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.

Oh Yeah, Comic-Con International/SDCC is this Week

I remember when it was just a weekend thing, and then when Thursday was the, "Preview Night," but now it seems like Comic-Con International, or as it is better known, San Diego Comic-Con, starts Wednesday-ish and within a few years will probably just run a whole week. That's oddly amusing to me. Anyhow, considering that I'm a huge comic-nerd it is funny to think I honestly forgot CCI/SDCC was happening. I was reminded when all that Marvel stuff that was supposed to lead-up to the show leaked, but then promptly forgot again until I was looking at comic-news and saw the show mentioned.

Perhaps because it seems like comic-companies announce nearly everything before the show (or at other conventions) I don't find myself giving as much thought to CCI/SDCC. Plus, this convention has grown so absurdly big and bloated that--as many have been protesting for years--it isn't about comics so much as it is general popular culture. There is still plenty of comic-book goodness there, I imagine, but the fact it is an over-priced, over-crowded madhouse makes me go, "Eh..I'd rather go visit the big convention in New York," as I've mentioned before on the blog. I mean, I love all popular culture, but this show just seems like too much for me (I say, as if I've ever had the opportunity or offer to go). Still, I'll follow any news of note that comes out of the show and discuss whatever is worth talking about.

James Bond #7 Has A Darkly-Hilarious Joke about Gun Control

The seventh issue of the, "James Bond," comic coming out from Dynamite marks the start of the 2nd arc titled, "Eidolon." As with the last arc, this one is written by Warren Ellis and apparently the concluding one for him before someone else takes over the book. In this issue Bond attempts to rescue British citizen who has had her cover blown out in Los Angeles where she's been surveying a Turkish agency in the States. During this rescue-process he gets into a firefight but then due to certain rules about guns in the UK (that the book has been covering), he has to dump his weapon before he heads back to the airport for a flight home. That results in this scene:

To recap, when questioned about throwing a loaded gun in a trash-can, Bond simply replies, "It's America. I don't have time to give it to a child or a mentally ill person, so I'm leaving it in a bin for them to find." When it comes to critiquing our Nation's policy on guns that is just, well, ouch. It burns because it is uncomfortably accurate about how easy it is for one to get their hands on a lethal weapon and when someone can buy an AR-15 in about seven minutes, the joke is as unfortunate as it is clever.

I'm not sure how much of that line is supposed to be coming from James Bond and how much from Warren Ellis, but whatever the case it is hilarious, albeit in a supremely depressing fashion.

Greg Rucka Vs Frank Cho Vs Me Being Tired of This Faux-Censorship Nonsense

The controversy-starter

In case you haven't heard despite the big fuss it has caused across the internet, Frank Cho was doing variant covers for Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka didn't like them, and Frank Cho quit and is now crying-out about, "censorship." It's to the point that right-wing-bullshit-slinging website Breitbart have stepped into the fray to decry the, "Censorship," of it all. I put that word in quotation marks as people often misunderstand what censorship truly is. If you aren't in prison for writing something, you basically haven't been censored, to give the frankest definition. If you are hired to make artwork by a company that owns a character, find that someone at the company doesn't like the artwork, and as a result you quit in a huff, that isn't censorship. No, that is a work disagreement that you get so mad about you dramatically yell, "See ya!" and storm away. Greg Rucka has stayed pretty quiet about all this, but Cho has shared his thoughts off-and-on.

I know the question you've doubtlessly been asking during all of this, "Okay, I see all the fuss being caused, but what does David Bitterbaum think of all this? I really gotta know!" Well I'm going to tell you, as bluntly as possible, how I feel: I honestly don't fucking care anymore.

A sketch done by Cho to be ornery in the past.

I've shared my feelings about Frank Cho in the past, but at this point I am aware that if you hire Cho for art you should know what to expect. Also, if DC gave Greg Rucka complete creative control over, "Wonder Woman," so he would come back to the company (I recall him leaving DC with some anger awhile ago) then he has control. Should this control result in him not liking what was made when DC hired Frank Cho then that's that. Either DC should have realized this could happen, Rucka should have been more relaxed about Cho's art, or Cho should have been less upset when Rucka expressed concern about the imagery--or maybe a mixture of all of that. I'm really not concerned though, because I'm just tired of this nonsense.

