Category: graphic novel reviews

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Vampirella Archives Volume One

This is a review of Vampirella Archives Volume One. Vampirella first appeared in her own magazine in September 1969, back when herds of comic magazines roamed the stands. Vampirella isn’t Barbarella’s long-lost sister, and she isn’t a real vampire. She’s a space alien who hails from the planet Drakulon, where blood is water. She comes to Earth on a rocket ship and finds employment as a horror hostess, a la the Crypt Keeper, telling lurid stories to twisted children.

How about a few examples? We meet Vampirella’s cousin, Evily, who in the course of doing evil throws a spell at a magic mirror, which reverses the spell and turns Evily good. Except she’s not really good, she’s just drawn that way. In the next issue Evily visits an enchanted tree, seeking – well, I’m not sure what she’s seeking – and then her body is turned to stone. At least I think that’s what happened. I’ve been reading comics for 48 years, and I’m not sure, so confusing me is quite the accomplishment right there.

How about the treasure seekers who try to steal Montezuma’s fabled treasure, guarded by the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl? The Big Q can possess anything with wings, so they shoot all the birds. And then it possesses a mosquito. At the end, we see the single survivor congratulating himself on escaping. Except he’s on an airplane, which has wings and transforms into Quetzalcoatl!

Then there’s the vampire who runs a movie studio and has his own version of the casting couch, which works until he meets a witch, who traps him inside a movie camera. Or maybe she transforms him into a movie camera? Or the caveman and cavewoman who flee an exploding volcano, overcome marauding dinosaurs, and meet their end when they mistake a dinosaur’s open mouth for a cave?

Sound dopey? Well, you’re right! These stories feature misspellings and muddled writing galore, but the best of them have an unpredictable energy. Unlike, say, Tales From the Crypt (which Vampirella is modeled on), the writers of Vampirella aren’t afraid to mix genres, with horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Vampirella’s origin story is science fiction, not horror.

A few words about the black-and-white art, which is the best part of this magazine. We have stories illustrated by artistic luminaries such as Neal Adams and Jose Gonzalez. Much of the art is cheesecake, sexy Venusians, barbarian queens, gill-women, vampires taking blood showers. In places, the illustrations remind me of Heavy Metal magazine. Recommended for fans of older horror comics and Tales from the Crypt anthology magazines.

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Fatale: Death Chases Me

Fatale: Death Chases Me, written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, is a mash-up of noir and the supernatural. Think True Detective or Twin Peaks, although Fatale takes place in San Francisco and not the boonies. When I read this years ago, I didn’t like it quite as much as I did this time around. I didn’t understand that Jo is the main character, while also being the monster.

Let’s talk about Jo/Josephine, shall we? She doesn’t age and can enslave men to her will. She’s beautiful, sure, but there’s more to it than that. When she tells a man to put a gun to his head and pull the trigger, he does it without blinking. Jo doesn’t want this ability, nor can she control it. She thinks eye contact might be part of it, which makes sense. Jo can literally ruin lives at a glance.

Fatale takes place in the 1950’s in San Francisco, where Jo is being pursued by a group of cultists wearing red pjs. They are led by – I don’t know what it is. It seems urbane, if you can call a creature from Hell urbane. Whatever it is, it wants Jo. The cop she counted on for protection is now hopelessly corrupt, dying of cancer, and desperate enough to use her as a bargaining chip.

Many of the things Jo does are dicey. Witness the reporter who leaves his pregnant wife to do her bidding. When they have sex, she’s on top – this is a great character moment because the creators don’t make a big deal about it. He is her slave, and will do whatever she wants. There are consequences, because with Jo there are always consequences. The reporter’s pregnant wife is slain by the cult, and what happens to their unborn baby is even worse.

Jo isn’t a good person or a bad person. She is a survivor. She does what she has to, and leaves behind a trail of shattered men and broken marriages in her wake. Her so-called powers are a curse. She has transcended morality. She is what she is, the most beautiful monster you will ever see.

