“Fray” (Dark Horse)

Writer: Joss Whedon | Art: Karl Moline | Inks: Andy Owens | Colors: Dave Stewart & Michelle Madsen

Hundreds of years in the future, Manhattan has become a deadly slum, run by mutant crime lords and disinterested cops. Stuck in the middle is a young girl who thought she had no future until she learns she has a great destiny. In a world so poisoned that it doesn’t notice the monsters on its streets, how can a street kid like Fray unite a fallen city against a demonic plot to consume mankind?

It took me altogether too long to get around to reading Fray. As a long-time fan of basically everything Joss Whedon’s written or created, it’s odd that it took as long as it did. Better late than never, though, and Fray was an absolute blast. I haven’t had this much fun reading a comic in a good long while. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

An Aside: HELLBOY Timeline

I loved the movies, and I’ve enjoyed what few B.P.R.D. comics I’ve read, so when this appeared in my email inbox, I thought I’d share it:

[Click to – hopefully – enbiggen]

“The Immortal: Demon in the Blood” (Dark Horse)

Reviewed by Abhinav Jain

Writer: Ian Edginton | Artist: Vicenç Villagrasa | Inks & Colours: José Luis Río

After a swordfight, Amane, a young samurai with a haunted past, is left for dead – only to be saved by a mysterious tattooist who imbues Amane with the immortal spirit of an oni demon. From that day on, Amane ages no more.

Amane learns of another with a similar oni – one that requires its host to kill – which leads Amane to the realization that the “other” is the man who murdered his sister years ago. But when his decades-long quest for the murderer causes him to cross paths with a maniacal serial killer intent on murdering the woman Amane loves, the only one who can help him is the man who killed his sister.

Samurai are a topic that I find quite fascinating. James Clavell’s Shogun, the tale of an Englishman in Japan at the time of the Portugese/Spanish influence on the island nation, is the novel that sparked my interest. Their sense of honour, their utter and calm lethality, their mysteries, their culture: everything. This fascination extends to the rest of Japanese culture and I’m always up for a variety of anime that showcase it, in all their myriad ways.

Ian Edginton’s script for the comic adaptation of Fumi Nakamura’s Ura-Enma has continued that love for me. It is a story that meshes samurai with oni, Japanese demons, and is a tale set in roughly the Gunpowder era. There is honour, betrayal, treachery, love, and romance, along with a certain bit of horror to the proceedings.

Comics Round-Up (Aug.8)

A rather late round-up (was very distracted last week – although it’s annoying, as I had a few of these read and reviewed way before they were published). It’s another nice mix of comics this week – some more Star Wars action, post-apocalyptic mystery, serious post-apocalyptic zombies, tongue-in(-through?)-cheek post-apocalyptic zombies, and a mystery.

Reviewed: The Creep #0, Deadworld: War of the Dead #2, Fanboys vs. Zombies #5, The Massive #3, SW: Knight Errant – Escape #3, SW: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1, Waking: Dream’s End #3

Upcoming: “Colder” (Dark Horse) – Updated

I like the teaser image below for a number of reason. First, because I would really like to read the upcoming series Colder. Second, because I totally used to be that kid, sneaking a read at night. Third, because it’s just a really cool picture.

As far as I’m aware, Colder is a new series coming up from Paul Tobin (the author of Prepare to Die and a number of comics, who I interviewed here). Here’s some more artwork, this time from the cover of issue one:

Comics Round-Up (Jul.25)

A smaller selection this week, and a pleasantly varied one yet again – some horror, off-beat thriller (with an alien), some ninja-military action, and a pair of Star Wars adventures. I’m not entirely impressed with all the issues (in fact, I only really liked two of them, while each of the others fell slightly short of meeting my expectations).

