The Radar: Dark Engine, The Squidder, Robin Rises: Omega, and More

Image Comics repeatedly delivers some of the most interesting, quirky, creator-driven books, and this week is no different with the publication of Ryan Burton and John Bivens’ Dark Engine #1.

The main character of this series is the product of alchemists, an instrument of destruction, but what happens when she decides to cleave out her own destiny in the world, rib-sword in hand? The art for this series is terrifying and gorgeous, crooked lines and undulating textures providing a creepy Lovecraftian atmosphere (if Lovecraft had set his stories in the rainforest, rather than the arctic tundra and Boston).

My one concern with this book is the press release’s description of the main character as a “savage woman” – an unfortunate choice of words that suggests brainlessness more than it does brawn, which would seem to be at odds with the representation of the main character as  struggling for freedom. That being said, the series promises to feature a struggle between individual autonomy and control by outside forces, suggesting that there is plenty of room for complex character development and fascinating world-building. (For those of you who live in Minneapolis, MN, John Bivens will be doing a signing at Comic Book College on August 6 from 4pm to 7pm.)

 

Of course, one Lovecraft-inspired book couldn’t possibly be enough to satisfy your longing for occult mysteries. Thankfully, IDW has put out a new mini-series this week, written and drawn by the immensely talented Ben Templesmith: Squidder #1. As the title suggests, this book draws on the Cthulhu mythos, but instead of being set in the lead up to the tentacular apocalypse, it occurs after the squid overlords have already gained control.

Templesmith’s art is the real draw, here. The line-work has a quirky expressionistic quality, its stark edges resembling wood cuts, and the colors are washed out but with a kind of glimmer. I was disappointed when Templesmith left behind his art responsibilities on Ten Grand, so it’s good to see him back on a book.

Also, for those of us who have been patiently waiting for the arrival of the new Robin, this week DC releases Robin Rises: Omega, a one-shot by Peter Tomasi with art by Andy Kubert and Jonathan Glapion that kicks off the rise of whoever will take over the mantle. (Will it be Damian, again? Seems likely… but who knows?!) This issue will be followed up by the Batman and Robin ongoing series by Tomasi.

Finally, Uncanny X-Men #23 (Marvel) is entitled The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier. Writer Brian Michael Bendis has already said that this issue will change the dynamic of both of the main X-Men book (Uncanny and All New X-Men), while keeping his lips sealed on the exact details. This X-Men book has been my favorite, with its moody and conflicted Cyclops, interesting reflections on politics, and brilliant artwork by Chris Bachalo.     

 

 

The Radar: Rocket Raccoon, Tech-Jacket, Legendary Star-Lord

The big story of this week is Guardians of the Galaxy, as Marvel releases two spin-offs featuring the solo adventures of characters from the team.

 

Rocket Raccoon #1 (Marvel)

Skottie Young

 

This new series features the wise-cracking Rocket Raccoon – an alien who resembles a raccoon, but, as he never tires of repeating, is certainly not one – on the run from intergalactic authorities. This series should be a lot of fun, mixing cosmic adventure with sarcasm and screwball humor. There couldn’t be a better choice for writer and artist than Skottie Young (Marvel’s Oz series). His unabashedly cartoonish style embodies the wackiness of the best Saturday-morning cartoons, making it tempting to describe the series as Star Wars meets Looney Tunes.

 

Legendary Star-Lord #1 (Marvel)

Sam Humphries, Paco Medina

 

Of the two new series, this one is perhaps slightly more serious in intent, or at least less cartoonish and more action adventure-oriented. Star-Lord is a rascal who enjoys flirting and swashbuckling – often at the same time. If you’re enjoying the new Guardians or the new Cyclops series but you haven’t had your fill of cosmic adventure, this series should be a great addition to your pull list. Sam Humphries is best known for his work on Uncanny X-Force and Ultimate Comics Ultimates for Marvel, while Paco Medina’s work – which features a toned down Manga influence – has been seen on Ultimate Comics X-Men and Nova.

