Author: Now Read This

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Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest

Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest 

By Brad Meltzer, Phil Hester and Ande Parks (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84023-781-3

This one’s a cool treat for inveterate superhero fans as author Brad Meltzer joins artists Hester and Parks for a touching and exciting run through the history of a character who’s been fighting crime, pretty much uninterrupted, since the beginning of the 1940’s.

If you’re a newcomer to the minutiae of the super-guy’s world there’s something you need to accept. Dead is dead, but not always and not forever. It is a fact acknowledged by the empowered community – if not the world at large – that you can occasionally come back from Heaven without starting your own religion.

Such a returnee is Oliver Queen, Green Arrow. He got blown to shreds saving Superman’s hometown from an airborne bomb and went to his reward. If you want more on that part of the tale I suggest you track down the collections Quiver and Sounds of Violence, both written by movie maker Kevin Smith, as they’re pretty entertaining too.

The hook here is that as the Arrow is back, what happened after his funeral? Using the concept of a “Porn Buddy” – a friend who gets to your home first when you die and clears up the stuff you’d rather not have discovered about you – Meltzer crafts a compelling tale of family ties and the steps a hero would take to protect his loved ones from beyond the grave. A welcome bonus is that he manages to do so in a way that balances narrative redundancy for old-time fans with introductory exposition for the newcomer to create a sharp one-off read. Great stuff done well!

© 2002, 2003 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Daredevil Visionaries

Daredevil Visionaries 

By Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada & Jimmy Palmiotti (Marvel Comics)
ISBN 0-7851-0737-1

Kevin Smith generated a lot of excitement when he was announced as the writer of the new Daredevil comic in 1998, and that transferred to high sales when the comics finally appeared. Unlike Frank Miller’s legendary tenures, Smith’s run (Volume 2, #1-8 “Guardian Devil”) wasn’t about tearing down and rebuilding as much as shining a light on dusty forgotten corners, reminding fans why they liked the character whilst presenting him to new readers.

The plot itself revolved around a young girl who believes she has given birth to a new Messiah, entrusting him, and possibly the fate of the world to the emotionally scarred and battle-weary Matt Murdock to protect them from eerie foes and the temptations of a seemingly insurmountable and pervasive evil. Despite living day to day among monsters and magicians can the Man Without Fear, a coldly logical lawyer, rationalise these events with the superhero’s deeply held Catholic beliefs? Is a different kind of evil at work here?

As a stand alone book Visionaries is a great example of an inspired idea competently delivered. Smith chooses to embrace all of the hero’s long history rather than re-tailor the hero to fit his vision, and the highly design-oriented style of art from Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti is garish but oddly appropriate to this moody tale. Seldom out of print since the first collection in 2001, this book remains a sadly rare high point in Marvel’s output of recent years.

© 2001, 2005 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Green Arrow: City Walls

Green Arrow: City Walls 

By Judd Winick, Phil Hester, Manuel Garcia, Ande Parks & Steve Bird (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-039-5

Green Arrow is the kind of character, with the right kind of supporting cast, that readily lends himself to book-length epics. So it’s strange that this volume (reprinting issues #32 and #34-39) kicks off with a stand-alone buddy story featuring the ‘we’re just guys’ antics of his son Connor and long-time sidekick Roy (Speedy/Arsenal) rather than a tale of the Emerald Archer himself, but it works as a character piece to highlight the similarities and differences of these second generation hero-archers and acts as a jolly warm-up for the drama to come. Besides, gags about what oafs guys are never go astray in modern society.

The major portion of the book is a dark action-fest with the entire dynasty of bowmen stretched to their limits to capture the Riddler, whose conundrum-crimes are simply a prelude to the subjugation of the entire city by giant, flaming demons tasked with keeping the absolute and total letter of the law. This canny tribute to Assault on Precinct 13 has heroes, cops and criminals working together to liberate their home as it slowly starves, and descends into grotesquely suppressed chaos.

There’s no big message, just a solid thrill-ride that’s stuffed with invention, snappy patter, mood and menace, with the usual understated Hester and Co. picture quality. Here’s the kind of graphic novel you can give to ordinary people if you’re looking for comic converts. How come no-one’s making movies about this bunch?

