Comic Reviews 2/8/14

Here In Bongo Congo

     Good King Leonardo has declared that its superhero week Here In Bongo Congo and has decreed that we review comic titles featuring solo caped crusaders in action.  Per royal decree, we've selected three comic books featuring new heroes in action, including two interconnected titles from Dark Horse Comics, along with one title featuring a well-known Marvel action hero.  So let's get right to it and see how this fearsome foursome stack-up against each other:
 

Captain Midnight #6

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Joshua Williamson: Writer

Eduardo Francisco: Artist

Stefani Rennee: Colors

     Dark Horse Comics is up to issue #6 of its Captain Midnight comic book title.  The series is a modernization of the famous Captain Midnight hero who originated within a 1930's radio program and has evolved over the decades through various comic series and publishers.  The Captain himself is WWI U.S. Army pilot Jim Albright, an inventor of early high tech that allows him to function as a flying caped crusader.  The current Dark Horse series updates the premise by having the Captain time travel via the Bermuda Triangle to 2014, where he battles former familiar baddies including the organization "Black Sky," a secret government unit that's using his invented technology for evil purposes.  The title is scripted by Joshua Williamson with art by Eduardo Franco and colors by Stefani Rennee.

     Issue #6 is part one of a two-issue story arc entitled "Mission: Midnight!"  The plot features two alternating storythreads. In the main, lengthier sub-plot, Captain Midnight develops a strategy and implements an assault on a secret Washington D.C. location of a Black Sky unit.  We're introduced in this effort to two allies of Captain Midnight, Federal Agent Marvin Jones and Rick Marshall, an historian of the Captain's pre-time travel exploits.  As the trio prepare their Black Sky attack plan, we presented with the technical details of the Captain's self-invented technology that allows him to function as a superhero. 

     The second, briefer sub-plot focuses on Charlotte Ryan, the granddaughter of Joyce Ryan, Captain Midnight's love interest from his earlier life.  Charlotte visits the now-elderly Joyce to discuss her grandmother's past issues in the relationship, whereupon Charlotte vows to bring the time traveler to visit his aged love for a confrontation.  The issue #6 storyline ends in a dramatic cliffhanger to next month's story segment, as both Captain Midnight and Agent Ryan appear to be thwarted in their Black Sky attack by a superstrong freelancer-for-hire bad guy named Hollow.

     The standard for success for a comic book that revises an old pulp-era hero is two-fold: to present an entertaining plot and to make credible the challenge the handling of the old-school character's adjustment to both our modern era popular culture and the style of modern-day comic book storytelling.  Captian Midnight happily succeeds very well on both counts. Writer Joshua Williamson does a great job of giving us a well-paced action-adventure storyline and more importantly, fleshes-out very well the various personalities of the Captain's new allies.  On the second count, the creative team also does a solid job of addressing those man-out-of-time story nuances.  I liked the Captain's realistic reactions to learning of 2014 societal developments including the constant presence and use by everybody of the internet.

     Most intriguing of all is the plothread centering on his aged love, Joyce Ryan. So far, the situation is being presented with heartfelt and realistic plotting, and it offers some very interesting story possibilities as their eventual interaction with each other will unfold. As a final review comment, I also enjoyed the structuring of Captain Midnight's personality and speech as a 1930's era do-gooder.  His dialogue and mannerisms truly present him as a fish-out-of-water time traveler and only reinforces the storytelling possibilities for this new series.

     So in sum, a positive thumbs-up review recommendation is well-deserved for this new title, which reinterprets and extends the storytelling of an iconic Pulp-era superhero crusader into the world of modern-day comic book adventuring.

Skyman #1

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Joshua Hale Fialkov: Writer

Manuel Garcia: Pencils

Marta Martinez: Colors

     Dark Horse Comics has recently published issue #1 in a new series entitled Skyman.  An inside-the-front-cover narrative connects the series to the Captain Midnight comic book reviewed above, explaining that in the decades since Midnight's Bermuda Triangle disappearance, the U.S. military has used his superheroing technology to create The Skyman Program, consisting of a secret U.S. Army unit of Captain Midnight-style flying caped crusaders.  The new comic book is written by Joshua Hale Fialkov with pencils by Manual Garcia and colors by Marta Martinez.

     The issue #1 storyline presents a Skyman Program in disarray, as an expelled unit member goes berserk and in a very brutal multipage scene, murders innocent people while spewing an offensively racial rant against President Obama.  As social media broadcasts the carnage and rant, the President and U.S. Army General Abernathy move to revamp the program, adding to the lily-white battalian a handicapped African-American Army veteran hero named Eric Reid.  Reid signs-on with the plan when he learns that wearing the Skyman technology temporarily restores his ability to walk.

     The second half of the premier issue moves the gameplan into action.  We witness the training regiment of Eric under the tutelage of his sadistic Skyman handler Lieutenant Sharp.  Racial tensions build between the pair, resulting in a violent fight between the two that doesn't resolve the conflict but at least leads to some wary mutual respect between them.  The issue concludes with Eric's dramatic airborne entrance to a public rally in Washington, D.C., where he's enthusiastically introduced by the president as the first Skyman Program unit member to be publicly identified by his true, unmasked identity.