 

Tech-Jacket #1 (Image)

Joe Keatinge, Khary Randolph, Dave McCaig

 

We may as well round things off with yet another series featuring an intergalactic guardian. Zack Thompson is a college dropout who lives with his parents – and “Galactic Guardian of Earth.” The tech jacket – a “powered exoskeleton” – gives Zack a host of powers including super strength and energy blasts. This series, a previous incarnation of which was written by Robert Kirkman (of Walking Dead fame) and a part of the Invincible comic universe, now features writing by Joe Keatinge, whose work deserves plenty of praise. Keatinge’s still new creator-owned series Shutter is a brilliant cross between fantasy and Indiana Jones. The art by Khary Randolph has a touch of manga style to it, especially in character faces, but is also very detailed and beautifully complimented by Dave McCaig’s vibrant yet subtle colors. At $2.99, it’s certainly worth a try.

The Radar: Outcast, Superman #32

Apologies for the hiatus, but major life events have made updating the blog impossible until now!

Outcast #1 (Image)

Robert Kirkman, Paul Azaceta

Outcast #1 is the first issue of Robert Kirkman’s new horror series in which possession and exorcism are center stage. Of course, the continuation of the world itself is at stake. Kirkman excels at long, complex narratives – his Walking Dead and Invincible have both been running for over a decade – with nuanced character development. Paul Azaceta’s art is stark and shadowy without being simplistic or muddy, setting the perfect mood for a comic that promises to blend inner turmoil with metaphysical rumination.

In addition to being only $2.99 (a steal when you consider that most comics these days are $4.00), this first issue is also over-sized. It’s definitely worth checking out.

 

Superman #32 (DC)

Geoff Johns, John Romita Jr.

Superman #32 has been getting a great deal of attention, including a write up on the New York Times’ website and a number of multi-page ads in DC’s comic books. With a new creative team, the issue in many respects could be a #1, especially in an age when Marvel sees fit to relaunch and renumber series every year or two. Geoff Johns, of course, has a long list of works to his name (notably his paradigm-shifting run on Green Lantern and his Justice League stint), but it is recent work on Aquaman that deserves mention, since Johns managed to put new life into a character that many had written off (if they ever cared in the first place). Much like in his run on Green Lantern, Johns contributed a number of new elements to Aquaman’s world and mythology, turning the ruler of Earth’s oceans into a nuanced character with tragic overtones and an interesting supporting cast (the Others, now with their own book by Dan Jurgens). Johns has already promised to introduce new characters into Superman, as well as new plot strands, so hopefully we can see him take what has been one of DC’s more lackluster books and make it something more worthy of its titular hero.

I’ve dwelled on Johns, because Romita Jr.’s art has been what most people have been discussing – and fair enough. Romita has done very important work for Marvel Comics over the past 30 years and his style is deservedly well known. The preview art for the issue is stunning, if jarring in its angular quality. Romita revels in the sheer strength and kinetic energy of the emigrant from the planet Krypton. What can certainly be said is that DC is doing everything it can to give a boost to Superman at a time when Batman tops the sales charts.

The Radar: Cyan, Amazing Spider-Man, and Southern Bastards

Vertigo Quarterly #1: Cyan (Vertigo)

Various

 

This year Vertigo (the publisher and now imprint that brought you Sandman, Y: The Last Man, Transmetropolitan, and many other brilliant series) is releasing four anthologies based on the four colors used in comics coloring: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This first anthology features work by Jock, Fabio Moon, James Tynion IV, Joe Keatinge, Amy Chu, and others. The color serves as a point of departure for each story in some way.

 

While this anthology has a relatively abstract and perhaps even random unity to it (Vertigo’s recent anthologies – all quite good – have had a genre or theme, such as time travel, lending them cohesion), the talent gathered for this issue deserves plenty of attention. You can expect a mix of science fiction, horror, and observational studies in life all done with an eye towards experimenting in what the medium of comics can do.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel)

Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos

 

Peter Parker swings back to action, more than conveniently timed to reappear before the new Spider-Man movie. I have to admit: I was a fan of the Superior Spider-Man, which carried out one of the most startling transformations of a superhero comic series in some time.

