I should note that although I am an acknowledged comics aficionado, I had not until this past Saturday been to a comics con. (For those even more pathetic than me, "con" in this context is short for "convention," although "concave" and "convection" and "conquistador" are also acceptable if wholly inappropriate extrapolations.)
In fact, I had only been to one other con in my life, and that was back in 1996 (possibly 1995) when Star Trek rolled into Portland, ME on the heels of Voyager's launch (there was to be a screening of "Heroes and Demons" as well as an appearance by Robert Picardo, but I didn't get a chance to see either one, though I did snag a Bajoran earring).
Anyway, so I went to my first comics (and toys) con on Saturday, the same day Colorado Springs hosted its annual Veterans Day parade, held at the Clarion Hotel. It was not exactly San Diego Comic Con or any of the other major circuits. There were some fan girls who gushed over a creator, but I had no idea who he was. Otherwise slim pickings by way of celebrity. Actually, no celebrities.
There were, however, a lot of Star Wars toys, and vendors with white boxes of comics (if I'd thought of it, I might have tried to get some pictures, but I don't think of these things and I don't do lots of pictures anyway, either in my blogs or real life, unless you're my sister's cat and sometimes her dog, which coincidentally on the same weekend turned out to be a really good opportunity to snap more of both).
And a few local creators. One of them was an artist I used to work with (not creatively, but rather in a bookstore), but it looks like he's still sketching. I had attempted to collaborate with him artistically, but it didn't work out.
No, there were pretty much two tables with creators sitting behind them, sketching away. I had a look at both. I settled on memorializing the experience with Angry Faerie from Scott Springer. Neither Angry Faerie the website nor its Facebook page acknowledged Springer's appearance at the con, which was kind of disappointing (I guess even for him this was pretty low-key), but there he was, and I walked away with a Ka-Blam graphic novel collection of this web comic covering developments from its Merlin arc.
I checked around, by the way, and I'm pretty sure it's only available when Springer himself has it on display, or perhaps in local shops as well, so I'm plugging something my audience will only be able to enjoy digitally. Some of you love that sort of thing.
The web comic, then, is about the Anger Faerie, who lives in Bullfinch, where various genre entities exist and have conflict. Obviously in the story I read the problem was the historical Merlin. Springer's style art-wise is anime-based, while his storytelling is very contemporary, on par with what I've seen in other web comics. It's pretty enjoyable, doesn't take itself too seriously, with some fun, clearly defined characters. It updates three times weekly.
And just to make sure that you don't think I made a mistake, in the strip the main character is known as the Anger Faerie, but the title mostly definitely identifies her as the Angry Faerie. Just go with it.
The copy of the con edition I picked up was marked #1 of 25 (as in editions, not number of collections), and I picked up the exclusive variant cover, just because I could.
All in all, not a bad way to commemorate the event, and perhaps now that I'm no longer a con virgin, I may even attend more of them, perhaps even invade some of the major ones (in case you don't follow any of my other thousand blogs, I'm something of a big deal these days, penning a Bluewater bio of Russian superstar Mikhail Prokhorov).
As Springer signed in my copy of Angry Faerie, stay angry!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Beyond the Fringe #1 (DC)
writer: Joshua Jackson
artist: Jorge Jimenez
Full disclosure compels me to admit upfront that this comic was published earlier this year, and was originally serialized online last year.
Fine, and let me just also say for the record that I'm glad I finally stumbled into it. I read DC's initial Fringe comics, based on the cult TV show, but lost track of them a while back. I've been a fervent fan of the show since it debuted in 2008. In case you don't know too much about it, Fringe is another ambitious project created by J.J. Abrams (his active involvement ended fairly soon, though), which follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham as she attempts to solve bizarre cases involving science run amok, which leads her to forming unlikely partnerships with Walter Bishop, the eccentric genius who inadvertently caused many of the problems they've since had to clean up, and his son Peter, whom Walter rescued from an alternate reality after his own son died.
Peter is played by Dawson's Creek alum Joshua Jackson, who is indeed the writer of this very comic. The fact of his integral role in the alternate reality development that played an increasingly expanded role in the show is also central to the story Jackson chose to explore, what happened to Peter after his entered a particularly ominous machine at the end of the third season, which caused plenty of complications in the fourth when the aftermath of this event forced a monumental reconciliation of everything that had come before it.
