Thank You, Sirs, May I Have Another

Hype

PaperFilms and Adaptive Comics
Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, writers
Javier Pina, artist
Alessia Nocera, colorist

 I don’t like everything I’ve read by writing partners Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti — at least not everything they write with someone else’s characters. But I have read a few of their original creations — titles like Time Bomb, for instance — that I did enjoy quite a bit. So their names draw my attention when I’m placing my monthly comics order or shopping around for occasional extras.

Several months ago, I came across a Kickstarter promo ad for another original creation of theirs, Hype. Apparently, the duo has released several projects via Kickstarter in the past. Anyway, the promo caught my eye, and their names piqued my interest. I found a support level I agreed with and funded the project. And a few short months later, I had not only Hype but a couple other standalone original graphic novels by the pair to look forward to.

I confess I haven’t yet had a chance to read the other titles I received with Hype — Abbadon and Denver — I’m not even quite sure what they are about. But I have read Hype. And I loved it! The promo art had me expecting a pretty straight-forward superhero title with a little time twist: the main hero, Hype, can only experience life for 45 minutes a day. The rest of the time he’s asleep, recharging. But the actual story is so much more.

The pacing of the story, for example, seemed a bit jarring at first. Transitions were almost nonexistent. The story is told in brief glimpses of the various players. Each snippet of story gives you information about the central characters and advances the plot, but it is clear there is more going on that we readers aren’t privy to. By the third such break, I came to realize that this was a neat bit of writing that allows the reader to experience things in much the way Hype does. It’s a way for us to connect with the character beyond the norm. And it works very well.

I will also reveal that the story in this OGN has a bit of an open ending. There is very much the promise of more action to come, and I hope this creative team can reunite to produce future volumes of Hype’s story, either through another Kickstarter or their own PaperFilms or by being picked up by another publisher. But sometimes, such a story can seem incomplete. Readers are left feeling like they only got half a story for their money, just the set-up and no payoff. That isn’t the case with Hype. This is a complete story, beginning to end, and feels like a satisfying read despite being only 52 pages long. Yet it is also very clear that there is more story to tell with these characters, more questions to be answered, more adventure to be had.

As usual, I'm more of a story person and tend to focus mostly on that aspect of books. But the art is always an important component of the comics medium. Great art can enhance a good story, while art that is not to a specific reader's taste can ruin an otherwise good tale. Javier Pina's art is crisp and clean, not gritty like the covers on the other downloads I scored at the same time as Hype. Pina's art, along with Alessia Nocera's bright vibrant colors, add to the superhero feel of this story despite its departure from the usual story conventions of the genre. They help make this story feel familiar while the writing direction takes readers in an unexpected direction. And the union of all these efforts is something truly worth a look.

Thinking Inside The Box

Hey, thanks for checking in here; I know it’s been a while, and I do appreciate those of you who stop by from time to time.

Just had a quick tidbit to post today that I thought might be of some interest. Those of you who have followed this blog in the past know I’ve been trying to sell off some of my comics collection to free up space after the birth of our first child. I started that effort back before my wife was even pregnant, and our daughter is now 4 years old, so it has been a slow, ongoing process.

In the meantime, I’ve not only sold off some of my collection, but I’ve switched to a drawer boxes system of storing the comics I plan to hold onto, so I have a number of emptied short comic boxes. Now some of those boxes continue to hold the books I have yet to sort through and decide whether to sell or keep. Others hold the ones I’m trying to sell until they are gone. But I’ve also got a small collection of now empty comic boxes in our garage.

At the same time, our daughter has a number of toys, including several playsets — the kind with many big and small parts that take up too much room to leave assembled when not being played with but for which one can lose many of those small parts if they are just tossed in a big toy box with everything else. And before you suggest storing such toys in the original boxes they came in, really, who keeps the original packaging if you are going to open the toys, and what 4-year-old has yet grasped the collector mentality of NOT opening original toy packaging?

Even if you couldn’t see exactly where this topic is going, the above picture should have given you a big hint: I had the idea recently to convert some of those old comic boxes into playset storage boxes and decorated them accordingly for my daughter. I thought it was a good idea and thought I’d share.