     This is a very interesting companion title to Captain Midnight, that both interconnects the heroing worlds of these titles while presenting two storyverses that are very different from each other.  While there's a Golden Age Pulp Era innocence and gentleness to the world of Captain Midnight, alternately the Skyman storyworld is full-throttle real world 2014, full of story characters brimming with anger, bigotry and the ability to carry-out pure brutality on innocent victims.  The bridge between the two comic books is the common Captain Midnight technology, but the directions that each creative team chooses to take in exploring storytelling have no commonality yet.  Its inevitable that the worlds of Captain Midnight and The Skyman Program will eventually cross-connect in both titles, and it should be fascinating to see how that head-on collision meets and explodes in potential plot opportunities.

      On its own, Skyman offers the same high quality scripting, character development and decent artwork that Captain Midnight offers.  A tip-of-the-review-hat is also deserved for the creative team's skillful approach in exploring the issue of present-day racism within the context of the script.  The dialogue and the issues of resentment and anger among all parties to the story are presented in a very literate manner and are equal to the effort that acclaimed creator Neal Adams produced in his iconic Green Lantern-Green Arrow series at DC Comics back in the 1970's.  There's the potential here for a multi-issue comic book storyline that goes beyond standard reading entertainment to join Neil Adam's work as an example for making some important statements about the nature of racism and the lessons we can learn on the subject from a well-crafted work of fiction. Time will tell whether this title heads in that literary direction or not.

      So Skyman succeeds as a new comic book issue on three counts: as a worthy partner title to Captain Midnight, as an entertaining and well-produced comic book read in its own right and as a new addition to the long lineage of Amercian comic book titles that address serious societal issues in both an entertaining and literate manner.

Iron Man #20

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Kieron Gillen: Writer

Joe Bennett: Pencils

Scott Hanna: Inks

     Marvel's latest Iron Man title is up to issue #20 and presents part 3 of a 5-issue story arc entitled Iron Metropolitan.  An inside-the-front-cover narrative summarizes the tale to-date which interweaves two sub-plots: Tony Stark and his newly-found brother Arno constructing high tech cities of the future, and the now-dead supervillain the Mandarin's famous set of 10 rings gaining sentience and searching for evildoers as their new hosts.  The comic book is scripted by Kieron Gillen with pencils by Joe Bennett and inks by Scott Hanna.

     Issue #20 kicks-off with a fast action battle scene, as Tony Stark/Iron Man confronts Abigail Burns, a left-wing journalist who has become a Human Torch-like host to the Mandarin's former seventh ring, called Incinerator.  The battle continues for about two-thirds of the issue, as the duo fight to a standstill while Abigail spouts her political philosophy against Tony's plans for his cities of the future.  The final third of the storyline focuses the plot back on the 10 Mandarin rings themselves, as Tony visits a top secret Avengers storage facility and discovers that the now-sentient rings have escaped the facility and are off in search of various hosts in order to create a team of supervillains.  The story segment ends in a one-page bridge to next month's part four, as the rings become aware of Tony's discovery and communicate with each other a decision to accelerate their evil plan.

     This is a decent comic book that delivers solid entertainment for a few reasons.  First, it breathes two fresh story elements in the very long-running and familiar Iron Man storyverse, both the introduction of Tony's brother Arno and the concept of the Mandarin's rings having artificial intelligence.  I was very intrigued with the concept of Arno being disabled to the point of having to live in an iron lung, a very creative metaphor for Tony's brother being entrapped by his necessary life-giving technology while Tony is alternately empowered by his life-giving Iron Man high tech.  Its a neat fictional concept and lends itself well to some interesting future story opportunities.  Secondly, its a very fun and interesting idea to give the Mandarin's rings each their own sentient personality and particular power, such as ring #7/Incinerator bestowing Human Torch-like powers on its wearer.  Its as if the 10 rings themselves constitute a League of Supervillains and should also provide some entertaining direction for upcoming story segments.  Third, the artwork provides a very appropriate style for the action-adventure concept of this storyline.

     As a minor constructive criticism, I found the action battle scene between Iron Man and Abigail too long as it ate-up two-thirds of the entire issue.  But I see the point of the lengthy albeit a bit tedious scene, given that this is a 5-issue story arc and that the ongoing conversational banter between the battling duo is crucial to the overall multi-issue story concept.  I personally would have preferred a shortened battle scene to allow a page or two of issue #20 to address the cities-of-the-future project that Tony and Arno are obviously working on.  But I'm sure that a reading commitment to the entire 5-issue series will provide a nice overall balance to the two alternating sub-plots.

     So in sum, this latest issue #20 of Iron Man deserves a positive thumbs-up review recommendation for succeeding as an entertaining and creative comic book read, both as a stand-alone story segment and as the midway-point installment in its wider, five-issue story arc.

Contest Winner Announcement!!!

     Our latest contest challenged you to build on the review in our last column of an Archie Comics title in which the zombie invasion reaches Archie's hometown of Riverdale.  We asked you to suggest another comic title that you'd also like to see receive the zombie treatment!  And our contest winner is (drumroll, please...) Mike Dooley, who nominates the comic book title Eternal Warrior published by Valiant Comics to next be infected by the zombie horde.  For the uninitiated, this title features the past, present and future-day warrior adventures of Gilad, one of three immortal brothers born thousands of years ago.  The title is connected in storyverse concept to Valiant's Archer & Armstrong series.  Mike writes that "Eternal Warrior currently has a plotline ongoing in the year 4000. Since the hero will obviously still be around then, it stands to reason that he might encounter a zombified world at some point."  A very good observation and interesting zombie story proposal.  Congrats to Mike as the winner of our first prize $10.00 gift certificate to our favorite zombie-free sanctuary, That's Entertainment!