The biggest concern was that this machine was meant to settle the affairs of the competing realities, with Peter having to choose between them. In the one he had fallen in love with Olivia. In the other he was technically a native. The choice was not as easy as it might have seemed. In fact, that's the general theme of the whole show, that nothing is as simple as it seems, from the traditional X-Files freak-of-the-week episodes to the subtle maneuvering of Olivia and the two Bishops from season to season as they confronted the wider forces at play.
Jackson's story is like the missing link that the show didn't quite get to explore about its mythology. Granted a shortened fifth and final season that will explore the Observers who represent the logical end game of trying to manipulate science for personal gain, Fringe didn't quite get to tell this particular tale, including the role of the enigmatic Sam Weiss in the history-spanning saga that Walter initiated.
It's wickedly fascinating, although incredibly dense. Jackson does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the show (something previous comics did not always do satisfactorily, mostly because they didn't have the proper vision or scope), and is in the right position to offer an authoritative view of the mythology. If you love Fringe already this is essential. If you don't know Walter from Walternate, this may serve as an elaborate initiation. Until this final season Peter has always had to wait for his story to be told properly. Well, aside from this comic.
artist: Jorge Jimenez
Full disclosure compels me to admit upfront that this comic was published earlier this year, and was originally serialized online last year.
Fine, and let me just also say for the record that I'm glad I finally stumbled into it. I read DC's initial Fringe comics, based on the cult TV show, but lost track of them a while back. I've been a fervent fan of the show since it debuted in 2008. In case you don't know too much about it, Fringe is another ambitious project created by J.J. Abrams (his active involvement ended fairly soon, though), which follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham as she attempts to solve bizarre cases involving science run amok, which leads her to forming unlikely partnerships with Walter Bishop, the eccentric genius who inadvertently caused many of the problems they've since had to clean up, and his son Peter, whom Walter rescued from an alternate reality after his own son died.
Peter is played by Dawson's Creek alum Joshua Jackson, who is indeed the writer of this very comic. The fact of his integral role in the alternate reality development that played an increasingly expanded role in the show is also central to the story Jackson chose to explore, what happened to Peter after his entered a particularly ominous machine at the end of the third season, which caused plenty of complications in the fourth when the aftermath of this event forced a monumental reconciliation of everything that had come before it.
The biggest concern was that this machine was meant to settle the affairs of the competing realities, with Peter having to choose between them. In the one he had fallen in love with Olivia. In the other he was technically a native. The choice was not as easy as it might have seemed. In fact, that's the general theme of the whole show, that nothing is as simple as it seems, from the traditional X-Files freak-of-the-week episodes to the subtle maneuvering of Olivia and the two Bishops from season to season as they confronted the wider forces at play.
Jackson's story is like the missing link that the show didn't quite get to explore about its mythology. Granted a shortened fifth and final season that will explore the Observers who represent the logical end game of trying to manipulate science for personal gain, Fringe didn't quite get to tell this particular tale, including the role of the enigmatic Sam Weiss in the history-spanning saga that Walter initiated.
It's wickedly fascinating, although incredibly dense. Jackson does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the show (something previous comics did not always do satisfactorily, mostly because they didn't have the proper vision or scope), and is in the right position to offer an authoritative view of the mythology. If you love Fringe already this is essential. If you don't know Walter from Walternate, this may serve as an elaborate initiation. Until this final season Peter has always had to wait for his story to be told properly. Well, aside from this comic.
Reading Comics #82 "Manny Trembley"
I first became familiar with Manny Trembley's work when I was an active member of the Digital Webbing community. At the time Trembley was launching a web comic called PX! with Eric A. Anderson. I followed PX! for years, and was pretty happy when Image started collecting it under its Shadowline/Silver Lining imprint in graphic novel collections (two volumes). Trembley and Anderson also collaborated on Sam Noir, which Image published directly.
Then PX! went on permanent hiatus, and I wondered if I would ever hear from either of them again. Flashforward to this year, a few months ago when Anderson announced on his Facebook page that Trembley was launching a Kickstarter campaign for a new project called Martin Monsterman. It was a little sad to see that the band indeed had broken up, but knowing that either of them was still pursuing the comic book dream was enough to motivate me.
To my surprise, I learned that Trembley was pursuing this new project through his own FishTank imprint, with an aim to creating books for young readers that don't pander to them but rather engage their imagination.
