuming their physical identity, memories and abilities. Fueled by a three way war between Alex, the military and its elite Blackwatch division, and a viral outbreak known as the Infected, players will venture deep into a dark conspiracy 40 years in the making.

What the press release doesn’t go into is that this game has a great comic book pedigree. It’s being developed by Radical Entertainment, the makers of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, one of the best superhero games ever made. In that game, players were given free reign to smash anything, bound across the city at will, fight the army or even throw civilians around for no good reason whatsoever.

With Prototype, Radical Entertainment looks to have taken everything they did with Hulk and expanded on it. Different powers, different story (sorta shady goverment types messing with superpowered guy who’s not 100-percent mentally stable), and more realistic graphics, thanks to the power of PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

My only complaint? The character has one of the worst outfits in modern games: a hoodie. Yup, he looks like every other wannabe thug. One look at this amazing trailer for the game, though, makes me forget all that.

ComicMix at New York Comic Con

News
April 17, 2008

Yeah, so there’s this comic convention "thing" going on in Manhattan this weekend… or so we’re told.

Here’s where you can find the ComicMix crew throughout the weekend (when we’re not cavorting at the three-day party in our official "ComicMix HQ" conference room, of course):

The weekend kicks off with ComicMix Managing Editor Rick Marshall (who also likes to refer to himself in third-person while writing roundups) engaging in a thoughtful (only if he doesn’t open his mouth) discussion with a cadre of other InterWebs-based comics journalists at Friday’s "Choosing the News: The Changing Face of Online Journalism" panel:

It’s a fact – journalism has changed. With more outlets than ever, more demands from news sources, and comics increasingly covered by the mainstream, how do comics news sites navigate the uncharted waters? Join Matt Brady (Newsarama), Richard George (IGN), Rick Marshall (ComicMix), Brian Heater (Daily Cross Hatch) and others for this engaging discussion, moderated by The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald.

Friday, 2:00 -3:00 PM : Room 1E09

Later that day, ComicMix Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold and columnist Michael Davis will be among the panelists at this year’s "Black Panel – NYCC Style" discussion:

Witness true black power—the power of black content in the entertainment marketplace. This lively panel will look at how black content is influencing entertainment and discuss how to increase its output in the mainstream.

Friday, 7:30-8:30 PM : Room 1E12-13-14

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The Weekly Haul: Reviews for April 17, 2008

News
April 17, 2008

This past week in comics wasn’t anything too special, with DC essentially laying an egg. Luckily a handful of independents rose to the occasion, and Marvel had some strong offerings, including a big surprise for best of the week. On that note…

Book of the Week: Ghost Rider #22 — Any time a comic is so good I have to read it three times before I can move onto the next book, it’s a lock for the top spot. This is darn close to a perfect issue from the first page, which starts off brilliantly ("I’ll never forget the first time I saw a dead body").

Jason Aaron continues the story of Johnny Blaze searching for answers from the angel who turned him into Ghost Rider, a quest that has led him onto a highway filled with evil, cannibalistic demons. It’s an epic fight, overloaded with crazy elements in the way of Quentin Tarantino (yet less self-obsessed).

In addition to the demons, there are evil gun-toting nurses on motorcycles and a still-living cannibal slowly feasting on a deputy. Aaron slowly pulls all of these elements together, leaving off just as they’re all about to literally collide. Oh, and did I mention it also has the line of the week? "The day I can’t catch a dead horse… is the day I give up and rot."

Lastly, I have to give a ton of credit to Roland Boschi for his art. It’s kinetic and loose in the way of Leinil Yu, though not as busy. Combined with Dan Brown’s colors, it makes for some of the best superhero art on the rack.

Runners Up:

X-Factor #30 — I promise this high ranking isn’t just to placate the great Peter David, who took serious umbrage with my review of She-Hulk #27. No, the latest issue of X-Factor (like most of the run) is worthy of serious praise on its own merits. Arcade’s plans for destroying the team, and all of Mutant Town, play out with expected brilliant insanity, and the weakened X-Factor can barely keep their heads above water (or remaining on their shoulders).

In the previous run of this series, one thing David did exceptionally well was crafting great stories without ever bringing in stock villains. Here, he brings in a stock villain but does it in keeping with the series’ tone. Beyond that, the last page is one of the best I’ve ever seen, with an emotional stomach punch that humanizes one of the Purifiers and a true "Hey, May!" cliffhanger.

Fear Agent #20 — The best of a good crop of small-press titles. I’ve always heard this series praised for its goofy sci-fi plots and fun elements, but this issue is one long emotional swan dive that’s surprisingly touching. Rick Remender intertwines his characters’ harsh pasts with their bleak futures to explain their confused ambitions. A very small story in the grand scheme of things, but a very well done one at that.

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Onion News Network Spoofs ‘Iron Man’ Film

News
April 17, 2008

Ever like the trailer more than the movie? Yeah, me too. If I wasn’t sneaking into half of those movies, I’d be upset.

News parody site The Onion took that concept and added typical comic fan anti-buzz to the Iron Man movie trailer. Wouldn’t you have loved it if Superman Returns stayed a trailer?

The Mix : What are people talking about today?