That Upcoming, "The Vision," Comic is Suddenly Cancelled and I'm Quite Perturbed

Chelsea Cain is a writer who was behind one of my favorite comics that was sadly cancelled back in 2016, "Mockingbird." It had been announced she would be writing a new comic with Marc Mohan focused on The Vision and his daughter, Viv. It was announced as a sequel of sorts to the stellar Tom King-written, "The Vision," with the exact same name as that series--e.g. just the titular character's name. It was to have some stellar-looking art by Aud Koch, and the original colorist for the first series, Jordie Bellaire, would be back too. I was very, very excited. Then, I saw on of all possible places, Bleedingcool, how Cain tweeted the book was suddenly axed. Four of the six issues were already done and turned-in to Marvel, and the company just decided it had other plans for The Vision as well as Viv and there went, "The Vision," comic. Other news outlets have reported on this now, expressing just as much confusion and sadness as everyone else.

I'm not pleased, in fact I'm quite perturbed. Marvel hired this talented bunch of people, let them get 2/3 done with the series, and then decided, "Nah, we have other plans for these characters," and shoved the completed issues in a metaphorical drawer to possibly never be seen again (its a metaphorical drawer as I imagine much of the stuff is digital, as a lot of comic-work is these days). I mean, everyone got paid so Marvel isn't necessarily screwing-over anyone besides us readers who were excited to read the series, but come on ya'all, maybe just let the team finish the series and release it as some kind of extended, "What-if," book should you really want to take the characters in a different direction? That way we can at least all read the damn thing! Oh well, at least I can look forward to Cain's upcoming Image series, "Man-Eaters," which actually has the art done by her, "Mockingbird," collaborator, Kate Niemczyk.

Colorist of the Year: Jordie Bellaire--2017 in Review

Yep, Again

It isn't always Jordie Bellaire who wins colorist of the year, but considering just how good she happens to be, it makes sense she wins often. Plus, she's writing comics now too with the quality, "Redlands," being a title she can be proud to get credit for. I'll be honest and tell you I don't know how she does it and colors comics so well, but she does, probably being the best colorist currently in the comic industry. She gets enough respect and accolades she doesn't need this award again from me, but even if she doesn't need it, she for sure has earned it.

Rant-Reviews: A Smorgasbord of First (and one Zero) Issues!

You Know The Routine By Now...
Seriously, you know how this goes at this point. I do all kinds of capsule/rant-reviews but keep going back to that well of discussing debut issues of titles because while many comics may not even get to a tenth issue, they all have a first (or a zero issue, which is the case with one book I'm going to discuss). I've got a veritable ton of first/zero issues I've been able to sample lately so it is time to dive-in...

Many New Books
Redlands #1
I talked about how this title was getting very hot in The Hot Comics Revue and it is nice to see when a book is both popular and very, very good. Written and colored by Jordie Bellaire (whom I've recognized as a stellar colorist before but haven't seen as a writer previously) with art by Vanessa Del Rey, this is a first issue that is clearly setting-up a lot without revealing too much at the same time. We see how it is about a corrupt town being overtaken by supernatural forces that also have a moral agenda of giving power to the disenfranchised--so horror with a social message, which is my favorite kind of horror. It's grim, violent, and I really enjoyed reading it. Redlands will have a second printing soon but until then your best bet for getting a copy is eBay or MyComicShop.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Mister Miracle #1
Another title featured in my first Hot Comics Revue, this book is written by the talented Tom King with Mitch Gerards providing the artwork. People are absolutely fawning over this book and I thought it was pretty good but don't quite see why people are going crazy about it. It's weird and off-kilter, has a real ominous feel, and Gerards artwork is amazing, but I don't really feel myself hooked-in yet. I'm willing to be patient however because while, "The Vision," grabbed me right away King's, "Omega Men," took a bit to really get going, but once it did that was a stellar book. As this puppy is so hot until there is a new printing you're going to need to do eBay or MyComicShop to get any copies, or find a shop that inexplicably isn't sold out.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Galaktikon #1
I am a fan of Brendon Small's work from Adult Swim's shows, "Home Movies, " and, "Metalocalypse," so when I heard he had a comic coming out I was excited to read it! I then learned the comic is actually an adaptation of sorts of a music album which has a sequel album coming-out soon as well--so that's interesting! Having read this first issue I now am actually a bit interested in checking-out the music as this was a oddly enjoyable title. Equal parts funny and depressing, watching a once-beloved hero of space deal with the difficulties of life via a ton of alcohol is sad, but the book's dark sense of humor carries it through pretty nicely. I liked it a lot and look forward to the next issue as well as giving Small's album a listen whilst I wait in the meantime. You can currently grab copies of the first issue of, "Galaktikon," on eBay or at MyComicShop.
4 out of 5 stars.