There are a lot of characters in Fatale. At first, I got a few of them confused. That is this graphic novel’s only weakness, if you can call it that – this is a series that rewards multiple reads. The ending leaves behind a few unresolved plot threads, but that’s okay as this is only the first arc of the series.

IMO, Fatale is the best thing Ed Brubaker has ever written. It is complemented by Sean Phillips’s gritty artwork, which features muted colors, lots of shadows, and eye-gouging monstrosities. Recommended for lovers of noir, supernatural comics, and monsters.

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Annihilation Omnibus: Drax the Destroyer

This is a review of the Drax the Destroyer miniseries, written by Keith Giffen with art by Mitch Breitweiser, which appears in the Annihilation Omnibus. The Annihilation storyline revitalized Marvel’s cosmic line, leading to the resurrection of titles like Guardians of the Galaxy and the resurgence of characters like Thanos, both of whom appeared in the movies Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame. I won’t say that this is the miniseries that started it all, but it’s still a fine read.

Drax the Destroyer is Marvel’s cosmic version of The Hulk, big, green, and dumb. Drax survives an exploding spaceship taking him to prison, and ends up in Coot’s Bluff, Alaska, population 2816 – a number that is soon to plunge. I do not know why Drax is bound for prison. I am a comic junkie, and I do not even know Drax’s backstory. If you look up obscure Marvel characters in the dictionary, you will see Drax’s face. His history doesn’t matter, because the purpose of this miniseries is to serve as an introduction to characters appearing in Annihilation.

Besides Drax, there are four other survivors – a Skrull named Paibok, a blue alien named Lunatik, and the Blood Brothers, who are, uh, brothers. This group can be divided into those who are smart, Paibok; those who are smart and evil, Lunatik; and those who are stupid, The Blood Brothers and Drax. The Blood Brothers start a brawl with Drax while Paibok and Lunatik enter Coot’s Bluff, kill a bunch of locals, and organize the survivors into work gangs. They want to salvage the remains of the exploding spaceship and jury rig a ship so they can leave Earth, ASAP.

Paibok kills Drax. It takes him about five seconds. The Skrull is a soldier, and he uses his abilities like a soldier would. But don’t worry! Drax is resurrected, or perhaps he resurrects himself. There are hints Drax is evolving during his scuffle with The Blood Brothers – the longer the fight drags on, the smarter he gets.

Upon Drax’s resurrection, he psychically bonds with Cammie, a local. Cammie falls under the category of smart and evil. She’s ten, but has the world-weariness of a fifty-seven-year old cashier working full-time at McDonalds, which is to say she’s stuck and hates her life. The new Drax isn’t as strong as the dumb Drax, but he’s a thousand times more lethal. He has no qualms about killing and only fights when he needs to.

This reads more like an adventure or survival comic than a superhero story in that it is devoid of any sentimentality and features a sky-high body count. None of the characters – Drax included – act like superheroes. They act according to their self-interests. Drax doesn’t kill Paibok, because he has no reason to do so. In a way, Paibok did Drax a favor – because big, green, and dumb is no way to go through life. Recommended, especially for fans of Keith Giffen and Marvel’s Cosmic Line.

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Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Volume Eighteen

This is a review of Marvel Masterworks Daredevil Volume Eighteen, written by Denny O’Neil and drawn by various artists. Read my reviews of Volumes One, Two, and Three here, here, and here. Why, you may ask, did I switch from Volume Three to Volume Eighteen? Well, the third volume of Daredevil was so bad I didn’t want to read the fourth.  It happens, especially with 1960’s Marvel comics. For every classic issue of Spider-Man or The Fantastic Four, you have things like Matt’s imaginary twin brother Mike Murdock, evil landlord The Masked Marauder, and Daredevil trapped in a spaceship blasted into outer space by Electro.  Not all old comics are good.

