I’m paid to review comic books and graphic novels, that right there is pretty sweet. I’m given a forum to call out creators and publishers, both for when they do something wrong and when they do something right. Some may have this jaded image that as soon as somebody starts reviewing things professionally, they never like anything again, but that’s not true. Yes, we’re critical, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate things even while we’re noting their weak points.
Think of eating pizza with a group of friends: it was made with everyone in mind, and while individuals may pick things off they don’t like, most will enjoy it. I and other reviewers are right there at the same table, but we’re expected to tell the next table whether they’ll like what’s about to come out or not, and at our best, we’re comprehensive. Even if we love what’s on our plate, if we know some people at the next table are allergic to something, we need to share.
Of course, if something is so foul that the only way to get any satisfaction is to warn others away from it, well we might as well warn them in a way that’s funny. Keep all this in mind while I review this week’s books.
Guardians of the Galaxy 0.1 (Bendis/ McNiven): Say what you will about people, but we can be pretty arrogant sometimes. Earth holds the Miss Universe Pageant every year, yet not once have we invited another planet to represent. We tend to forget we’re not the only planet out there, and when we do think about the others, we tend to not think of them kindly. Changing it up (somewhat) is the relaunch of Guardians of the Galaxy, a series about different species coming together to ensure the universe doesn’t break down and wreck all our stuff.
But before all of that, we look at their leader, Peter Quill. Yes, the creature responsible for the continued existence of what passes for order in the cosmos is a human... only not really. Not completely. Meredith Quill left for solitude so she could get some work done, except a spaceship crashed in her front yard and a STTOS alien stumbled out. STTOS aliens, by the way, appear human in every physical capacity but they’re alien because they say so, like more than half of the aliens on Star Trek: The Original Series. Meredith pulls a Kirk, the alien leaves, and ten years later a young Peter Quill has trouble with bullies: their faces keep flying into his slappin’ hand.
This being a prequel book, there are some very hard boundaries that can’t just be crossed. We know the boy’s going to grow up and leave for outer space. We know he’s preternaturally comfortable with alien tech. This issue isn’t a game changer, all it does is take two moments that define the character and put them in the spotlight. It brings the character back down to Earth in the sense that he’s more relatable now, at least as much as a half-alien, cosmic threat exterminating royal pain in the ass can be. Toward the end of the issue the reader’s caught up to present day, and the more traditional Bendis-style dialog comes in, but throughout McNiven delivers very crisp, emotive artwork.
If this is a genuine look at what the series will be like once it fully launches, we’re in for a good ride. Check it out.
Carbon Grey Vol 2 3/3 (Gardner/ Evans & Nguyen): There’s something about Russian history that captivates people. Maybe it’s the regal dynasty with a long-lost heir, or the closest thing to an immortal sorcerer on record, but people keep coming back to it and re-imagining what might have been. Carbon Grey takes the same amount of land, political intrigue, and mysticism, adds a dash of superpowered space rock, and serves it with a garnish of blonde, brunette, and redhead.
“Mitteleuropa” has two very notable families: The Medein are the hereditary leaders of the country, and the Greys trace their lineage back to the first Kaiser’s most trusted friend, bodyguard, and the only superhero in the world, Gottfaust. Trained from birth to protect the kaiser and his family, the thirteenth Grey has become implicated in the current kaiser’s assassination. This issue wraps up the second “act” in the Carbon Grey Saga with the finding of two powerful artifacts and the players behind the global power struggle playing their hands. People think others are dead when they’re not, others are most certainly dead, and in the next volume, called the Final Chapter, it looks like many other things will die.
Personally, this matches the feel of other Russian commodities like borscht or vodka: an acquired taste. There are so many plot threads being played out that one needs to either have taken notes throughout every issue or reference a wiki, which I couldn’t find. When there’s plenty of time and space for those plots to grow and take root in the readers’ mind, this isn’t a bad thing, but developments happen so often and with such intensity that it’s hard to keep up. This is a shame in this medium, because there’re few ways for new readers to catch on, and this denies readers many of those chances.
The artwork takes up a lot of the slack - every character has a very distinct look, providing a much-needed anchor to the narrative. On top of that, the art style’s pretty; digital painting instead of the traditional pencils, inks, and digital coloring gives the series itself a singular, heavy feel.
This is a very dense book, which historical fiction tends to be. When it’s complete and collected, I expect this is going to be a story that meets every definition of “epic”, but for now it’s merely a very demanding series.
Freelancers 4 (Esquivel/ Covey): Before anyone gets excited, this is NOT a how-to guide for becoming successfully self-employed. This is a book about two best-friend orphans that grow up to become bounty hunters. It’s hard to tell the two apart sometimes, we understand.
“Freelancers” in this case are a mix of private eye, bounty hunter, and action hero at the beck and call of the super rich. An orphan named Katherine Rushmore started the industry, and fellow orphans Val and Cass have been fighting their way out of her shadow since setting out on their own. Life outside the orphanage has been hard on them lately, but they’re pushing through. This issue follows them on a bodyguarding case for an identity thief that made the worst identity in the country profitable.
Depth is not one of the items on this book’s menu. This is a book about two hot chicks on the West Coast using kung fu and spouting one-liners. The good news is that Esquivel and Covey know it and they run with it. You get equal portions of pickled puns, deep-fried martial arts, and cheesecake. This is the kind of story that begs to be made into a TV series, but works just as well in a comics format.
This is a slice of light-hearted fun, nothing more, nothing less. It’s not for everyone, but every now and then it can be a treat.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Nemo - Heart of Ice (Moore/ O’Neill): As large, imposing, hairy, and clever as Alan Moore can be, the scariest thing about him these days is that there are two of them. One is the creator of some of the most powerful stories the medium has known to date, the other uses the name to sell mediocre scripts for pocket money. You’re never sure which Alan Moore you’re getting until you open the book. That’s why you have me.
Janni Dakkur, the only child of Captain Nemo, is her father’s daughter. Neither party was wholly comfortable with this, and with him dead, Janni is left with one path to understand the man - by sailing his course. That means a lot of pirating, a bit of politics, and exploring. Driven to prove herself capable of more than her father, she takes the Nautilus to a place Captain Nemo visited, but dared not map, a place where he lost every member of the landing party save himself. And they weren’t even wearing red shirts.
The Alan Moore that writes for LOEG isn’t sure if he wants you to get all the literary references he and Kevin O’Neill use. Catching the nods to world literature has always been a keystone for the series, but the nods are becoming so obscure that they don’t hold the reader as effectively. It’s as if he wants to keep such pieces of work relevant, but also delights in proving he’s better read than everyone. The story underneath is fairly decent, carrying the theme of coming out of “greater men’s shadows” along multiple paths.
This follows up Volume 3 nicely, giving the tragic Janni another chance to find some sense of fulfillment. It may not have the same power as the original, but it’s a decent addition.
Have a great week, everyone! Remember, the next few updates are going to be off-format just a bit, so........ just try to go limp.