Danger Doll Squad #0
I've read the, "Dollface," comic before and this title brings her, the cult-hit Zombie Tramp, and another solo-character known as Vampblade together to form a team/squad. As is the trend with any comics featuring these characters there is a lot of humor, a lot of violence, and a whole lot of variant covers (with some featuring plenty of nudity). I was honestly a little disappointed in this zero issue as it does introduce us to all the characters and makes us aware of who they are, but does little else. After one big prologue we basically jump right into the action briefly before being told to pick-up the official #1 issue in October as well as future issues of, "Vampblade," for more set-up. It's a decent primer on all the characters, but that's about it. You can still find some of the zero-issue covers at Things From Another World and eBay is of course a great resource as well should you want to grab all the assorted covers!
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Ghost Money #1
I've enjoyed speaking with publisher Lion Forge before and they always put out an interesting assortment of books. This new series continues that trend with a yarn about terrorism, money, and politics. Starting in the past before moving about ten-ish years into a potential future, the book imagines a world full of hateful Neo-Cons, rampant Global Warming, and abject poverty...so basically what the world is like now but with slightly more advanced cars and even more drones clogging-up the sky. It's a dark and ominous book, and I quite liked it although the first issue just seems to kind of suddenly-stop as opposed to ending on a solid cliff-hanger or making it clear what the next issue might hold. It's a solid read though and as the story is further fleshed-out I bet things will only get more fascinating and depressing. You can find the first issue of, "Ghost Money," on eBay or at MyComicShop.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dead of Winter #1

The third book in this review-segment which also was mentioned in The Hot Comics Revue with this discussed as a title that might get pretty steamy/popular if fans of the game are into it. Based on the tabletop game of the same name, the first issue of, "Dead of Winter," is a fine read. For a comic set in a winter-filled zombie apocalypse there is actually a good deal of humor, but I found most of the characters were pretty paper-thin in terms of personality outside of the start of the comic, a dog named Sparky. It feels like he get the most character development of anyone and he can't even talk! I still enjoyed reading the comic however and imagine if I were well-versed in the game I might have gotten a bunch of references and enjoyed it even more. You can still buy copies at Things From Another World as of this posting should you desire!

3 out of 5 stars.

Tales of Science Fiction: Vault #1
Published by a comic-company--Storm King--that seems to release titles related-to or supervised by John Carpenter, their latest mini-series, "Vault," is a horror-influenced sci-fi tale with a first issue that frankly is a bit of a mess. The back of the comic explains the plot more clearly than the inside of the comic as the plot jumps all around in time, too many characters pop-up only to be easily confused with other characters in bland space-suits, and random stuff about space-fungus or monsters occurs...or something? It's really quite bad besides some decent artwork and I can't exactly recommend it, but should you want a copy MyComicShop or eBay are as always good places to buy from.
1 out of 5 stars.

Grumpy Cat/Garfield #1
I of course have a soft-spot for Grumpy Cat ever since it was the first book to, "Blurb," me on the back-cover as a reviewer. I also enjoyed reading old Garfield newspaper comic-strips when growing-up and have at times perused his comic-book. Considering how both cats are full of attitude, it makes sense for them to meet--and why not have them meet in a format they both excel in, comics? It is a little disappointing that our two stars don't meet until the end of the first issue (so the second issue will be fun for sure), but plenty of plot and funny jokes occur in this issue to make it well worth picking-up. Basically an evil CEO has a way to make cats behave more like dogs and needs some of the most difficult cats in the World to test his program before he sells it to the general populace in the hopes of making major moolah. Therefore, we witness in this issue Garfield and Grumpy being stolen through some clever methods. It's great silly fun and I would recommend it if you want to have a good laugh! Copies of one cover can still be bought at Things From Another World and eBay is a great site if you're after the assortment of variants.
5 out of 5 stars.

I Need a Break!
After reviewing eight new books I need to sit-down and take a breather. I hope you enjoyed reading my meandering thoughts on these assorted new comics and were inspired to check at least one or two of them out (or now know what to avoid if it isn't for you). I'd get up and shake your hand to thank-you for reading all this, but I'm a little winded so, let's just nod and I'll lie down here for a moment till the hurting stops.

Best Colorist--2016 in Review

It Can't Always be Jordie Bellaire

This issue came out at the tail-end of 2015,
but is too gorgeous not to use as an example.

Look, I love the work Jordie Bellaire does, she is amazing. That said, I can't just give her the award every year (maybe just most years). Plus, there is one person who has done some stellar colorist work on a book for quite some time now and seems to only be getting better and better at his job.

Brad Simpson on "Sex"

Simpson has worked on a number of books, but his time on, "Sex," has been amazing. Written by Jose Casey and (usually) illustrated by Piotr Kowlalski, it is a book about a retired super-hero who over 30+ issues has becoming a little bit less-and-less retired as the city he once protected falls into complete and utter disarray. Simpson uses a wide-ranging pallet of colors that perfectly matches a super-hero comic that isn't about super-heroes. Anytime a new issue of, "Sex," hits the stands I know I can expect great writing, stellar art, and amazing colors. The, "Look," of the comic owes a lot to Simpson's incredible coloring. For that reason, he fully deserves to be called the best colorist of 2016, in my opinion.

Rant-Reviews: Image and Marvel

Open-Up With The Text

I've read an assortment of books from Image and Marvel. These were some books I wanted to take the time out to discuss, although there is still plenty else of note from the companies (Loving me, "The Fix," for example).

Some Reviews For Your Eyeballs

The Wicked and the Divine #21

You know, the same team behind this book does, "Phonogram," yet that book has always struggled to get anywhere near the numbers this title does. That's a shame as  both books are amazing in their own unique ways, with this arc of, WIC+DIV, as it is also known, being so jam-packed with action and startling reveals it basically is one big pay-off for those of us who waited patiently throughout the (mostly) McKelvie-less, "Commercial Suicide," arc that at times was a bit slow. I didn't know we would go from, "A bit slow," to, "Mother-loving breakneck speed," however, but I'm loving it immensely. A must-read book from some must-read creators.

