Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 5/6

Afterlife with Archie #8
Story: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art: Francesco Francavilla

A lot of the horror of Archie Comics's recent horror revival have been placing their usually peaceful characters in violent and shocking positions. The new issue of Afterlife with Archie is actually quite quiet. There is a minimum of action in any physical sense, but it is one of the more chilling comics I've read in quite some time.The remaining Riverdale refugees have settled at the Bradbury Hotel to rest for Christmas, and the issue opens with a modified quote from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. This opening pastiche is the first of many in an issue that is a love letter to classic haunted house stories. Archie narrates much of the story to Jughead, the human patient zero for the zombie outbreak, who appears as a ghostly bartender and is making ghostly sodas for Archie in the first of many homages to Stanley Kubric's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. We get caught up on the fallout from the previous issue's death of Jason Blossom, both the vote to decide whether his suspected murderer, his sister Cheryl, would stay with the group and her eventual revelation to the ladies her motives. Reggie rides through the Bradbury on a skateboard and encounters his own ghosts like Danny on his tricycle. But much of what Archie talks about is Betty and the loss of her hope and innocence, something that we starting in the previous issue which she narrated. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has crafted a great character-based horror comic here, really delving into what makes these characters tick and where they're going. There's also a tale from Archie's mom, told to her by her grandmother, that might explain a lot about Riverdale, but also one that reminds us that nothing comes without a cost. The issue ends with Archie making a decision, one that I feel can only lead to more heartache, more death, but I can't be sure exactly where this will lead, which is another quality of good horror: it keeps you guessing. And Afterlife with Archie does exactly that.

Bodie Troll: Fuzzy Memories #1
Story & Art: Jay P. Fosgitt

I was able to track down a FCBD Bodie Troll issue, which whet my appetite for the first issue of the new Bodie mini-series, Fuzzy Memories. The issue opens with a great little scene that sets up all of the principles' personalities if you've never read Bodie's adventures before: Bodie is chasing bunnies, thinking he's scary, when the bunnies in fact think he's playing. Bodie's friend Cholly is writing her latest play. And Miz Bijou, the fairy who employs Cholly at her pub (and Bodie to a lesser degree) us being sardonic and egging Bodie on. Bodie and Miz Bijou wind up making a bet that Bodie can't eat something living, and he ups the ante by saying he'll find something in the monster forest. Cholly and Bodie wander through the forest, where Bodie once again is sure he's scary when the really scary thing is Hokun of the Kooghun, a member of a monster hunting tribe, who winds up chasing Bodie home. There's some pretty complex plotting here, not confusing but layered, where things are set up early that pay off at the end of the story. Bodie eats some Butt-Truffles, mushrooms that only grow in monster poop, and what seems like a simple gross out joke winds up having an important part in the story's end. One of the fun things about Bodie Troll is the mix of poop jokes with cute characters and the other humor; it's still all ages, frankly, if my six year old niece's sense of humor is any indication of the tolerance of little kids for poop jokes. Jay P. Fosgitt's art is wonderful as ever, with his great monster designs, adorable Bodie and bunnies, and his people who have a distinct look; Bodie dressed up in his best suit, waiting to be killed joyfully because he thinks it's because he's really scary was a delightful visual. This issue serves as a great reintroduction to Bodie's world if you've been here before, and perfect jumping on point if you're new, both letting you know who these characters are and establishing a mystery or two to keep readers coming back.