 

That being said, we always knew Peter would return and Doc Ock had plenty of time to experiment with all the powers and responsibilities that come with the suit. The good news is that Dan Slott continues to write the adventures of Spidey, so I’m sure we’re in for some more surprises. On top of al that, Humberto Ramos’s art is sleek and dynamic

 

Southern Bastards #1 (Image)

Jason Aaron, Jason Latour

 

I’m not really sure to expect from this comic. The solicit describes it as “a southern fried crime comic” and also mentions a high school football coach with bodies buried under the bleachers. The story focuses on Earl Tubb as he returns to his hometown of Craw County, Alabama to deal with the ghosts of his past. Aaron has promised lots of B-movie elements integrated into a suspenseful crime drama.

 

Even if you’re not a fan of the culture southern-style, Jason Aaron (Wolverine and the X-Men, Scalped) knows how to write a complex and compelling plot, one that develops characters in a rich manner without ever letting the narrative pace go slack. Jason Latour’s art looks amazing; it’s dark and brooding, gritty but detailed, and ugly – or should I say grotesque – in exactly the way the story’s material demands.

 

Brief Mentions

I’ve decided to do no more than three picks for the Radar each week in order to make it more manageable and also make time for doing other kinds of posts, including mini-reviews and highlights of past series in trade. That being said, this “brief mentions” section will indicate in short form other issues to be on the look out for.

J. Michael Straczynski (Ten Grand) and Sid Kotian bring a story about police officers who patrol the realm of dreams in Dream Police #1 (Image). The series promises to deliver a complex fantasy world, on the flipside of the ordinary, with a noirish police procedural framing things.

Valiant adds (or, rather, resurrects) another character for its quickly expanding superhero universe with Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and Clayton Crain’s Rai #1. Set in 40001 AD, in a Japan that now orbits the earth, the series includes elements of martial arts action, dystopian science fiction, and crime drama, as the title character struggles not only to track a murderer but also to rediscover his own humanity.

Finally, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios’s Pretty Deadly (Image) has its first trade paperback volume coming out and for only $9.99. Rios’s art is amazing, a kind of dirty surrealism lifting elements from old spaghetti Westerns, while DeConnick writes in a mode more lyrical than realistic. A magical realist, surrealist Western: there’s really nothing else like it on the stands!

 

 

The Radar: Solar, Translucid, Genesis, and More!

Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (Dynamite)

Frank J. Barbiere, Joe Bennett

 

Dynamite’s revival of Gold Key characters (an old imprint from the 1960s under Western Publishing and Whitman comics) has been a strong effort, with such titles as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (by Greg Pak and Mirko Colak) and Magnus: Robot Fighter #1 (Fred Van Lente and Cory Smith) garnering a good deal of praise.

 

Solar: Man of the Atom features the old trope of a scientist exposed to radiation gaining marvelous powers, forced to confront questions of responsibility and what it means to be hero. The premise is certainly not startlingly original or new, but what makes this title exciting is Frank Barbiere, whose work on Five Ghosts (Image) has been very good, as well as the art by Joe Bennett, which is more than solid. If you’re looking for a sincere but complex take on the superhero genre, you can’t do much better than this.

 

Translucid #1 (Boom)

Claudio Sanchez, Chondra Echert, Daniel Bayliss

 

At this point, there are so many comics that “deconstruct” the superhero genre that they have effectively become part of the genre, rather than a challenge to it. There is, in other words, nothing all that startling about a title that calls into question what makes a superhero tick. (Translucid #1 seems to know this fact, comparing itself to Irredeeemable in its marketing.) That being said, recent “deconstructive” titles such as Joe Casey’s Sex (Image), J. Michael Straczynski’s Sidekick (Image), and Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye (Marvel) manage to still be interesting precisely because they do not so much dismantle the superhero as present facets of the genre we seldom get to see.