5 out of 5 stars.

Horizon #1

It takes the entirety of the debut issue to get to what is the apparent point of the comic--aliens are preemptively invading Earth to keep us from invading them. There are all kinds of great allegories in that idea, but the book just takes its sweet time getting us there. Before that we witness some perfectly passable art showing an alien on what is basically a road-trip, making its way to a meet-up point whilst fixing broken equipment she has. The actual concept of the story is fascinating, but I was just bored waiting for us to get there. I'll check out the 2nd issue in hopes that helps move things along, but this debut was just way too decompressed for me to get especially excited, even with that killer reveal of the comic's plot finally appearing at the end.

2 out of 5 stars.

Snotgirl #1
This has gotten immense press because the writer is someone beloved by many for his, "Scott Pilgrim," comics, Byan Lee O'Malley. The art is very expressive and by Leslie Hung who has done webcomics before but I think this might be her first work to be published (besides webcomics that were then collected)? I honestly was really ready to write this book off until the last few pages suddenly made things really interesting with a huge zag where I expected the book to keep zigging. Basically we follow the adventures of Lottie, a self-absorbed fashion blogger who has bad allergies and terrible friends. A lot of plot and story is expressed via social-media messages as illustrated in the comic, everyone is in their 20's and thinks the world revolves around them, etc. It took me a bit to realize, but those shocking last pages make it clear that perhaps we aren't supposed to like Lottie, and maybe just maybe this book is going to be a Hell of a lot darker and more intriguing than the preceding pages focused on dating-drama and fashion-concerns make it seem. Should that be the case this book has gone from a yawn-inducing story about shallow, "Millennials," to a delightfully twisted story about how one person's narcissistic obsession with being perfect can lead to violent results.
4 out of 5 stars (thanks to the extremely surprising cliff-hanger).

Moon Knight #4

With this latest issue we see the creative team of Jeff Lemire, Greg Smallwood, and Jordie Bellaire firing on all cylinders. The story continues to be mysterious but it is looking like a number of questions will be answered--or at least addressed to some degree. We soon should soon know what the deal is with this, "Other," Moon Knight running about, and I for one am greatly enjoying this take on the character with its mixture of mysticism and surrealism.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Vision #9

Upon reading this issue I actually went, "Okay, yeah, I can maybe see now why The Vision does some of the things it has been warned he is destined to do (e.g. attack the Avengers). Tom King has been expertly building an incredible piece of fiction here, however, and with Mike Del Mundo's stellar artwork and fantastic colors by Jordie Bellaire (whom I just mentioned as she seems to be on all the great books) I really am starting to agree with people who say this is kind of like, "Marvel's 'Watchmen'." That comparison fits in the sense it arguably could stand alone (although other comic-knowledge can help), it has a great mix of characters, and dear God does it keep you on the edge of your seat with its slowly building tension that has been starting to pay off spectacularly. The Vision went from nobody's favorite character to a fascinating character thanks to this comic with its mixture of heroics, nightmarish-horror, and deep musings on humanity and the nature of evil. I tip my hat to this entire creative team and eagerly await the remaining three issues.
5 out of 5 stars.

Conclusions To Ponder

There are all kinds of titles coming out right now in a variety of genres. I'm annoyed by how companies such as Marvel and DC keep rebooting as that harms the clearly solid titles they put out. If it takes a line-wide re-launch every 12-ish months to get something like, "The Vision," however I'll deal with it. Meanwhile with Image there are are lot of books coming out and some books are perfectly fine and others are immensely impressive, the joy is in discovering what you enjoy...or something vaguely-inspirational-sounding like that.

Some of My Favorite Comic-Creation Teams Part 2

...And We're Back!
There were too many people to limit myself to one article, so I now present part 2 of my favorite comic-creation teams!

More Creators!

Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
No question this is a pairing that sets my heart aflutter whenever I hear about their newest joint-project. Whether imagining a world wherein music is magic ("Phonogram") making the, "Young Avengers" the best Marvel comic on the stands at the time it was coming out, or giving us Gods-as-pop-stars with, "The Wicked and the Divine," Gillen and McKelvie are two creators who just know how to bring the best out of each other. They both have done fine on their own solo projects or other pairings, but when these two minds get together? Stand back, because it's gonna be one Hell of a comic.

Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov
This is another case where many would put the writer with a different artist (making it Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon for their work on, "Preacher,") but I yet again have got to go with another option, Parlov, if no reason other than the sheer amazing stuff Parlov turned in with Ennis on some of his, "Punisher Max," run and the superb, "Fury: My War Gone By." Parlov's mixture of minimalism and stark brutality perfectly compliments the brutal stories of Ennis, be it the Punisher fighting for his life or Fury making his way through countless wars.