Convergence: Nightwing and Oracle #2
Story: Gail Simone
Art: Jan Duursema

Ok, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Call me a rank sentimentalist, but I saw this cover and I smiled pretty damn wide. After last issue left the future of Nightwing and Oracle up in the air, both their relationship future and their lives in general as they had to fight the Flashpoint universe Hawkwoman and Hawkman, the stakes were pretty high here. But while Nightwing goes in with escrima sticks swinging, Oracle does what she does best: she thinks. With a little help from her friends, she sets off to do battle herself. The Hawks proudly boasted that they hear everything using their Thangarian robots, but when your best friend has a sonic scream, well, you can use that to your advantage. Yes, Gail Simone gets to not only bid goodbye to this version of Barbara Gordon as Oracle, but she also gets to work in some great scenes with Black Canary, and we get to see Barbara's rapport with her fellow Bird of Prey. And when the chips are down again, it's Barbara who once again saves the day. It's not that Nightwing is portrayed poorly; he's still a hero, still tough and strong, and willing to sacrifice anything to save people. But this is Barbara's show from page one. Jan Duursema once again blew me away with her Nightwing, one who moves with such perfect grace, the same kind she instilled in her Jedi in her years of Star Wars work. I ended the review of last issue saying that if this was the end of these versions of these characters, I'm happy Simone got in the last word. I don't think I have anything else to say than that. If you ever loved Barbara Gordon as Oracle, or the Bludhaven era, happy-go-lucky Nightwing, this is a perfect send off for those characters.

Convergence: The Question #2
Story: Greg Rucka
Art: Cully Hamner

Greg Rucka's last hurrah with Renee Montoya, a character he redefined entirely, is as satisfying as Gail Simone's with Oracle; Rucka turned Renee from another Gotham cop into a down on her luck drunk and then into the Question, a feat in itself. Rucka knows Renee inside and out, and after being knocked out by Two-Face last issue, she teams up with her roommate, Huntress, and her ex, Batwoman, to try to stop Harvey from committing a bizarre form of suicide, going to fight an alternate universe version of himself and letting that version kill him. While the heroes are jumping across rooftops and storming the Gotham Courthouse where Two-Face is, we get some great character bits; the awkwardness between Question and Batwoman, Batwoman being jealous of Huntress and Question, and Huntress putting Batwoman in her place since she and Question are just friends. It's never catty, never over the top, but Rucka knows his characters, and knows how to make them sing, metaphorically. He also knows Two-Face, and presents a great scene where our disfigured Harvey Dent talks to a whole version of himself, one with everything our Harvey lost. The story is naturally narrated by our title character, with Renee talking about loss and regret, and there's a one moment where she remembers Charlie, her friend, who was the original question, who died on cancer, and she gets a final moment to see her estranged father, who is also dying of cancer, and gets to have the moment where they share their love one more time. It's a touching scene, and it's nice to see Renee get her own kind of happy ending. In an interesting tonal mismatch, the preview of a new DC title in the back of this issue is for Starfire, from Harley Quinn writing team of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, a much lighter title. Starfire is trying to find a new home, and we get a view into her head as she meets with various allies and frenemies for help her in her decision. Finally, with some help from Superman, Starfire settles on a place, a place with no superheroic history to it. It's a cute eight pager, and it sets up this new series well.


After weeks of talking about everything that led to it, Dan Grote looks at the beginning of the new Marvel event...

Secret Wars #1

Story: Jonathan Hickman

Art:  Esad Ribic and Ive Svorcina

In the beginning, there was Reed Richards …

… I mean, I guess if you completely ignore the Golden Age and start with the Silver Age, when Marvel Comics actually started calling itself Marvel Comics.

The first issue of Marvel’s big end-of-the-worlds event is very much a tale of two Reeds: The 616 Reed and the Reed of the so-called Ultimate Universe. One is a super-scientist and a father making a last-ditch effort to save whatever he can of his world. The other is, to quote Ultimate Nick Fury (aka MCU Nick Fury): “a thousand-year-old megalomaniacal boy genius who wiped out most of Europe on a whim.”

616 Reed has built a ship full of scientists and superheroes to flee Earth and find a way to rebuild. While our Reed is clearly depicted as the nobler of the two, it bears noting that at least half the ship’s passengers are members of his immediate family and the Future Foundation, the science enclave created during Hickman’s run on FF. The rest are random heroes not given the luxury of escaping with their loved ones.

1610 Reed, on the other hand, has isolated himself in a temporal dome called the City, from which he  manipulates his Nick Fury into attacking 616 Earth, launches a doomsday weapon and hangs out with the 616’s scariest villains, including Thanos and Maximus the Mad Inhuman.