© 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

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Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 3

Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 3 

By Various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84023-946-8

I’m going to “cop a plea” on this book. Like any other comic book geek who grew up in the 1960’s and early 1970’s I was captivated by gaudy costumes and the outrageous battles to save the city, the country, the world, the universe, the multiverse, et al, ad nauseam. I loved all this stuff. I loved the funny animals, the comedies, suspense and horror stories, the Sci-Fi. Newspaper strips, Annuals, Albums, American, British, whatever. I even liked the romance stories which usually demanded a much higher standard of drawing than all other types of comic strip.

In regard to comic material from this period I cannot declare myself an impartial critic. That counts doubly so for the Julie Schwartz edited Justice League of America and its annual summer tradition of teaming up with its progenitor organisation, the Justice Society of America. If that sounds a tad confusing there are many places to look for clarifying details. If you’re interested in superheroes and their histories you’ll even enjoy the search. But this is not the place for that.

This volume reprints get-togethers from 1971 through 1974, tightly plotted tales comfortably rendered by the tragically under-rated Dick Dillin, although perhaps sometimes uncomfortably scripted in the vernacular of the day (“Right on brother,” says one white superhero to another white superhero!). There are adventures featuring inter-dimensional alien symbiotes and swamp monster Solomon Grundy (JLA #91-92), evil geniuses and the time-marooned team of 1940’s superheroes called the Seven Soldiers of Victory (JLA #100-102), an accidental detour to a parallel Earth where the Nazis won the second World War and the meeting with yet another team of 1940’s characters, the Freedom Fighters (JLA#107-108), and a genuinely poignant tale of good intentions gone awry featuring the Golden Age Sandman (JLA# 114).

In terms of “super” genre the writing consists of two bunches of heroes who get together to deal with extra-extraordinary problems. In hindsight, it’s obviously also about sales and the attempted revival of more super characters during a period of intense sales rivalry between DC Comics and Marvel. But for those who love costume heroes, who crave these carefully constructed modern mythologies and care, it is simply a grand parade of simple action, great causes and momentous victories.

I love ’em, not because they’re the best of their kind, but because I did then and they haven’t changed even if I have. Do you fancy trying to find your Inner Kid again?

© 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 2004 DC Comics. All rights reserved.

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Bizarro World

Bizarro World

By various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-085-9

What do you get if you give seventy-two alternative comics creators carte blanche and a broad brief?

This follow up to the surprisingly successful Bizarro Comics again invites a coterie of small press and alternative comics creators to make sport of various hallowed DC icons. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and all the lesser gods appear in a collection of tales humorous, dolorous and just plain peculiar, drawn in an eye-wrenching range of styles. Many of those involved display a disturbing knowledge of, if not respect for, the DC continuity of the 1960s whilst others seem to centre on the TV and Movie interpretations, but the fondness for times gone by is readily apparent throughout.

Watch especially for “The Batman Operetta” by Paul Grist, Hunt Emerson and Phil Elliot, “Personal Shopper” by Kyle Baker (with Elizabeth Glass), “Legion.com” by Ariel Bordeaux and Rick Altergott, “Krypto the Superdog” by Paul Dini and Carol Lay, “The Red Bee Returns” by Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez, “Bizarro Shmizarro” by Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel and “Where’s Proty?” by Abe Foreu and James Kochalka among the thirty-five little gems on 200 plus colourful pages wedged between thick card covers. Stand out stories for this reviewer are “Batman: Upgrade 5.0” by Dean Haglund and Peter Murrieta, illustrated by Megaton Man creator Don Simpson and the pant-drenchingly funny “Batman Smells” by Patton Oswalt and Bob Fingerman.

What do you get if you give seventy-two alternative comics creators carte blanche and a broad brief? You should get this.

© 2005 DC Comics. All rights reserved.

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Bizarro Comics

Bizarro Comics 

By various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-56389-779-2

I’ll happily go on record and say that all of the fun and true creativity in comics comes out of the ‘alternative’ or non-mainstream writers and artists these days. To prove my point I’d list a bunch of things, and very near the top of that list would be this book.

In its seventy-five odd (some, ever so) years in publishing, DC Comics produced many of the most memorable, most engaging and most peculiar comic characters and concepts you could imagine. They also managed to create a deep and abiding affection in the hearts and minds of some of the most creative people on the planet.