What was more, he had already put out another book earlier this year, Hoss and Feffer. Naturally I needed to have a look! A few weeks ago the book arrived in my mail (packaged with previews of Monsterman and Bamboo, which continues Trembley's interest in pandas, which also feature in PX!, which is short for Panda Xpress, so shortened because of the Asian fast food chain with an incredibly similar name).
Here then was the moment of truth. I had adored PX!, I mean, really adored it. Could Trembley, on his own, truly live up to these fond memories?
Well yes, as it turns out. As I don't ordinarily provide artwork on this blog (which may or may not limit its user-friendliness in an age that really likes images with everything, especially its websites, and especially websites dedicated to comic books, and especially websites dedicated to comic books that pretty much leave all the content to images from comic books with a few witty remarks), I can only refer Trembley's style as being very similar to Skottie Young, Eric Shanower's collaborator in his ongoing adaptations of L Frank Baum's Oz stories for Marvel. I love that stuff, too. If you don't know that, then I will once again use Bill Watterson as a reference in regards to Mr. Trembley's work. Watterson, of course, is responsible for the beloved comic strip Calvin + Hobbes.
Where Watterson could sometimes be hopefully cynical and Young whimsically fantastical, Trembley strives for a playful style that allows his work to match the bountiful imagination of his stories, whether or not Anderson is involved. Hoss and Feffer is a take on the traditional tortoise-and-the-hare tale, superimposed on the video game culture that has absorbed the last few generations of today's youth.
As a first indication of what FishTank will ultimately represent, H&F suggests that Trembley has his finger on the pulse of a child's perspective on the world which is not, as he'd hoped, childish but rather filled with possibility, the way Watterson and Baum and Dr. Seuss represented it. Much of what we expect from entertainment not in the form of video games seems to be featured in animated movies these days, filled with moral lessons, but Trembley correctly suggests that children don't always want adults to talk down to them. If strange and bizarre things happen to them, kids are likely to try and figure out what happens next. That's what Trembley allows to develop, too.
Hoss and Feffer is his initial offering. It suggests that Manny Trembley is on to something.
Then PX! went on permanent hiatus, and I wondered if I would ever hear from either of them again. Flashforward to this year, a few months ago when Anderson announced on his Facebook page that Trembley was launching a Kickstarter campaign for a new project called Martin Monsterman. It was a little sad to see that the band indeed had broken up, but knowing that either of them was still pursuing the comic book dream was enough to motivate me.
To my surprise, I learned that Trembley was pursuing this new project through his own FishTank imprint, with an aim to creating books for young readers that don't pander to them but rather engage their imagination.
What was more, he had already put out another book earlier this year, Hoss and Feffer. Naturally I needed to have a look! A few weeks ago the book arrived in my mail (packaged with previews of Monsterman and Bamboo, which continues Trembley's interest in pandas, which also feature in PX!, which is short for Panda Xpress, so shortened because of the Asian fast food chain with an incredibly similar name).
Here then was the moment of truth. I had adored PX!, I mean, really adored it. Could Trembley, on his own, truly live up to these fond memories?
Well yes, as it turns out. As I don't ordinarily provide artwork on this blog (which may or may not limit its user-friendliness in an age that really likes images with everything, especially its websites, and especially websites dedicated to comic books, and especially websites dedicated to comic books that pretty much leave all the content to images from comic books with a few witty remarks), I can only refer Trembley's style as being very similar to Skottie Young, Eric Shanower's collaborator in his ongoing adaptations of L Frank Baum's Oz stories for Marvel. I love that stuff, too. If you don't know that, then I will once again use Bill Watterson as a reference in regards to Mr. Trembley's work. Watterson, of course, is responsible for the beloved comic strip Calvin + Hobbes.
Where Watterson could sometimes be hopefully cynical and Young whimsically fantastical, Trembley strives for a playful style that allows his work to match the bountiful imagination of his stories, whether or not Anderson is involved. Hoss and Feffer is a take on the traditional tortoise-and-the-hare tale, superimposed on the video game culture that has absorbed the last few generations of today's youth.