In the end, one Reed loses everything. I mean, I guess everyone loses everything when two Earths smash into each other, but the reader only gets to see one man’s heart break.

The book boasts a large cast, but everyone who isn't named Reed Richards is basically there just to punch each other as if that would somehow save the world. How that doesn't result in a single hero meeting his or her 1610 counterpart is beyond me. Only Ultimate Iron Man gets a meeting with a 616 hero – Captain Marvel – and he dutifully hits on her.

The award for Best Scene, however, goes to the 616’s villains, who throw an end-of-the-world party at the Bar with No Name only for it to be broken up by an uninvited guest with a skull on his shirt and a desire to unload a surplus of bullets.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 3/11

Gronk, A Monster's Story Vol.1
Story & Art: Katie Cook

Gronk is a little monster who doesn't want to scare anyone, so she moves away from the other monsters and in with a person, and starts to learn about life among humans. It's a pretty simple set up, no? It is, and the beauty of the stories of Gronk are in that simplicity. An all-ages webcomic now being released in print from Action Lab, Katie Cook's Gronk has the feeling of some of the best comic strips I can think of. Gronk is unintentionally mischievous, sweet, and adorable. Add in her geeky new friend, Dale, a sweet natured geek lady, who takes Gronk in, along with Dale's pets, a huge Newfoundland named Harli and a cat named Kitty, and Gronk's stuffed animal cat, Kitteh, and you have the cast of this first collection of the strips. In it, we see Gronk exposed to movies and pop culture, and take to it. There are hints of Gronk wanting to see a bigger world, like wanting to see the new Harry Potter movie, but Dale being too nervous to take her out in public for people to see, which is the closest to conflict we get in the stories. What we get mostly are strips about discovery and friendship that will warm even the coldest of hearts. A favorite of mine is when Gronk tries to figure out why Kitty loves spending time in a box, and we get to see the difference between the imaginative Gronk, and what she pictures, and what the, well, catlike thoughts of Kitty are. There are some classic strip tropes as well in how Dale, who clearly had a simple, sedate life before, now has the chaos of a new houseguest who is as inquisitive as a small child. Bonus geek easter eggs in strips about boardgames, where you can read different game titles in Dale's closet of games, and the constant string of geek references on Dale's t-shirts. In the back of the book there is some great background on how Katie came up with Gronk, and some strips from other cartoonists featuring Gronk, including the wonderful Jay P. Fosgitt (oh, please, oh please, find some way for Gronk to meet Fosgitt's equally adorable troll, Bodie!). On a personal note, I met Katie Cook at NYCC this past year, where she was absolutely as sweet as can be, and drew a lovely mini-watercolor of my pet bunny, Smoakey, that was a birthday gift for my wife and now sits in a frame on our mantle. For that alone, the kindness and the sweetness, she's a creator to support, and her work, that hearkens back to so much of the best of Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes, makes it a book to share with a younger family member, or just to enjoy to bring a smile to your face.

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Down Town #2
Story: Jim Butcher and Mark Powers
Art: Carlos Gomez

After last issue, Harry Dresden is hot on the case of the monster that killed a pawnbroker, and so he's breaking out the magical big guns, in this case a skull. A skull named Bob. OK, so it's actually the spirit that lives in the skull that's named Bob, but still, Harry spends much of this issue talking to a skull. Harry and Bob make a great comedy duo; Bob is possibly the only character in the entire Dresden Files universe who is snarkier than Harry himself, and never fails to put Harry in his place. Harry also gets to fight the massive monster, and then gets to confront a consciousness possessing an entire pack of rats. I don't want to dwell on that, because I hate rats, but it made for a great visual in the issue. One of the things that makes these comic so different from the Dresden Files novels is that, while both have a first person narration from Harry, since comics are a more visual medium that doesn't depend on the narrator, we can cut away from Harry and see what the other members of the cast are doing. Thus we get to see Murphy staking out Gentleman John Marcone, Marcone revealing exactly why the crime boss and Baron of Chicago (according to The Unseelie Accords, the supernatural Geneva Convention) was interested in what looked like a simple magical muder. There's also a great moment where we see why Marcone is so clever a rival, with his knowledge that telling Harry to back off would just get Harry to dig his his heals harder. We also spend time with Molly, Harry's apprentice, as she trains, and the issue ends with both Molly and Harry in separate, but equally deadly, predicaments. Down Town is proving to be the widest in scope original Dresden Files comic, really feeling a part of Harry's life in his home town of Chicago. If you're going through withdrawal, waiting for the new novel, Peace Talks, then this is a great way to get your Dresden fix.