     Please note:  That's Entertainment is in no way affiliated with the "zombie-free sanctuary" joke listed above.  It is the policy of That's Entertainment to welcome all zombie customers as well as qualified zombie employees.  The store appreciates its many past and current zombie customers and is proud of its many past and current zombie employees.

New Contest Challenge!!!

     We're at a slow point this month in our annual Boston pro sports calendar, with the NFL season over, Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training yet to start and the NBA and NHL slogging along in their respective mid-seasons.  So Good King Leonardo has decreed that we turn our contest challenge focus to the next two weeks of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Your challenge is e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com no later than Wednesday, February 19 and tell us which among the many scheduled Winter Olympic sports is your favorite to watch and why you're looking forward to watching it on that non-stop, 24/7 two-week television coverage.  Please note that our $10.00 first prize gift certificate to That's Entertainment is redeemable for regular retail merchandise or in-store, ongoing specials, only.

     That's all for now, so have two great Winter Olympics-watching (Go U.S.A.!) and comic book-reading weeks and see you again on Friday, February 21 Here In Bongo Congo!

Comic Reviews 1/24/14

Here In Bongo Congo

     Good King Leonardo has decreed that we fend-off the dog days of mid-winter by reviewing a nice variety of new issue comics from the That's Entertainment shelves, so let's get right to it and see how these comic books stack-up against each other:
 

All-New X-Men #20

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Brian Michael Bendis: Writer

Mahmud Asrar & Brandon Peterson: Art

Israel Silva & Marte Gracia: Colors

     Marvel's All-New X-Men comic book title is already up to issue #20.  The series focuses on the time-travel adventures of the original Silver Age team of teenaged X-Men (Jean Grey, etc.), who have time-traveled to our present-day and interact with the modern X-Men, including aged modern versions of some of themselves.  The series is scripted by A-list writer Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mahmud Asrar and Brandon Peterson, and colors by Israel Silva and Marte Gracia.

     A page-one narrative summarizes the multi-issue story arc to-date: The time-traveling X-teens have separated from Wolverine's modern-day X-Men team and have joined the present-day Cyclop's New Xavier School for gifted mutants.  Along with the school's Professor Kitty Pride, they've hunkered-down in the Weapon X facility, well-known site of previous experiments on Wolverine.  They've also recently rescued Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23 (Wolverine's female teenaged clone) from a militia group of anti-mutant activists based in Miami and known as The Purifiers.

     The issue #20 story segment is divided into two parts.  The first half of the issue is focused more on dialogue, as the group tries to win the trust of the recently-rescued Laura Kinney.  True to her Wolverine-like nature, she's basically got her guard-up like a trapped animal and it's touch and go as first the entire group and then the young Cyclops in a one-on-one therapeutic chat, gradually gain Laura's tentative trust.  With some trust established it's then time for some action, which kicks-off in the second half of the comic book, as the newly-united team attacks The Purifiers' Miami stronghold.  As the battle escalates to its peak the issue ends in a dramatic bridge to next month's issue #21, as The Purifiers leader unexpectedly reveals his own mutant-like power.

     I enjoyed this comic book very much, not only for its quality but also for my own relief that it avoided a potential trap.  In the quality category, veteran writer Brian Michael Bendis takes full advantage of the fun scripting possibilities of the time-traveling X-Men teens in a modern-day setting.  Separate from the main plot elements, its a great kick to read the small but effective time travel chestnuts that Bendis builds into the script.  While there are many, a few worth mentioning in this review include the young Cyclops expressing how creepy it is to meet his older self, Laura Kinney in awe of meeting a young, living version of Jean Grey and the entire group completely freaked-out in learning the origin details of Wolverine's personal history.  In addition, the art team does a fantastic job of providing an excellent visual presentation with very effective and emotional facial expressions for the story characters.

     Regarding the potential trap avoided, I've noted in previous reviews of Bendis-scripted comic books that he has a tendency to overpreach in his dialogue, often selecting one character to drone-on for pages in a pretentious speech to the other story characters. Happily, he avoids that scripting approach here, nicely balancing the detailed dialogue in the talking-head first half of the issue.  I also hugely enjoyed the small romance element between teen-Cyclops and Laura, which include Scott/Cyclop's fumbled teen efforts to get emotionally closer to the Wolverine-wary Laura.  Without being a detail spoiler, there's a hilarious and very real-world page in which Scott decides that Laura needs a supportive hug, which alone is worth the price of admission to this comic book.

     My personal impression is that the X-Men franchise just might be offering the most titles of any comic book new issues franchise out in today's publishing world, with fifteen current X-Men storyverse titles alone advertised in a back-of-the-issue list.  While I only dip my reviewer's toe into that extensive pool from time-to-time, I'm confident from the high quality of this issue that All New X-Men deserves to be at the top of that giant X-Men pile in terms of entertainment and fun reading.  So whether you're a devoted X-Men fan or just looking to expand your reading list into the wide world of all things X-Men, a positive review recommendation is warranted for All Good Marvel Readers to check-out this very enjoyable issue #20 of All-New X-Men!

Black Widow #1

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Nathan Edmondson: Writer

Phil Noto: Art

     Marvel Comics has recently added a new Black Widow comic book title to its new issues inventory.  A page one narrative explains that this title is a solo adventure series, in which Natasha Romanov a.k.a. the Black Widow takes time-out from her Avengers and SHIELD roles to conduct certain for-hire espionage/assassin jobs "to atone for her past." The comic book is scripted by Nathan Edmondson with art by A-lister Phil Noto.

