comics capsule reviews

0 THEMES 1) Integrating fantasy (magic) and reality an overall theme of most of the comics I
enjoy is how to integrate mystery, magic, a sense of wonder, great powers, or simply ideals
into a corrupt world. Hellblazer 120, for instance, takes the writer on a night journey with
Constantine, where nothing is what it appears to be how much of Cs interactions with
magic and demons is real? What is reality? what happens when stories endure. Books of
Magic no one we know has powers like Tims; while like Constantine he lives in the real
world at least part-time, none (or little) of the magic he does has any connection to actual
magic, as actually done. But the problems of how to integrate imagination with reality have
relevance or do they? Do such comics have any use, in preparing readers for their actual
lives, or do they merely distract and enfeeble? ONE USE: to suggest that victory in our
imaginary worlds, our dreams and fears, will not be easy that well have to overcome inner
demons and encounter kinds of thought and action (in the Coll. Uncons.) as alien to our
everyday thinking and personalities as Faeries and Magic are to people in Tims world. Thus
the possibility of MISUSE is there for comics as for magic or superpowers: we can get lost in
our wishes, in desires and lusts, etc.
A-Force. ++++Women superheroes in a post-Secret-Wars world. Good art, some interesting
writing. nice art.
ARTIFACTS. Supernatural mystery & action, fending off the end of the world. Writing +++,
effective and witty, but way too grim and darkthe lead heroine gets her sister killed and
her daughter kidnapped in #1.. Art ++++, well-executed, great powerhands and glories, but
too suited to the bloody, demon-infested mood; somewhat cliched following early
Hellraiser, etc..
AVENGERS VS X-MEN. Writing +++ Art ++++. The core story that the Phoenix is coming for
Hope Summers, and questions about whether she is ready for it, and what the response
should be is interesting. But the specifics, while interesting up close, lose force when
one steps back a bit. Its a good coming of age story but not a good Avengers story. We see
too little of the serious issues, and too many problems created by hard-headed group leaders
(Cyclops and Cap) and wayward allegiances and intentions (Wolverine wants to kill Hope,
go figure). Interesting side-stories include Wanda/Scarlet Witchs exile from the Avengers.
ART is strong Hope is both vulnerable and strong, the fights are interesting to look at, and
the power displays are very good lots of nice powerhands and force explosions Secret
Avengers 27 all the Kree are caught in a projected delusion that the Phoenix will evolve
their race; Secret Avengers 28 ends on a high note with the nobility of Mar-Vells sacrifice.
Beta Ray Bill GODHUNTER 3 issues. 2009. +++++ Well written, good plotting, good dialogue.
Wonderful penciling by Kano, Ink Lopez, amazing color Rodriguez!!; BRB goes after
Galactus, trying to starve him. S.Surfer explains Galactus present condition, after having
been enslaved by a petty cosmic tyrant (probably by Annihilus and Thanos). Also includes
Simonsons BRB origins issues, in very good original color which I also have in the Thor
Visionaries Simonson.
BLACK ORCHID TPB collects B.O. 01-03, 1989. ++++1/2. Neal Gaiman & Dave McKean. This
famously reboots the old superhero character as a plant-human hybrid, linked to the Green,
and with memory issues. Death and rebirth of Susan, birth of Suzy; Lex Luthor; we get the
B.O. back story Susans childhood, abuse, friendship with Phil (later Dr. Philip Sylvian,
friend and colleague of Pamela Isley, Alec and Linda Holland, and Jason Woodrue (Floronic

