Tag: john ostrander

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The Spectre Volume One: Crimes & Judgments

This is a review of The Spectre: Crime & Judgments, which collects the first twelve issues of John Ostrander (writer) and Tom Mandrake’s (artist) 1990’s run of the Spectre. It is no secret that I’m a huge fan of John Ostrander, the man responsible for the creation of Grimjack and the modern version of The Suicide Squad.

The Spectre is an older character who appeared in the Justice Society way back in the 1940’s. Basically, The Spectre is the Wrath of God. His purpose is to wreak vengeance on evildoers, and since he’s beaucoup powerful, he can do whatever he wants. The Spectre’s anchor/human host is Jim Corrigan, a cop killed in the 1930’s. Corrigan’s ghost still hangs around, even though sixty years have passed. Evil never sleeps, and neither does he.

My favorite issue of The Spectre features a trio of kidnappers who bury a child alive and die before they can reveal the child’s whereabouts. The Spectre storms into Hell and fights a devil for one of the kidnapper’s souls. When the kidnapper reveals the child’s whereabouts, the Spectre tosses him back into the eternal flames like a piece of garbage.

I don’t want to say a lot about the plot. If you are the type who’s easily triggered, I might skip this book. I myself had trouble reading the last four or five issues, but then again I’m a sensitive sort. The B-storyline features a character who mirrors the Spectre, in that he says he’s destroying evil. This character is also an enormous monster. Make of that what you will.

Great art, great writing. Highly recommended, especially if you like nihilistic horror.

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Grimjack Omnibus Volume One

This is a review of Grimjack Omnibus Vol. 1. Grimjack is the street name of John Gaunt, a mercenary who lives in Cynosure, a city which is also an interdimensional nexus. Gaunt and Cynosure were meant for each other, in that they are both totally screwed up.

Cynosure is a weird place, where the laws of nature change when you cross the street. Gods become mortal, and mortals gods, depending on what neighborhood you’re in. The area Gaunt lives in is dingy, gritty and dangerous, like Times Square in the 1980’s.

Grimack hangs out at a bar called Munden’s with Bob the Watch Lizard, a semi-sentient reptile that spends most of its time drunk. We also meet other members of Grimjack’s supporting cast – Roscoe, a cop who is Gaunt’s former partner; BlackJacMac, a fellow merc who is Gaunt’s best friend; Jericho Noleski, a biker cop who hangs out in the boonies; and Spook, so named because she’s a ghost who wandered into Cynosure and become corporeal.

Grimjack is almost fifty. He’s lost a step, which is bad news for a merc/gun-for-hire/head-breaker. If this volume is any indicator, Gaunt spends most of his time getting knocked down, beaten up, shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned. He’s a tough guy, so he always gets back up, but the writing on the wall becomes clearer as the issues progress. The final issue of this volume features a younger, meaner merc beating the crap out of Gaunt. He manages to rebound and even restore his rep, but at this point it’s only a matter of time.            

Grimjack was co-created by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman. Truman’s art is wonderful, and John Ostrander, who reimagined The Suicide Squad in the 1980’s, is in the running for my favorite writer of all-time.

A must-read, especially if your tastes are anything like mine.