As a first indication of what FishTank will ultimately represent, H&F suggests that Trembley has his finger on the pulse of a child's perspective on the world which is not, as he'd hoped, childish but rather filled with possibility, the way Watterson and Baum and Dr. Seuss represented it. Much of what we expect from entertainment not in the form of video games seems to be featured in animated movies these days, filled with moral lessons, but Trembley correctly suggests that children don't always want adults to talk down to them. If strange and bizarre things happen to them, kids are likely to try and figure out what happens next. That's what Trembley allows to develop, too.
Hoss and Feffer is his initial offering. It suggests that Manny Trembley is on to something.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Batman Incorporated #4 (DC)
writer: Grant Morrison
artist: Chris Burnham
Those who worry about the continuity issues between the New 52 version of DC and what came before must still have a problem with Batman Incorporated, which in its original incarnation was Grant Morrison's concluding arc in his grand vision of the Dark Knight. The series relaunched as part of the second wave of the New 52, and as such is about a year behind the average numbering for the publisher's books.
This is fine, because in any incarnation the series has always been the most accessible Batman from Morrison, even if certain elements demand that you know a few things, such as who all those allies are that've been featured in recent issues. They're actually the manifestation of the title cooperative, formally known as the Club of Heroes but now so mainstream that Batwing has his own book. Still most of them have only made sporadic appearances, and the focus remains on Batman and his current Robin, who happens to be his son by way of Talia Head, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Talia is the main villain in Morrison's endgame, and is reshaping Gotham in much the way Dr. Hurt attempted to in "Batman R.I.P.," but in that instance mostly in the Dark Knight's head.
Robin, Damian Wayne, has reshaped himself into Redbird (as far as I know a name last known in the franchise as Red Robin Tim Drake's one-time version of the famed Batmobile), who's on the cover alongside Wingman (not a reference, sadly, to How I Met Your Mother), one of the several aliases sported by Bruce Wayne in the issue.
The dynamic between the two, whatever they happen to be calling themselves, is something that has proven crucial to Morrison's Batman. He previously worked on the first incarnation of Batman and Robin (which actually originally featured Damian and the first Robin, Dick Grayson, who is currently known as Nightwing; clearly identity has been pigeon-holed, correctly, as the dominant theme of this franchise), but it hasn't always been obvious that this would be how he ended his run, even though he's made one visit (and will again) to a point in the future where Damian has accepted the mantle of Batman for himself (must-read: Batman #666).
The series will run for twelve issues (Morrison is withdrawing from Action Comics sooner), which makes it almost sad that we have less than a year to go until it's all over. Some fans are excited by the return of the Joker (in Scott Snyder's latest crossover event, "Death of the Family"). To me, Batman is still defined by Grant Morrison. This is an issue that will make you dread the end of this era.
artist: Chris Burnham
Those who worry about the continuity issues between the New 52 version of DC and what came before must still have a problem with Batman Incorporated, which in its original incarnation was Grant Morrison's concluding arc in his grand vision of the Dark Knight. The series relaunched as part of the second wave of the New 52, and as such is about a year behind the average numbering for the publisher's books.
This is fine, because in any incarnation the series has always been the most accessible Batman from Morrison, even if certain elements demand that you know a few things, such as who all those allies are that've been featured in recent issues. They're actually the manifestation of the title cooperative, formally known as the Club of Heroes but now so mainstream that Batwing has his own book. Still most of them have only made sporadic appearances, and the focus remains on Batman and his current Robin, who happens to be his son by way of Talia Head, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Talia is the main villain in Morrison's endgame, and is reshaping Gotham in much the way Dr. Hurt attempted to in "Batman R.I.P.," but in that instance mostly in the Dark Knight's head.
Robin, Damian Wayne, has reshaped himself into Redbird (as far as I know a name last known in the franchise as Red Robin Tim Drake's one-time version of the famed Batmobile), who's on the cover alongside Wingman (not a reference, sadly, to How I Met Your Mother), one of the several aliases sported by Bruce Wayne in the issue.
The dynamic between the two, whatever they happen to be calling themselves, is something that has proven crucial to Morrison's Batman. He previously worked on the first incarnation of Batman and Robin (which actually originally featured Damian and the first Robin, Dick Grayson, who is currently known as Nightwing; clearly identity has been pigeon-holed, correctly, as the dominant theme of this franchise), but it hasn't always been obvious that this would be how he ended his run, even though he's made one visit (and will again) to a point in the future where Damian has accepted the mantle of Batman for himself (must-read: Batman #666).