     The kick-off multi-issue storyline is entitled "Raison D'Etre" and alternates between two interweaving sub-plots.  The first addresses the background theme of Natasha's traumatic personal history. Without directly centering on the issue, various scene narrations and story panels portray Natasha struggling to come to terms with yet-to-be-revealed past assassin and espionage deeds that trouble her.  The more direct and lengthier sub-plot unfolds her latest cryptic job-for-hire, one that focuses on an American organized crime figure on a shady mission to Dubai.  Without being a detail spoiler, action erupts when Black Widow infiltrates the crime boss's meeting.  The story segment ends in a really neat and unexpected twist as Natasha reveals that her assignment is very different from what seemed to be its obvious goal.

     This new title is one of those small-scale, almost sidebar series that come along every once in awhile to quietly examine the personality and psychology of the featured superhero or supervillain.  As such, the creative team succeeds in the twin goals of laying bare the psyche of the troubled hero and at the same time providing an entertaining comic book adventure tale.  Three positives jump-out of this issue to make it a worthwhile read.  The first strong point is writer Nathan Edmondson's skill in nicely balancing the talking head introspective side of Natasha with the heavy-duty action-adventure elements that any good Black Widow story requires.  The second plus feature is the high quality of the plot twists and turns; essentially, nothing is at it logically seems regarding Natasha's assignments, as we're treated to a few surprise twists that reveal unexpected motives or goals behind her solo adventure efforts.

      Third, a tip-of-the-review hat is due to whatever editor made the selection of Phil Noto as this title's artist. Noto has a very unique visual style that blends strong pencilling techniques with unusual choices of muted coloring.  The result is a soft-toned art style that seems to mute and calm the pace and behavior of the characters.  It sounds weird, but to me it seems that in any Noto-drawn tale, there's always a feel that the setting is a sunny end-of-the-day dusk point in time. However you personally interpret his art, there's definitely a unique atmosphere set by Noto's visuals, one that works very effectinely in this new title toward providing an entertaining and enjoyable comic book read.

      So for fans of the Black Widow as well as fans of artist Phil Noto, and for readers just looking for a solidly entertaining superhero-themed espionage thriller comic book, Black Widow #1 is an enjoyable and fun new issue worth checking-out.

Afterlife With Archie #2

Publisher: Archie Comics Publications, Inc.

Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa: Writer

Francesco Francavilla: Art

     Archie Comics has published the first two issues of "Afterlife With Archie," an Archie comic book series that takes a humor-based horror take on the Archie Comics storyverse.  Issue #2 is the second installment of a zombie-themed multi-issue storyline entitled "Escape from Riverdale" with a Chapter Two subtitle of "Dance Of The Dead." The new series is scripted by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa with artwork by Francesco Francavilla.

      Yes, the Zombie Apocalypse arrived in Riverdale and its best summed-up with a page one, full-page quote: "I didn't like Jughead when he was alive.  Now that he's dead, well...the less said the better."  The speaker is Veronica Lodge, who is retelling to her well-known wealthy Dad the evening's earlier events.  Most of the storyline is a flashback to the earlier event that kicks-off the Riverdale zombie apocalypse.  Its mentioned that in last month's issue #1, both Jughead and his dog Hot Dog somehow became zombies.  Now in issue #2, ol' undead Juggie shuffles his way into the Halloween night Riverdale High School dance and the expected zombie mayhem ensues. 

     The plot details follow the classic zombie fiction line: no one really notices Juggie is a zombie until he bites/infects Ethel Muggs, then all zombie hell breaks loose as the biting/epidemic spreads and the Archie gang hightails it out of the dance in search of safety.  The story segment ends in a dramatic bridge to issue #3, as the Veronica-Dad scenes pans back to reveal that Archie and Veronica have led a small group of nine survivors (including A-list Archie characters Betty, Reggie, Moose and Midge) to the Lodge mansion in a desperate attempt to make a stand against the ensuing zombie hordes.  Its also revealed in a cliffhanger announcement that one of the nine teens is already infected with the zombie virus, which obviously will lead to further drama in next month's issue.

     As readers of this column know, I review a few Archie comics yearly and can't help but always gush how the quality of this long-term comic book franchise continuously maintains its high standards of artwork, scripting and most importantly, the modern-day topicality of its story and cultural references.  And this issue not only is no exception, but cranks-up the creative edginess into completely new Archie storyverse realms.  This is not-your-father's-Archieverse, in two key respects.  First-off is the horror concept itself. Previous Archie titles occasionally spoof horror while staying well-within the standard art and plotting of traditional Archie Comics. Here, all barriers are completely nuked: Francesco Francavilla's amazing artwork is completely non-Archie, visually reinterpreting the series with more standard horror comic figure drawings and colorization. 

     Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa's script is equal to the artwork's edginess, leaving behind the standard "everytown" portrayal of Riverdale and its inhabitants for a darker theme.  The player's personalities and dialogue are more akin to an episode of the 1960's t.v. series "Dark Shadows" or a horror-themed episode of "The X-Files."  Two of my favorite issue #2 examples of this style are an extended edgy conversation between two malt shop-hanging Riverdale female teens about their secret lesbian relationship and secondly, Mr. Lodge's droll, muttered psychological remarks to his daughter Veronica everytime she plays the spoiled rich daddy's girl card in their extended narrative conversation.