Within the hilarious framing sequence of a monstrous creature attempting to conquer Mr Mxyzptlk’s 5th dimensional home, Chris Duffy and Stephen DeStefano tell a weird and wonderful tale of the outlandish failed Superman clone Bizarro. As the appointed champion of the endangered dimensional our ‘hero’ resorts to his ultimate power, producing comic strips featuring unfamiliar adventures of DC’s most recognizable heroes…

Cue a veritable who’s who of the cool and wonderful of modern comics creating a plethora of wacky, dreamy, funny, wistful and just plain un-put-downable strips that would delight any kid who read comics but then accidentally grew up.

If you’re a fan of Jessica Abel, Kyle Baker, Gregory Benton, Nick Bertozzi, Ariel Bordeaux, Ivan Brunetti, Eddie Campbell, Dave Cooper, Mark Crilley, Jef Czekaj, Brian David-Marshall, D’Israeli, Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Hunt Emerson, Bob Fingerman, Abe Foreu, Ellen Forney, Liz Glass, Matt Groening, Tom Hart, Dean Haspiel, Sam Henderson, Gilbert Hernandez, Matt Hollingsworth, Dylan Horrocks, Nathan Kane, John Kerschbaum, Chip Kidd, James Kochalka, Roger Langridge, Carol Lay, Jason Little, Lee Loughridge, Matt Madden, Tom McCraw, Pat McEown, Andy Merrill, Tony Millionaire, Will Pfeifer, Paul Pope, Brian Ralph, Alvin Schwartz, Marie Severin, Jeff Smith, Jay Stephens, Rick Taylor, Craig Thompson, Jill Thompson, Andi Watson, Steven Weissman or Bill Wray you’ll see them at heir best. If you haven’t heard of anybody on that overwhelming list then get Googling. Then get this book and get enjoying.

© 2005 DC Comics. All rights reserved.

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Star Wars: Empire vol 5, Allies and Adversaries

Star Wars: Empire vol 5, Allies and Adversaries 

By Various (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84576-272-X

Space opera fans have another fine romp on their hands as the classic cast members of the now-legendary film franchise strut their swashbuckling stuff in a selection of tales taken from issues #23-27 of the Dark Horse comic.

The action starts with “The Bravery of Being Out of Range” by Jeremy Barlow and Brandon Badeaux, a tale of smuggling and subterfuge, and proceeds with “Idiots Array” by Ron Marz, Jeff Johnson and Joe Corroney, with Han Solo and Chewbacca betrayed by old friends whilst on a mission for the Rebels. Darth Vader is on hand to provide some chills, too.

“General’ Skywalker” from Marz, Adriana Melo and Nicholas Scott closes the book, with the boy-hero teaming up with a stranded Clone-Warrior, lost since before Palpatine made himself Emperor, against a horde of Imperials on a rampage.

There’s no great import to these adventures, just good old-fashioned thud–and-blunder heroics, drawn well and engrossingly scripted, and surely that’s enough to ask for?

© 2006 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

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Star Wars Clone Wars Vol 5: The Best Blades

Star Wars Clone Wars Vol 5: The Best Blades

By Various (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84023-903-4

This fifth collection of stories from the Clone Wars era of the franchise presents another fine set of classy comic stories (from Star Wars: Republic issues 60-62, 64 and the Star Wars: Jedi-Yoda one-shot).

“Dead Ends” by John Ostrander and Brandon Badeaux with Armando Durruthy is an insightful political thriller which sees Princess Leia’s soon to be adoptive father Bail Organa fighting a different sort of battle against the machinations of the evil Palpatine in the halls of the Senate, whilst the same creative team spotlight the eventual emperor himself in “Bloodlines”, a tale of personal seduction.

“Hate and Fear” by Haden Blackman and Tomás Giorello is a more traditional adventure with a captured Obi-Wan Kenobi and friend escaping the dungeons of a dark Jedi warrior queen, and “No Man’s Land” by the same team tells of what happened to Kenobi’s young squire Anakin Skywalker as his master was held captive and the bloody consequences of their eventual reunion.