The series will run for twelve issues (Morrison is withdrawing from Action Comics sooner), which makes it almost sad that we have less than a year to go until it's all over. Some fans are excited by the return of the Joker (in Scott Snyder's latest crossover event, "Death of the Family"). To me, Batman is still defined by Grant Morrison. This is an issue that will make you dread the end of this era.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Reading Comics #81 "Essential Wolverine Vol. 2 #3"
My concluding look at Essential Wolverine Vol. 2 encompasses the following issues from the collection:
WOLVERINE #s 34-47 (Marvel)
They were published between 1990 and 1991. A good chunk of the collection, obviously, and like the last installment mostly featuring the talents of writer Larry Hama (best known for his work with G.I. Joe) and Marc Silvestri (co-founder of Image, founder of Top Cow).
As I expected, Hama quickly ditched both the introspective, nuanced approach of predecessor Jo Duffy as well as the Madripoor setting, relocating Wolverine to Canada and a more traditional problem in the supervillain Lady Deathstrike, whose presence dominates the rest of the collection as well as appearances by Alpha Flight's Puck, Sabretooth, Jubilee, and others. Jubilee might be viewed as an updated attempt from some of the earlier issues to tie Wolverine back in with the X-Men without bringing in the big guns (though Storm visits) but thanks to Generation X and her presence in the animated series from that era, she remains far more identifiable than any New Mutant characters.
Sabretooth becomes the subject of a fairly nebulous attempt to start explaining more of Wolverine's origins when he claims that he's Logan's father. For anyone who knows what Marvel eventually revealed about those origins (in a story called, appropriately enough, Origin), this may seem fairly ironic, and is another piece of stark contrast to what writers used to think about what lay in the character's past and what it actually became. I'm not making up this next bit of trivia from an even earlier version: Wolverine at one point was slated to be revealed to be a mutated wolverine. No kidding.
Hama does not prove to be the most inspired writer. He immediately starts to make Wolverine more folksy, as if he suddenly became Dan Rather (just imagine...!), which becomes annoying when all the g's go missing, even in the interior monologue captions, a practice Peter David notably does not continue in a fill-in issue.
When Silvestri disappears in #s 44 and 47, it's a bigger tragedy, though. His fill-ins aren't nearly as dynamic, making it obvious all over again how the extreme talent of the Image creators affected the standards of comic book art, both in good and not-so-good ways.
Wolverine's costume makes a more regular comeback in these issues as well. Since this is a black-and-white collection, I have to take the cover image as proof that it's the yellow and brown variant, though I guess there are differences enough with the yellow and blue one he might also have sported that there ought to be no mystery about that.
I won't go into detail about the stories in the collection, mostly because the stories are not really worth remembering. To give one example, for some reason Hama is fascinated with androids (Silvestri, meanwhile, would later create Cyberforce, perhaps by coincidence), though his choice of subjects is questionable, if not in the so-called substitute Wolverine meant to draw the real one out (but sticking around long past that goal) and Elsie Dee, who is a little girl who talks like Kripke from The Big Bang Theory (and is far less endearing). And as I suggested earlier, Lady Deathstrike sticks around for ages. Well, at least she got that appearance in X2: X-Men United, played by Kelly Hu, making up for whatever she lacks here.
On the whole, not the least because it features more modern storytelling, my experience with Essential Wolverine Vol. 2 was better than Essential X-Men Vol. 2. At some point I would got one of these Essential volumes and it won't be the second one. You know, probably.
WOLVERINE #s 34-47 (Marvel)
They were published between 1990 and 1991. A good chunk of the collection, obviously, and like the last installment mostly featuring the talents of writer Larry Hama (best known for his work with G.I. Joe) and Marc Silvestri (co-founder of Image, founder of Top Cow).
As I expected, Hama quickly ditched both the introspective, nuanced approach of predecessor Jo Duffy as well as the Madripoor setting, relocating Wolverine to Canada and a more traditional problem in the supervillain Lady Deathstrike, whose presence dominates the rest of the collection as well as appearances by Alpha Flight's Puck, Sabretooth, Jubilee, and others. Jubilee might be viewed as an updated attempt from some of the earlier issues to tie Wolverine back in with the X-Men without bringing in the big guns (though Storm visits) but thanks to Generation X and her presence in the animated series from that era, she remains far more identifiable than any New Mutant characters.