     It may not seem like that big of a deal to offer-up a new spin on a conventional comic book storyverse, but to the degree that this new Archie series leaps away from its traditional storyverse comfort zone, it certainly is a big deal. It takes a lot of courage for the publisher to add a new title this far outside of the standard world of Archie and friends, and for that they need to be commended with a well-deserved standing round of applause.  And of course your support by getting down to That's Entertainment and picking-up your very own copy of this fantastic and just-plain-entertaining spin on Archie versus the zombie apocalypse!

Ben 10 #1

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Jason Henderson: Writer

Gordon Purcell: Pencils

Scott Macrae: Inks

Jason Lewis: Colors

     IDW Publishing recently distributed issue #1 in a new kid's comic book title featuring Ben 10. For the uninitiated (which included me before I spied this comic book on the That's Entertainment new issues shelves), Ben 10 is ten-year-old Ben Tennyson, who's part of a 5-person action-adventure team that also includes his Grandpa Max, cousin Gwen, alien-like buddy Rook and old pal Kevin.  The comic book is apparently based on a popular Ben 10 animated television series on The Cartoon Network.  Ben's particular ability is to utilize an alien-created high tech wristwatch called the Omnitrix that allows him to morph into various styles of superpowered alien creatures, whichever is most appropriate for the particular action situation at-hand.  The new comic book series is scripted by Jason Henderson with pencils by Gordon Purcell, inks by Scott Macrae and colors by Jason Lewis.

     The untitled issue #1 plot kicks-off a multi-issue storyarc in which Ben and the gang head-out of San Diego for a nice and hopefully calm getaway Pacific Ocean cruise vacation.  Naturally, the vacation is anything but a getaway, as two alternating sub-plots each interfere with Ben's hope for a relaxing trip.  The first issue is the problem of Ben's celebrity, as his action-adventure notoriety results in a constant barrage of picture-taking, autograph-hounding, etc. from his fellow cruisegoers at every turn. Ben does make one legitimate friend among the cruisegoers, a girl his own age named Lorelai.  The second, more-detailed storythread begins as the cruise ship stumbles upon an attack by a snake-like bad guy named SSSerpent (yes, there are three s's in his name!) against an oil rig; as Ben and friends intervene, they discover that the rig is camoflauge for an alien-like city of fish people.  Issue #1 ends in a very dramatic bridge to issue #2, as its revealed in a very surprising and entertaining manner that Lorelai originates from the disguised city of fishfolk.

     I was surprised to learn on-line of the existence of a huge Ben 10 retail empire, which has resulted in the award of three television Emmys to the show, along with the generation of $2 billion in world-wide retail sales of over 100 million Ben 10-based toys and stuff.  After reading this comic book, I'm now not all surprised, as both the general concept of the Ben 10 storyverse as well as the quality of this series is solidly entertaining.  The comic book itself provides this quality in at least three ways.  First-up is the strength of the script itself; writer Jason Henderson doesn't just produce a kid-centric adventure story, but explores some heartfelt issues relevant to readers of all ages including loneliness, romance, family and friendship issues. 

     Secondly, the details of Ben's alien gizmo-powered abilities are entertaining.  While at first I expected a rehash of the Silver Age DC "Dial H For Hero" concept, instead the mix of alien identities and resulting powers that Ben taps into are very fresh and creative in their own right. Third, there's a very interesting element of mystery throughout this tale, as by issue's end we still don't know the details about the mysterious fish people city or the reason for Lorelai's presence on the cruise ship.

     For all of these reasons, combined with the very pleasing and appropriate television show animation style of the artwork, the Ben 10 comic book series is enjoyable as a read for kids of all ages and serves as a nice bridge back into the Ben 10 television series and merchandising empire.  I can easily see fans of the comic book further exploring the television adventures of Ben 10 and vice-versa.  There's also a decent-enough story logic and maturity to the script that's worthwhile enough for adult readers to also dip into the pages of Ben 10 for an occasional Cartoon Network-style reading of this intelligent and high quality series.  So in sum, a positive thumbs-up review recommendation is well-deserved for this creative animation-style comic book title.  And while you're at it, its also worth checking to see if the Cartoon Network t.v. series is as enjoyable a watch as the comic book is to read!

Contest Winner Announcement!!!

     Our latest contest challenged you to identify what previously-published comic book title you'd like to see revived for a fresh 2014 new issues comic book run.  And our contest winner is (drumroll, please)...Dave McBarron, who nominates the former Kid Colt Outlaw title from Marvel Comics for reanimation.  Dave writes that as far as he knows, Marvel doesn't currently publish any new Western genre comics.  So as DC has its Jonah Hex title, Dave writes "so Marvel needs a Western title too, and it might teach the younger generation about our history in the West during the 1800's."  An excellent nomination to bring-back a very entertaining former Western comic book title. Let's hope that Marvel eventually gives it a try. But for now, congratulations to Dave for winning our first-prize $10.00 gift certificate to That's Entertainment! 

New Contest Announcement!!!

     The Bongo Congo Panel of Contest Judges was inspired for our latest contest theme by the Afterlife With Archie comic book reviewed in this column above, in which the inevitable zombie apocalyse arrives in Riverdale.  So your challenge is to e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com no later than Wednesday, Febraury 5 and tell us what other comic book characters or comic book title you'd like to also see get the zombie treatment.  Yes, it's time for the zombie apocalypse to continue its march through the wider world of comic book publishing!  Also, just briefly tell us why you think it would be fun to see your particular nomination get zombified.  Please note that our $10.00 first prize gift certificate to That's Entertainment is redeemable for regular retail merchandise or in-store, ongoing specials, only.