Seriously everyone, this isn't censorship, this is business. DC is more concerned with keeping Greg Rucka happy than Frank Cho, so when Rucka said, "Nah," to Cho's variant covers, DC realized there was more money to be made in having Rucka be pleased, so now Cho is just fuming to anyone who will listen to his tale of woe. People are making a bigger fuss out of this than they need to, because no fuss really needs to be made. I don't care if we have sexy Wonder Woman covers, but Greg Rucka was against it, DC backed him on it, Frank Cho left the gig as this upset him, and here we are. Now Cho can go back to doing his, "Funny," sketch covers, Ruck can write Wonder Woman, and I'm now done discussing this non-issue.

The Oddly Cathartic Pleasure of T-Pain's Self-Deprecating Raps

Please Excuse the Wordy Title...

Seriously though, I know my blog post's title is a mouthful. It is true though! The rapper known as T-Pain is most popular for his auto-tuned voice, but one element I've enjoyed in numerous releases of his would be a self-insulting vibe in his raps that gives everything a bit of a humorous and sympathetic sound. After all, how many rappers talk about how great they are and all the women they've had sex with? A ton. How many make a jam about being turned-down by numerous women called, "Chopped N Skrewed?" Exactly.

Whether it is the aforementioned, "Chopped N Screwed," which features the sound of a chopped-and-screwed-style song, or other releases he has put out, there often is a fun self-deprecating tone to many of T-Pain's songs. "Therapy," features him angrily telling a woman that they may as well break-up, with him pettily stating, "One, two, three, four, get the Hell up out my door! Five, six, seven, eight, I don't need your sex, I'll masturbate!" Besides the catchy beat and melody, the lyrics create the image of a man pathetically trying to tell-off a lady who has upset him, but in the process he just ends up looking absurd.

The apex of T-Pain dissing himself can be found on the ,"Same Girl Triple-Up Remix." The original, "Same Girl," featured R. Kelly and Usher singing about a girl they both have met and fallen in love with before realizing their respective darlings are one-and-the-same. They have a laugh over it though and all is well. Things go differently on the remix. Give it a listen:

You can practically hear T-Pain saunter-up, introduce himself and then calmly begin talking about how he knows this woman the duo are talking about as well. The twist occurs when he declares she is in fact his wife, and both Usher and R. Kelly have been having a grand time with this woman he was working hard to keep happy and launch the career of, with him declaring via an angry sigh, "And don't tell me that you didn't see that ring on her finger, I was even trying to help her be a singer." He practically yells at the end of his verse he's through with this woman, and yet again we have a song where T-Pain has found himself left lonely due to a mixture of his own personal failings, and continuously pursuing the kinds of women where the end result is yet another angry break-up.

Not all of T-Pain's songs are about failing at love, of course, but a good number of the pieces I enjoy are set within this subject. I guess it is just a bit refreshing to have a rapper with enough of a sense of humor to rap about how much he sucks at love. I tried to reach out to T-Pain a couple of times via, "The Twitter," to ask if we could discuss how he does this in his songs, but I was sadly unable to get a response. Therefore I can't say whether this is an intentional theme or something which has come about accidentally. Whatever the case, it makes for some good music and I look forward to when T-Pain releases his next album--it's been awhile since the last one!

Marvel Has Leaks Upon Leaks AKA Bleedingcool Just Pissed Off Everyone at Marvel

Probably the Most Hated Person in the Comic-Industry Today...

Rich Johnston is the man who founded Bleedingcool, located on web at www.bleedingcool.com should you be unfamiliar with the site. I am confused as to how you would not know of it, as it is the source for some of the hottest industry gossip and leaks. This is probably because Bleedingcool isn't really indebted to anyone in the comic's industry besides Avatar Press, who own the website but basically take a quite, "Hands-off," approach of letting Rich and his journalistic posse do what they please. Within the last 24 hours that has involved Rich basically pissing off everyone at Marvel.