Sabretooth becomes the subject of a fairly nebulous attempt to start explaining more of Wolverine's origins when he claims that he's Logan's father. For anyone who knows what Marvel eventually revealed about those origins (in a story called, appropriately enough, Origin), this may seem fairly ironic, and is another piece of stark contrast to what writers used to think about what lay in the character's past and what it actually became. I'm not making up this next bit of trivia from an even earlier version: Wolverine at one point was slated to be revealed to be a mutated wolverine. No kidding.
Hama does not prove to be the most inspired writer. He immediately starts to make Wolverine more folksy, as if he suddenly became Dan Rather (just imagine...!), which becomes annoying when all the g's go missing, even in the interior monologue captions, a practice Peter David notably does not continue in a fill-in issue.
When Silvestri disappears in #s 44 and 47, it's a bigger tragedy, though. His fill-ins aren't nearly as dynamic, making it obvious all over again how the extreme talent of the Image creators affected the standards of comic book art, both in good and not-so-good ways.
Wolverine's costume makes a more regular comeback in these issues as well. Since this is a black-and-white collection, I have to take the cover image as proof that it's the yellow and brown variant, though I guess there are differences enough with the yellow and blue one he might also have sported that there ought to be no mystery about that.
I won't go into detail about the stories in the collection, mostly because the stories are not really worth remembering. To give one example, for some reason Hama is fascinated with androids (Silvestri, meanwhile, would later create Cyberforce, perhaps by coincidence), though his choice of subjects is questionable, if not in the so-called substitute Wolverine meant to draw the real one out (but sticking around long past that goal) and Elsie Dee, who is a little girl who talks like Kripke from The Big Bang Theory (and is far less endearing). And as I suggested earlier, Lady Deathstrike sticks around for ages. Well, at least she got that appearance in X2: X-Men United, played by Kelly Hu, making up for whatever she lacks here.
On the whole, not the least because it features more modern storytelling, my experience with Essential Wolverine Vol. 2 was better than Essential X-Men Vol. 2. At some point I would got one of these Essential volumes and it won't be the second one. You know, probably.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Artifacts #10 & Origins (Top Cow)
writer: Ron Marz, Marc Silvestri
artist: Jeremy Haun, Ryan Sook, various
First off, these are not new comic, but since I bought them off racks containing new comics, I figured I'd treat them as such. Part of the reason for that is that I want to emphasize that Artifacts is a book currently in print that I very much want to support.
It just so happens that I didn't really know that until Top Cow announced a talent contest that will potentially allow a schmuck like me the chance to write the characters in this series.
The comics I found happen to feature Ji Xi. The one-shot Origins features exactly that, origins for all thirteen bearers of the eponymous totems of power.
I haven't until now come to appreciate Artifacts because I tend to read most of my superhero comics from DC and sometimes Marvel. For about a decade Image competed pretty heavily in the superhero genre, but now mostly sticks to Spawn, Savage Dragon, and Invincible, two out of three from its earliest days. Top Cow was one of the studios that more or less spun off from Image, and thus counts as a solo entity, a small publisher in other words. Most small publishers trying to do superheroes inevitably prove why they're small publishers trying to do superheroes. Their effort are bush league.
I assumed Top Cow was the same. Marc Silvestri launched the imprint with Witchblade (in essence the original Artifact), who originally appeared to be just another member of the '90s bad girls craze, mostly because her costume, which was an extension of her Artifact (worn one hand when not fully activated), covered her body just enough not to show private parts. The short-lived live action TV series that followed was just one indication that she could be more than just another bad girl.
After The Darkness followed and became another successful franchise, Top Cow solidified itself as an imprint. Some time later, Ron Marz came along and started to expand the concept that had become central to the imprint. This eventually resulted in Artifacts.
Artifacts #10 was originally #10 of 13 issues. It became an ongoing series once everyone realized what they had. Therefore Marz has had the luxury to continue a slow build on everything he's done so far. This has meant that a character like Ji Xi can sit back while other characters like Tom Judge take the front seat. Of all the totem bearers, he's still known for possessing the so-called Thirteenth Artifact, because even the artifact doesn't have a name yet, much less a history. His appearance in this issue is indicative of his role so far, trying to figure out how he fits in, if he's a villain or a hero (because these Artifacts can go both ways). It may not be the wisest move to try and understand everything that's going on by reading a random issue like this, but it's still plenty of indication of the quality that's gone into the project, and the strong characters who exist.