 

Translucid appears to be a wonderfully weird investigation into the superhero/arch-enemy relationship. It is told from the perspective of the arch-enemy, The Horse, as he notices that his superhero nemesis’s moral compass seems to be faltering. On its own, I find Sanchez and Echert’s premise interesting, but it’s the art that pushes it over to the category of must check out. Bayliss’s line work is detailed with a heavy dose of noir grit and his use of color is stunning, the pinks and purples not so much lightening the tone as sending it in spirals bordering madness. (The Ming Doyle variant cover – seen above – doesn’t hurt either…)

 

Genesis One-Shot (Image)

Nathan Edmonson, Alison Sampson

 

Nathan Edmonson is a great writer, best known for his work on covert ops comics such as The Activity and Who is Jake Ellis? Recently, he has branched out with an interesting run on The Punisher and a brilliant fantasy mini-series (which still has me waiting for its completion…) Dream Merchant. Genesis is a graphic novel length one-shot described in the solicit as a “trippy journey of creation and destruction as one man finds himself with the ability to manifest anything by thinking it – only to learn that with seemingly unlimited power comes unstoppable terror.”

 

The art is a gritty, sketchy style, not unfinished exactly but tentative, as if the Sampson’s line work was mimicking the story’s understanding of cerebral creation. I think this will be a strange and fascinating comic – definitely check it out if you’re looking for something different!

 

Hulk #1 (Marvel)

Mark Waid, Mark Bagley

 

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to read Mark Waid (and you should be, because his work is amazing) or if you have a spot for the old green guy with an attitude problem, then pick this relaunch up. Waid knows how to make jump on points that are smooth and informative (see his recent relaunch of Daredevil) and he also knows how to probe the depths of a character, to really explore the possibilities of what a character can be without betraying what makes him or her so compelling and singular. Bagley’s art looks great, a perfect balance between realism and cartoonishness.

 

The storyline itself should be exciting, with issue #1 seeing Bruce Banner knocking on death’s door because of a gun shot wound. With yet another promising first issue from Marvel Comics, I’m sure I’m not the only one making tough decisions about my pull list…

 

Other Notable Titles:

The controversial and wildly exciting Superior Spider-Man (Marvel) series comes to a conclusion in issue #31, wrapping up the Goblin Nation story and SPOILER ALERT bringing back your friendly neighborhood spider-man, Peter Parker, in the new Amazing Spider-Man.

The smash hit Sex Criminals (Image) has its first trade paperback coming out, collecting issues 1-5. This is a clever series dealing with sexuality, love, and, well, criminality… Matt Fraction’s writing and Chip Zadarsky’s art have earned a well-deserved Eisner nomination. And it’s only $9.99!

 

The Radar: Caliban, Inhuman, and Detective Comics #30

Caliban #1 (Avatar)

Garth Ennis, Facundo Percio

For some, Garth Ennis’s name alone is enough to make them buy a comic – and there’s good reason for that. Ennis has proven that he can weave complex narratives out of provocative – and sometimes perverse – ideas. No series demonstrates that better than Preacher, in which a small town preacher, Jesse Custer, comes to be inhabited by a divine force and decides to challenge God himself. Add to his creator-owned work his runs on Punisher and Hellblazer and what you have is an author who has no problem taking on difficult material without ever reducing his story to cheap thrills.

Caliban places itself squarely in the genre of the science fiction horror à la Alien. A space flight crew crashes into a seemingly abandoned alien spaceship and havoc ensues. The drama is as much about the crew members’ interactions with one another as it is about the encounter with the aliens. The art by Facundo Percio is very clean, even as it is very detailed. If you are looking for a comic that combines psychological complexity with horrific suspense, then this is for you.

 

Detective Comics #30 (DC Comics)

Francis Manapul, Brian Buccellato

Detective Comics #30 sees the creative team from the Flash take over the cape crusader. The team has promised that the series will focus – as its title suggests – on Batman as a detective, which is to say as the crimefighter who can not only fight but also use his intellect.