Someone whom Rich referred to as a, "Bearded insider," with access to loads of info from Marvel gave him the holy grail of leaks, it seems. Essentially every one of Marvel's big upcoming announcements set to occur as we get closer to San Diego Comic-Con/Comic-Con International were put up on Bleedingcool in a flurry of spoilers--with some promo art added as well a bit later. Someone out there, "...either hates Marvel, loves Johnston, or both." That article I just linked to breaks-down some possible ways this could have all leaked as well, but whatever the case, Marvel is angry. Oh, and all the media partners who were going to capitalize on the big reveals in assorted exclusive stories are probably none-to-pleased as well.

There will undoubtedly be a lot of fallout from this, possibly even lawsuits (I'm 100% sure if Marvel can find whomever leaked everything they will sue them into oblivion), but for now the wildest thing I've observed out of all this is that they are actually giving Slapstick his own ongoing comic. Yeah, not a mini-series, but a book that is tentatively an ongoing. Wrap your head around that. Oh, and I'm aware the character has been retooled to be different and darker since his first appearances, but still, Slapstick? I mean, I'll check it out for sure, it will undoubtedly be odd.

Now for a Post About How I Love Pirouline Cookies

I just felt like sharing I love Pirouline cookies. I frist tried them when my wife (knowing my love of wafers and cookies) bought me some she saw at the store. I was instantly enamored. These tasty rolled-wafer style cookies are amazing in the, "Dark Chocolate," variety and I was so struck by the delicious taste I wrote the customer service email about how great the cookies were.

In a sign of how Pirouline cares about their customers they actually wrote me back with thanks for my kind words and offered to send me some coupons. I gave them my address and not too long after I got in the mail coupons I put toward more wafery-choclately goodness.

I would without a doubt recommend you try Pirouline cookies, and if you're a lover of Hazelnut you'll be pleased to know they have that flavor too, as well as occasional limited-time ones. For real though, give these cookies a taste, you'll be pleased!

Note: The people who make Pirouline cookies were not aware I had a blog or that I was going to write a post about their cookies when I contacted them the first time and they offered me coupons. I just felt like making a post!

Film Friday: Superb Opening Scenes in Films

As We Begin...
I had the ingenious idea to make a post about movie openings I like. I then looked online and saw this topic has been discussed a lot. That didn't discourage me though, because while the posts I saw talked about some openings I had thought of, there are others I feel deserve mention as they are less-known. So, here are three everybody is aware of and three most may not think about (plus one honorable mention which is sort-of known).

3 Well-Known Openings

Inglorious Basterds
For a scene that is basically just two men talking it is amazing how it goes from seeming like a casual conversation to the slowly growing tension as us viewers make the realization that the Nazi played by Christoph Waltz is the worst kind of villain--the sort that lures you into a false sense of security that he can be reasoned with and placated. As Waltz talks to a farmer about missing Jews the anxiety of those watching builds and builds until the horrendous and bloody climax where it becomes apparent the very people the farmer was trying to hide are under the floorboards and he's sold them out. A riveting piece of cinema and arguably one of the best parts of the movie. Director Quentin Tarantino knew to give us his best at the start, and boy does he deliver that.

The Dark Knight
Many movies end with a bank robbery, having that serve as the climax to the story. "The Dark Knight," however, opens with a bank robbery, and a tightly choreographed one at that. In it's amazingly well-orchestrated process we not only hear about the fabled man known as, "The Joker," who will come to dominate the film, we see how much of a mastermind he is with this bank robbery and then get to be surprised as he reveals himself to be a part of the very crew that simply thought he had hired them. In a bit over five minutes director Christoper Nolan has set some incredibly high stakes, bringing us the end of most movies at the beginning, and throwing the antagonist out there before we see even a hint of the hero. It's no surprise that to this day people still oftentimes refer to this as a movie starring the Joker, with guest appearances by Batman. Much of the credit for that goes of course to Heath Ledger's amazing performance, and with Nolan providing Ledger a scene like this to make his splash in, something magical resulted.