Origins, again, presents two-page recaps of the major developments worth knowing about the thirteen characters at the heart of the Artifacts franchise. Aside from Witchblade, the Darkness, and Ji Xi, there's Angelus (the light that counterbalances the dark), Tom Judge (the Rapture), Glorianna Silver (Ember Stone), Michael Finnegan (Glacier Stone), Alina Enstrom (Pandora's Box), Ian Nottingham (Blood Sword), Sabine (Wheel of Shadows), Magdalena (Spear of Destiny)Abby Van Alstine (Heart Stone), and Aphrodite IV (Coin of Solomon). Angelus (also known as Dani Baptiste, who once served as a replacement Witchblade), is considered one of the big three in the franchise, along with Witchblade (Sara Pezzini) and the Darkness (Jackie Estacado). The Magdalena and Aphrodite IV are also known elements of the Top Cow landscape.
What's impressive is that Artifacts has successfully transformed the Top Cow catalog into a working mythology. I'm embarrassed to admit that it's taken me so long to discover it, much less appreciate it, but at least I have. I'm making it a mission to try and spread the word, not because I have the vague hope of one day hoping to shape it, but because it's worth supporting in its own right. If you have no working knowledge of it, Origins is a good way to go. Otherwise pick up a random issue for yourself and see if it catches your fancy, too.
artist: Jeremy Haun, Ryan Sook, various
First off, these are not new comic, but since I bought them off racks containing new comics, I figured I'd treat them as such. Part of the reason for that is that I want to emphasize that Artifacts is a book currently in print that I very much want to support.
It just so happens that I didn't really know that until Top Cow announced a talent contest that will potentially allow a schmuck like me the chance to write the characters in this series.
The comics I found happen to feature Ji Xi. The one-shot Origins features exactly that, origins for all thirteen bearers of the eponymous totems of power.
I haven't until now come to appreciate Artifacts because I tend to read most of my superhero comics from DC and sometimes Marvel. For about a decade Image competed pretty heavily in the superhero genre, but now mostly sticks to Spawn, Savage Dragon, and Invincible, two out of three from its earliest days. Top Cow was one of the studios that more or less spun off from Image, and thus counts as a solo entity, a small publisher in other words. Most small publishers trying to do superheroes inevitably prove why they're small publishers trying to do superheroes. Their effort are bush league.
I assumed Top Cow was the same. Marc Silvestri launched the imprint with Witchblade (in essence the original Artifact), who originally appeared to be just another member of the '90s bad girls craze, mostly because her costume, which was an extension of her Artifact (worn one hand when not fully activated), covered her body just enough not to show private parts. The short-lived live action TV series that followed was just one indication that she could be more than just another bad girl.
After The Darkness followed and became another successful franchise, Top Cow solidified itself as an imprint. Some time later, Ron Marz came along and started to expand the concept that had become central to the imprint. This eventually resulted in Artifacts.
Artifacts #10 was originally #10 of 13 issues. It became an ongoing series once everyone realized what they had. Therefore Marz has had the luxury to continue a slow build on everything he's done so far. This has meant that a character like Ji Xi can sit back while other characters like Tom Judge take the front seat. Of all the totem bearers, he's still known for possessing the so-called Thirteenth Artifact, because even the artifact doesn't have a name yet, much less a history. His appearance in this issue is indicative of his role so far, trying to figure out how he fits in, if he's a villain or a hero (because these Artifacts can go both ways). It may not be the wisest move to try and understand everything that's going on by reading a random issue like this, but it's still plenty of indication of the quality that's gone into the project, and the strong characters who exist.
Origins, again, presents two-page recaps of the major developments worth knowing about the thirteen characters at the heart of the Artifacts franchise. Aside from Witchblade, the Darkness, and Ji Xi, there's Angelus (the light that counterbalances the dark), Tom Judge (the Rapture), Glorianna Silver (Ember Stone), Michael Finnegan (Glacier Stone), Alina Enstrom (Pandora's Box), Ian Nottingham (Blood Sword), Sabine (Wheel of Shadows), Magdalena (Spear of Destiny)Abby Van Alstine (Heart Stone), and Aphrodite IV (Coin of Solomon). Angelus (also known as Dani Baptiste, who once served as a replacement Witchblade), is considered one of the big three in the franchise, along with Witchblade (Sara Pezzini) and the Darkness (Jackie Estacado). The Magdalena and Aphrodite IV are also known elements of the Top Cow landscape.