However, these comics are good! Aside from the art – which is inconsistent – this is a very underrated run. The meat of the volume is Daredevil’s archnemesis Bullseye being shanghaied to Japan by disgraced kamikaze Lord Dark Wind, where his broken bones are replaced with metal implants. Ole Hornhead follows the trail to Japan, where he meets Yuriko, daughter of Lord Dark Wind, who helps him out.

Yuriko has a tattoo on her face, mainly because her father is crazy. After the Daredevil arc, she becomes Lady Deathstrike, courtesy of X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. I guess Claremont rescues her from obscurity, but she goes from a fleshed-out character to a psychotic cybernetic killing machine. Maybe aliens reversed her brain, because now she’s the opposite of how Denny O’Neil wrote her. But such is comics – they giveth, and they taketh away.

This volume also contains a bunch of one-shot issues. My favorite storyline is when Daredevil’s ex Heather Glenn gets drunk and reveals his secret identity at a party. Oopsie. Turns out the guy she spills the beans to is both terminally ill and running a murder squad, which happens. The Black Widow reappears in Matt’s life, and we catch a glimpse of Micah Synn, the Kraven the Hunter wannabe who will make his life miserable in the next volume. And I almost forgot about the guest appearance by Wolverine, everyone’s favorite killing machine!

Not many people recall Denny O’Neil’s Daredevil run, mostly because it’s sandwiched between two Frank Miller runs, but this is good stuff. O’Neil edited Miller’s first Daredevil run, which utilizes serialized storylines – multiple issues featuring recurring characters and a vivid setting – and uses the same techniques himself. Think James Robinson’s Starman and Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. Recommended, especially for Daredevil fans.

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The Boys: The Name of the Game

This is a review of The Boys: The Name of the Game, a near-future satire of superhero comics by Garth Ennis (writer) and Darrick Robertson (artist). Before diving in, know that there is a lot of gratuitous sex and violence in this series, much of it scatological. I am not going to bother listing all the trigger warnings, but here’s an example: after a pitched battle, a hamster crawls out of a fallen superhuman’s butt, and Wee Hughie (more on him later!) takes it home as a pet because he feels sorry for the little guy.

Is this graphic novel any good? Yes, it is, and I am not alone in thinking that. The Boys is a breakout hit on Amazon Prime. Just know what you are getting into, as this series is designed to offend a certain type of reader. If you are that reader, stay away.

The Boys takes place in a world where superhumans run amok. Does that sound familiar? Well, it’s the same premise as Kingdom Come, reviewed here. That’s where the similarities to Kingdom Come end, however. The superhumans themselves are like rock stars with superpowered libidos high on cocaine and ultra-powered Viagra. Think drugs, orgies, and mass destruction. And those are the sanctioned ones.

Wee Hughie is our baseline normal. We meet the Wee One when he tells his girlfriend that the grey aliens are actually pink, and are trying to turn everyone gay. He and his gal clasp hands as they confess their everlasting love. Of course, anyone who’s ever read a comic book in their life knows what happens next. Spoiler alert: she dies horribly at the hands of a superhuman.

Wee Hughie is recruited into The Boys by The Butcher, a big man who despises superhumans. The Butcher’s stated reason for hating superhumans may or may not be true, because the Butcher is a manipulative son of a bitch. He draws Hughie into the fold, bit by bit. You might even call it a seduction. The rest of the group consists of a dude named Mother’s Milk and two psychopaths, The Frenchman and The Female, who are the same character in that they seem mild but turn into killing machines when provoked. They all have super powers.

The Boys are unofficially sanctioned by the CIA to – well, that depends on who you ask. The CIA would have you believe their mission is to keep the superhuman community in check. The Butcher’s views on the topic are more of the scorched earth variety. Their ultimate foes are sanctioned superhuman team The Seven. Think the Justice League, except they have corporate sponsorships and the male members are perverts who sexually harass their new female recruit.