The art by Buccellato looks gorgeous, a wonderful blend of washed out colors and shadowing giving it noir overtones. The first story arc is a mystery involving a deadly new narcotic in Gotham City. This is a great place to jump on, and it should satisfy fans who have been longing for Batman outside of the Zero Year events in Scott Snyder’s Batman book.

 

Inhuman #1 (Marvel)

Charles Soule, Joe Madureira

After a series of delays, Marvel’s new series featuring the Inhumans has finally arrived. While they haven’t revealed much, we do know that the series will follow the events following the events of Infinity (the Avengers event of 2013), in which a Terrigen mist bomb caused the powers of many new Inhumans to awaken. The series is going to take on not only the lives of Inhumans new and old but also the reactions to the proliferation of new superpowered humans. (FYI: The Inhumans are a subspecies or offshoot of the human species, the product of experiments by the alien Kree. An advanced and hidden civilization resulted, a tight-knit society with a royal lineage at its head and a single city as its center.)

Charles Soule replaced Matt Fraction on writing, which is certain to mean a very different tone for the book. Personally, I am fine with the shift, as much as like Fraction’s work on Daredevil, as Soule’s work on Swamp Thing, She-Hulk, and his creator-owned Letter 44 has been very impressive. Madureira’s art is dynamic, capable of shifting from bright and expressive to dark and brooding from panel to panel. There are lots of rumors going around that the Inhumans are Marvel’s next big thing, so we’ll see…

 

The Radar: Avengers Undercover, Stray Bullets, Captain Marvel

Avengers Undercover #1 (Marvel)

Dennis Hopeless, Kev Walker

 

Avengers Undercover serves as the sequel to last year’s Avengers Arena. Arena was one of the big surprises of last year, turning what could have been a Hunger Games rip-off full of B and C list characters into a perfect blend of action and drama. The solicit for this new series indicates that several of the survivors of Murder World will be going “deep undercover” into the Masters of Evil in order to “take them down from the inside.” The real promise of this series lies in the exploration of ethical ambiguity: How do you stay good while pretending to be evil? At what point does the mask become the person?

 

It’s unclear whether or not this issue will be a good starting point for those who have yet to read Avengers Arena. Hopeless’s writing is excellent, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he succeeds in making this an accessible jump on point. I highly suggest picking up the first issue, giving it a chance, and then, if you’re at all confused, rush to your store to pick up Arena – you won’t be disappointed!

 

Stray Bullets: Killers #1 (Image)

David Lapham

 

Stray Bullets is a cult favorite with a long 40+ issue history behind it. A noir series, with a particularly grisly bent, it’s not for the weak of stomach. Each issue reads like a morality tale gone awry, dredging up the darker areas of human existence and lingering in them for an effect of maximum discomfort. If you are looking for a crime comic, with a realistic but quirky take on human society, then this comic is for you.

 

Captain Marvel #1 (Marvel)

Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez

 

Marvel Comics is doing at least two things really well right now: street-level, humorous takes on superheroic life (Hawkeye, Daredevil, Superior Foes of Spider-Men) and cosmic sagas spanning far-flung star systems (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy). Captain Marvel has already been a part of the latter trend as an important member of the Avengers, but this month sees her own book restarting at issue #1 and “going cosmic” in the process. It also sees David Lopez on art, with his crisp, clean lines and wondeful ability to pace action.

 

So far, Kelly Sue DeConnick has put Carol Danvers through the proverbial wringers, fracturing her life into traumatic fragments. However, throughout, Captain Marvel remains a strong hero, a nuanced woman defying reduction not only to damsel in distress but also to some stereotypical version of a strong woman. She is complex and complicated, tough and thoughtful, resistant to any simple conception of gender roles. With a number of titles – Pretty Deadly (Image), Ghost (Dark Horse), and Captain Marvel – DeConnick is doing a wonderful job challenging anyone who would want to let comics remain a boy’s club.