James Bond: Casino Royale
When this movie came out folk were feeling a bit down on the James Bond franchise. "Die Another Day," had come along and completely shit the bed, ruining any goodwill Pierce Brosnan had built-up during his time as the character. Fans were concerned this would be another silly jaunt full of weird technology and campy villains. Then we get an incredibly dark opening scene that opens in a stark black-and-white where the new James Bond confronts someone in a quiet room--but that scene is inter-cut with a brutal bathroom fight that the lack of color somehow makes all the more gritty. This scene doesn't just serve as the introduction to the film, it shows us that this new Bond we're getting ain't gonna be like some of the old ones. There really was no better way to put fears to rest, and that the rest of the movie is so expertly done only helps solidify, "Casino Royale," as a classic.


3 Less-Discussed Openings

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 version)
I know, I know, the remake in no way lives-up to the John Carpenter classic. That said, I love the opening. When I first saw this it was at a movie theater back in the day that didn't have any special screen or, "bumper," to announce the previews were over and the movie was starting, the movie would just begin. For some reason the copy of the film they had lacked any studio logos or such, so it just opened on Ethan Hawke talking excitedly. For the first minute of the film I thought I was watching another preview. This opening on Ethan Hawke in an undercover role talking about drugs was so odd however that as it proceeded I began to go, "What is going on?" until it dawned on me the film proper had actually begun. It was a wild experience that is well complimented by the scene's sudden leap into action-fueled violence. If only the rest of this remake could have been as good.

Swordfish
I would argue this movie is an overlooked gem. Remembered by most people as the other movie where Halle Berry shows her breasts (the much more depressing ,"Monster's Ball," being the other), this actually is a peppy little film that talks about technology (at least as best as it could be talked about in 2001), concepts of good guys and bad guys, and features John Travolta doing that charismatic-villain role he tends to excel at. Plus, it has Hugh Jackman (this time affecting an American accent)! The opening scene though, it is just so wild. We have John Travolta talking about the movie, "Dog Day Afternoon," and how things would be different today whilst casually smoking in what appears to be a restaurant. Then the camera suddenly pans out and we see SWAT officers everywhere whom he commands to move out of his way. Suddenly its apparent Travolta has hostages rigged to explode with bombs and is in the process of robbing a bank himself--not unlike, "Dog Day Afternoon." Of course a bomb goes off and then the movie whisks us back to true start of the film, as we actually opened in the last quarter. It's bizarre to think the flick opens around the last 3/4th and then rewinds before making its way back, but it works and makes the impact of that opening all the more dramatic.

James Bond: Quantum of Solace
Another Bond movie, one with much less respect given to it. Seriously, out of the, "James Bond," films Daniel Craig was a part of this is the one everyone loves to hate. I'm with the folk who defend it however, thinking it is actually a solid piece of entertainment and a worthy entry in the Bond-mythos. The fact it actually links-up with, "Casino Royale," makes it a bit unique in the idea of each Bond film standing alone. There is a huge opening car-chase with Bond and then at the end he pops the trunk and we are surprised to in fact see a villain from the previous film that Bond intends to interrogate in an effort to learn more about the murder of the woman he cared about in the previous film, Vesper. Should someone be going into this film without knowing it was a bit of a direct sequel to, "Casino Royale," they would be surprised not only to see someone was in the trunk of Bond's car during the entire chase, but that they relate to an earlier movie. It is a way to have an opening that jars the viewer, and for that reason it is a great opening scene in a movie I would argue also is solid as well, even though many disagree.

