Review: Magneto #3

Cullen Bunn once again begins the story with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the scene of Magneto’s latest encounter, still two steps behind. He does take a turn with how the story the witness is telling. The witness does not depict Magneto as a fearsome and terrible person, but instead the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are depicted as the wrong-doers since they are forcibly removing the witness from his home. It is an interesting change of direction and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

After the short introduction with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Magneto takes center stage as he continues on his hunt. His mission is front and center with Bunn laying it out as plain as day. Magneto is “here to bring it all down.” Fortunately for the reader, Magneto has not fully recovered his powers but channels Solid Snake, breaking into a secure facility undetected. Gabriel Hernandez Walta does a great job of displaying Magneto’s wide range of uses for his ability. A metal fence is torn, the security system is disabled, and an elevator shaft is manipulated among other things as Magneto infiltrates the facility. The scene actually reminds the reader of the Mission Impossible movie when Ethan Hunt is breaking into Langley!

However, Magneto is not there to steal a NOC list, he is there to destroy. Motivating him is a haunting memory of one of his massive failures. He must stop the threat at all costs in order to prevent such a failure from ever happening again. It isn’t easy and Walta provides a nice action sequence where Magneto even takes a few licks. The result of the battle leads to one of the best panels in the book as Magneto’s presence oozes with terror looking down upon his defeated foe.

The terror is made bone-chillingly clear when Magneto compels cooperation with the tiniest of objects. Let your imagination run wild with the choices of torture you can envision! Bunn takes the story to another level mocking the weakness of the defeated doctor’s principles and the disgust Magneto feels towards such weakness.

Bunn doesn’t stop with a criticism of ideals and discomfort, but throws a wrench into the story, challenging Magneto’s own ideals and principles. His decision reinforces who Magneto is and the lengths he is willing to go to accomplish his goal. Bring it all down.

8.9	A confirmation of who Magneto is and the lengths he will go to achieve his vision, makes for a gripping story.

Review: Deadpool vs. X-Force #1

Right in time for the 4th of July, Marvel debuts Deadpool vs. X-Force #1 where the reader finds themselves in the midst of battle in Germantown, Pennsylvania right smack in the middle of the American Revolution. Fortunately for the “band of dirty, undisciplined American rebels” help is on their side!

Deadpool arises from the pile of dead rebel soldiers to unleash utter mayhem with his aptly named gun “Kingslayer.” The action sequence is rather short as British redcoats are no match for Deadpool, and his nonstop narrative of his own actions. There are a few punch lines that elicit a smile, since he has trouble determining whether the Redcoats have been shot or not due to the inherent color of their uniforms. Others fall flat especially when he makes reference to his low-hanging fruit. One thing for sure is Deadpool looks good dressed as an American patriot!

Writer Duane Swierczynski takes his leave of Deadpool to introduce Cable and the overarching plot the series aims to tackle. There is no subtlety and Swierczynski lays it all out for the reader. Cable and the X-Force must put a stop Deadpool.

Swierczynski describes the X-Force with utter simplicity describing Boom Boom as “A.K.A Tabitha Smith, Blows Stuff Up.” The characters are as simple as their descriptions and Swierczynski doesn’t go into any length at all to give any of them a personality. They are a team on a mission, and that is it. Hopefully this will change in upcoming issues and the reader will get a better grasp on who these characters are and what motivates them to blindly team up with Cable.

Swierczynski’s in your face story finds the X-Force on their way to confront Deadpool. The ensuing sequence is full of action, with walls crashing in and fireballs flying off the page. Swierczynski tees up the fireballs nicely and lets Artist Pepe Larraz hit one out of the park with America’s favorite past-time. Unfortunately the action sequence leads to Swierczynski smacking the reader in the face again with an all too easy plot development. However, he does do a good job of leaving the reader with an unexpected cliffhanger, revealing a tad bit of cunning from Deadpool.

Pepe Larraz’s artwork is fun, from dubbing Deadpool’s gun “Kingslayer” to dodging bullets and shoving the barrel of a gun down a redcoat’s throat; he embraces Wade Wilson’s persona. The scenes with Cable have a different “let’s get down to business, time to save the world vibe.” The best panels are the action sequences, whether it is Deadpool’s bullets seemingly flying off the page, or Cannonball launching towards the reader; Larraz makes the art feel 3-D.

The book has an interesting premise, which entices readers who have an historic bent although it appears only the outfits and the depiction of Cliveden Manor seem to have any semblance of historic accuracy. It will be interesting to see how Deadpool and the X-Force’s actions reshape the history of the United States.

7.2	Larraz’s art and Deadpool’s narrative combined with an historic theme carry the first entry that relies too much on simple plot machinations.

Review: Figment #1

Take a journey into the imagination of Blarion Mercurial. This is the premise of Jim Zub and Filipe Andrade’s Figment series. However, it can be quite a challenge to imagine once you are an adult.

Zub begins the story over a century ago in London, England circa 1910, where the reader is introduced to Blarion Mercurial, or Blair. Blair is dressed to the nines with a dashing top hat, a fancy blue suit and a swanky bowtie. He is an up and coming scientist working on a high-budget experimental energy device, but he is no ordinary scientist. Blair thinks outside the box, he isn’t interested in ionizing atoms; he wants to harness the energy of the mind!