What's impressive is that Artifacts has successfully transformed the Top Cow catalog into a working mythology. I'm embarrassed to admit that it's taken me so long to discover it, much less appreciate it, but at least I have. I'm making it a mission to try and spread the word, not because I have the vague hope of one day hoping to shape it, but because it's worth supporting in its own right. If you have no working knowledge of it, Origins is a good way to go. Otherwise pick up a random issue for yourself and see if it catches your fancy, too.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
After Earth: Innocence (Dynamite)
writer: Michael Jan Friedman & Robert Greenberger
artist: Beni Lobel
A one-shot based on the upcoming movie After Earth, this was something of a cheat for a reader who likes to combat his image for reading mostly DC comics. The movie is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who has been a favorite of mine since his breakthrough 1999 effort The Sixth Sense, which at once catapulted the filmmaker into superstardom and forever linked him to the idea that he's a one-track talent. Two years ago he attempted to subvert that idea by helming the big screen adaptation The Last Airbender, based on a different Avatar than the one that became one of the biggest box office success stories of all time. Critics and audiences still seemed to chafe at having a second look at Shyamalan's talents, but I found it to be a refreshing look at a fantasy epic as well as a fresh spin on his instincts (though he does that in all of his films, whether recognized or not).
Anyway, After Earth seems to be a continuation of this, if the Innocence one-shot is any indication. Innocence itself is a self-contained an highly entertaining look at the overarching concepts behind the film. I don't know whether to outline those concepts or not, spoilers being such an important part of the Shyamalan mystique (highly exaggerated as it may be).
Okay, here it goes: Earth has to be abandoned, and the society that survives is split into two warring groups that only grudgingly cooperate. Things get worse when humanity comes under siege from an alien menace that is superior to any weapon yet developed.
That's pretty much it. The story hinges, however, on the idea of legacies in a more human sense, from generation to generation and father to son. As I said, the one-shot reads extremely well, especially for something derived from a movie. Those projects are always hit-or-miss, let alone for ones that haven't even happened yet. What's even more impressive is that the story makes you care for a high concept and legitimately leaves you wanting more. There's plenty to tell here.
I could go on, I suppose, especially at how After Earth reflects concepts rarely attributed to Shyamalan but present in all his films, but I'll let you decide if I've begun to change any of your ideas, or if the movie or this comic sounds appealing on their own merits.
artist: Beni Lobel
A one-shot based on the upcoming movie After Earth, this was something of a cheat for a reader who likes to combat his image for reading mostly DC comics. The movie is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who has been a favorite of mine since his breakthrough 1999 effort The Sixth Sense, which at once catapulted the filmmaker into superstardom and forever linked him to the idea that he's a one-track talent. Two years ago he attempted to subvert that idea by helming the big screen adaptation The Last Airbender, based on a different Avatar than the one that became one of the biggest box office success stories of all time. Critics and audiences still seemed to chafe at having a second look at Shyamalan's talents, but I found it to be a refreshing look at a fantasy epic as well as a fresh spin on his instincts (though he does that in all of his films, whether recognized or not).
Anyway, After Earth seems to be a continuation of this, if the Innocence one-shot is any indication. Innocence itself is a self-contained an highly entertaining look at the overarching concepts behind the film. I don't know whether to outline those concepts or not, spoilers being such an important part of the Shyamalan mystique (highly exaggerated as it may be).
Okay, here it goes: Earth has to be abandoned, and the society that survives is split into two warring groups that only grudgingly cooperate. Things get worse when humanity comes under siege from an alien menace that is superior to any weapon yet developed.
That's pretty much it. The story hinges, however, on the idea of legacies in a more human sense, from generation to generation and father to son. As I said, the one-shot reads extremely well, especially for something derived from a movie. Those projects are always hit-or-miss, let alone for ones that haven't even happened yet. What's even more impressive is that the story makes you care for a high concept and legitimately leaves you wanting more. There's plenty to tell here.
I could go on, I suppose, especially at how After Earth reflects concepts rarely attributed to Shyamalan but present in all his films, but I'll let you decide if I've begun to change any of your ideas, or if the movie or this comic sounds appealing on their own merits.
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