     That's all for now, so have two great Super Bowl-watching (Go Whoever, we really don't care who wins now that the Patriots didn't get in the game!) and comic book-reading weeks and see you again on Friday, February 7 Here In Bongo Congo!

Comic Reviews 1/10/14

Here In Bongo Congo

     Good King Leonardo wishes all a very Happy New Year and has decreed that we kick-off the 2014 comic book review season with a "Science Fiction Week" theme Here In Bongo Congo, featuring an interesting-looking mix of science fiction-oriented comic book titles that are currently on the new issue shelves.  So let's get right to it and see how these New Year's comics stack-up against each other:

The Saviors #1

Publisher: Image Comics, Inc.

James Robinson: Writer

J. Bone: Art

      Image Comics recently added to its inventory a new science fiction-themed comic book entitled "The Saviors." The theme of this series is the well-known secret alien invasion genre.  The title is the co-creation of writer James Robinson and artist J Bone.  British writer Robinson is WELL-known for his work at DC Comics, including acclaimed runs on Starman back in the 1990's and more recently Justice Society of America.

     The main character of The Saviors is Tomas Ramirez, the native resident of the Southwest desert small town of Passburg.  Tomas is a gentle-souled hometown slacker; while his high school buddies all moved-on to out-of-town college and careers, Tomas settled-into a life of smoking pot, pumping gas and watching air shows at the nearby U.S. Air Force range.  The issue #1 plot can be separated into two parts. Act One introduces Tomas's life situation along with story support characters who include the Town's Sheriff Doyle, Tomas's best buddy Frank, who runs a car junkyard, and the nearby air base's unnamed commanding general.  Tomas also pumps gas for a handsome and mysterious stranger who arrives in Town and claims to deal in vintage autos, resulting in Tomas connecting the guy with his friend Frank.

     The science-fiction mystery kicks-in at the plot's midpoint. While smoking pot in a secluded location, Tomas follows the sounds of an alien language being spoken and stumbles upon a meeting of Sheriff Doyle and the Air Force base commander, both in their true identities as alien lizard-like invaders. Without being a detail spoiler, from that point on the chase is on, as Tomas flees the exposed monster duo.  The action peaks with a confrontation at Frank's junkyard that include the trio, Frank himself and the car-collecting mysterious stranger, who seems to knows the details of the alien conspiracy and appears to be a newfound ally of Tomas.  The encounter spins into very deadly violence and ends in a literal cliffhanger leading to issue #2, as the monstrous lizard persona of Sheriff Doyle has Tomas hanging off the edge of a desert cliff in a life-or-death moment in this dramatic storyline.

     The Saviors is a very entertaining and strongly-produced addition to the oft-visited theme of secret alien invasion fiction.  The theme itself has a rich history originating in Golden Age science fiction stories and novels and entering into mid-20th century television culture with episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits and the popular 1960's television series "The Invaders."  Here, the creative duo of Robinson and Bone breath fresh life into the concept by way of their respective creative talents.  On the artistic side, J Bone produces his excellent panels in black-and-white, lending a storyboard style to the art product that effectively connects the tale to its television visual heritage.  Equal to the skilled artwork is Robinson's scripting.  While there's nothing really new in his approach to the alien invasion concept, his crafting of Tomas's personality in simply exceptional.  We're presented with a classic fictional portrayal of an ordinary man living a life of simple contentment suddenly thrust into the unwanted role of world savior.  Reminiscent of "The Invaders" t.v. show concept, its clear that Tomas's work is cut-out for him to convince anyone that a stoned slacker such as himself has credible knowledge of a secret alien infiltration, a situation that offers some very interesting story opportunities for upcoming issues.

     So in sum, a very positive thumbs-up review recommendation is well-deserved for this entertaining and well-crafted latest addition to the "secret alien conspiracy" genre of science fiction storytelling.  Whether you're a science fiction fan or just enjoy good comic book storytelling, this new comic book is well-worth the reading experience!

The Midas Flesh #1

Publisher: Boom! Box

Ryan North: Creator & Writer

Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb: Art

     The Midas Flesh is a new science fiction adventure title from Boom! Box. A back-of-the-book editor's column explains that Boom! Box is a new publishing imprint from the well-known comic book publisher Boom! Entertainment.  The stated goal of the division is "a space to publish the kind of comics you do for the love of it...for the sake of having them out in the world because you think they're hecka neat."  Midas Flesh is created and scripted by Ryan North, best known for his writing of the title "Adventure Time," with artwork by the team of Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb.

     The plot of Midas Flesh #1 presents alternating far future and ancient past sub-plots.  The far future storythread introduces us to a trio of three kid spacefarers, the human boy Joey, girl Fatima and a dinosaur boy named Cooper.  They're on a secret mission to a planet far from their origin.  It's quickly revealed that the surprise planet is Earth, and after a lengthy action-packed sequence in which they fight and defeat the world's ancient automated satellite defenses, its further revealed that Earth is a dead planet consisting of solid gold.  The second sub-plot revises the well-known King Midas fable to explain the "Gold Fingering" of Earth, if I may shamelessly steal a phrase from the James Bond storyverse.  Without spoiling any story details, writer Ryan North alters the Greek fable so in his version, when the Greek Gods grant Midas his wish that everything he touch turns to gold, it has a retro effect of running wild, immediately spreading across anything he touched in his entire life as it quickly virals to wipe-out all planetary life by transforming the entire Earth into gold.  Issue #1 concludes with a flash forward back to our three kid adventurers, as a lone orbiting Earth sentry discovers their presence and initiates an attack on their secret mission.