Unfortunately, Chairman Ilocrant, fit to fill the role of an over-aggressive disciplinarian bent on sacrificing dreams in favor of so-called reality, is giving Blair a rough go of it. Zub emphasizes Ilocrant’s overseer temperament through his demeaning lectures. Andrade reinforces Ilocrant’s personality through an apt use of his pointer finger, whether it is shoved into Blair’s chest or stuck in the air as he emphatically lectures at him.

Luckily our hero is not so deterred, and Zub uses Blair’s inner-thoughts to let the reader see what drives him as well as making a general critique of society, namely “setbacks are a sign they should settle for what they have.” Blair, on the other hand, believes they are part of “a journey to create something bigger and better.” Blair is determined and will not let one failure hold him back, although he does feel enormous pressure to succeed because failure leads to an inability to care for his downtrodden family.

One of the more iconic pieces of the book is the helmet Blair wears when conducting his experiments. It is unique, fit with steampunk goggles, and just one of many details Andrade uses to let the reader slip into the turn of the century atmosphere he has created. Colorist Jean Francois Beaulieu adds to the depth with bright colors from the light purple in Ilocrant’s suit to the masses of green, yellow, red and blue books on Blair’s shelves inside his workshop. The world is lively and reinforces Blair’s optimistic nature.

Figment #1 is a wonderful introduction into the realm of imagination, with beautiful bright colors by Beaulieu, and interesting steampunk designs from Andrade that coalesce with Zub’s story of following one’s dreams because you never know if they might just become a reality.

7.9	There might be many setbacks, but one should never give up on following their dreams especially if they are a scientist with a Mesmonic Convertor!

Review: Sparks

Writer Glenn Matchett unites with artist Kell Smith in Sparks for an intriguing opening sequence where the combination of art and writing create a contradictory effect. The writing depicts an upbeat and optimistic Ruth Gates, a television celebrity while the art makes a complete 180 depicting a depressed, horrified and ultimately murdered celebrity. The sequence does a good job of hooking the reader as they desire to find out “who dun it.”

Smith has some interesting art choices starting on page two, where she teases the villain in a split panel with a black suit next to the lead detective in a white suit. Flip the page and the detective is wearing a black suit. One might have to go back and double check a couple times to make sure you are looking at the police detective and not the villain, fortunately the facial hair differentiates the two.

The most entertaining part of the comic is when Matchett introduces the reader to Sparks Investigations, a private detective agency, run by Mel Sparks and her secretary Kathy. The conversations they have are realistic. At one point Mel teases Kathy on the amount of Chinese food she has inhaled, and even her life choices when it comes to the types of men she dates. These scenes provide a much needed comic relief.

In between the scenes involving Kathy, Mel is investigating the murder of Ruth Gates. She uses her charm and past police credentials to look into the crime scene. Unfortunately, one would expect a private detective such as Mel to have seen a crime scene or two, but she looks absolutely sickened only to transition into the next panel unphased asking professional questions. It really throws the reader off.  

The biggest gripe with Sparks is the amount of dialogue on each page crowds out the art and takes up the majority of the panels. This also causes problems with the flow of the story and determining which word bubbles to read next. The bubbles are placed in the middle of two panels making it difficult to determine which panel it corresponds with. Matchett may also want to look into finding a new editor, as there were a number of typographical and grammatical errors.

Despite these setbacks, Matchett and Smith recover to give a doozy of an ending, which really turns the story upside down and sets up Sparks Investigations for hopefully numerous cases to come!

6.2	Cluttered panels and sometimes difficult to follow speech bubbles, with odd stylistic choices bog down an inventive storyline with a strong female character.

Review: Batman Eternal #1

Writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV start off with giving us the ending! An ending with no context triggers readers’ imaginations, wondering exactly how billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, has found himself in this situation. The crowning achievement of the opening page is Jason Fabok’s use of an iconic depiction that brilliantly captures the gravity of the situation. Bruce Wayne is in dire straits.

Switching gears, Snyder and Tynion IV, introduce us to Gotham and how lively it is especially at night where “there’s some shade of light coming at you.” Fabok does a great job of contrasting the Gotham, the reader sees at the end to what it is now in the present. If the magnitude of the story wasn't already setup on the first page, Fabok cements it on the second.

Following a brief introduction of one Jason Bard, Snyder and Tynion IV kick the book into high gear, with an intriguing action sequence involving a villain named Pyg, one whom this reviewer has never heard of. He seems to use some type of serum, although it is rather unclear what exactly it does. One point of contention in the sequence, is the super suit Batman seems to be occupying resembles something Ironman would use, not Batman. Not only does Batman have an Ironman suit but he seems altogether massive, there is one panel where he is running side by side with Jim Gordon and his biceps are the size of Gordon’s head!

Snyder and Tynion IV take a short break from the action, to paint a bleak picture of the GCPD in the form of Major Forbes. They quickly return to Jim Gordon, where Snyder and Tynion IV use Fabok’s art to toy with the reader a little bit, having the reader see in the art contradict the words they see on the page. Not only is the reader duped, but so is Batman.