Ales Kot and Jordie Bellaire
Why? Because, "Zero," that's why. On that title Kot would often have an assortment of artists for different issues, but he always had Bellaire on the color-work to help give the at-first-glance conflicting art-styles a nice unified look. People often say that if a colorist is doing his or her job right you won't notice, but I say that's wrong. In my opinion if the colorist is doing his or her job right you notice because of how great the comic looks.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Now to close on a classic team, much like you can end a fancy dinner with a fine dessert wine. While us comic-readers often have a complicated relationship with Stan Lee and the question of how much work he did or didn't do, I think everyone can agree that he and his collaborators made some amazing stuff that has stood the test of time all the way to now. Despite all the folk he worked with though, I feel there is a teaming that made stuff even better than what Stan Lee and Steve Ditko gave us. That duo was the matching of Lee and Kirby. Without these two men and what they created together there simply would not be a Marvel comics, or at least not one as we know it today (a whole lot of characters would be missing for sure). A seminal pairing for sure.

Done!
There are the teams that immediately popped into my mind. I am sure there are many others I'll think of later and be mad that I forgot, or you may have a team that you're aghast at my skipping. Whatever the case, as these teams go to show, comics are often a collaborative art, and if working closely with others can make some of the amazing stuff that's been produced then I'm fully in favor of teamwork.

Note: I did not pair creators Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Brian K. Vaughn, Warren Ellis and etc. with anyone as they both have too great number of people they have created stellar work with to pick just one team. I know many folk have a preferred artist for those writers, but I just couldn't decide. That's the same reason I didn't put artists like JH Williams III with anyone either.

The Masterpiece of "Zero" #18--Several Interpretations of it's Conclusion

A Sublime Read

The 18th and final issue of "Zero" came out some weeks ago, featuring writer Ales Kot and for this issue Tula Lotay (the artist purposely changed every issue). I read it, absorbed its majesty, and have to say it is a solid contender for being arguably the best single issue of a comic this year.

From the first issue of "Zero" this was a great read. We had the debut showing how we would see various years in the life of a young boy trained to kill by the military before breaking free, followed by when things got weird with a surreal fungus that infected people and basically invaded their very body and psyche, to it all got even more bizarre with concepts of multiple universes, everything evil being embodied as a parasitic force, and general insanity. It is funny to think how it really started out seeming to be a straightforward military-type yarn about kids trained to kill, before spinning-off into a surreal tale of shared consciousness and the debate over what in fact makes us human. It is remarkable, just amazing.

Edward facing down the mysterious universal parasite.

The conclusion left a lot up to interpretation and I have several theories. Now, if you haven't read the series a lot of what I have to say will be confusing so what I would recommend is going out and getting all the single issues if you can or buying the 4 trades should that be easier. Then read those and see if you agree with my various takes on the story.

Interpretation 1: It's what it looks like at first blush.

Edward Zero defeats the parasite of evil, the fungus heals his wounds, dissolves, and he goes on to live a happy life of quiet solitude with the woman he loves, having prevented a dark possible future he witnessed where the evil aspects of the fungus spread and ruined the planet. It's happy and it is relatively simple.

Interpretation 2: He's Still Absorbed Into the Fungus-Psyche

Once Edward is freed from the fungus and goes about a happy life things seem almost too serene. The family he steals the clothes from strongly resembles the family of the man he was sent to kill in as early in the series as the 2nd issue. Other hints of past events pop-up. It's evident that Edward may have defeated that evil force, but is still a part of the fungus, having it show him what he wants to see so that he can live a, "Happily ever-after," even though after a life of so much misery and bloodshed that may not truly be possible. After all, if the fungus could show him a potential future where he is an old man narrating the entire story we read to his son, it would make sense for the fungus to give him his joyous ending as thanks for destroying the evil parasite that would have ruined the planet. It's depressing and not too complicated, a darker alternative to my first interpretation. Plus, one element makes me think this or my third idea are correct. Namely: Edward's eye.

Interpretation 3: The Fungus Sent Him to Another Universe...Somehow

At the end of the comic Edward has two working eyes. Early in the series he lost one eye. How could this be possible unless he is still in the fungus, or if my third thought about the series holds true. I would think that seeing as how the fungus stated that it is in various Multiverses, and even claimed that because Edward was helpful to it he could choose one, could this be a world where he has both eyes? Perhaps this surreal multiversial fungus literally transported his essence to another world, and then sent him off, kind of like in interpretation 1, but with the element that maybe all these references to the earlier events appear because in this multiverse things went a little bit differently, a tad better.

Edward Zero is maybe not in his "real" world, but he's in a better one (for him, at least), and for that reason he doesn't care how real or fake his existence is, as really we are just come from the fungus and turn into the fungus. It's extremely dense, both happy and sad, plus it is pretty far-fetched, except for the question of that darn eye throwing a big wrench into the first interpretation (unless the fungus could fix his eye or such). Hence, I like this interpretation I came up with the most.

The Correct Answer Is?

I am not certain if one of the, "Takes," I came-up with for the final issue is more accurate than the others, but I personally like the strange, metaphysical nature of the 3rd interpretation and like to think that is how things "really" occurred. I would also say with the utmost certainty that Ales Kot purposely wanted to leave things vague, as much of Zero has been told in way that readers can draw their own conclusions about a variety of elements. I mean, he says it outright with the line, "It's all theatre."

That is just another element that has resulted in me loving this title so much, with the complex nature, experimental style of changing artists every issue, and overall deep-thought clearly put into each issue all being elements that result in a beautiful piece of artwork.