Reviewed: Bad Girls #1, B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth – Exorcism #2, Resident Alien #3, Snake Eyes #15, Star Wars: Blood Ties – Boba Fett Is Dead #4, Star Wars: Darth Maul – Death Sentence #1

Comics Round-Up (Jul.18)

Things are finally getting back to normal after the terrible (comparatively short) era in which a Virus Ate My Computer. This means the weekly comics round-ups should start appearing as before (except for the occasional week when nothing available catches my eye). And this week, it’s a rather nice mix.

Reviewed: Cobra #15, Danger Girl & G.I.Joe #1, Extermination #2, Grimm Fairy Tales #75, GFT – Myths & Legends #18, Irresistible #1, Jungle Book #4, Star Wars: Darth Vader & the Ghost Prison #3, Wonderland Annual, Wonderland #1

Comics Catch-Up: Dark Horse

Another catch-up post, this time focusing on Star Wars and BPRD-related comics from Dark Horse. A rather mixed bag, actually, despite being drawn from only a small selection of larger series. I think I’ll need to read more BPRD and Baltimore to properly appreciate the issues reviewed today, but overall I really like the aesthetic and supernatural-heavy stories.

Reviewed: Baltimore: Dr Leskovar’s Remedy #1, BPRD: Hell On Earth – Devil’s Engine #2, Hell On Earth – Exorcism #1, The Massive #2, Resident Alien #2, Star Wars: Blood Ties – Boba Fett Is Dead #3, Star Wars: Darth Vader & the Ghost Prison #2, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #5, Star Wars: Knight Errant – Escape #2

Comics Round-Up (June 13)

Bit of a mixed bag, this week. Also rather delayed – sorry about that, but I was moving and packing up all my stuff in NYC, so things got a little delayed and pushed back. This week’s there’s a massive (though predictable) disappointment, but also a couple of interesting and well-done comics. Also, one of my favourite series comes to an end.

Reviewed: Action Comics #10, Batman: Detective Comics #10, Cobra #14, Incorruptible #30, Star Wars: Knight Errant – Escape #1, Valen the Outcast #7

Comics Round-Up (May 30)

A few catch-ups and one really early review of a new series by one of my favourite comics’ writers. This was another pretty busy week, so while I tried to get as many of the comics reviewed as I could, some nevertheless had to be culled from the list. Some of these I was sent for review, so they will be read and reviewed at a later date. I just wanted to get the reviews of these issues up ASAP.

This is also one of the last weeks I’ll be reviewing individual DC issues for a while (I may do a couple more next week), as I’m heading back to the UK mid-June. I’m still working on coming back to the US if possible – Alyssa’s here for another four years, so my desperate quest for employment in or around New York continues! I’m almost at the point of begging, but that would be rather unseemly and undignified.

[*cough* … Please help … *cough*]

Anyway, on with the reviews!

Reviewed: Avengers vs. X-Men #4, AvX VS #2, Batman: The Dark Knight #9, Batwoman #9, BPRD: Hell on Earth – Transformation of J.H. O’Donnell, Call of Wonderland #1, The Defenders #6, Massive #1, Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #13, Star Wars: Blood Ties – Boba Fett is Dead #1-2, Superman #9, Wolverine & the X-Men #10

Comics Round-Up (May 23)

Another busy week – with some new series and also the end to one of my favourites. There were also some surprisingly good issues, too – not because I was expecting bad issues necessarily, but they just exceeded my expectations.

Reviewed: Catwoman #9, Cobra #13, Grimm Fairy Tales #72 & #73, Guild Fawkes (One-Shot), Irredeemable #37, Justice League #9, Magic: The Gathering #4, Mind MGMT #1, Neverland: Hook #5, Nightwing #9, Resident Alien #1, Smoke & Mirrors #3, Star Wars: Darth Vader & the Ghost Prison #1, Wolverine & the X-Men #9

Comics Round-Up (May 16)

This week I bring you some weird supernatural goings-on, a triumvirate of super-heroes try to save New York City, a vampire slayer goes into space, some anthropomorphised dinosaurs kick butt, the history of the Jedi is expanded on, and an undead king fights an army of pissed off warrior-women.