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I apologize again that the posts have been non-existent of late, but if you enjoy reading this blog, you can get more by liking my page on Facebook (where I recently posted some of my thought on “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” for instance) and/or following me on Twitter. And of course, if you are looking for a good deal on some of the comics I am selling off to make room in our house, please check out my main Steve's Comics For Sale site or the StorEnvy version of the site. As always, thanks for stopping by and happy collecting!

Have A Little Faith

The Tithe Vol. 1 tpb
Image Comics
Matt Hawkins, writer/co-creator
Rahsan Ekedal, artist/co-creator

I like to try new things when my budget allows. Both my comics-buying budget and my typical pull list have shrunk considerably of late. But I still keep my eyes open when ordering my usuals for things that pique my curiosity.

This series, as might be obvious from the title, involves religion. But it was also solicited as a unique heist story. Either of those two topics alone would likely catch my eye. Combining the two made me very curious. But I was also guarded. Every storyteller wants potential readers to see his or her story as unique, but not all of them are. Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal have taken familiar elements from familiar genres and crafted a tale that, while maybe not so unique, is still a heck of an engaging read that is well worth your time.

A mysterious hacker group named Samaritan gains access to a Federal Bureau of Investigations list of mega-churches and the related founders currently under quiet investigation for fraud. Then Samaritan members gather proof of the illegal activities, often faster than the federal authorities can, and sometimes even uncovering additional crimes along the way.

Finally, Samaritan stages an elaborate robbery of each targeted mega-church, stealing vast amounts of cash donations while simultaneously revealing the truths it has uncovered about the church and its hypocritical leaders. The stolen cash is then distributed to a variety of charitable organizations, turning the group into modern-day Robin Hoods and winning them huge public support.

The two FBI agents heading up the initial fraud investigation — Jimmy Miller and Dwayne Campbell — are diverted to uncovering the members of Samaritan and shutting them down. The two agents couldn't be more different. Miller is the tech guy wrestling with his duty and a growing appreciation for the methods and accomplishments of Samaritan. Campbell is more of a people person who fears the escalating antics of Samaritan are going to get people hurt or killed if the group isn't stopped.

In the hands of lesser creators, all of this might boil down to an all-out condemnation of organized religion. There is certainly no shortage of real-life mega-church founders who have ended up in disgrace for their actions. But Hawkins and Ekedal take a different approach. They don't shy away from the evils committed in the name of religion. But neither do they condemn all religion or all religious people with one broad stroke. Rather this is an examination of a number of things people put their faith in and some of the possible benefits and consequences of such faith.

I expected to try The Tithe, hopefully enjoy it, then walk away from what I thought was a collected limited series. Imagine my happiness at finding that not only did I really enjoy reading this title, but it is an ongoing with a second collected volume to be solicited soon for an April release. In the meantime, I think I'll try to check out a previous graphic novel series by these two, Think Tank. If they are anything like this volume, I expect to be impressed.


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I apologize again that the posts have been so irregular of late, but if you enjoy reading this blog, you can get more by liking my page on Facebook and/or following me on Twitter. And of course, if you are looking for a good deal on some of the comics I am selling off to make room in our house, please check out my main Steve's Comics For Sale site or the StorEnvy version of the site.

Will My Green Arrow Please Stand Back Up

Green Arrow (2011) 41-43+
DC Comics
Benjamin Percy, writer
Patrick Zircher, artist

I know, I know. Last post was Green Arrow. But I felt moved to follow up on last time's follow-up.

The new creative team that started with this arc — Benjamin Percy and Patrick Zircher — did away with a number of the features I liked from the last team's wonderful arc. We're still in Seattle, but the cast is reduced to just Oliver, Emi and new tech guy Henry.

Having said that, I really want to stress that I very much enjoyed this team's first arc, "The Nightbirds." The story introduces a credible, real-world threat, albeit one pumped up with "killer robots" and a maniacal mastermind to make it fit more comfortably into the four-color world we all enjoy. It presents the kind of street-level problem Green Arrow is known for tackling with some fun moments here and there to keep the story from turning too dark. Percy has crafted a story with some subtleties that I appreciated, and Zircher has a clean, but moody art style that complements the narrative. Colorist Gabe Eltaeb also deserves kudos for matching the tone of the story with a limited, muted color palette.

