Alice in Wonderland #1

(Zenescope – writer: Raven Gregory; art: Robert Gill)

Zenescope has already tackled Alice in Wonderland in another series entitled Return to Wonderland (which I didn’t read), so I’m not sure what makes this series that much different. I think this is seen as a prequel to Return to Wonderland, where readers get to see all the craziness Alice encounters when she first goes through the rabbit hole. Like any other Zenescope property, women are depicted as little sexpots, wearing clothes straight from a “Sexy Costume” website. Despite this misogynistic take on Alice, Gregory still writes a pretty good story that utilizes the aspects of Alice in Wonderland that readers know best. (more…)

Superior #7

(Millarworld – writer: Mark Millar; art: Leinil Yu)

Looking at all of Mark Millar’s latest work, I enjoyed Superior the most. The book has heart, like Millar really wanted readers to understand that regardless of our disabilities, everyone can be a superhero. Superior isn’t as great as The Ultimates or the original Kick-Ass, but it’s a step in the right direction (and quite an improvement from the shit-bag that was Ultimate Comics Avengers). The book is littered with clichés (including my least favorite, “Once and for all!”), but the story has a pretty epic ending and it manages to maintain its heart – even if it is a bit too hokey. (more…)

Scarlet Spider #1

(Marvel – writer: Chris Yost; art: Ryan Stegman)

My first experience with a maxi-series was Maximum Clonage, a bloated run of several different books aimed at reinventing Peter Parker and making him more interesting to new and old fans alike. It failed. The Clone Saga set the bar for a series run amok, so why Marvel feels the need to tap into that resource is beyond me. I guess they thought there weren’t enough Spider books on the market. (more…)

Fatale #1

(Image – writer: Ed Brubaker; art: Sean Phillips)

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have racked up quite a catalog of work in recent years. Beginning with Incognito, the duo started presenting more noir-style tales with gritty visuals, manly dialogue and visceral violence. Everything about the stories made them feel less mainstream than Brubaker’s other work, like his ongoing Captain America run. (more…)

The graphic novelization of Batman: Year One (originally published as Batman, issues 404-407) was two years old when I bought it in 1989, but according to the copyright page, the book was already in its fourth printing. I’m surprised my copy is still in such good condition, considering I got it when I was 12. Well, the spine does crack a little when I open it and it’s beginning to smell musty, but it’s lived a good life. (more…)

The Dark Tower: The Way Station #1

(Marvel – writers: Robin Furth and Peter David; art: Laurence Campbell)

I haven’t read a Dark Tower comic in a while. I religiously followed the series when it first returned with a retelling of Wizard and Glass. I even went to a midnight release of the comic. My excitement for something fresh from the world of Roland Deschain drew me to pay an exorbitant price for variant covers, convinced that the series was a gold mine. But as the series continued, the flame of my excitement waned. What I found, month after month, was a story that felt out of place in Roland’s world. Try as they might, Robin Furth and Peter David could not believably replicate Stephen King’s narrative voice. The story – of Roland’s return home, the first female gunslinger and the fall of Gilead – fell flat. The comics lacked the tension and suspense that abound in the novels. So when Marvel announced its plan to tell the entire Dark Tower series through comics, I knew I would avoid them. But something drew me to “The Way Station.” I remember the chapter vividly in The Gunslinger, so I thought, just maybe, it would meet or exceed my expectations. What this comic showed me, however, was that this series has not improved, and, in many ways, has gotten worse. (more…)

The Activity #1

(Image – writer: Nathan Edmondson; art: Mitch Gerads)

Buying a first issue of a new series can be a lot like gambling. Usually, you get a 50/50 chance of picking up a real stinker. The Activity, however, reads like Brian De Palma’s Mission Impossible. Nathan Edmondson (Olympus) pens the tale of an elite squad of military and civilian personnel, each with his or her own special talent. While their task still remains a secret, I enjoyed the spy-thriller feel Edmondson crafts and the uneasy resolution with which he leaves readers. (more…)