Man?) her running away, marriage to a gangster, death at his hands, and then the orchid
sisters in the greenhouse. Sylvain used Linden's DNA as the source for plant/human hybrids,
and kept an entire greenhouse full of them.
BLACK ORCHID in the 70s as extras in Phantom Stranger v. 2 30-42. Moral tales (that fit with
the Stranger tales) she watches criminals and forces them to make things right. P.S. 35-36
a guy with a computer sets out to find her, after she threatens him.
Black Orchid v. 2 (1993- ) Art ++++ (good color!) Writing +++1/2 -- a reporter is researching a
mysterious woman, Flora Black, Lailea, Ms. Black or Blackie. Generally realistic
approach though metahumans and costumes are known. Its the AROMA. She has an
inexplicable attractive, persuasive quality but only in person, not in photos or video. Shes
mysterious, disappears w/ no forwarding address; usually calm and calming, but at times has
an air of being haunted or hunted. He eventually makes the connection between her and the
masked crimefighter Black Orchid . She flees, with Sheri (Sherilyn Sommers), to Nicks,
where they see dryads and stuff, then to find S.T. #04 p.08 ff. the limits of scientific vision
and understanding, of reason. In #05 and the Swamp Thing crossover they explore STs
unconscious, with elements from Alex its a little slow and boring too much comic-book
psychology; for instance, when they meet SW at last, he is a god of judgment, who cannot
see that Alexs id and memories, which he condemns, are the counterparts of his own
superego posturing. #06 some good char drwg & color but a very weak story; 07 (my fav.
after they left the city) opens w/ Amazon natives speculating abt. BOs mental state spirit
sisters can go crazy too hard to know about beings whose thought processes are so different
(an orchid-human hybrid!); she is dreaming, reviewing the cost of what she has learned
but still does not know what she will answer when the children dreaming below her wake and
ask, what are we? what is our purpose, what is our task? She undertakes a quest for identity
and self-understanding to a place remembered in old stories, of where we were before we
were here variety it is MYTHS OR STORIES OF BEFORE THAT ACTIVATE OUR SENSE OF AN
INNER PURPOSE EVOLVING. cont. in 08 the guide is telling the stories of the different
groups of their peoples .. 08 p. 20 a nice drawing of the Moss Mother; 09 +++++ -- for an
origin myth and really nice art incl. more images of Moss Mothers #10 +++++ BEST

ART OF ALL

.. She loves the boy Jiru, who becomes a sacrifice for his people. #11

Suzy after the Childrens Crusade shes sold to Ereshkigal, goddess of the dead but fools
her, escapes, into the nexus where she has to figure out the trip of cosmic word salad-chefs
Foment and Moment then catches up to Junkin Buckley lots of myth-making, lots of
weird cosmic word-wrinkling -- #12 again the art is close to 5 at points; its the reminiscing
narrative of weems of Logos -- economics the mythology of a species thats turned its
back on She-who-is-the-world COSMIC-SEXY #13 and following issues evolve in
interesting directions BO is trying to seed a new race of orchid nymphs, an oak-nymph
helps save NYC from kobolds run wild, becomes the nymph of NYC, etc.
Books of Magic-Life During Wartime. ++ Some nice drawing, like images of Zatanna, but
overall not fun at all. Tim is kind of lost in a safe world he created, while real earth is
consumed by a war between the Born and the Bred all of whom wonder where the Hunter
is and when hes returning. Dark, violent, and ugly, at least in the first issue.
Childrens Crusade. ++++1/2 VERTIGO Interesting art. Stories of children being lured to the
free land where no grownups torment, abuse or neglect them. In the Black Orchid issue, the
child human/plant cross Susy is being kept safe in the the nexus, but is lured away to Free
Land because of her identity confusion (is there something else inside her?) and anger;

really like how Susy is drawn. In the Swamp Thing issue, Tefe and Maxine team up to heal
the land .. pp. 34-34 cool. The way the Free Land is depicted, with bright colors and lots of
white space, reminds of Moebius and something else - ? The same issue has a short, Rise
and Fall, about a civilization of flowers rising and being destroyed, a la Krypton. Another
short, +++++, uses Swamp Thing as the Beast in Eauty and the East. The merchant picks a
Rose !!!
Crisis on Infinite Earths -- +++ -- Sum: one of the last really naive comics I know of. Some of
the art is fine, but its all cheesy. BEST: #12 lots of good powerhands, etc.
Deadman Strange Adventures 206-216. Neal Adams pencils. ++++ Good face punching,
energetic panel structures, movement and tension DM dives around like a fish at times.
DMs face sometimes presages comic art of the 90s and later. Letters comment on the
realistic drawing. The story, however, is supernatural Boston Brand is dead, can move
around like Spectre, enter peoples bodies, as he attempts to discover his murderer; along the
way he foils crimes and helps people exposes a fake medium, takes down a contract
hitman, etc.. #212 he uses karate on a lion, while in his twin brothers body. Hes the eerie
aerialist. When his murderer is uncovered and dead (by his teachers hand) the god who
gave him his power asks if balance has been struck. Yes. Then you have satisfaction.
DM freaks more frustrated than ever!

PLUS in 211 a strong but

dated feminist backup story a woman admiral in the space wars
DELINQUENTS, The. +++++ Valiant, 4-issue miniseries, 2014. Penciled by KANO humorous
superhero action, with interesting cultural references. Quantum and Woody and their
superpowered goat MEH!
DIVINITY II. ++++ Valiant 2016-- Mystical art, character-driven story of mystical self-discovery
in deep space. I like it!.
DOCTOR SPEKTOR. 2014; 1-4 collected into a TPB. Writing ++1/2, art ++++. Incoherent story
about Dr. S. remembering a woman who never existed, existence vs. non-existence, and
energy umbilicals breaching the barrier between the two. Realistic drawing style, a few pages
with good FX like solars appearance, p. 55; 62; Lily diving thru the umbilicus, 66-67, 69;
Solar in the hand of a Sky God and battles, 74-81 (the colors); 89; 92.