From writer Ales Kot, to his artist collaborators, and colorist Jordie Bellaire who helped maintain a continuity-of-appearance despite all the disparate art styles, this is just a superb comic, and one I'm glad to have been with from its first issue to this final 18th. Without a doubt this comic has earned...
5 out of 5 stars.

2014 In Review--My Favorite Comic-Book Colorist

Important but Often Overlooked

The colorist for a comic is quite often extremely important, and even more often overlooked. I've seen it said many times that when a colorist is doing their job right you don't even know they are there. I suppose there is some truth to that, but I would argue that when a colorist goes beyond doing their job right, and in fact excels, you really notice. The person I have chosen as my colorist of the year is someone whose coloring-work has gone far and beyond what one would expect, hence being my favorite.

Colorist of the Year--Jordie Bellaire

Should you have been following my blog much lately there is one colorist you've undoubtedly seen me often reference as creating stellar work. That colorist is Jordie Bellaire. Bellaire has worked on other comics I've enjoyed such as "Deadpool" and "Venom" but this year she performed some astounding feats of coloring on a variety of titles, with two in particular standing out. The two titles were in fact also among my favorite ongoing titles of this year--"Zero" and "Moon Knight" and some of the credit for that surely goes to Bellaire. 

Whether giving us beautifully muted colors in "Moon Knight" except for our titular hero whom Bellaire left a stark white, or helping create a somewhat-unified feel to "Zero" despite it having a different artist every issue, Bellaire did some amazing stuff. I usually don't notice a great colorist on a comic unless it really is crazy-good, so clearly Bellaire was mind-blowing in her work, and that is why she is my colorist of the year.

2014 In Review--My Favorite Ongoing Comics This Year

And The Winner Is...
To kick-off my series of segments looking at 2014 I thought I would make sense to start with some of my favorite comics from this year that were ongoing series. Now, I do have another post that deals with my favorite cancelled comics of 2014, but that will go up at a later date and these are ongoing titles that seem to be continuing into the foreseeable future. Now, in no particular order my top three ongoing series and an honorable mention...

...These Comics!
Zero

Ales Kot has a fascinating comic he is writing here. Each issue has a different artist (but the same colorist in Jordie Bellaire) but it isn't too jarring as often we view different times in the life of Edward Zero, a man who was raised by "The Agency" but then left it. It is a fascinating series exploring the mindset of a man who for so long lived in violence and then tried to achieve peace, but as we see from scenes set far in the future with Zero as a young man things went horribly wrong. Each issue's artist compliments the plot well, be it brutal violence, a peacefully quiet vignette, or whatever else Kot feels like having occur. I just really, really, enjoy this.

Moon Knight

Warren Ellis absolutely killed it on the first six issues of this comic with artist Declan Shalvey and colorist Jordie Bellaire (the same person from "Zero"!) contributing art that complimented the writing in ways that resulted in something quite often amazing. I was concerned when Brian Wood took over writing with art by Greg Smallwood, but since came on I have continued to be impressed. This results in a comic that despite having a big change in writer and artist (thankfully Bellaire continues to supply amazing color-work) still found itself as one of my favorite books of 2014.

Moon Knight is of course a hero I absolutely love to a degree you could argue is an unhealthy level of fanboy-ism, so even if his comic were terrible I would probably pick it up. Therefore, it is just wonderful that a comic about one of my most beloved characters can also be a book I think is just stellar and which continues to impress even as it seems Marc Spector may not be as much of the "Moon Knight" he once was. What will happen before the next creative team appears for the next arc will remain to be seen, but as long as it continues the trend of quality work I'll be eager to read "Moon Knight".

The Wicked and The Divine

This one took a little while to grow on me, besdies instantly loving Luci. The early issues had me unsure what exactly I was dealing with, the immense cast could be confusing, and I wasn't sure if the main protagonist Laura was especially interesting a person. However, as the first four issues passed I found myself being more and more drawn into this world where every ninety years Gods manifest on Earth--but only for two years. I was fascinated by the pantheon of characters as we got to know them a bit better, and then the absolutely shocking events of the fifth issue (why did they do that to Luci?) followed by an ominous sixth have me completely hooked.

Kieron Gillen and Jamie Mckelvie are of course a stellar team, turning in such amazing works as  "Phonogram" or "Young Avengers", so when you get a writer and artist duo that seem to work so perfectly in sync it just results in a wonderful title. "The Wicked and the Divine" is a prime example of that and I am excited to see where it goes.

Honorable Mention--Afterlife with Archie

Is this really an ongoing comic? I mean, I suppose it officially is in that there is no determined final issue and we get a new entry in the zombie-infested adventures of Archie and crew every long once in a while. That said, this just comes out so rarely I wasn't sure I could truly say it was one of my favorite ongoing comics this year so much as declaring it is a stellar comic on the rare occasion an issue comes out of this sadly oft-delayed title. How delayed is it? Well, this issue discusses Thanksgiving and the next one which has an undetermined release date is the Christmas issue...and Christmas just passed us. All of that aside however, this is a stellar comic with art by Francavilla that blows my mind and quality story-telling by Aguirre-Sacasa. I just wish "Afterlife with Archie" came out more often than every 4 or 5 months.

There Are Plenty More Thoughts on 2014 to Share
That's the start of my thought-pieces on 2014. Come on back soon for more. It should be a fun six days.