The second reason I wanted to talk about this arc, though, is my problem with it. I enjoyed the story. It was an entertaining read expanding on the privacy versus security debate. But it was really only a Green Arrow story because it was in Green Arrow.

You could take Oliver out of the story, insert almost any other hero, and the basic story doesn't change. To get to the nutcase behind the plot, the hero has to go through the killer robots. Sounds like a classic Superman story. Ollie uses tech arrows to hack the robots' programming. Cyborg, anyone? Ollie has to do a little investigating to track down the villain. Batman could do that and would have been better and more efficient about it.

With the exception of a few subplots, there was nothing that made this story have to feature Green Arrow. And those subplots, likely laying groundwork for future arcs, were not integral parts of this arc.

Again, I liked this story. I was nervous about yet another creative team change on this title, but these guys have convinced me to stick around a little longer. That's their job: to get me to keep buying. If they want me to hang around for the long run, however, I need a little more reason for Ollie to be in the stories they are writing for his title.

And to peek ahead a little further, issue No. 44 is all about yet another character, George, introduced in "The Nightbirds." Now, I like George, and he has potential to be a nice addition to the cast. His origin was also an interesting read. But again, let's get some focus back on Ollie soon, please.

Not That You Asked, But …

Green Arrow (2011) 35-40
DC Comics
Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski, writers
Daniel Sampere, Jonathan Glapion, Gabe Eltaeb and Daniel Henriques, artists

OK, I'm behind on my reading. If you're a regular follower of this blog, that isn't news to you.

So why am I talking about these issues that are nearly a year old? Since the launch of the New 52, Green Arrow has been hit or miss with me, a miss more often than not. I talked more about that here. And I also raised the hope that the return of Andrew Kreisberg to the title might mean an upswing in the title's likability for me. Thus, here is the post where I answer that burning question I left you all hanging with.

Kreisberg and scripter/co-plotter Ben Sokolowski continue the trend of bringing elements from the hit CW show "Arrow" into the mix. They keep Diggle, introduced in a previous arc, and have added other television show elements such as Felicity Smoak. Katana, too. I like "Arrow," but I don't want my monthly dose of Green Arrow comics to too closely copy the television program. Well, that isn't what Kreisberg and Sokolowski are doing here. These characters aren't exactly the same as their TV show counterparts.

Also, Kreisberg and Sokolowski have re-introduced elements from past comic incarnations of Green Arrow, helping to further differentiate the comic from the TV continuity. The setting, for one, is Seattle, not Star City or Starling City. This story arc, "The Kingdom," also introduces the New 52 version of Mia Dearden and brings back Tommy Merlin, now a dark archer named Merlyn. Further cementing this continuity as different from "Arrow" is the inclusion of a number of DCU guest stars, including Lex Luthor and Batman from Justice League and Arsenal from the New 52 title he shares with Red Hood.

All of that adds up to a very enjoyable story arc that gives me renewed hope for the Green Arrow title. I still have the two-month Convergence titles to read, but this creative team seems to finally have gotten this title on track, reminding me why I like the GA character and making me look forward to each new issue of his title.

But then I remembered that the creative team once again changes with the issues post-Convergence. I hated the frequent creative team changes on this title before. And it looks like they haven't stopped. Maybe DC doesn't want me to like this title. I swear I'm about to give up trying to like it. But hey, if you get the chance, pick up these issues or the likely trade collecting them. This story, and this creative team, at least, are worth the price.

Turn The Key And Unlock Greatness

Locke & Key Vols. 1-6
IDW Publishing
Joe Hill, writer
Gabriel Rodriguez, artist

Finishing a really good book or series is always a bittersweet event. There's the joy of having experienced the story, the satisfaction of having completed the journey to its end. But if you really enjoyed the book, connected with the characters, then there's also a bit of sadness that their story is over and there will be no more.

