Sweating the Small Stuff
"HALLOWEEN TRICKS AND TREATS"
Reviewing The Wicked West II: Abomination & Other Tales, The Creeper #1-3, Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #1-3, Tales of the Unexpected #1, Marvel Zombies #1-5, Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures #1, Dr. DeBunko: The Short Stories (Tabloia #579), The Absolute Sandman Special Edition, Dead by Dawn Quarterly #1, Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #1-4 and The Shadow of Dracula #2.
Copyright © 2006, Glenn Walker
The Wicked West II: Abomination & Other Tales
One of the coolest things about having a good time is when you can invite your friends to come along too. That's what Wicked West II is all about, letting your friends have fun too. It's the middle of the hot hot summer and Todd Livingston, Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes have built the best swimming pool in the whole neighborhood and have opened the front gate and waved folks in.
This huge nearly-200-page volume features the work of over thirty great comic book talents, playing in the universe that Livingston, Tinnell and Vokes fashioned. In a world where creator-owned properties is so important, allowing others to play with your toys is pretty rare. It's quite a compliment, for the both the creators and the invitees.
The lead feature, the fifty-page "Abomination" by Tinnell and Vokes, conjures Tod Browning's Freaks, from the Prince Randian-like human torso character to the rainswept wagons. I believe that Neil probably spent some time studying the flick with his finger rocking on the pause button, some scenes are so close. The story is damned good as well, a true horror, that even drops some hints about Cotton Coleridge's past. I was glued to the pages from start to finish.
"Whiskey Daydream" is a treat. I loved "The Assay Office," a text story by the much-missed Mike Baron and it (along with "I Kill the Dead" by C. Courtney Joyner) harkens back to a time when text features were a regular part of comic books, something I wouldn't mind seeing return. It shows skills we don't often see from standard comic writing. With "Night Creatures" Neil Vokes proves he knows a thing or two about sequential storytelling as he writes and Tommy Castillo provides pencils and shades of gray.
Tinnell and Livingston add another word or two to the mystery of Cotton in "Taking Big Medicine," a tale alluded to in "Abomination." While the art by David Michael Beck is terrific it just doesn't feel right for the character. Beck is sharp, crisp and mainstream, in short he's not Neil Vokes. Not that this is a bad thing but it keeps me from accepting the story as Cotton canon. It may be the only bad thing about this collection - that Tinnell, Livingston and Vokes have not only created a wonderful universe to play in, but they have also created a trademark style.
"Collecting Dust" is also a favorite. I vaguely remember John K. Snyder III's Fashion in Action, but if I get a chance I'll try to scoop up some copies after reading this one. I'm speechless regarding Nick Cardy's one page effort. I used to love his covers for DC Comics. Good thing this one wasn't a cover. All of the "Terror Over Texas" features were much fun, and I have to say, other than the big three Wicked West creators I really enjoyed the contributions of Andrew Sands. Great stuff.
Again this is a wonderful package, just in time for Halloween. This will be a great companion to and go on the shelf right next to the first Wicked West and the two volumes of The Black Forest. Now, when do we get more?
The Creeper #1-3
Okay, I'm spoiled. When I think about the Creeper, or more accurately Beware the Creeper, I think of the master - Steve Ditko. I'm not just an old schooler or a purist, baby, I'm spoiled. There are characters that Mr. Ditko has put his mark on - The Question, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and The Creeper - that few can surpass. Until now.
Steve Niles is the horror guy when it comes to comics the last few years. Most notably his 30 Days of Night is one of the best, but he's also shown a respect and knowledge of the superheroes in the handful of that genre he's handled. Niles brings the best of both worlds to the new Creeper.
In the superhero world continuities are rebooted and retconned every other day, so when I saw that Steve Niles was going to start the Creeper from scratch (again) I cringed. I was happily surprised however. After seeing a dozen different Kryptons and a dozen more Spider-clones, it was refreshing to see the Creeper's origin retold faithfully, with the only changes being more detail. If Ditko gave interviews, I bet he'd be impressed.
The artist Justiniano has masterfully redesigned the Creeper. His 'cape' that has looked like a furry boa in previous incarnation now appears as sharp but flexible spines. The Joker resemblance that in the past has been insulting now works in his favor. And I love love love the skewed perspective the Creeper has of the world when we're in his POV.
All this and Justiniano has also given vision to the monsters in Niles' head. They 'creep' through the pages like bastard children of Lovecraft and Barker. The Creeper is one of the best books on the shelf at the moment, and perfect for Halloween.
Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #1-3 and Tales of the Unexpected #1
There are two things on my mind right away. Did we need a sequel spin-off of the new Spectre from Infinite Crisis? And secondly, did we even need a new Spectre?