The Radar (3/5): Magneto, Veil, Starlight, and Moon Knight!

This is an amazing week for new series! I mean really: I couldn’t be happier!

 

Magneto #1 (Marvel)

Colin Bunn, Gabriel Hernandez Walta

 

Magneto has been an inimitable presence in the recent pages of Uncanny X-Men: a grim reminder of Professor Xavier’s death and of the suffering of Marvel’s mutants; a moral conundrum, whose place on this or that side of any conflict remains difficult to place. However, he’s always been on the side of mutants, though sometimes in a questionable manner. Now in the pages of his own series, Magneto will play the role of an angel of death, pursuing the enemies of mutants with the most extreme sense of vengeance.

The pages of artwork that have been released show a gritty and dark visual style, with Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) draped in mournful black. Indeed, the feel of this comic is precisely one of mourning, as if this series were working through the death of some glory-filled moment for mutants and learning to accept a more difficult, more complicated situation where there can be no safe space for those who are different. The series is in safe hands with Colin Bunn, whose excellent Sixth Gun (Oni Press) serves as testament to an ability to unfold a complex and lengthy story without ever losing his readers.

 

Moon Knight #1 (Marvel)

Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey

 

Warren Ellis’s name alone would have been enough to make me pick up this comic. With Transmetropolitan (Vertigo), Fell (Image), and Planetary (Wildstorm) – merely three of his many creator-owned properties – not to mention his work on Hellblazer Vertigo), X-Men, and the Fantastic Four (Marvel), Ellis has carved out a distinctive style, combining grim political satire with the wonder of speculative fiction and a noir sensibility. He also has a knack for riding the line between zany and serious, and what better character with which to demonstrate these abilities than the Moon Knight.

Marc Spector/Moon Knight is a street-level character like Daredevil, Punisher, or the Iron Fist; he has amazing athletic powers and is skilled in a variety of martial arts; but what distinguishes him is his proximity to madness, or more precisely, his multiple personalities. Marc Spector’s psyche consists of contradictory fragments, selves irreconcilable yet inextricable the one from the other. Ellis has termed the book a piece of “weird crime” fiction, so if you are looking for a book that takes a superhero and throws him into the strange world of the occult and of ancient gods, then you are in luck! Declan Shalvey’s art, I would add, along with Jordie Bellaire’s colors should push this series into the territory of work that needs to be checked out.

 

Veil #1 (Dark Horse)

Greg Rucka, Toni Fejzula

 

Is it enough to simply say that Greg Rucka is writing this series? As in Greg Rucka, the author that brought you Queen and Country, Whiteout, one of the best runs on the Punisher, and the ongoing Lazarus. The solicit is terse: “A beautiful girl wakes up in an abandoned subway station with no memory of how she got there. When men try to hurt her . . . they wind up dead. Where did she come from? And what is she capable of?” While sparse in detail, the description hits on Rucka’s strengths: a mysterious noir atmosphere, a strong female protagonist, and the lurking feeling of death.

Fejzula’s art is gorgeous and disturbing. It maintains the dark and shadowy feel of noir, even as it plays with the contrast between a diversity of bright colors (green, violet, pink, and blue). This mini-series should provide the grim excitement you need as you wait for the next issue of Rucka’s Lazarus to hit the shelves!

 

Starlight #1 (Image)

Mark Millar, Goran Parlov

 

Starlight is Mark Millar’s take on pulpy science fiction, complete with a Flash Gordon-like protagonist, fantastic cartoon landscapes, spaceships, and scantily clad (alien?) women. Of course, it’s Millar, so there’s a catch: our hero, Duke McQueen, has been called out of retirement to save the universe yet again, and the images of him in the preview show a grizzled, white-haired man draped in shadows.

I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of Millar – Kick-Ass simply isn’t for me – but I have been impressed with the issues of Jupiter’s Legacy that have come out and he certainly knows how to orchestrate a spectacle. This series looks like it will mash together big adventurous fun with a jaded appreciation of the toll heroism takes on a person.