      I'll get right to it and try to be as brief as possible: this is simply one lousy comic book, with the basic problem being a lack of standard plot theme and direction.  Instead, we're subjected to a mishmash compilation of writing styles and story elements that don't connect together into either a sensible or comfortable read.  The comic book has bits and pieces of incompatible story identities: for a few pages its a kid's outer space science adventure, then its an ancient world fable; in some scenes the dialogue and narrative are written at the adult reader level while alternating scenes are written at a childish little kid reader level.  I also found incredibly grating on my reading nerves writer North's decision to present the ancient Greek sub-plot dialogue in "Valley Girl" style, modernizing the language so that ancient King Midas and his co-horts basically "Hey, Dude!" each other in an excruciating modern-day slang that's just plain weird for an ancient Greek storyline.

      I have no idea whether or not Boom! Box is a creator-owned comic book publishing venture.  But its clear from that Letter From The Editor column mentioned above as well as a pretentious post-story interview with writer Chris North that The Midas Flesh is a crappy "dear to the heart" unsalable story concept that North carried around with him for years and finally conned someone into letting him publish.  That stated goal of Boom! Box to publish comics "...for the love of it...because they're hecka neat," actually translates into "we're publishing a flawed story idea based on the reputation of the writer's better-written products," a trap that we too often see in some creator-owned series and which unfortunately is duplicated in this title. I've said it before when reviewing most "personal favorite" story concepts of accomplished writers and I'll say it again right now: if the favorite chestnut of an idea was so great, it would have been snapped-up by a mainstream publishing line a long time ago instead of surfacing years later in a creator-owned, alternate or experimental small imprint, such as the fledgling Boom Box!  So bottom line for the first failed comic that we review for the year 2014: an emphatic negative review recommendation is well-deserved for The Midas Flesh, which offers "fool's gold" in place of any legitimate storytelling gold.

Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure #1

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Bill Willingham: Writer

Sergio Davila: Art

Wes Hartman: Colors

     Dynamite Entertainment released this past week issue #1 in the eagerly-anticipated "Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure," an eight -issue mini-series scripted by A-list writer Bill Willingham, best known as the creator/writer of the acclaimed "Fables" comic book title published by DC's Vertigo imprint.  The concept of Legenderry is to present a Steampunk Victorian-style science fiction adventure/thriller series featuring a wide-range of classic comic book heroes including but not limited to Vampirella, Red Sonja, The Green Hornet and Kato, The Phantom and Dracula.  In addition to writer Willingham, the creative team includes artist Sergio Davila and colorist Wes Hartman.

     The issue #1 story segment is entitled "Ceremonies In Dark Men And Scarlet Women" and interweaves two storythreads.  The first sub-plot introduces the reader to the basic world structure of this Steampunk storyverse. Via the narration of radio gossip columnist Felix Avalon, we're introduced to "The Big City" and more specifically The Scarlet Club, the City's hottest steampunk nightclub, owned and operated by Vampirella in her proprietress guise of Madam Pendragon.  The second sub-plot kicks-in with explosive action, as Pendragon and her friend, publisher Britt Reid (aka The Green Hornet) confront a team of seven steampunk thugs who've chased a young red-haired woman into the club.  After literally tearing the attackers apart limb-from-limb, Vampirella and Reid learn the girl's backstory: the women is Magda Spadarossa, younger sister of Red Sonja, who's been missing for a year while traveling abroad.  Via flashback, we learn that Dracula has threatened Magda and set the thugs on her to eliminate her inquiries into her missing sister's fate.  By issue's end, Madam Pendragon and Britt Reid begin their efforts to pull additional Steampunk superheroes into the situation for further adventuring in next month's issue #2.

     Reader expectations have been very high for months now in anticipation of this Steampunk adventure series and I'm pleased to report that the creative team has clearly met the high bar of expectations for this new series.  Writer Bill Willingham is at his very best on two levels in his scripting of this series.  First, he skillfully creates the pitch-perfect Steampunk storyverse for these well-known heroes to function within.  It's a blast to read Victorian-style mannerisms and dialogue issuing from the traditionally non-Steampunk personas of Vampirella and friends.  Secondly, Willingham has kicked-off in issue #1 a multiple-issue storyarc with an intriguing action-adventure plotline that transcends its Steampunk stylings as a solid mystery-thriller tale. At its heart, the story would be entertaining with or without its Steampunk trappings.  Readers will be pulled into the basics of the tale on its own accord, including the mystery of the missing Red Sonja, the role of Dracula in the situation and the roles of various secondary story characters of The Big City who interact with our heroes as the adventure unfolds through its eight monthly issues.

     The review of any Steampunk comic book has to address the visual style of the series, given how heavily dependent this science fiction subgenre is on the fashion and stylings of its characters.  As all Steampunk fans know, the current standard for that element was set in 2010by artist/creator Joe Benitez in his acclaimed "Lady Mechanika" comic book mini-series.  While its too much to expect anyone to match or exceed the exceptional talent and uniqueness of Benitez's product, artist Sergio Davila and colorist Wes Hartman are smart enough to avoid going head-to-head with Benitez in a futile effort to match his Lady Mechanika visual product.  Instead, they venture-out with their own unique Steampunk artistic interpretative stylings, resulting in a very credible and enjoyable work of art in its own right apart that doesn't need any comparisons to any previous Steampunk comic book titles.