One Honorable Mention That Is Sort-of Talked About

NARC
The movie, "NARC," could be mistaken as being your standard gritty flick about the police investigating the death of a fellow officer, but is elevated by great performances (Ray Liotta always makes a great cop or crook) and some intriguing twists. It's opening is amazing however. It just starts. We join an on-foot chase in process, unaware who exactly is whom, the camera shaking as it attempts to keep-up, no music playing, just intense breathing and footsteps. It's quick, terrifying, and bloody as the man being chased leaves all kind of harm in his wake and the man in pursuit we later learn is an officer played by Jason Patric who follows closely. From that moment on, "NARC," had my full attention and kept it throughout.

Roll Credits
When it comes to watching a movie you of course want it to have an entertaining middle and satisfying end, but I would contend that the most important part is to have an opening that grabs the viewer's attention. These movies--both the popular and lesser-known--do just that, and serve as examples to others of how to make a great opening scene in your film.

Mini-Run Review: Moon Knight #1-#3 (The Latest Series)

An Awesome Character and Concept

Moon Knight/Marc Spector (plus he has the multiple personalities) is of course a character I absolutlely love. He and Luke Cage are quite possibly my favorite characters. I first discovered Moon Knight during Charlie Huston's run which was amazing, went back and read the early stuff by Doug Moench which was also incredible, and have checked-out other Moon Knight comics old-and-new since that have varied between great (Warren Ellis' run, and Brian Wood was solid)-to-okay (Bendis did a fair job even if it basically was just an excuse to set-up, "Age of Ultron.") to horribly underwhelming (Some of that 1990's stuff is weak). Comics about Moon Knight can vary in quality, clearly.

What is interesting about Moon Knight is that even though he isn't the biggest-name character, since Huston did a run of the character he has almost always had a comic in-print about his solo adventures, or with him on a team (remember his stint with the, "Secret Avengers," as they were called?), which of course makes me happy. While it makes me happy, I wonder how well these books do, as they always seem to get cancelled but then come back with a new creative team as if Marvel realizes when done properly Moon Knight is superb and not merely a Batman knock-off as some have always accused him of being.

As books about Moon Knight/Marc Spector can be really good or pretty bad, I was both excited and nervous for the latest saga in the character's life written by Jeff Lemire. Lemire has made some really incredible stuff (I loved, "Essex County,") and struggled on other titles ("Animal Man," got boring for me) so I was unsure if we were going to get the Lemire who brings his, "Sweet Tooth," writing abilities, or more of a, "Justice League United,"-style Lemire. Well, the series is now three issues in and I think I can start making some decisions on the books quality in the form of a Q&A with myself...

Questions and Answers

Is the book good?
Yes, it is, very much so!

Okay. Go on.
Well, it takes a somewhat cliché concept but morphs it a bit so that it actually works. The idea is that Marc Spector is in a mental institution where things aren't quite right. He's told there is a Moon Knight, but it ain't him, its just a delusion he has had ever since he came to the institution years ago to think he is that hero. The thing is, other people in the institution are familiar to him (and he to them) so he figures it must be an elaborate ploy. During hallucinations/visions he meets with his God, Khonosu, who tells him that other Egyptian deities are trying to to break into reality and have tricked Spector into thinking he's just a crazy person. The thing is, even Khonosu admits Spector could fully well be utterly crazy, but amusingly asks if it really matters. So, the three issues so far are Marc and his friends working at escaping from the institution and finally appearing to make good on that goal at the end of the latest issue. That good?

Yes, that's pretty detailed! I wanted to ask though, do I need to be a Moon Knight junkie to follow this?
No, you really don't. The book basically lays-out everything clearly for readers and has allusions to the older and more recent past, but is quite friendly to anyone just now dipping their toe into the Moon Knight mythos.

Okay, so how about the art?
The art is incredible. Greg Smallwood absolutely kills it. He alternates his style perfectly, having reality in straight clear lines and the fantasy-scenes in a more almost-hazy kind of appearance. It's gorgeous stuff and works perfectly in the book.