Links, Yet Again!

What Do We Want? Links! When Do Want Them? Why Not Now?
If you ever read this blog by now you know the drill. I find things on the internet that I consider interesting, I share a link to them, you follow it if you want, and we all learn something new. At least, that's the idea, I think.

Them-Thar Links

Comics Alliance will on occasion do snazzy write-ups of various comic series or story arcs. This piece on when Moon Knight recently re-launched under then pen of Ellis, Shalvey, and Bellaire is another one of those solid reads.

Reading about the, "Odd History of the First Erotic Computer Game," provides you with a fascinating exploration of what was basically the first dirty computer game--although because it was text-only much of the raunchy-aspects were being imagined by the player typing commands. Oh, and the game's name was, "Softporn," like software and porn. Yeah, the 1970's and 80's were different.Note this link is potentially not-safe-for-work despite not having any actual nudity, just a hint of it.

Krem

Speaking of video-games, I haven't played the well-reviewed, "Dragon Age: Inquisition" yet, but have heard almost only positive things. One interesting thing I'd seen mention of is that "Inquisition" features a transgender man known as Krem as one of the members of your questing-party. This article about how much work went into making the character seem like a real person and not just a stereotype makes for a cool read.

Because I feel like sharing a lot about video-games today,lets discuss the importance of NPCs (non-player characters) in games and how it can be hard to make them feel, "real," in a sense.

I've liked all the newer James Bond movies with Daniel Craig (yes, I'm even one of those people who strongly defend "Quantum of Solace" as being a really good film), but agree they aren't perfect. This editorial about how misogyny has often been an issue in all Bond films past and present is interesting and presents a valid viewpoint on how as we continue having more films in the Bond franchise we have a chance to see even more strong female characters--not just the usual damsel in distress.

While we are discussing movies, it is always worthwhile to talk about how useless the PG-13 rating is. I mean, ratings in general from the MPAA have been shown to be a crock of phooey, but the PG-13 rating really waters things down, as is discussed here.

One topic covered by the info-graphic.

Just so you know your rights, USA Today has created a neat info-graphic about what you can and cannot do during a random police encounter on the street.

The CIA lied about engaging in torture, even though it was arguably unconstitutional to do so? Wow, color-me-not-surprised at all. I mean seriously, you had Bush and Dick Cheney saying how, "Enhanced interrogation," was important, but now some foreign countries have called for them to be tried for war crimes. What a world.

Lastly, because I like to end with news that sounds absurd, it seems in June DC comics may do a mini re-launch. Yes, the same company that did the whole Universe-reboot in 2011 might have a smaller re-launch of sorts. Really? I mean really?

Rant-Review Mayhem Part 2: Image Comics

Part Deux
When it comes to comics, probably the biggest name besides Marvel and DC would be Image Comics. Around since the early 1990's, Image at first put out what one could argue were mostly hokey knock-offs of the Big Two's comics, but over time this publisher has grown into a force to be reckoned with, featuring a wider variety in content than you will probably find anywhere else. To illustrate what a unique publisher Image is let's examine some of their titles from the popular and somewhat traditional to the newer and more, "Esoteric," as one could say.

Reviews to Enjoy
The Fade Out #3
Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips almost always do good work. True, I may have found "Fatale" to not be my cup of tea, but when they have almost always "hit" more than "missed" that means any new project by them will at least be worth trying out. I'm glad I have given, "The Fade Out" a chance as only three issues in it is shaping up to be quite the intriguing comic. The first two issues focused on some particular characters and their stories, but this one shifts the focus entirely, making it clear this isn't just one individual's story, but in fact moreso an epic tale of Hollywood in the 1940's with characters that may be fictional, but who aren't too far removed from the reality of those times.

Philips is just an amazing craftsman when it comes to creating noir-styled art, so it isn't any surprise that "The Fade Out" is as gorgeous as it is intimidatingly moody. All of that said, the story is still clearly in an early stage that I think needs a bit more feeling-out before I can be certain this comic will be something as stellar as "Sleeper" or end up letting me down as "Fatale" did.
4 out of 5 stars.

Tooth and Claw #1

Hrm, I'm just not feeling this. Kurt Busiek is a great writer, Benjamin Dewey turns in some quality art, and stellar colorist Jordie Bellaire are all generally wonderful, so it is just odd I don't care for this comic that much. It has a cool concept with talking anthropomorphic animals who utilize magic panicking over how the magical force seems to be drying up, but I just found the characters mostly uninteresting, and the mystery of who this great champion is they are attempting to summon to present-times to be--again--mostly uninteresting. I mean there is a hint of a twist that the champion could be something unexpected, but meh. I just found myself thinking the art to be good, but the story to just be unimpressive despite coming from someone with such a good pedigree as Busiek. I guess they can't all be winners.
2 out of 5 stars.

Saga #24
Ah, good ol' "Saga", the comic you can basically always count on to be at worst enjoyable and at best utterly jaw-dropping amazing. This issue is somewhere between that, not being as incredible as some but still pretty damned good. Plus that adorable seal I love pops up in it...