The Radar: Undertow, White Suits, New Warriors, and More!

Undertow #1 (Image)

Steve Orlando, Artyom Trakhanov

 

What if the surface world was a mythical place and the underwater city of Atlantis was home? Steve Orlando writes an aquatic science fiction story filled with angst, in which a rebel named Redum Anshargal – yes, a bit of a mouthful, that – seeks the legendary Amphibian: the key to the possibility of life on land. Atlantis is a rigid society, with arranged marriages and a solid status quo, and Redum seeks to lead an exodus to the promise land of an oxygen-rich existence.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this mini-series is Trakhanov’s artwork, which is both scratchy and detailed, playful yet precise. The panels are filled with subtle variations of blue, violet, and pink, and layered in such a way that one’s gaze slowly moves from the foreground to the background, uncovering the complexities in a slow, glorious reveal.

 

New Warriors #1 (Marvel)

Chris Yost, Marcus To

 

The New Warriors are a flashback to the nineties, as well as another addition to Marvel’s really quite brilliant collection of comics dealing with young adults and teenagers (such as Avengers Arena, Miss Marvel, and the Young Avengers). Facing the High Evolutionary, who is less than happy about the sudden multiplication of superheroes and mutants with the fallout of the Infinity event and the advent of new Inhumans. The series features Speedball, Justice, the Scarlet Spider, Nova, Sun Girl, and Hummingbird (among others) and while these aren’t necessarily the most well known characters, Marvel has certainly proven in recent years its ability to take relatively minor characters (Hawkeye, anyone? Darkhawk?), charge them with real pathos, and make them the vehicle for fun and exciting plot lines.

 

White Suits #1 (Dark Horse)

Frank Barbiere, Toby Cypress

 

“Mysterious killers dressed in white,” the Dark Horse solicit reads, and we can add cold, hard noir action set in New York but with Cold War Russian overtones. Dark Horse’s latest crime fiction offering delivers a former member of the mob, struck by amnesia, reckoning with the violence of his past. The art is quite stylized and attractive, only using black, white, and red to generate the grim atmosphere. If Russian crime lords and assassins strike a note with you, then definitely give this a try.

 

 

Zero TP Vol. 1: An Emergency (Image)

Ales Kot, Michael Walsh, Tradd Moore, Mateus Santolouco, Morgan Jeske, and Jordie Bellaire

 

I’ve written about Zero before, but I still wanted to call attention to the arrival of the first trade volume of the series, which collects issues 1 through 5. This series does science-fiction-tinged espionage in a manner that is at once intensely cerebral and surprisingly moving. Edward Zero is a spy and assassin who is becoming disenchanted with the narrow, ask-no-questions life of a government instrument. Kot somehow manages to synthesize a realistic portrait of global intelligence agencies with Lovecraftian weirdness, as if to suggest that our contemporary historical conjuncture is one in which the seemingly familiar can only be understood as uncanny, even occult. Each issue rotates to a new artist, and so far, the choices have all been brilliant, with each one using his or her unique style to highlight specific aspects of the series. (For example, Tradd Moore’s spastic cartoonish style appears in an issue dealing with Zero’s childhood, and the effect is to emphasize the perversion of youth, its being distorted and bent towards the most violent of aims.) At $9.99, you can’t afford to miss one of the most brilliant comics hitting the stands today!