That's how I felt after finishing the entire Locke & Key series at long last. I borrowed the first three volumes from my local library. You can read what I thought of those volumes here and here. But in short, I liked them enough that after the third volume, I decided to just buy the series, which I did after doing a little bargain hunting. But then, due to the craziness of life putting me quite behind on my reading, it has taken me a while to get back to the series.

Because of that delay, I decided to re-read the first three volumes. I still remembered the basic story of the Locke children — Tyler, Kinsey and Bode — and how they came to stay at their ancestral home, Keyhouse, in Lovecraft, Maine. But I wanted to refresh my mind on all of the details of the story before beginning the second half of their journey.

The highest recommendation I can give Locke & Key is that I did connect with the characters. I did enjoy the ride they took me on. And I can look forward to re-reading favorite parts again. After all, I just re-read the first three volumes of Locke & Key for this pass through, and I enjoyed them just as much the second time through as I did the first time. This is definitely a series I intend to read again at some point.

You may have figured out by this point that I am not going to share any story specifics. There are plenty of early story and set-up details in my earlier reviews of the first three volumes if you want to know more about the series before trying it. I don't want to spoil anything more for anyone who might be coming to the series fresh, like I did. But I will share one more personal reaction to Locke & Key.

As I started the sixth book, I realized I was uneasy. A number of characters die along the way; would anyone make it out of this story intact? This is a horror story, after all, and it might not end well for any of the characters. I haven't spoiled the ending by sharing that detail; I haven't told you if my fears were realized or not. But what that sentence does reveal is that this horror story scared me. It left me with a sense of dread for the characters and their fates. How often does that happen that a scary story really scares you in the reading of it?

If you've never read Locke & Key but you like a good scary story, then check this series out. You don't have to be only a horror fan to appreciate this story, though. Anyone who loves a good story, a gripping drama that unfolds slowly and pulls you in deeper with every page, will find something to enjoy with Locke & Key. Do yourself a favor and seek it out. I haven't heard from anyone who has read this book and didn't like it. That alone seems like high praise!

Well Worth The Price Of Admission

El Diablo 1-16 (1989-90)
DC Comics
Gerard Jones, writer
Mike Parobeck, John Nyberg and Paul Fricke, artists

I completely missed this series when it was new on the stands. I don't remember seeing it on the shelves, although I was buying similar "new format" DC books at the time and was also buying the 1990 relaunch of Green Lantern — also written by Gerard Jones — that debuted a few months into El Diablo's run. In fact, I didn't even know anything about the original El Diablo character whose adventures were serialized in All-Star Western beginning in the 1970s, or the modern New 52 version of the character from Suicide Squad.

But more than once I've heard Michael Bailey on one of the many podcasts he appears on praise this short-lived series. If memory serves, Bailey touted the strong characterization and writing Jones brought to the Rafael Sandoval version of El Diablo. I've also heard Bailey praise Mike Parobeck's clean, dynamic art style from this series as well as his short run on the phenomenal 1992 Justice Society of America (sadly, only 10 issues). So, I decided to seek out the back issues and give the series a try. I was not disappointed!

Readers never learn much about Rafael Sandoval's back story or his ties to the previous version of El Diablo, if any. In the first issue of the series, Sandoval has recently been elected to the city council of his home, Dos Rios, Texas, with the backing of the town's amiable mayor. Sandoval has accepted the position because he hopes to improve things for the Hispanic population of Dos Rios, a border town seemingly made up of mostly whites, a generous number of Hispanics and also some black residents. When issues come up that can't be handled in council chambers, Sandoval adopts the El Diablo identity for a more hands-on approach to problem solving.

There are familiar elements of superhero fare in the pages of El Diablo, but most issues of the series tackle much more "real-world" social ills, from drug peddlers to child abductions, political backstabbing to racial tensions. There wasn't a super villain in any of the issues. But there was plenty of peril, excitement and drama.