DREAMING EAGLES 3.5 - ++++ Well told story of the Tuskeegee Airmen. Art is mostly subdued,
the combat scenes are not clear at times, but fits the story well.
DRUMHELLAR v. 1 - 3.5/5. Some interesting images, a psychedelic story, but weak in characters
and does not really show the supernatural world in an ultimately interesting way. GOOD: the
lead character goes on visionary trips under various drug influences mind-expansion.
GODDESS 8 issue Vertigo series. Art +++++ Writing +++ : Some of the images are amazing, all
interesting like how motion is depicted, or violence, or magic: interesting and surprising,
but decipherable. The good characters are interesting, if exaggerated, but the bad guys are
severe caricatures a CIA guy who sprays machingun fire in London, Brit. customs agents
ditto in the airport. Too realistic to play as fantasy, too unrealistic to play as realism.
H-E-R-O 2003-2004 - +++ Most early issues penciled by KANO -- 1-4 told in flashbacks, dude
steals a device that makes him into various superheroes cant use the power right learns
compassion; the ART IS STRONG and dynamic the story of his failures to use the powers well
combines old ideas (like Jimmy Olson, Peter Parker) of how hard it is to be a power, with
more modern
NAMES OF MAGIC, The -- ++++1/2 VERTIGO the continued adventures of Tim, with the
illuminated artwork, and the overall bright spirit of the best of the earlier stories. More
adventures with faeries, and running from the mages, etc. of some evil organization the
Lotus and an evil dude named Lily -- seeking his true name so he can enter a White School or
whatever meets Merlin, learns more about his magical/faerie parentage.
OUTCAST. Art ++1/2. A flat, low-contrast, spare, relatively colorless visual style that does not
appeal to me.
RAI Valiant. 2012- or so. v.1 and 3 ++++ v. 2 +++1/2. The variety of characters and their
interactions are probably the best aspect, followed by the new takes on familiar ideas in the
world-building, such as spaces between designated sectors where Fathers surveillance is
obstructed, and the many different kinds of sentient, humanoid creatures. The art is strange
and rigidly 3-D at times, but it kind of suits the tale, of a rebellion against Father in 4000
AD New Japan which is an airborne nation run by a vast machine intelligence. Rai is a
cyborg or biomechanical samurai who turns against his master, Father, and allies with Lula,
a girl, Momo, a positronic companion awakened, Spylocke, and others to kill Father.
Themes include parents and children, orphans, quest for identity, waking to self, waking to
evil patterns in the world, waking to false gods, finding nature in a technologized world,
forming of community, unintended consequences, spies and conspiracies and syndicates.
Best parts are in v. 3, Rai on earth, and the conspiracy in New Japan surviving w/o him. Art
when NJ falls is exceptional.
REPLICA. Aftershock, 2015-. Writing ++++ Art ++++1/2. Detective on the Transfer, a
manufactured planet with thousands of alien species, tries to have a clone madewinds up
with dozens, each with a distinct personality. Orphan Black x 5. Humorous interspecies
interactions abound. Page after page filled with amazing, near-realistic images of alien
species; very good coloring, very very good facial expressions. Strong Moebius influence in
the use of open space and stylization. If these are all aspects of my personality, I must be a
real asshole.
SECOND LIFE OF DR. MIRAGE, THE ++++ Valiant, 1993-1995. Char. 1st app. in Shadowman v. 1
#16 (93). Begins with fairly conventional stuff, exposition by action + dialogue, a couple
(Hwen and Carmen Mirage) of paranormal investigators and a bad guy seeking greater
cosmic power, and murdering to get it Master Darque, another refugee from the first