This is the graphic novel that sets it all up, but there’s still plenty of action. Wee Hughie kills someone with his newfound superhuman powers – granted to him when The Butcher jabs an unwanted needle into his neck – and also buys a habitat for his brand-new hamster! Recommended for fans of Garth Ennis, lovers of mayhem, and purveyors of potty humor. If you like the TV series, I am sure you will enjoy the source material, also.

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Batman The Golden Age Volume Four

This is a review of Batman: The Golden Age Volume Four, written by Bill Finger with art by Bob Kane and published in the 1940’s. Read my reviews of the first three volumes here, here, and here. In this volume, we have Two Face’s origin story, along with appearances by Catwoman, The Scarecrow, and The Penguin. The Joker appears so often he should be given billing on the strip: Batman, Robin & The Joker has a nice ring to it!

There are also the usual thugs, fifth columnists, and gangsters, which is where we see the interesting stories. Batman’s Rogue Gallery always gets top billing, but with tales not featuring weirdo villains the creators need to come up with an angle. Thus, we have stories about the two feuding brothers whose father is killed by a bad guy, a tearjerker about the kindly neighborhood druggist, and the boy who wants to be Robin, but is hampered by the fact that he’s way too stupid to be Robin.

My personal favorite issue features Batman and Robin splitting up. Batman tells his young ward their partnership is dissolved and throws his Robin picture in the trash. A devastated Dick Grayson leaves to become a hobo – I don’t recall if he has a bindle over his shoulder, but I sure hope he does. Turns out that evildoers threatened Robin, which is why Batman decides to go it alone!

After Batman is captured and sealed in a room, a ‘la Edgar Allen Poe, Robin returns – and is captured. The thugs have a brainwave and unseal the room, which allows Batman to beat the crap out of them, and the Dynamic Duo are reunited, with Robin having no hard feelings at all. Nothing dysfunctional about that relationship!

I must say a few words about the deathtraps. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, movie serials were very popular. Serials appeared in chapters, with every chapter ending in a cliffhanger, usually involving the female lead being tied up. The same thing happens in Batman stories of that time period. The Dynamic Duo are captured, usually by being whacked over the head. Instead of killing them, the thugs put them in deathtraps. If you think about it – which you shouldn’t – there is no reason for this. Why tie someone up and shove them in a car loaded with dynamite, when you can shoot them in the head and drop them into Gotham harbor?

This is a fun read recommended for fans of golden age comics and Batman completionists.

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Punisher Epic Collection: Circle of Blood

This is a review of Punisher: Circle of Blood by various writers and artists. This graphic novel is divided into three sections – the first Punisher miniseries, written by Steven Grant with art by Mike Zeck; the first ten issues of the ongoing series, written by Mike Baron with art by Klaus Janson (first few issues); and Punisher: Assassin’s Guild, written by Mary Jo Duffy with art by Jorge Zaffino.

The character of the Punisher is controversial today partly because he’s been made into a symbol of something he is not. Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) is not a cop or an ex-cop, and you can make a case that all of the writers in this graphic novel portray him as mentally ill. The Punisher’s origins stem from Men’s Adventure and Soldier-of-Fortune Magazines, as well as pulp paperbacks featuring characters like The Executioner and maybe Remo Williams, if you scrape away the martial arts weirdness.

The Punisher first appeared in the 1970’s in a Spider-Man comic. He didn’t get his first miniseries, written by Steven Grant and drawn by Mike Zeck, until the 1980’s. In it, The Punisher is released from jail by a shadow organization that supposedly shares his values. This series is way better than it should be. Yes, there are parallels to an 80’s action film, but Frank Castle (The Punisher) is portrayed as being broken in a way that is not fixable. There is a moment when Frank realizes that setting the mobs against each other means lots of innocents getting killed in the crossfire, and you can tell he’s in over his head and has no idea what to do.

The ongoing Punisher series features irredeemable villains and a tight focus on plot. There aren’t many recurring villains, for obvious reasons. The stories are all over the place and have a bizarre energy that one can only admire. In one storyline the Punisher fights insider traders, complete with ninjas and serial killers; in another, he ends up in a compound with the Rev and his sister, ala Jonestown. Frank is shot, beat up, tortured, etc., etc., etc. He survives with a few nicks and scratches, but the same can’t be said for his allies, who all die. The exception is Microchip, a middle-aged guy who doesn’t partake in field operations.