This issue checks-in with a number of characters we haven't seen for a bit, and wraps up some elements of the plot I was wondering about while giving us all plenty of new questions. Basically, it is more stellar stuff from the comic that everyone should be reading. I know I'll probably be giving some people that upcoming big hardcover that collects the first 18 issues if I need to find any good presents and have enough money to afford it.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Humans #1

Remember when I said some of the titles were newer and a bit stranger than others? Well, here is a prime example of that. Any comic that features a humanoid biker-Orangutan having graphically-drawn oral sex performed on him at the funeral of a fellow ape-man clearly is going to be a strange and wild ride. Basically, we see this biker gang as they are attending the funeral for their departed comrade, Mojo. Such a simple description doesn't do the comic justice however, as the writing of Keenan Marshall Keller is both humorous and heartfelt (you really do feel the sadness of everyone mourning Mojo), and Tom Neely turns in artwork that is just stellar, be it a quiet moment at the ceremony or some action-packed fight scenes when The Humans end up getting into a brawl with The Skabbs (an opposing biker-gang). The way he breaks-up the panels during a fight imparts the confusing and uncontrollable nature of when a bunch of people are punching each other, and it's just really, really cool.

There is some neat back-matter too, such as a section that declares how every month there will be a link to a new song or two people can listen to, requests for letters, an address you can send money to for a neat patch of The Humans logo (which appears to be a real address as it is also the one for snail-mail letter to "The Humans"), and a note about the artist behind the pin-up on the back of the comic--which features a drawing by none other than Benjamin Marra himself, an artist I've written of enjoying for his over-the-top style. I found this comic extremely enjoyable and would encourage you to pick it up if you like stuff that is a bit weirder, because you will probably love it too!
5 out of 5 stars.

Zero #11
Before actually talking about this comic I just wanted to note this one also has some surprisingly explicit oral sex performed on a male for a mainstream comic. Is this becoming the new hot trend of stuff to illustrate, like in the 1990's when a character carrying around a ton of guns was hip? Anyways, "Zero" has been a strange beast since the start. Always written by Ales Kot with coloring done by the phenomenal Jordie Bellaire (who also has colored the sadly underwhelming "Tooth and Claw" I discussed a bit above), each issue has purposely had a different artist illustrating various points in the titular Zero's life, to fascinating and highly enjoyable results.

The series started out more as the usual spy-drama jumping around in time to various missions in the life of Edward Zero, but slowly morphed into something quite strange. Between the interesting melancholy of Edward just wanting to be left alone, to the hints at various points in the comic's run that he was at fault for some kind of global disaster, this went from seeming like a James Bond-type comic to being an interesting examination of one man's humanity and how he lost it, tried to regain it through a life of peaceful solitude, and as we have seen from scenes in the later-future, failed at it. I'm interested in seeing how things turned out the way they did and that's why this comic gets...
4 out of 5 stars.

Closing Section
Image has some great stuff coming out, along with things that I don't really like but others might. Up in a little bit we will close-out these rant-reviews with a look at works from Marvel and DC.

Mini-Run Review: The First Six Issues of The Current "Moon Knight" Series Versus #7 and #8

I loved the first six issues of the current "Moon Knight" series. Between Warren Ellis' writing, the art of Declan Shalvey, and amazing color-work by Jordi Bellaire, it was an utter treat from the first issue until the end of the all-too-brief run. It was a perfect trifecta of talent and once I heard it would basically end with the sixth issue all I could do was mope some and have high hopes for the next creative team to do a good job too. Thankfully, the comic has maintained its quality, if a decent seventh issue and amazing eighth issue are any indicator.

When I heard that Brian Wood would be replacing Ellis as the writer I felt some trepidation, as even though Wood has turned in some great work on various comics almost no one else writes in the odd way Ellis does--plus all the sexual harassment matters that came out last year involving him has left a sour taste in my mouth. I then also heard that Shalvey would be replaced by Greg Smallwood on art, and as I'm not too familiar with Smallwood I thought I would wait to pass judgement on how the comic would look. I was at least relieved to hear Bellaire would be staying on the book, ensuring we would continue to get the amazing colors with the cool effect of Moon Knight being an eerie stark white against all the background elements. Now that I've had two issues to get a feel for this new set-up, with the latest issue coming out this week, I feel I can offer at least somewhat of an opinion on why this is still a super-solid series.

I did not know the doctor would be as important in Wood's issues as she is in Ellis' first.

Whereas the first six issues of Moon Knight were all basically stand-alone tales with only the sixth bringing some aspects together, here Brian Wood seems to be trying to do a balancing act of having each issue sort-of stand alone, but also clearly connect to the other with plot elements that carry-over more-so than with Ellis' mini-run. A doctor-character we've meet briefly before in the first issue of this series is scorned in issue seven and it comes back to bite Moon Knight on the proverbial bottom in the eighth issue. It is clear a kind of over-arching plot is forming,  but like Ellis' run each issue could still be considered mostly a tasty single serving--unlike say, Bendis' run which was basically one sort-of decent story stretched out over 12 issues.

With it established the issues stand pretty well on their own even with Ellis' departure and Wood's arrival, the question becomes if the comic itself is still good, with this new writer and artist. Well, the seventh issue(Wood and Smallwood's first) is decent if not amazing. It is a story with Moon Knight, but it sort of feels like almost any other heroic character could have been substituted for him and it would not have changed much within the comic. It basically is just about our hero stopping an assassin from killing a dictator who now has been able to shroud himself in a veil of legitimacy by holding questionable elections within the country he rules with an iron fist. Why exactly Moon Knight is trying to stop this assassination isn't clear other than his stating it isn't how he wants justice done. It's all perfectly well-written, and Smallwood does a solid job, but it lacks the "Wow" factor of Ellis and Shalvey's stuff. Thankfully,  the eighth issue is an amazing piece of work that is just mind-blowing.