And Dan Grote reviews the first issue of the new series featuring Marvel's most famous fowl...

Howard the Duck #1

Story: Chip Zdarsky

Art: Joe Quinones

Steve Gerber takes ownership of Howard the Duck the way few other Marvel writers and artists have of their own creations. Certainly, there’s a tone and a meta-ness Gerber intended for the foul fowl that is hard to replicate. It’d be easy to write him as another fourth-wall-breaking character a la Deadpool or Harley Quinn. For Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones, the challenge is playing Howard straight, as a perpetually annoyed duck “trapped in a world he never made,” in what is still be a humor mag.

As such, Howard the Duck #1 is a tour of the Marvel Universe in three acts.

Act I is the She-Hulk act, and is written like a love letter to fans of Charles Soule and Javier Pulido’s just-canceled series. Howard has set up shop as a private eye in Jen Walters’ Brooklyn building. Angie Huang is there, as is Hei Hei the monkey. Howard grouses about why Jen, a character with whom he has a long history, won’t put him on the payroll as she does Hellcat. Jen refuses to bail Howard out of jail and otherwise looks for flimsy excuses to ignore him.

Act II is the Spider-Man act. Howard is hired to steal back something that was stolen by the Black Cat. Howard and his new sidekick, fellow cellmate Tara Tam, dress up as pizza deliverers and break into the Cat’s apartment and stumble around till they happen on the lifted jewelry, and the mistress of the house. The best part of this act – and of the book, quite frankly – is the splash page training montage, complete with lyrics to a fake ’80s training montage song.

Act III … sigh. So y’know how Howard had a pleasantly surprising bit part in the biggest movie of last year? Well, let’s just say that at the end of the issue, he ends up getting … Collected. And sharing a cell with a certain rodent-resembling rapscallion. And wearing the same G-D prison outfits from the movie.

But let’s not dwell on the Merry Marvel Marketing Mandates. I had high hopes for this book, given how much I’ve been enjoying Zdarsky and Matt Fraction’s Sex Criminals. This book definitely delivers the humor, and as of the first issue has a 66 percent success rate at illuminating the right parts of the Marvel Universe. Hopefully they find a way to boost that rate during and in spite of Secret Wars.

Thursday's Adventures at New York Comic Con 2014

I love comics, and I hate crowds. Those are two gross simplifications of two of the defining aspects of my life. My love for comics has been one of the driving passions of my life, and you get me in a big room of people just milling around, and panic attacks have been known to happen. So something like the mighty New York Comic Con tears at my very soul. Can my love of comics trump my absolute loathing of crowds? Well, sorta. I have found the best balance is to only do NYCC on Thursday, which is by far the least packed day. So yesterday morning, I headed into New York bright and early for a day of comic con excitement.

As a Dewey's employee, I got to go to the Diamond Comics Distributor Retailer Appreciation Breakfast. You don't go to this event for the food, but for the announcements. We got to see presentations form all the major publishers except for Marvel (they have their own retailer presentation on Friday) and Image. DC really just recapped other announcements, so nothing there. Titan, a first time presenter, announced a 9th Doctor mini-series in their Doctor Who line and Made Man, a new series from Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero, which is a sci-fi mobster story, so it sounds cool to me. Valiant gave some details on their new #1s, including The Valiant, their universe wide team-up mini-series, which I'm excited for , and Ivar, Timewalker from Archer and Armstrong original creative team Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry (more Van Lente news is never a bad thing). And Dark Horse announced Archie Meets Predator. Yes, in the grand tradition of Archie Meets Punisher, the alien that hunts the most dangerous game is heading to Riverdale. This mini-series will be drawn by Fernando Ruiz, one of the nicest guys I've ever met, Dewey's regular, and the first artist to give me a piece for my sketchbook, so I'm all over that.