     In sum, Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure succeeds as a worthwhile comic book read on four counts: as a strong addition to the renowned storytelling inventory of writer Bill Willingham, as a beautiful visual product of this stylized storyverse, and most importantly, as a very entertaining comic book read for both veteran Steampunk fans and newcomers to this Victorian-style science fiction adventure genre. So get onboard the steam-powered train and ride-on down to That's Entertainment for your very own issue #1 copy of this fun new series!

The Twilight Zone #1

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

J. Michael Straczynski: Writer

Guiu Vilanova: Art

Vinicius Andrade: Colors

     Dynamite Entertainmernt has also just released another eagerly anticipated new comic book with its revival of "The Twilight Zone" series.  Baby boomers are well-familiar with the famed 1960's science fiction television series hosted by creator Rod Serling, as well as the previous Silver Age comic book run of this title as published by Gold Key.  This latest Twilight Zone incarnation is scripted by A-list writer J. Michael Straczynski with art by Guiu Vilanova and colors by Vinicius Andrade.

     Issue #1 kicks-off a premier multi-issue storyarc entitled "The Way Out."  The plot stars Trevor Richmond, a supposed "golden boy" of his Wall Street financial firm, who seemingly is successful as a genius at increasing his company's financial success. The issue #1 storyline plays-out in three acts.  Act One introduces the reader to the details of Richmond's success as well as his glamorous life, then exposes this image as we learn the truth of his scamming having brought the company to the edge of ruin.  Act Two introduces the Twilight Zone story element, as Richmond obtains the services of the mysterious Mr. Wylde, whose company assists fugitives by drastically altering their body's structure as well as covering all personal and financial trails.

     Act Three expands upon the mysterious doings; after a major body-altering effort leads to Richmond's successful escape from the legal consequences of his actions, we see him settle into a new hidden life that allows him to remain in Manhattan and witness first-hand both the media coverage and the painful financial ruin of those he scammed.  The issue ends in a dramatic bridge to the continued story arc in next month's issue #2, as in a stunning turn of events, an exact duplicate of Trevor Richmond appears in public and calls a press conference to make an "important announcement."

     The success of any Twilight Zone comic book title is measured in two ways: the usual comic book quality elements of writing and visual presentation, as well as the degree to which the title invokes the unique science fiction style, atmosphere and general feel of the iconic 1960's television series.  Happily, the creative team hits the bullseye on all of these elements, delivering a very well-crafted and entertaining new comic book series.  Writer J. Michael Straczynski provides his usual stellar effort in high quality scripting, with smart dialogue, interesting characters and a nice presentation style that invokes Rod Serling's narration from the t.v. series.  The artwork is also appropriate, invoking both the t.v. show style as well as the similar paranormal mystery feel of the old X-Files comic book series published in the 1990's by Topps Publishing.

      Straczynski really hits his Twilight Zone mark by successfully invoking both the spookiness and psychological tenseness of the t.v. show.  On every page of issue #1, we're challenged to wonder how and when this situation is going to blow-up in bad guy Richmond's face.  I particularly loved the mystery surrounding two support characters, company head Mr. Black and Diana, a local coffeeshop employee, both of whom clearly play yet-to-be-revealed key roles in this storyline as it unfolds in future monthly issues.

     My only question about this comic book is the decision by the editor and writer to present multi-issue story arcs.  The Twilight Zone t.v. show was both famous and very popular for wrapping-up each tale in its own neat, one half-hour package.  As such, I was surprised that this new series is going with extended multi-issue story arcs instead of stand-alone single issue storylines.  We'll have to wait and see whether this story structure adds or detracts from the ultimate quality of the series.  But in the meantime, a positive thumbs-up review recommendation is well-deserved for the issue #1 comic book return of one of the most famous science fiction television series of all time, The Twilight Zone!

Contest Winner Announcement!!!

      Our latest contest challenged you to correctly tell us which Hollywood movie star is the only person in movie history to have starred in at least one #1 box office movie opening in five consecutive decades.  And our contest winner is (drumroll, please...) Erin O'Connor, who correctly identified Sylvester Stallone as that uniquely-successful Hollywood actor.  For the record, Stallone's amazing accomplishment of #1 box office openings includes Rocky (of course!) and Rocky 2 in the 1970's, five movies in the 1980's, five more movies in the 1990's, the movie "Driven" in 2001 and the movie "The Expendables" in 2010. Quite an accomplishment!  Congratulations to Erin who wins our first prize $10.00 gift certificate to That's Entertainment!

New Contest Announcement!!!

     Dynamite Entertainment's revival of The Twilight Zone comic book series (see review above) got the Bongo Congo Panel of Contest Judges thinking about other former comic book titles that we'd like to see return to the new issues shelves.  So your new challenge is to e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com no later than Wednesday, January 22 with your entry for a formerly-published comic book series that you'd like to see revived for a fresh 2014 title run.  Give us the title and a brief comment on why you think the series should be brought back to comic book life.  Please note that our $10.00 first prize gift certificate to That's Entertainment is redeemable for regular retail merchandise and or in-store, ongoing specials, only.

     That's all for now, so have two great National Football League (NFL) playoff-watching (Go Patriots!) and comic book reading weeks, and see you again on Friday, January 24 Here In Bongo Congo!