So, a bit of a mix, then…

Reviewed: BPRD Hell On Earth: Devil’s Engine #1, Daredevil #11, FCBD Buffy/Guild, FCBD Star Wars/Serenity, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #4, Valen the Outcast #6

Comics Round-Up (Apr.25)

This turned out to be a longer post than anticipated, just because I was so slow about reviewing things on time – for a pleasant change, other commitments got in the way of my comics-reading this week. Better late than never, though, so read on for a bumper comics round-up! There were some great issues this week, too.

Reviewed: Alice #5, All-Star Western #8, AvX: VS #1, Catwoman #8, I Vampire #8, Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #15, Justice League #8, Justice League Dark #8, New Deadwardians #2, The Portent #4, Road Rage #3, Snake Eyes #12, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #3

Comics Round-Up (Apr.18)

A pretty solid collection of varied comics: twisted fairy tales, fantasy, super-heroes, and horror. I wasn’t organised enough to get them all reviewed for a Tuesday post, so I was able to add a few more titles. There were actually going to be more from last week, but both of my go-to comic stores in New York had completely sold out of Saga #2 and Resurrection Man #8. I decided to cut back on a few of the others, too. For example, I decided that I’ll wait for Suicide Squad, Grifter and Demon Knights to be available as collections.

Reviewed: Alice #4, Batgirl #8, Batman & Robin #8, Batwoman #8, Dungeons & Dragons 2012 Annual, Irredeemable #36, Jungle Book #2, Secret Service #1, Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #5, The Theater #5

Comics Round-Up (Mar.14) the Third

Now that I’ve caught up with DC’s New 52, a few of them will start popping up in these post-release round-ups again. I should, therefore, be able to start offering more diverse and less DC-heavy round-ups and reviews in the future. That being said, they still release a lot of great titles and some of my favourites. And this week’s releases – DC and otherwise – were pretty awesome on the whole. A very happy reader, here.

Reviewed Herein: Batgirl #7, Batman & Robin #7, Batwoman #7, Demon Knights #7, Grifter #7, The Ray #4, Resurrection Man #7, Saga #1, Saucer Country #1, Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #4, Suicide Squad #7, Thief of Thieves #2

[Demon Knights & The Ray were last-minute additions to the round-up.]

Comics Round-Up (Feb.15): Star Wars (Dark Horse)

While I was away, Dark Horse comics started a new Star Wars series – Agent of the Empire – which received a lot of good reviews. Being the semi-rabid fan of Star Wars–related books that I am, I decided I had to check it out, along with the other new series that started this week, Dawn of the Jedi. And both of these new series are pretty great. So good, in fact, that I am strongly considering trying out some others (especially the other new series, War).

Reviewed herein: Agent of the Empire #1-3, Dawn of the Jedi #1

Comics Round-Up & Catch-Up (Feb.15)

As I’m back in NYC, I’ve been able to get hold of DC and Marvel titles again, so some will be reviewed in the round-ups again, but there are going to be some changes. I’ve decided to only review up to issue six of the New 52 (or, at least until the end of the first story-arc in each), as this is the end of their first volumes. There are just too many that I like, which means it’s becoming financially impossible (not to mention irresponsible) for me to keep on top of them all. I’ve already cut six titles since I got back to New York. Now, whether or not I am able to stick to this decision is another matter entirely, and if I become gainfully employed, this could change. (Please let me get gainfully employed! For more reasons than feeding my comics addiction, of course…)

So, what does this mean for the Comics Round-Ups and New 52 reviews? I’m going to wait for the collected editions. Some of the money that I save will instead go to other collected series, which offer a lot more bang for your buck. I will post three catch-up posts, dealing with New 52 Batman, Superman and the Dark/Edge titles. I will, of course, still be reviewing Boom!, Zenescope, IDW and a few Image titles, as well as some other DC, Marvel, Dynamite and Dark Horse series. (If I get review copies, on the other hand, I’ll definitely feature anything and everything.) I’ll also post a special Star Wars-related comics review this week.