The title avoids the "preachy" problem so many relevant comics can fall into, too. Jones does an excellent job of presenting both sides of some tough issues without making either side wholly evil or genuinely pure. All of that careful scripting gives El Diablo and the members of his supporting cast multiple dimensions, fleshing them out like real people, not one-dimensional caricatures. The entire creative team makes this book a joy to read. So much so, I wish the title had been able to sustain itself for a longer run.

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Obviously, I'm back trying to post on the blog. I greatly appreciate those of you who have continued to check in here even though there haven't been new posts in quite a while. I can't promise even a weekly schedule yet, but I'm going to try to post here when I can. I never did do regular reviews on the Facebook page either, but I did recently post a little something about Dark Horse's Ghost Vol. 1. If you want to check it or any of my other non-review posts out, you can visit the page here.

Just Being Realistic

If you're coming to this blog, you want to read something about comics, not my current messed-up work situation, so I won't bore you with all of the details. But I imagine it is also pretty obvious to most of you who stop by here on a regular or even semi-regular basis, that new posts have become quite scarce indeed.

I'm very sorry about the lack of new material, but honestly, I don't foresee that changing in the immediate future.

This note isn't all doom-and-gloom, though. While I haven't had time of late to put up posts here, I still manage to read a comic whenever I can, and have posted some much more brief thoughts on my Steve's Comics for Sale Facebook page. Some of the recent posts there have made mention of the books pictured to the left and right. Follow the link and like the page if you want to keep up with me there. I'll also post information on that page if/when I am able to resume posting lengthier reviews and thoughts here.

And for those of you interested, I just updated the main Steve's Comics for Sale site for the month. Confidentially, I just completed a big sale of stuff from the site this past month, and I have another big purchase in the very early stages, so there has been some turnover. Check it out here.

Making It Fit

Star Trek (1984 series) annual No. 1
DC Comics
Mike W. Barr, writer
David Ross and Bob Smith, artists

These days, I try almost anything with Star Trek in the title. I've been a fan of The Original Series since growing up watching reruns in syndication in the 1970s. In fact, my brother and I used to plan our entire Sunday afternoons around the television when I was in grade school — we'd watch not only "Star Trek" but the Irwin Allen science-fiction greats "Land of the Giants," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Lost In Space" all in one big afternoon block. When those shows were over, "Maverick" would come on (I don't know how the western fit in with all of those sci-fi programs; maybe it was the comedic aspects of the show since its lead-in was the unintentionally cheesy but lovable "Lost In Space."), and then it would be six o'clock, time to change the channel to catch "The Wonderful World of Disney." Those were great days!

Anyway, that helps show my love for classic "Star Trek" goes back a ways. But I didn't always buy everything Star Trek. I don't think I bought a single copy of the 18-issue Marvel Comics series that came out in the wake of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979. This later DC version of the Enterprise crew was a little more on my radar, but still wasn't a guaranteed purchase month in and month out. A lot of what would catch my eye about this series were the "special" issues that didn't just continue the movie adventures of the classic Enterprise crew, but tried to shoehorn stories into that original television run, something in comics called a retcon, or retroactive continuity. This annual from 1985 is one of the first such attempts at such a story in this series.

There is a brief framing sequence at the beginning and end of this issue set in the then-current movie timeline. But the bulk of this comic is made up of a lengthy flashback showing "The First Mission" of James T. Kirk's classic crew in a story titled "All Those Years Ago ..." Now the easy thing to do would be to just show some mission where all of the familiar characters are getting used to working together, but Mike W. Barr and company take things a step further. Included in this tale is the actual change of command ceremony where Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise from Christopher Pike, who is being promoted to the rank of fleet captain. Pike, of course, was the captain of the Enterprise in the original pilot episode "The Cage," footage from which was repurposed into the only classic two-part episode, "The Menagerie."

Great attention to detail is shown including a number of characters who only ever appeared in one episode of the "Star Trek" television program and working them into this story. Gary Mitchell, Lee Kelso and Number One are all featured in this comic. Even important characters from Star Trek canon who really played minor roles in the television show — characters like Capt. Robert April, Dr. Mark Piper and Admiral Nogura — get at least a mention in this story. All of that work adds layers that make this story feel like it really could be the untold story of the crew's first mission together.