I'm a big proponent of the adage - If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you ask me, there was nothing wrong with the Jim Corrigan Spectre, nothing at all. And it doesn't matter whether you're talking about the Jerry Siegel Spectre, the Gardner Fox/Murphy Anderson version, the Neal Adams one, the Michael Fleischer/Jim Aparo Spectre or the John Ostrander/Tom Mandrake incarnation, they were all superior, and they were all Jim Corrigan. Yes, I most definitely left out some versions of the Corrigan character, probably because they were big bags o' suck. Again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The Spectre is a cosmic guardian and a spirit of wrath and vengeance. Over and above that, he's also Jim Corrigan. Period. Don't ever talk to me about Hal Jordan, and just what the hell is Crispus Allen all about?
I didn't read Gotham Central all that often, but when I did I liked it quite a bit. What I don't understand about this newest Spectre is why is he GC detective Crispus Allen when the same series has also introduced a new Jim Corrigan? Why? All that said, I found this Crisis Aftermath mini-series pointless and a waste of time and money. And the goatee does not work.
The new Spectre's path continues in the new Tales of the Unexpected, which I assume only exists to maintain copyright to the name. It's been a long time since this title has featured any type of superhero, back to the early 1960s if memory serves with Space Ranger. The new TotU has two heroic figures, sort of, if the new Spectre and Dr. 13 count.
Artist Eric Battle gives the Crispus Allen Spectre a visual makeover that not only wasn't needed, but also doesn't help. This story is just as bad as the others, written better, but the character simply doesn't interest me. Dr. 13 gets a bit of a makeover as well in the back-up that makes TotU definitely worth the extra dollar. Sick, subtle and amusing, just what the character needed. Maybe writer Brian Azzarello has been reading Dr. DeBunko (see below). And inexplicably I like Cliff Chiang's art much better on Dr. 13 than on his Spectre mini-series.
Marvel Zombies #1-5
Based on a derogatory term used for fans of the company for decades, this was spun off into its own miniseries from Mark Millar and Greg Land's brilliant "Crossover" story arc in Ultimate Fantastic Four. A flash of light in the sky and suddenly all of the heroes became cannibalistic zombies. Great concept, especially when, as in this series, they have run out of food.
Writer Robert Kirkman displays the sly style and light touch for superheroes he's previously demonstrated in Brit and Marvel Team-Up. Despite being the undead, these classic Marvel heroes may have well been written by Stan Lee or Roy Thomas. Yes, he's that good. Looking for the old school Iron Man and Captain America friendship? It's here. In a world where Civil War is the biggest thing in comics and has superheroes out of character battling superheroes, Marvel Zombies has them perfectly in character - even if they're undead.
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures #1
When the powers that be buy licensed properties to become comic books, this is what they are all hoping for. Anita Blake in only a few weeks has become wildly explosive - huge sales, wonderful reviews, the whole package. I don't know what I can say that would add to the tidal wave of success for this book. I have to say serious props to Stacie M. Ritchie for her excellent adaptation of Laurell K. Hamilton's work.
I do have to wonder however what was Innovation Comics could have been doing wrong back in the day with the Anne Rice vampire series. With Anita, it seems like it should be child's play. Obviously Laurell K. Hamilton + Dabel Brothers + Marvel Comics = success.
So when does Harry Potter come to the comics? Stephen King's Roland the Gunslinger is here, and now so is Anita Blake. Also in the vein of vampires, but do you know what I would like to see in comic book form? L.A. Banks' Vampire Huntress Legend, the twelve book series with illustrations by the aforementioned Eric Battle. Ms. Banks is an admitted Marvel Comics fan and has written the prequel to "Scarface" for Dark Horse Press, so it's about time, don't you think?
Dr. DeBunko: The Short Stories (Tabloia #579)
Once upon a time writer/artist Chris Wisnia tried to sell DC Comics on an update of Dr. 13 the Ghostbreaker for their Vertigo line. He'd been fascinated with the concept of the skeptic in general and wanted to put it into practice in the comics. Once DC passed on the idea, Wisnia created the character of Dr. DeBunko, Debunker of the Supernatural, adding more Chris Wisnia and less Doc 13. This time it was a winner.
With the blessing and kind words of Michael Shermer of Skeptic magazine, Dr. DeBunko has more credibility than Dr. 13 in my opinion, and that's before reading the actual stories. Now most of the stories themselves had previously appeared in Tabloia #572-576, which I had already read but enjoyed nevertheless this time, my fave being "Fear the Sex-Crazed Succubi."
The three 'new' tales are also reprints but from a much lower run and much smaller audience, mini-comics previously available only at conventions and such. The intro to this package sarcastically sells out these stories as all being the same and 'too much to take in one sitting,' however I found each of them priceless - landmarks of the stupidity mass hysteria creates. In Dr. DeBunko's own words, "Are there really this many idiots in the world?"
This book, like its predecessor Tabloia, is a gem among the junkyard of comics out there that generally suck. How rare it is to find a comic that entertains, informs and amuses. Rock on, Doc!