So, back to the reviews – here we go with a big, bumper edition…

Reviewed Herein: Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons #1, Ninjettes #1, The Occultist #2-3, The Ray #1, Road Rage #1, The Shade #3, Thief of Thieves #1, Winter Soldier #1-2, Wolverine & the X-Men #3-4, X-Sanction #1-2

Comics Round-Up (Dec.7): Marvel & Dark Horse

A small clutch of fun, recent comics from Marvel and Dark Horse Comics

Because the other review posts were getting rather crowded, I decided to group the Marvel reviews together, and added the lone Dark Horse review as well. All of them were bought on a whim – The Defenders just because it was a #1 and I wanted to see if it was better than the new line of X-Men titles (which seems to be growing still!); Villains for Hire because it’s written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (who are also handling DC’s Resurrection Man – one of my favourites in the New 52); and X-Club because it’s written by Simon Spurrier, who I’m familiar with because of his work for Black Library. So, not particularly intellectual reasons, but never mind. The Occultist I tried because it sounded interesting and has an awesome wrap-around cover:

[Question to ponder: Is it ok to judge a comic by its cover? Especially with all the damned variants some titles get?]

Reviewed herein: The Defenders #1, The Occultist #1, Villains for Hire #0.1 & #1, X-Club #1

“Star Wars: Legacy” Vol.1-5 (Dark Horse)

The Saga of the Skywalkers continues, and once again the future of the Galaxy hangs in the balance…

Broken: The Jedi Temple is attacked, and a hero falls; an Emperor is betrayed, but perseveres; and the Sith are born anew, in greater number and deadlier…

Shards: Cade Skywalker returns to the place of his father's last stand against the Sith and finds far more than ghosts… The story of how the Empire joined forces with the Sith to defeat the Galactic Alliance, only to have Darth Krayt and his legion of followers usurp ultimate power for themselves. Follow the fate of an Empire divided, with battles pitting stormtrooper against stormtrooper, and Sith assassins bent on taking the life of deposed Emperor Roan Fel.

Claws of the Dragon: Cade Skywalker is captured by the Sith. Emperor Darth Krayt unveils his true identity, and a secret chapter in the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi is revealed. When Cade attempts to rescue the Jedi he turned over to the Sith during his days as a bounty hunter, the last Skywalker soon finds himself in the clutches of Krayt. There, Cade must confront his past and decide once and for all: will he remain the Emperor’s prisoner or become his thrall? Learn whether the Skywalker line lives up to the triumph of Luke or returns to the tragedy of Anakin…

Story: John Ostrander & Jan Duursema

Artwork: Jan Duursema, Adam DeKraker, Travel Foreman, Colin Wilson

Ink/Colours: Dan Parsons, Brad Anderson, Ronda Pattison,

Letters: Michael David Thomas, Michael Heisler

I’ve been tempted by this series of graphic novels for quite some time. When I finally managed to get hold of the first book, Broken, I read it pretty fast. Ostander’s writing is good, the plot rattles along at a fair clip, and for the most part, the artwork is pretty great (there are the occasional bits where the style is not my preferred, but it still does the trick). Brilliantly bringing to life the future of the Star Wars Universe, Legacy adds some more layers to the Skywalker clan mythos. There are plenty of references to events of the films and novels, and plenty of homages in the form of snippets of dialogue that could have been transposed straight from the movies.

Cade Skywalker, the last in the line, is very different from what one might expect. Closer to Han Solo than Luke, he is brash, roguish and a scoundrel. Darth Krayt, the antagonist of the series, is a good foil for Cade and the other ‘good-guys’ of the piece. As the three books progress, we get more information and back-story about Krayt, further developing the history of the universe. Being far more familiar with the novels than comic series, I can’t help thinking that I’m missing something, on occasion, when a reference passes me by completely or a seemingly popular or recurring character appears for the first time (for me). The inclusion of the Yuuzhan Vong is good, as we get more story about how they were integrated into the galaxy after the events of the New Jedi Order series.