Yoda’s tale “The Best Blades” written by Jeremy Barlow and illustrated by HOON, Ramiro Montanez and Stacy Michalcewicz is in many ways the weakest one of the bunch, as the diminutive master leads a team to the world ruled by an old friend in an attempt to prevent its succession from the republic, only to find a hotbed of palace intrigue and assassination. The story wanders between political thriller and samurai honour quest but doesn’t know how to get itself comfortably to the inevitable and predictable ending. The over-rendered, manga-derived painted CGI art also serves to blunt any edge of tension that might otherwise leak through, which is a pity, considering how popular the little green sock-monkey has become.

In the main though, this is a rock solid piece of entertainment, which is more than you can honestly claim for the film it devolves from.

© 2004 Lucasfilm Ltd & ™. All rights reserved.

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Star Wars Clone Wars Vol 4: Light and Dark

Star Wars Clone Wars Vol 4: Light and Dark 

By Various (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84576-360-2

I’ve already declared my disinterest elsewhere, but I’ll briefly reiterate here. I’m not a great a great fan of the films, so any review will be based solely on what I see in a graphic novel. I will say however, that the Star Wars cast are not “great characters”. Rupert of Hentzau is a great character. Sherlock Holmes is a great character. Ozymandias, the Spirit and Dr Doom are great comic book characters. Let’s not labour under any illusions here.

The latest book reloaded from the Dark Horse franchise collects Star Wars: Republic #54, Star Wars: Jedi – Aayla Secura, Star Wars: Jedi – Dooku and Star Wars: Republic #63. Creators throughout are the usually excellent John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, who I must admit produce some of the best writing and art I’ve seen in quite a while as they trace the long story of Jedi Master Quinlan Vos as he goes deep, deep, deep undercover in an attempt to infiltrate the growing Confederacy rebellion instigated by the ever-so-evil Count Dooku.

There’s plenty of double-dealing, subterfuge and high octane action. Shadowy faces ponder aloud whether Vos is really undercover or actually turned to the Dark Side and whole bunches of exotic characters abound, but it feels like a Chinese menu: One from column A, two from column B, must have a veggie dish, and we’ll have a passable night out. I needed a scorecard to keep all the elements in play, and as any fule know, at a really good restaurant they take the damned menus away when the food arrives.

But enough metaphor. What we’ve got here is a competent piece of comic work in the old tradition of keeping a licence fresh while the mainstream product prepares its next outing or dwindles from public notice, and I’m sure on that level those who slavishly follow the films and bother to read books will be more than satisfied. There are many more layers and textures than you’ll find in the average action movie, but I can’t help feeling that, as an attempt to get more people to read comics, this can only bewilder not enlighten.

© 2004 Lucasfilm Ltd & ™. All rights reserved.

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Star Wars: Empire vol 3, The Imperial Perspective

Star Wars: Empire vol 3, The Imperial Perspective 

By Various (Dark Horse Books)
ISBN 1-84023-933-6

This collection of stories deals with the battle between Empire and Rebel from the viewpoint of the bad guys. Reprinting adventures from the comic Star Wars: Empire (specifically issues 13, 14 and 16 – 19) it contains “What Sin Loyalty” by Jeremy Barlow and Patrick Blaine wherein an imperial storm-trooper/clone ponders the imponderables and re-examines his values during the last moments of the Deathstar, followed by “The Savage Heart” by Paul Alden and Raul Trevino, a cinematic and painterly actioner with a crash-landed Darth Vader fighting his way back to civilisation.

The real gem here is Welles Hartley and Davide Fabri’s “To the Last Man” which has echoes of The Young Lions, Cross of Iron and Zulu. Janek Sunber is a junior officer in the imperial infantry who finds himself and his unit trapped on a jungle world facing impossible odds, and hampered at every turn by the inept officer-nobility ranked above him. Rounding out the volume is another outing for the Dark Lord of the Sith in “Target: Vader” by Ron Marz and Brian Ching, a fairly standard, if engagingly illustrated, tale of espionage and assassination.

Unlike most media-derived comic productions many of the Star Wars publications manage to rise above their “cashing-in” origins, and this book is a fine example of good comics as well as a welcome addition to the canon of the franchise.

Star Wars © 2004 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.