So, with that done, it was time to enter the con floor. The Javitz Center is sprawling, and after walking quickly through the floor to get the lay of the land, I headed off the floor to my favorite part of any con: Artist's Alley. This is usually less crowded, and is your best opportunity to talk to creators.  And to get sketches. I've talked about my sketchbook before, but for those who haven't read about it, I collect sketches of Batman characters (a Batman themed sketchbook? I know, I was as shocked you are when I thought that would be a good idea for me). After walking for a bit, I found artist Jay P. Fosgitt, who wrote and drew the adorable all ages series, Bodie Troll for Red 5 Comics. Bodie is the world's cutest troll, who can't scare anyone. At Jay's booth, he had a friend dressed as Cholly, the waitress who is Bodie's best friend, and had a life sized Bodie puppet.

Isn't that cute? So I made my usual pitch to Jay, to draw whichever Gotham City themed character he wanted. While he worked, I got to wander around, talk to the Atomic Robo guys about my love of Robo and their Kickstarter, to Greg Pak about his work, congratulated Fernando on Archie Meets Predator, and picked up a little something as a gift form someone who might read this, so I won't show a picture right now. And upon my return to Jay's booth, he had this waiting for me!

Sorry that I'm not a better photographer with my phone, but that is a wonderful Poison Ivy sketch. It's the first Ivy I have in my book, so that makes it extra great. From Jay's booth, I headed over to Scott Hanna's, whose list I had already gotten on. Scott Hanna is one of comics' most accomplished inkers, and did long runs on Amazing Spider-Man and Detective Comics, so this is a guy I was sure knew his Batman characters. I had forgotten that he had inked my favorite Joker story of all time, the vastly underrated Devil's Advocate, so I got to talk to him about that, which made my day. With my usual  request made, I wandered off again, now hitting the floor. It's crowded, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about that, but I was able to get a nice stack of back issues. I also swung by the IDW booth and talked up Locke & Key to someone randomly, which is one of the great pleasures of a con: you can share your enthusiasm and everyone gets it. I also got to see the Kill Shakespeare Board Game, which I am waiting to arrive through Kickstarter, and it looks incredible. I'll probably be writing up a play experience post once I get my hands on that.

I also spent some time talking to David Campiti, the COO of Red Giant Entertainment, a company released the zero issues of their upcoming line of free comics on FCBD. It was interesting to hear about their business model, and the idea that they really want to help drive people into comic book stores. The free books start rolling out in December, including one called Tesla, so you know I'm in for that. Expect to hear more about Red Giant as we get nearer to that debut.

But eventually, I wandered back over to Scott Hanna, and what was waiting for me?

Another new character for my sketchbook, Killer Croc! Yup, that's a pretty sweet haul. I have to say, maybe I just got lucky and talked to the right people, but all the creators I talked to, the ones I mentioned here and some that I just got a few words in with, were all gracious and happy to be there. I love that feeling of camaraderie and excitement that everyone has some of at these cons.

With my sketches done, I made one more pass around the floor, and took a couple of pictures of cosplayers. You couldn't pay me enough to cosplay, it's not my bag, but I respect the time it takes to do it and the passion that requires, and I try not to be too intrusive, despite knowing that most cosplayers are more than happy to have their photos taken, but I stumbled across a couple people already posing, so I figured I'd snap a couple pics.

It's the baby Groot that really makes it.

You've got to love the commitment for a group theme.

So, that was it for me this year. Next year, I'm hoping to hit what was Asbury Park Comic Con, which is now East Coast Comic Con, and then if all goes according to plan, Baltimore Comic Con, which has moved the end of September, much better time for me. It's a great feeling to see the level of excitement that people bring to all of their fandoms, and how they're willing to share it with everyone, and discovering new creators and comics that you wouldn't have encountered otherwise. And thanks to everyone I talked to! See you again soon.