The Absolute Sandman Special Edition
Another in a series of reasonably priced comics, this one runs at fifty cents, and of course seventy-five cents in Canada. Seriously though this is a wonderful sampler (and ingenious promotion) of what is available in the project this book is built to promote - Sandman The Absolute Edition.
Included, along with a nifty new story by Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith that is only available in STAE, are some Bowie-esque (rather than Robert Smith!) Sandman model sheets by Leigh Baulch, the original proposal for the series, and Gaiman's essay "The Origin of the Comic You Are Now Holding" from Sandman #4.
That last item immediately took me back to 1989 and the wonder I was swept up in when I originally read the series passionately. What a lot of people forget (I did) was that at the time, Sandman was like nothing else encountered before on the comics shelf. It seems old hat now, but then it was seriously something else.
One thing that I do love: Neil Gaiman's name is almost bigger than the title on the cover of this book. Of course! He's a New York Times Best-Selling Author. He's one of the exceptions to the rule. While lately we have had established mainstream writers doing comics like Brad Meltzer, Joss Whedon and Allan Heinberg - Neil Gaiman is one who started in comics. You go, Neil!
As I said, this is a great ad for STAE, but I kinda doubt I'll be picking it up myself. This is a conversation I've had more than a few times with friend and Comic Widows co-conspirator Ray, these absolute editions are just too much money. And like those great Nexus collections that Dark Horse is putting out, yes, I love it but I already have these. Besides, they get enough of my cash with Archives and Masterworks.
Dead by Dawn Quarterly #1
This British anthology from Scar Comics was sent to me last year by Chris Wisnia as it featured some of his work. And yes, it's the first of two reviews that should have been here last Halloween, but trust me, it doesn't make them any less appropriate.
Chris' tale is one of the creepier of the bunch, about a man obsessed with what is reflected in his mirror, featuring one of his characters from Tabloia. You'll take a second glance in your mirrors at home after reading this four-pager. It's one of the few in the book that lives up the subtitle of "Eleven tales of terror from the Masters of Contemporary Horror."
Many of the tales here only have horror elements or themes but not real horror. Highlights of the book for me were by 'http://www.olivepresscomics.com">James Hodgkins, Richard Starzecki and the lead story by Andrew Richmond and A.J. Whittaker of Dusk Comics. It's a great sampler for the genre and excellent Halloween fare.
Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #1-4
Despite Civil War escaping that fate recently (and by the skin of its teeth in my opinion), delays kill comics. Case in point: Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory. The final issue (finally out this past week) has been well overdue and the delay has killed what interest and momentum there may have been. However, I'm not here to rail on Grant Morrison or Seven Soldiers, just yet at least, but just one of the series' components - after all, what is Halloween without Frankenstein?
Like all of the new Soldiers, Frankenstein is loosely based on an existed DC character 'reinvented' by Grant Morrison. I don't know why they needed to be reinvented but writers today insist that old is bad, I guess. And so, this Frankenstein bears little resemblance to DC's original version, the Spawn of Frankenstein.
Morrison's version of the Frankenstein monster is basically Mary Shelley's but survives rather than dies at the end of the book. He swims to America and becomes an immortal soldier of fortune battling Melmoth, a Lovecraftian baddie who had fought other Soldiers. Not only is this Frankenstein the noble child and savage monster of the original source material, he's also a bad ass refreshing to the form. Almost a heroic Punisher with a conscience.
Doug Mahnke is an artist, whose superhero work had done little to impress me previously, feels just right for this horror-based hero. He captures the flavor perfectly. Mahnke creates Mike Mignola imagery with John Byrne sensibility - does that make sense? Never mind, that's how I see it.
Of all the Seven Soldiers minis, Frankenstein conjures Morrison's style from JLA and Doom Patrol the most. He gives it that knowing nostalgic wink along with that decidedly weird streak. Bits like the Erdel Gate, the X-Hawks, the Bride, 'Grundy-Man' and SHADE all speak to this.
I especially loved the first two issues, "Uglyhead" and "Red Zombies," and would most certainly buy a Frankenstein series by this creative team. And while I got a kick out of the reference to the original JLA/JSA/SSoV story, this mission to connect this mini to the others and the framing sequence with the Sheeda is where Frankenstein fails. Standing alone, Frankenstein is cool, mired in complex continuity, it's a no-go.
The Shadow of Dracula #2
This is a small press mini-comic brought to my attention last year by Steve Keeter of Happy Face Productions. I initially just glanced at it, dismissing it as just another in a long line of mini-black-and-whites that would be here today and gone tomorrow. A second glance recently however proved me to be very wrong.
All small press and independent comics have two things in common: drive and sincerity, what a lot of them lack (in my opinion at least) is talent. "Stalkers of Dracula" has all three. The story is pretty straightforward, Dracula vs. the Mummy, but is still given a fresh new flair by writer Charles Robinson II and artist Johnny Gonzales. There is much respect for the Universal source material and Gonzales has a cartoonish yet vibrant skill with black and white. I would also have like to have seen more than just the cover by Ben Robinson III, great stuff.