*     *     *

Alliance: Seven years ago, Admiral Gar Stazi and his Galactic Alliance fleet barely escaped an Imperial trap. Now he has a chance to turn the tables on the Darth Krayt and his Empire. But the stakes are high. Not only must Stazi risk every ship of his battle-worn fleet, but he must depend upon his more powerful enemy to remain blind to his true objective.

The Hidden Temple: Cade Skywalker has escaped the clutches of Darth Krayt and imprisonment in the Sith Temple. He has faced the teachings of the Dark Side and returned to his friends with new knowledge and a few secrets as well. Cade says he desires only what it is he truly values, and what he must do to maintain it. This reluctant heir to the Skywalker legacy could end up a hero whether he likes it or not.

Story: John Ostrander & Jan Duursema

Art: Omar Francia & Alan Robinson

Ink/Colours: Brad Anderson

Letters: Michael Heisler

Alliance starts without a word of Cade Skywalker and his band of merry henchmen. This, for me, was somewhat disappointing, as Claws of the Dragon was very focussed on his experiences in the custody of Darth Krayt. To abandon this storyline wholesale for an entire volume was not the best move in my mind, although I will concede that the back-story for General Stazi added another layer to the overall background of Legacy. An ok storyline, but not the most gripping, and I started to worry that maybe the series was already starting to peter out, to lose focus. The final part of the book is set after the events of volume five, which was a bit of a peculiar move, but as it added more to Darth Wyyrlok’s story, I thought it was a welcome addition to this otherwise sub-par volume (there’s some interesting development of the Dark Side and Sith history, too).

The Hidden Temple, thankfully, returned attention to Cade and his merry band of bounty hunters and vagabonds. We learn a little more of Cade’s extended family, as well as the increasingly complex loyalties that are developing between the Sith and those they recruit to hunt Cade. Some background is added to Sia’s distinct dislike for Jedi, and the Imperial Knights return for a little more arrogance and meddling. The book finishes a little suddenly, without really having achieved anything, though Cade’s proposal at the end (to assassinate Darth Krayt) could have been made more of – completely new approach for the Jedi.

Overall, though, I enjoyed these five books. The artwork wasn’t consistently great, and at times the story was a little flat (the reliance on reproducing dialogue from the movies – while no doubt intended as an homage – comes across a bit lazy, rather than fanboy).

If you’re a fan of the Star Wars movies and/or novels, and want something a little lighter and quicker, then the Legacy series of comics is perfect. If you’re familiar with the novels, as I am, you might not find this as fulfilling – by its very nature, character development is not as good as can be achieved in a 300+ page novel. (This might explain why I’m now reading Christie Golden’s Allies, which is proving better than expected.)

Reading these graphic novels has been an entertaining and interesting detour from my usual preference for novels, and I will be finishing off the series (slowly) as time goes on. I’m still not convinced I’m going about the reviews in the right way, so I might have to do a little more research before I post too many more like this.

The next volume is the final book of the era-spanning Vector series (which I already own), which I’ll try to get reviewed later this week.

“Star Wars: Vector, Parts 1 & 2” (Dark Horse)

The first half of Dark Horse’s Era-Spanning Star Wars epic

I’ve never reviewed a graphic novel before, so I’m not entirely sure how to go about it. Also, given the number of people involved, it will require a slightly different format.

Star Wars: Vector is an attempt by the powers that be at Dark Horse to create their first era-spanning Star Wars story arc, in the same vein as the highly successful Marvel and DC cross-over series. It is comprised of four parts, each from one of the Star Wars comic book series: Knights of the Old Republic, Dark Times, Rebellion, and Legacy. I shall deal with each part separately here and in another review, which I will do in the future (more on that at the end of this post).