Shadowman series. The action moves quickly in #1, as they discover the necromantic energy,
follow Master Darque to Ladakh, discover his murder of monks to access the bones of a
geomancer, then Hwen Mirage is transformed into a powered spirit.
SHADOWMAN v. 1. Valiant 1992- . +++1/2. First issues are weak, in writing and art, but I think it
improves, if not greatly. Apparently it was a huge hit, outselling most or all titles from
Marvel and DC not sure why! Early stories are pretty mechanical (Bonifaces maid is a
voodoo practitioner who knows about stuff through channels; he gets his powers after
(because of??) an encounter with a vampire-like woman; etcl) his encounter with Master
Darque (v. 3?) is a weak intro for an ultimately world-threatening bigbad. By at least # 16
(intro of Dr. and Carmen Intrigue) both art and the pacing of the writing seem to be better
though Shadowmans quips are still not funny.
SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM vol. 2, 1991- ++++1/2 BEST displays of color, energy, alternate
universes. Genuine psychedelic insight. Seleski (Solar) receives godlike powers but not
wisdom many of his adventures are facing the aftereffects of his inadequate decisionmaking. Issues 14-15 have a storyline on this theme Seleski shows an inquiring researcher
how his powers workand the guy goes nuts, greedy to be able to see it all, then to be a
god. Ive done it again, havent I? Solar chides himself
SWAMP THING v. 5. 2011 Art ++++1/2, story/writing +++. Starts off with good-looking art,
carries some of the Veitch psychedelia forward and develops it in new ways -- but the story is
very much a weak reboot some kind of Alec Holland is back, and theres a completely
NEW world-threatening baddie, the embodiment of a third with the Green and the Red
the Rot, the Black. And a new Abby, who is called to by the Rot. And a boy who is the
human avatar of the Rot. Its all kind of sad-seeming, at least to start off with.
SWAMP THING, SEARCH FOR, BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH. 3 issues. +++1/2. Standard Vertigo
art. Most fun: Constantines encounters with Batman and Superman.
Thor v. 1 #468ff. +++ Blood and Thunder series, and earlier issues Thor loses his sense of
self is in Fragments (TMT #460) goes into space for some reason becomes the mad
god, fights everyone, including Hercules and the Goddess its a crossover with Silver
Surfer and Adam Warlock. Several different artists doing good workespecially in the Silver
Surfer and Warlock Infinity Watch issues.
Thor Visionaries Walter Simonson 1 +++++ Thor 337 and ff. 1983 Thor meets Beta Ray Bill.
This one is drawn and scripted by Simonson, and has some AMAZING images. The drawing
is very vital, the cosmic scenes as good as any Kirby Krackle, and the images always larger
than the panels; some use of bleed or frame-breaking, but usually the image is cropped as
in the best of Manet, etc. see Furys skycarrier, BELOW, with 3 sides cropped and a jet
flying in from the 4th. After the Bill arc ends, the drawing remains strong, but no longer as
exceptional. The story is so-so Bill encounters Thor and winds up with Mjolnir; they duel
for possession; Odin crafts a new hammer for Bill; they go off with Sif to defeat the demons
that are pursuing Bills race the effectiveness is in the art very lovely, some of the best
of what comics can be. And the writing, especially in the dialogue, epitomizes the virtues of
Silver Age wordsmithing, as when Odin gives Bill his hammer do you undertake this
eternal responsibility of your own free will? #01.082 has a lovely mandala design for a
galactic portal. p. 153!!!
Thor Visionaries Walter Simonson 1. We see some of the best aspects of Simonsons drawing in
this image nothing is static, here or on any page; pretty much every panel has figures and
actions bursting out of the boundaries of the image, creating a sense of energy, movement

and urgency bursting out of the pages of the book:

Thor Visionaries Walter Simonson 2 +++. Artwork is much more static and conventional, until
ca. p. 30with Bills return, things get energized again, to some extent. For some reason, the
pages with Bill in them seem much more vibrant and exciting. The battles with Surtur for

example (pp. 95 ff.) are good. And:

TRENCHCOAT BRIGADE, ca. 1998. ++1/2. Incoherent story, so-so art, in an impressionistic style
like some of BoM Vertigo-ish realism. Little to please, nothing to uplift. Theme is
overcoming destruction by guilt, and #3 p. 10 ff. is somewhat interesting.

Uncanny X-Men 56-65. ++ Neal Adams. Pretty lame writing lots of bad puns in the banter, not
very interesting story lines the Pharoah gathers more cosmic ray power, becomes the
Living Monolith then Alex Summers interferes, absorbs his power, destroys a temple;
Egyptian cops show up, try to arrest the mutants; fight; mutants split b/c Lorna is missing
then on TV Traskss son says the Sentinels are alive NealAdams art has its moments, with
some dynamic and some psychedelic and pop-art style images, but is overall fairly tame,
maybe 1 p. in 10 worth even looking at:

heres the lame:

Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1-42 92-93. ++++. Infinity Aftermath. The being known as the
Living Tribunal judges Warlock unfit to hold the Infinity Gauntlet, and assigns him to choose
five others to guard the Gems. He agrees to give up his godhood. #1, the art is 3.5/5 use of
white or blank grounds to suggest a no-space where the trial takes place. #2 4/5 art --

Moebius influenced compositions. Adam selects the members of the watchlargely

humorous (Drax swallows his Gem). Includes issues of the BLOOD AND THUNDER event.