Earlier you said the general story idea is a bit of a cliché. Does that hurt things much or is it done well enough the reader won't mind?
Well, the plot of, "Hey, the hero is being told they're crazy and their beliefs are not real," happens so often in books it has become overplayed. I mean, of course the characters are actually heroes and they are temporarily being fooled! The way Lemire gets out of this seeming too hackneyed however is that he does introduce the fact that Marc Spector is told how there is a Moon Knight out there fighting crime, he's just told he is crazy to think it's him. That actually introduces some legitimate doubt into the story, because normally in these plots it is the kind of thing where the heroes are told they are in a world with no super-folk, etc. Yet, here people are like, "Oh yeah, we have Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and all those folk, you're just silly to think you're one of them though." It helps save things from being too rote, with the plot also being helped well in the scene where Spector is told by the very God he worships he could just be batshit crazy, but likes feeling like he has a purpose.

So you'd recommend the book?
Yeah, I'd most definitely recommend this thanks to its stellar writing, amazing artwork, and the fact that it has Moon Knight. I'm a total Moon Knight junkie and will buy even the worst stuff that features him, but I'm happy when it is a comic that's really good like this one. I'm not quite certain how this story-arc will end and where it will go, but if it can keep-up the intriguing way of telling the story and keeps having fantastic artwork I'll be eager to read it--and the next issue comes out soon as well! I would give these first three issues 5 out of 5 stars and eagerly say folk should read them.

Final Thoughts

As I said in my Q&A with myself, this is some great work from Lemire and Smallwood. You should pick up this book without a doubt, because if more people read it hopefully it will last a good chunk of issues. Then we will eventually get a Moon Knight movie or Netflix show and I can eager watch them. That's my theory at least. Please don't crush my dreams.

A Review of the 1st and 2nd Issue of, "The Ugly Tree"

Intro Time!

I first came across, "The Ugly Tree," thanks to an article on Bleeding Cool. Written and drawn by Abrahm Akin, I thought it looked like a fun comic with its mixture of humor and homage to 1980's-styled slasher films--of which I'm a fan. I reached out to Akin about purchasing the first two issues so that I could review them and after buying the comics they were shipped to me with good speed and I had them at my house ready to be read and enjoyed! Having read the comics I can now offer my thoughts...

Review/Thoughts

In the genre of horror, there are always monsters in the closet.

The first and second issue of, "The Ugly Tree," are good fun. The intention is without a doubt to riff on those aforementioned 1980's horror movies, but while also of course telling a unique tale. Not too much time is spent explaining the past, but something awful occurred that released monsters into the town who now alternate between doing inoffensive things like hanging out and getting drunk to committing horrible bloody atrocities. As those old slasher-flicks were loaded with nudity and sex the comic discusses that too, with the monsters quite aware of their own desire to see human flesh, or to take advantage of others horniness so as to lure them to doom. Seriously, it ain't an old-school horror story without someone's desire for sex leading to a hideous dismemberment.

Akin's artwork carries with it a cartoony-vibe that allows the humorous aspects of the comic to flow well and the bloody parts to be more funny than gross--this is a comic about horror, but itself isn't a horror comic so much as a commentary on them, after all. By being a bit of an examination of horror the comic can cleverly comment on how it is doing things that are cliche because that's the point, to write both a love-letter to horror films and poke some fun at them.

The monsters fight amongst themselves as well.

Were I to have some criticism for the comic it would be that while we get some good character development with one main character--Cherry (who is visiting her family for the Summer)--and some characterization with her younger sister, Peach, their brother just comes off as a bit of a jerk. Plus, if anything we maybe get a bit too much characterization with the monsters, as odd as that sounds. A part of me wouldn't have minded if they were kept a bit more mysterious with less of them shown, as telling us their names and having them crack jokes kind of humanizes them and makes them less intimidating or awful-seeming...at least until they then go and do something terrible! Still, those qualms aside I really liked, "The Ugly Tree," and can award it a very recommendable...
4.5 out of 5 stars.

In Closing

I should get a copy of the sketchbook too!

When it comes to the smaller-press comics you can always find all kinds of interesting works. "The Ugly Tree," has two great issues so far, and I look forward to seeing where Abrahm Akin takes things next!