Part 1: Knights of the Old Republic, Vol.5

Story: John Jackson Miller

Pencils: Scott Hepburn

Inks: Joe Pimentel & Dan Parsons

Colours: Michael Atiyeh

Lettering: Michael Heisler

What begins as a vision of a Sith threat stretching far into the future becomes a dangerous mission for Jedi operative Celeste Morne. Dispatched to a war zone, Celeste must prevent the object from the vision – a Sith artifact known as the Muur Talisman – from falling into the hands of the Mandalorian invaders. But when she crosses paths with Zayne Carrick, a Jedi Padawan who has been framed for murder by Celeste’s masters, her mission begins to unravel, putting her on a collision course with the power of the Talisman and a Mandalorian army set to attack the Republic.

Being used to reading the novels set in the Star Wars universe, it took  a little longer for me to get used to the writing style – not to mention the comic medium – of Vector. The writing is a little more simple, and a little more sensational, which was disappointing, given that graphic novels are not just meant for kids. That being said, it was interesting to see how the Star Wars universe is portrayed in other mediums beyond the movies, video games and the novels.

Jackson’s script is interesting and the interaction between Zayne and Gryph is fun and adds a lighter touch to proceedings. Morne is highly serious, focussed and cranky, which adds an opposite voice and perspective. The end of the first chapter of Vector was certainly effecting, featuring a noble act of sacrifice and a terrible – yet necessary – act.

The art is intriguing, and certainly very colourful, bringing the universe to life on the page. I do have one criticism, though, and this is probably an odd one: chins. For some reason, everyone’s chin or jaw-line seems to distort quite dramatically at time, which makes Morne come across slightly simian in some panels. A minor point, but it’s something that niggled at me.

This part of the series actually made me really interesting in reading the rest of the Knights of the Old Republic series, but I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to any time soon. I will certainly keep my eye out for the books, though.

Part 2: Dark Times, Vol.3

Story: Mick Harrison

Art: Douglas Wheatley & Dave Ross

Colours: Dave McCaig

Lettering: Michael Heisler

More than four thousand years later, in the aftermath of the Republic’s transformation into the Empire, the potential power of the Talismn comes to the attention of Darth Vader. Luring the smugglers who are unwittingly in possession of the artefact to a remote moon, Vader plans to acquire the artefact for himself. But the Talisman – and the malevolent spirit of the ancient Sith which resides within – has not survived the centuries alone. To claim his prize, Vader must face not only powerful Sith magic, but the fury of a Jedi Knight of the Old Republic.

My immediate observation for this second chapter in the Vector line, is that it is a lot darker and grittier (at least, as much as Star Wars can get away with). Everything from Mick Harrison’s story, to Douglas Wheatley and Dave Ross’s art, and Dave McCaig’s colouring, gives this part a darker, gloomier and slightly sinister feel (appropriate, given the title of the timeline it’s in). The centrality of Vader is great – and should appeal to fans of The Force Unleashed (which, strangely, I still haven’t read; but I have recently purchased the game) and anything else Vader-related.

The story for this chapter of Vector is much shorter, which was a pity, given how well written and drawn it was. We learn a little more about Vader, a tiny bit more about the Talisman and the Dark Side. Just as with the first chapter in the series, I was sufficiently intrigued by the Dark Times setting that this is another series I would be interested in exploring more of.

Overall, then, I would say I’m glad I read this, and I’m glad I’ve got the second book already, as well as the first three Legacy books on the way. It’s been a really long time since I last read a proper graphic novel (the Obama one doesn’t count), and it was a very nostalgic experience. I don’t think they’ll ever replace novels, as they don’t feel as involved or as satisfying as a 300+ page novel.

As a big fan of the Star Wars universe and mythos, I certainly welcome anything new that can expand on the overall story. An interesting and rewarding reading experience.

*     *     *

The final two parts of the Vector timeline will be reviewed later, as I am also working on a review of the Legacy series, of which the final part of Vector forms a crucial part. In order to not spoil the story of Legacy, therefore, I will postpone the second Vector review until I catch up with Legacy.

(By then I might also have figured out a better way to review graphic novels…)