The result leads to a great show of emotion by Jim Gordon, he is shocked, in disbelief, and emotionally distraught. The bizarreness of the sequence let Snyder and Tynion IV use Gordon as an audience surrogate, or let him address exactly what the reader is thinking. He says exactly what the reader is thinking and questions the validity of the sequence. Unfortunately, he is the only one. This sets up an ominous ending, demanding the reader to discover the Grand Design!

8.7	An exciting and action-packed story that sets up the stage for a grand tale, where Batman and will be pushed to his limits. Only held back by some artistic style choices including the largess of Batman.

Review: Dead Letters #1

Combining the Bourne Identity with a mob war and mythological overtones gets you a fantastic comic in Dead Letters #1. Writer Christopher Sebela has the reader craving more from the very start. Our protagonist, Sam, has lost his memory and is plunged into the action-packed world of Dead Letters.

And is the world ever action-packed, Sebela moves straight into a chase scene with bullets flying, fast cars and adrenaline-fueled leaps of faith. All the while the reader is exposed to Sam’s thoughts as he attempts to make sense of the chaos around him. The most important part of the sequence is the reader’s ability to connect to Sam. He isn’t a caped hero, he is very human - and extremely resourceful.

Sebela does an excellent job of allowing the reader to connect with Sam by writing a majority of the book through Sam’s stream of thoughts. Certain situations allow him to recall how characters may react, other times objects may trigger specific memories. If Sebela hasn’t already hooked you with the almost non-stop action combined with Sam’s self-discovery, he adds a curve ball, which blows the story wide open.

Sebela’s story is so engrossing; one might even glance over the fantastic art by Chris Visions. His artistic style is gritty conveying a very tough world, although there are a couple of panels which convey the complete opposite and portray a more idyllic life where folks are washing their vehicles in the driveway or enjoying a meal at the local diner. Visions does a great job of capturing the style of the denizens. They wear varying degrees of attire from MIB-type suits and shades to a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. However, the bad guys are very distinctive. Their fashion is reminiscent of early 20th century, with stylish bowler hats, fancy cigarette holders, and fur coats. Meanwhile Sam wears a raggedy bluish-white t-shirt and bluish pants with bandages on his arms as if he was just released from the hospital. Visions with the help of Ruth Redmond’s colors reinforces Sebela’s writing and portrays Sam as the human he is. Redmond’s colors bring the comic to life and reinforce the mood Sebela has created.

One of the more interesting parts of the book is the type of paper they use. The texture is fantastic and helps add to the feel Sebela has created.

Dead Letters #1 introduces the reader to Sam and his action-packed adventure filled with mob warfare, backstabbing, an epic chase sequence and most importantly a mystery about not only who he is, but where he is.

9.5	Action and mystery combine for an epic opening act, which can only get better with the cliffhanger at the end.

Review: Lazarus #1

Greg Rucka surgically introduces us to the world of Lazarus using the voice of a coroner relaying an autopsy. Collaborating with Rucka on the project is Michael Lark. Lark’s gritty artwork with large bursts of light from the barrel of a revolver followed by blood spraying out of the silhouetted female body paint a gruesome picture to accompany Rucka’s emotionless medical monologue. The reader is sucked in from page one.

Lark’s artwork is so powerful throughout the book there are full sequences where Rucka allows Lark to do the storytelling. Lark’s action sequence is just as good as his first page. The characters’ facial expressions are extremely detailed conveying the emotions the characters are feeling whether it is shock, determination or the last gasps of life. A panel that does this exceptionally well is a close-up of the heroine’s eyes. (You can’t miss it!) The amount of blood and the detail Lark takes to show the blood spatter not only on the characters but also on the floor make the harshness of the world apparent.

Not only does the art give the reader a sense of the type of world we are in, but the coloring used by Santi Arcas just adds to the believability of the world and its ruthless nature. The art and coloring is fantastic, but Rucka’s story is truly excellent.

The reader makes a connection with Forever Carlyle straight from the beginning. She is regretful and questioning, unsure of the momentous choices she has taken. Attempting to push her in a certain direction are her brother, Jonah, and the family doctor, James. The relationship Forever has with her family is almost complete dedication; she is devoted to them. This devotion leads her to investigate an attack on one of her family’s facilities by a rival family, the Morray.

The investigation further highlights the moral dilemma she is experiencing -- whether her actions are right or wrong. It also highlights the political and socioeconomic world Rucka has been building where a certain class of people are treated as aptly as their name, Waste. Ultimately Forever makes a tough decision, but will that decision eat away at her already vulnerable conscience?

Rucka, Lark and Arcas’ dystopian future in Lazarus is filled with peril, desperation, violence, political intrigue, and moral dilemma and the three weave them together making for a compelling opening book. Rucka doesn’t even leave the reader with a cliffhanger, but definitely has them (and me) wanting more of Forever and Lazarus. This is a definite must read.

8.8	Lazarus drops us into a dystopian world rife with political intrigue, violence and a heroine with a conscience. Stunning artwork combined with a gripping story have readers wanting more.