As more and more Trek is written, I can't swear that this story holds up and still fits in with everything else seamlessly, but at the time this issue was written, this WAS the definitive version of these events. It simply had to be to include so much attention to detail. And that's a great reason why I still enjoy reading this story three decades after it was first released, and feel justified in heartily recommending it to any Trek fan who hasn't had the pleasure before.

Requiem For A Series

Aquaman and the Others 6-11
DC Comics
Dan Jurgens, writer
Lan Medina, Allen Martinez and Wayne Faucher, artists

Both work and personal demands have kept me away from the blog of late, but as I alluded to in a previous post, it is not just the time to write blog posts that has been suffering. I haven't had time to read many comics of late either beyond a stray trade or random issue here or there or what little time I have spent in the past few months trying to go through issues from my collection deciding what to sell and what to hang onto. Bottom line: Its been a busy few months, and I am waaaay behind on current issues of the comics I'm buying.

How far behind, you ask. Well, while most of the current comics-reading public is diving head-first into Secret Wars or getting ready for the very near windup to Convergence, the last "current" comics I read were the various Future's End tie-in issues DC did more than six months ago. Yeah, I'm a little behind.

One perk of being so far behind is being able to read several issues of a given series at a time. It's almost like trade-waiting, but not really; trade-waiting would have been cheaper in the long run. It's also kind of a bittersweet perk when what you are reading is the very last arc of a title canceled much too soon.

The Others were first introduced in the second Aquaman story arc in his own New 52 title. The international cast of characters came together with a common purpose before the Justice League was formed, and Aquaman served as their leader in a quest to locate and safeguard several Atlantean relics. The Operative was an American, but Ya'wara hailed from Brazil, Vostok from Russia and Kahina was an Iranian. The final member of the group, Prisoner of War, was also an American, but he contained within his own body the souls of many fallen soldiers, maybe not all of them American. That was just one of the many avenues open for exploration with these characters.

The Others showed up again in Aquaman No. 20 and the first New 52 Aquaman annual, adding new member Sky Alchesay, a Native American, further spicing up the international flavor of the group. It was also no secret that these stand-alone stories were try-out issues meant to gauge interest in the group prior to them getting their own ongoing title, which launched in 2014.

This final story arc of the very short-lived Aquaman and the Others title pits the group against a similarly diverse group of assassins and mercenaries, some of them new creations for this story, as far as I know. Mayhem brings together the New 52 versions of Cheshire and former Soviet spies KGBeast and NKVDemon. Rounding out the cast of villains is a trio of new creations of undetermined nationality — Maelstrom, Stranglehold and Braze.

I'm not saying the "Alignmernt: Earth" story arc is perfect; there are some missteps and plot deficiencies. For example, none of those three new villains is fleshed out beyond a name and a basic character trait displayed in the fighting. The one exception is Maelstrom, whose heart doesn't quite seem in the fight during the final battle, but even that glimpse of something more never goes anywhere. Now, to be fair to Dan Jurgens, a talented writer and artist whose work I quite enjoy most of the time, maybe that is because once the series had been canceled, he didn't see much point in developing the other villains more only to have them fade away.

I also think the conflict between the Operative and Prisoner of War in this arc could have been resolved much more quickly than it was. But again, maybe Jurgens initially had more in mind with some of his moves here that the cancellation cut short.

Obviously, I was a fan of this series and was willing to continue to support the ongoing adventures of the Others. Now that the book has been canceled, however, I am reminded of an oft-repeated refrain on the Internet that some characters just aren't meant to support an ongoing series. Some characters, commentators say, are better suited to a miniseries or series of recurring finite stories.

I hope that at the very least, DC opts to go that route with these characters. They still show much promise, much potential for great storytelling. And I like how they interact with each other and team leader Aquaman. If the Others can't have an ongoing title, I hope Jurgens and company will at least trot them out from time to time with guest appearances or even their own mini, as time and inspiration allow. If I can't have a monthly dose of these characters, I at least want to visit them frequently.

Please DC, make it so.