Assassin’s Guild rounds out the trilogy. The Punisher and a guild of assassins confront (i.e. kill) a ring of people who are exploiting children. This graphic novel was not approved by the Comic Code Authority and thus contains what was then considered adult content. Besides the blossoming body count, we witness the Punisher having sex and an obnoxious kid assassin who gets a kick out of offing people. Despite dated ethnic portrayals and a few tropes past their expiration date, Assassin’s Guild is genuinely disturbing and is thus worth a look.

Recommended for fans of The Punisher.

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Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come is a four-issue DC comic event written by Mark Waid and drawn by Alex Ross. Kingdom Come is a Superman story. Kingdom Come is also an optimistic story, despite featuring a million-plus person body count. As event comics go, it is blessedly short and not bloated. Everything you need for a perfect reading experience is contained in this four-issue miniseries.

Kingdom Come can be viewed as a direct response to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, which was about authoritarianism; and Alan Moore’s The Watchmen, which was about nihilism (what the author intended is irrelevant). Kingdom Come deals with authoritarianism and nihilism and rejects them both in favor of – that would be telling. I am curious as to whether the folks at Marvel sent Waid & Ross a fruitcake when Civil War came out, because they sure cribbed from it. You can even see the seeds of this graphic novel in Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men run.

The frame story concerns the Spectre choosing a new host, pastor Norman McKay. Who cares? Well, as the Spectre’s human anchor, Norman will have to judge humanity and thus holds the fate of the world in his hands. What brought about this sad state of affairs, you ask? The superhuman community is left in disarray after the Joker visits Metropolis, goes on a killing spree (which includes Lois Lane), and is killed by Magog, who is a hero. At least the public sees Magog as a hero. Magog’s exoneration makes Superman quit, and the superhuman community falls apart. What rises are a band of out-of-control young men and women with superpowers and no impulse control, ala Garth Ennis’ The Boys.

Sparks fly when a pitched battle with the Parasite leads to a nuclear explosion. Millions die, and Kansas becomes a nuclear wasteland. This leads Superman, spurred on by Wonder Woman, to return from his self-imposed exile. Many members of the superhuman community (minus Batman) join him. The superhumans who refuse to submit are placed in a prison in Kansas until they learn the error of their ways.

We know this is stupid because Batman thinks it’s stupid. You’d think a superhuman prison is something Batman might endorse, but you’d be wrong. Batman is a human being, but Superman is too busy playing god to consult any normal humans about this. Will The Man of Steel be the unwilling harbinger of the apocalypse? And where does the Big Red Cheese fit into all this?

Kingdom Come is a Superman story, but it features DC’s version of the trinity – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman. Superman is either overly idealistic or naïve, depending on your point-of-view; Wonder Woman is too militaristic; Batman is a loner with authoritarian tendencies. Separately they are flawed; together, they cancel out each other’s weaknesses.

Kingdom Come features great writing and awesome art. Alex Ross’ character designs are breathtaking, especially with such a large cast. There are Easter eggs – both visual and written – interspersed throughout the graphic novel, which reads more like a painting than a comic. Highly recommended!

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Marvel Masterworks: The Invincible Iron Man Volume Four

This is a review of Marvel Masterworks Invincible Iron Man Volume Four. You can read my reviews of the first three volumes here, here, and here. This volume is written by Stan Lee and drawn by the great Gene Colan, who also drew Tomb of Dracula. Mr. Colan’s Iron Man is dynamic – twisting, contorting, always in action.

