Comic Book Review: Sinergy #2

Jess has gained the ability to see the monsters for what they are, but how will she use her new powers and what will become of her relationship with Leaf? More importantly is it good?

Michael Avon Oeming and Taki Soma open the issue with a very odd and bland dialogue between two police officers. The conversation between the two ends with an attempt at making a joke, but falls absolutely flat.

The next sequences focus on exploring the choices in front of Jess and the decision she will have to make. The dialogue between Jess and her mother as well as her own thoughts reveal a typical young teenager who faces large life choices with no real idea on how she will decide.

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Comic Book Review: Sinergy #1

Michael Avon Oeming brings a comedic and light-hearted tone to Buffy-style monster fighting. Not to mention a dash of mystery and a high school protagonist with plenty of everyday problems to juggle. Is it good?

Oeming opens the book with a hint of a mystery, providing a very stark depiction of the world of Sinergy, but offsetting it with just a touch of hope with the narration. The page grabs you and draws you in instantly. The next sequence is where the book really makes its mark.

The reader is introduced to Jess, a recent high school graduate with a passion for hockey among other things. Her inner monologue is absolutely hilarious and the ensuing action comes straight out of the stories your Dad tells about protecting his baby girl. It is an absolute riot.

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Review: The United States of Murder Inc. #4

The beginning of the story once again begins with a stroll down memory lane; this time Bendis takes us to New York City circa 1971. The power of the Five Families is front and center as they confront a stock broker, who has not been paying his dues. There is no tolerance for failure and the mob’s justice is carried out with the swift chop of a machete. Bendis does an excellent job of fitting in the harsh mob brutality, a quick criticism of the stock market, and the displaying a grand vision all in a page and a half!

Bendis also does not make the mistake of confusing the reader with an out of place time jump. He allows Oeming and Taki Soma’s combination of beautiful artwork and eye-catching color to make his job easier. Oeming emphasizes the grandiose nature of the Five Families’ vision with a large chandelier and craps dice flowing across the page on a sprawling casino floor. Taki Soma’s coloring from the past to the present creates a stark contrast allowing the reader to know they are in a different time even without the prompt informing the reader they have left the past.

Not only does Bendis create fantastic transitions between time and location, he weaves a gripping story throwing multiple curveballs and twists edging the reader closer and closer to the edge of their seat. The comedic breaks are perfectly timed and break the tension between Jagger Rose and Valentine. After an intense battle sequence Valentine references looting the dead bodies as if he just killed an epic boss in World of Warcraft. Rose even makes a veiled Star Wars reference: “Who really did shoot first?”

Leaving Valentine and Rose, Bendis uses the second half of the book to create intense drama whether it is the interrogation of Madonna Gallo or a heated moral discussion on how to preserve the peace not only among the Five Families, but also with the Feds. Bendis weaves an excellent dialogue among the Bonavese Family leaders; he casually drops one of the biggest shockers the story has seen yet!

The only complaint is the transition between three panels. The panels are set up where two are stacked on top of each other while the third is to their right. The reader must read down the first two panels before moving to the larger third panel. They use the same panel setup on the following page, but it flows much better since Bendis places his bubbles at the bottom of the larger panel rather than on the top. It throws the reader for a loop if read out of order and forces them to reread the panel.

9.4	Bendis and Oeming give us their best book in the series! If you are not reading this, you should be!

Review: The United States of Murder Inc. #3

The third installment of The United States of Murder Inc. continues the world building Bendis began in the previous issue. The United States army is invading Cleveland against a well-fortified and entrenched mafia family. The second page is awe-inspiring and also a tad scary with Oeming giving a full view of the destruction and death an all-out war creates between the mafia and the government. Bodies are lying on the ground in flames, tanks are firing shells into a building causing huge explosions and raining bricks onto the street. The double page captures the chaos of war.