Issue eight of "Moon Knight" is incredible because just as Ellis and Shalvey seemed to have a symbiosis that resulted in some astonishing comics, in this issue Wood and and Smallwood turn in something just delightful. The majority of the issue is told as if being viewed through various forms of technology, be they the camera on a phone, a television broadcast, security camera, or Moon Knight's own personal drones. Also, this issue really feels like it is about Moon Knight, as it has discussion of his personality issues, his working with his friend on the police force (Flint), and otherwise maintains that off-kilter feel of wondering if our hero is really especially heroic. So yeah all  the stuff that the best Moon Knight comics have always had. The situation itself is that the new World Trade tower has hostages taken within it and Moon Knight has been called in to resolve the situation--although clearly there is a bit more at play than meets the eye. The way Smallwood uses panel layouts to simulate various forms of how we would view an electronic broadcast is amazing and shows that this artist I only knew a little about is definitely quite talented. Coupled with Wood's writing style that makes Moon Knight seem just the right mixture of unbalanced-yet-professional it results in a stellar comic that makes my slightly lukewarm feelings about the seventh issue vanish away as I think about how superb this eighth one was.

I enjoyed Moon Knight when done by Ellis and Shalvey the most when it used the form of comics in a creative way, with the whiting-out of panels over a series of pages in the 2nd issue being a prime example. Well, the eighth issue is so clever that it measures up to those first sixth issues with ease and even surpasses some of them in quality. A great deal of thanks also of course goes to Bellaire, who has maintained the murky-look of the series with that ever-impressive blinding-white of Moon Knight standing out in a way that is both imposing and confusing to the eye--but in a good way.

The first six issues of Moon Knight were miraculous, with even the weakest issues being of great quality. While the seventh issue starts Wood and Smallwood's new run with a bit of a stumble, the eighth issue feels like a creative team firing on cylinders. The question now of course becomes if the ninth issue and on will be more like the decent-but-uninspiring seventh, or the dynamite eighth. Clearly I'm hoping for the latter, but only time will tell.

Issues #1-#6 (overall): 4.5 out of 5--because there are some 4-star and 5-star issues, so it balances out.
Issue #7: 3 out of 5 stars
Issue #8: 5 out of 5 stars.

I Feel Like This Comic Was Made Just For Me--"Moon Knight" #1

Warren Ellis is one of my favorite writers. Moon Knight is one of my favorite characters. When I heard that the former would be writing the adventures of the latter I thought that perhaps I had won a metaphysical lottery where something improbable somehow comes about through magic/happenstance/God.

So, yeah, A Warren Ellis' Moon Knight comic, that faint sound you may hear in the distance is me still squealing with glee at the initial news and having now finished this first issue.

I haven't read a Moon Knight comic this good since the early Doug Moench stuff and that amazing Huston-written 13th issue of "Moon Knight" back when he wrote it and then Benson took over. This is Moon Knight written properly--not as an ersatz Batman, but a person who is quite possibly utterly insane but dedicated to fighting crime when not combating his own psychological ailments. Warren Ellis takes Marc Spector and between the present-day and a very-revealing flashback uses all of Moon Knight's history--even the somewhat wonky Bendis stuff--and lets it all play a part in forming the strange entity that is the hero who calls himself Moon Knight.

Spector is written as both highly-intelligent (which he is) and with that hint of being just-quite unbalanced and therefore having that dangerous edge (which he definitely has in excess). In this issue Moon Knight--or "Mr. Knight" as he has to be called because "Moon Knight" is a dangerous vigilante, but the police can work with "Mr. Knight" as he is simply a concerned citizen--helps solve a murder mystery and prevents any future murders from happening with his particularly violent brand of justice. Without spoiling too much I will say we clearly are back to a Moon Knight who doesn't hesitate to kill (as depending on whom is writing him he either doesn't flinch at the idea, or tries his hardest to not kill-ify folk).

Shalvey knows how to set-up a page.

What takes this comic from just being an amazing Moon Knight comic to being a piece of mastery are the contributions of artist Declan Shalvey and colorist Jordie Bellaire. I don't normally point out a colorist's work, but Bellaire does something ingenious in that everything besides Moon Knight is a muted color, but Marc Spector's alter-ego is a blinding white that stands out from the page in a marvelous fashion. Shalvey also does some amazing work, giving us high-tech limos, creative gadgets, hideous monsters, and clever page design to tie all those elements together.

All this "Marvel Now" business that Marvel has been doing has produced some stinkers, but also seems to be in the process of bringing us incredible comics that feature characters that normally are B-list at best in the eyes of most folk, but through great writers and tremendous artists make for superb comics. This series coming into existence is like some fever dream of mine that I would have never dared to imagine actually coming true. Ellis writing and someone superb like Shalvey on art--with this amazing colorist named Bellaire too? It is incredible, and I really hope enough people buy and support this comic to keep it going for a long, long time--at least as long as it is this good.
5 out of 5 stars.