Thus far, Iron Man has been an on/off title to read. The main culprit is the writing, which can be kindly described as inconsistent. Nonstop action is great, but the plots need to make sense. The writing has a slapdash quality that I don’t like, such as when Iron Man leaves the widget he needs to defeat the Titanium Man on his coffee table because it slipped his mind. Series regular Happy Hogan retrieves the widget, only to be mortally injured, which leads to Happy’s transformation into a monstrous etc., etc., etc. This is known as plotting on the fly, aka making it up as you go along.

Happily, the writing in this volume is better. When Archie Goodwin takes over scribing duties – which seems like it might be a few issues before he’s credited – the plots get tighter. Yes, dumb cliffhangers still abound, but that is part of the joy of reading superhero comics. The Grey Gargoyle throws a petrified Iron Man off the roof, but lucky for him, there’s a handy truck full of sand nearby to fall on.

The villains in this volume are better. Unlike Mr. Doll (featured in Volume One), they look like real threats. Look at Titanium Man! He’s scary! Look at the Grey Gargoyle! He’s mean! There’s also Whiplash, who has a, uh, steel whip. Let’s not forget ultra-secret organizations Maggia and AIM, bent on world domination. Also: Madame Masque, minus the mask.

Series regulars Happy (chauffer) and Pepper (secretary) get written out of the book for reasons I don’t understand. I think it might have to do with Happy knowing that Tony is Iron Man. Instead of fridging him, the writers allow him to elope with Pepper. They are replaced by SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell, the most annoying man in the universe. Sitwell debuts by trying to blow Tony Stark’s head off his shoulders, although that’s not how he frames it. Overall, this volume shows a lot of improvement from the last. Recommended for Iron Man fans and lovers of superhero comics!

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Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes Volume One

This is a review of Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes Volume One, written by Paul Levitz and featuring art from a number of artists, including Mike Grell. The Legion of Super Heroes is a Silver Age invention, with an ensemble cast of 30th century teenaged superheroes and superheroines, including Superboy (who flies in from the 20th century).

This volume features three interesting storylines. The first is the wedding of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, whose nuptials are disturbed by the Time Trapper. The Trapper alters history but nobody knows it except Superboy, who travels to the 30th century from a time period BEFORE history was changed. The second story features Grimbor the Chainsman, whose goal in life is tying up members of the Legion. Surprisingly, good ole’ Grimbor hasn’t been used all that much lately.

The third is a storyline about the framing of Ultra Boy, a character who possesses Superboy’s abilities but can only use one of his powers at a time. Ultra Boy visits former lover, An Ryd. Yes, that’s her name. Ultra Boy seems confused as to why she would choose a cheap motel room for their meeting. Unfortunately for him, An Ryd has no interests but self-interests and sells him out. I have no idea if she’s an objectivist, but this story makes it clear that Ultra Boy is really stupid. Poor An Ryd is murdered and Ultra Boy wakes, framed for her murder.

When his Legion buddies ask him to explain, Ultra Boy of course acts like a criminal and runs away. Left on his own, there is little doubt Ultra Boy would be in solitary for a hundred years, but luckily there exist Legion members with three-digit IQs. The culprit – not the murderer – is revealed, and Ultra Boy is vindicated!

There are a bunch of interesting things about this storyline, chief among them being that Ultra Boy cannot decipher social cues, especially sexual social cues. His girlfriend, Phantom Girl, looks very wholesome and even wears her hair in ponytails. There’s also the heavily muscled older male science officer who seems to take Ultra Boy’s betrayal personally. All stuff I would have missed back in my teens.

Anyway, did I mention that Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad get hitched? They have to quit the team because the Legion’s charter forbids married members. One of the reasons I enjoyed these issues so much is that nobody ever asks the obvious question, such as ‘why not change the charter then?’ The members themselves act more like new adults than teenagers, but there’s still a lot of posturing, chest-beating, and stupid drama.

 Paul Levitz is the gold standard for the Legion of Super Heroes, and these stories are better than most of the comics being published around that time period (late 70’s, early 80’s). Recommended for Legion of Super Heroes fans and also fans of space opera, because a few of these stories (Time Trapper) feature interesting science fiction concepts.