The action beginning with the Battle of Cleveland hardly stops the entire book. Bendis and Oeming take us from a war zone to an intimate fight scene between Jagger Rose and two unknown men. Oeming steals the show with an awesome panel of Jagger firing her pistol right into her attacker’s forehead. What really makes the panel stand out is the line representing the bullet’s path from the pistol to the man’s forehead. It has the reader cheering for Jagger and even shouting, “Yeah!”

Moving away from Oeming’s fantastic artwork, Bendis introduces the rest of the Five Families’ bosses. The exchange between them is fantastic. Bendis is able to convey rivalry, a little more than a hint of distrust, but also a level of respect each of the bosses has for the others. However, Bendis’ presentation of their interaction is done in an extremely small font, albeit there is a lot of information, but it may make it hard for some to read.

Taki Soma’s coloring is again top notch, contrasting the Battle of Cleveland where the black and grayish white convey the past to the present with the deep red of Jagger’s hair and apartment. The use of just a few colors for each page gives the book itself a Mafioso feel.

One of the highlights of the book is the relationship between Jagger Rose and Valentine. Bendis takes it to new levels of both trust and weirdness. There is one scene where Jagger Rose has Valentine tied naked to the bed, and it is not what you are thinking! The scene adds some nice levity to an intense book with almost non-stop action and heightened drama.

The drama intensifies if that was even possible. Towards the end, Madonna Gallo has a visit from some friends that turn all your assumptions and expectations upside down, and open a ton of paths for Bendis and Oeming to explore. Oeming’s artwork on the last page does an excellent job of mirroring what the reader is feeling: shock.

8.7	Awesome world building events combined with powerful action sequences and a truly shocking ending, make this a must have!

The United States of Murder Inc. #1 Review

The United States of Murder Inc. #1 takes us into a separate dimension where the Mafia rules large portions of the United States. The book is a crime thriller with what artist Michael Avon Oeming describes as “Neo Noir, using stark primary colors” as opposed to just black and white. Colorist Taki Soma really nails the primary colors and makes the characters bound off the page!

Writer Brian Michael Bendis begins the story introducing us to the main protagonist Valentine Gallo as he ritualistically enters the world of being a made man. The ritual is intense and Soma’s coloring emphasizes the seriousness of the situation with very dark blues and purples. Valentine completes the ritual and receives a pin for his demonstration of commitment to the family.

Soma’s coloring is on fresh display as the dark and serious nature of the ritual shifts to the celebration afterwards with bright greens and yellows. Oeming does a fantastic job showing the enormity of the family as the massive dining hall is filled to the brim with Mafioso. The scene harkens to the celebration of Don Corleone’s Papal Honors in Godfather Part III.

The story really gets moving when Valentine is taken to meet Don Tuzzo who sends him on a mission to Washington D.C. where he must deliver a briefcase to a sitting U.S. Senator. The exchange between Don Tuzzo and Valentine is lovely and really gives the reader a little insight into Valentine’s meticulous nature.

Valentine takes the train, giving Bendis an opportunity to display the violent culture of this alternate universe. He introduces Jagger Rose, a buxom readhead, who doesn’t take nothing from no one as she smashes a poor New York stock broker’s head open with a full bottle of whiskey. Jagger Rose’s swagger and brashness is refreshing and the sexual tension between her and Valentine is a riot to read.

The train finally arrives in Washington D.C. and Valentine delivers the briefcase as Don Tuzzo instructed and the mystery of the contents are interesting to say the least. Valentine leaves the Senator’s office when all hell breaks loose as the Senate building explodes.  Valentine and Jagger Rose escape reporting to Family members of the incident as they attempt to determine what happened.

The story takes a dramatic twist when Valentine receives a phone call from his Mother, who asks him to come home immediately. What happens next is a major shock that leaves Valentine reeling. The cliffhanger will have readers coming back for more!

9.0	The United States of Murder Inc. #1 is a fantastic first entry with gritty crime focus and excellent coloring that delivers a shock ending, you just have to read.