 

FBP (Federal Bureau of Physics) TP Vol. 1: The Paradigm Shift (Vertigo)

Simon Oliver, Robbi Rodriguez

 

FBP is a bit of a slow burn, which in a comic that wasn’t so finely textured in  its world-building might be a complaint. The premise of the series is a world in which physics has gone out of wack – wormholes, gravity failures, and quantum tornadoes having become as common as hurricanes threatening the coast of Florida. The Federal Bureau of Physics is the agency responsible for dealing with these disasters, though their authority is being called into question by a outside forces. There’s an interesting political spin to the comic, which I won’t reveal, and the character work is quite good, blending quirky personal idiosyncrasies with the kind of resolve that makes for intensely psychological plots. (In recent issues, Oliver points more and more towards how the hazy past of each character will come to impact his or her future.) Rodriguez’s art is garish but in a great way, his zany use of line work and almost fluorescent colors (I’ve never been so enamored by hot pink) giving a visceral sense of a world out of joint. I must admit the series reminds me a great deal of J.J. Abrams’ series Fringe, which of course borrowed many of its ideas from the X-Files – but, personally, I don’t think you can have too much of a good thing, at least not when it comes to conspiracy theories, the occult, and science-gone-haywire sci-fi.

The Retrospection Machine 9000

Due to a combination of work, personal life, and supernatural phenomena, there was no new issue of The Radar this past Wednesday. So, instead, we’re bringing you the Retrospection Machine 9000, an admittedly idiosyncratic device, which has haphazardly culled some of the more interesting numbers of last week’s releases. There are issues we didn’t get a chance to read – the new Winter Soldier, IDW’s City: The Mind in the Machine, and Gravel: Combat Magician, to name only a few – but there were still plenty of fun to be had!

 

This week’s biggest surprise was Oni Press’s The Bunker #1 (Oni Press) by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari. This psychological horror thriller examines a group of friends who find out they are responsible for the end of the world. When they go into the woods to bury a time capsule, they instead find a bunker filled with letters and objects apparently sent to them by their future selves. Without giving too much away, what follows is a series of tense, intimate encounters between friends and a frightening look into the precariousness of contemporary human society. Infurnari’s art takes this comic to another level, its scratchy but precise use of line and color gives the title the feel of an aged photograph – as if this comic had been sent back in time, already worn by the apocalyptic years stretching between our present and their future. Pick this up if you can!

 

She-Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics), by Charles Soule and Javier Pulido, delivers slice of life comedy at its finest. Reminiscent of Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, the series centers on what Jennifer Walters (a.k.a. She-Hulk) does in her day job, namely, lawyering. It doesn’t hurt that Soule is himself a lawyer, lending a feel of authenticity to the comic, but it’s not authenticity that makes it work. It’s the witty dialogue and the quickly-delivered sense of Walters as a fully-fleshed out personality. She’s tough, smart, beautiful but also clearly troubled, looking for a way to make be more than a superhero. (Indeed, the plot of this issue revolves around her resistance to being reduced to a superhero, as well as her refusal to let another superhero walk all over the little people. Pulido’s art s brilliant, doing a fair share of the storytelling labor on its own. The line work is sparing but precise, yet the panels are always detailed, with, for example, an entire scene happening in the background of several panels, quite literally behind She-Hulk’s back. I think this series is going to be well worth picking up monthly and a wonderful addition to Marvel’s banter-filled, toned down, emotionally acute line up!

 

Mercenary Sea #1 (Image Comics) is fun like watching a bad eighties action move is fun. Set in the South Seas just before World War II, when Japan has already invaded China, we see the ex-bootlegger Jack Harper and his band of outcasts engage in shady business deals and cross paths with a number of unsavory fellows. Kel Symon’s writing is deft, trading less in psychologically-developed or deep characters and more with precisely tailored stereotypes (for example, the African American boxer who refused to throw a fight). If this seems like a negative remark, it’s not. The issue does exactly what it sets out to do: provide a delightful, fast-paced romp, with enough distinction between characters to produce dramatic tension, sexual friction, and humorous dialogue. Matthew Reynolds’ art seems to be hit or miss for comic readers, with the reviews I’ve read and listened to complaining of its static quality. I disagree. Reynolds does a wonderful job of giving the plot an intense kinetic energy, using bright, constrasting colors (often with the foreground and background sharply distinguished through different hues) and subtle shadowing to make the action jump off the page at readers.

 

Not too much to say regarding Batman #28 (DC Comics) (Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Dustin Nguyen). The issue breaks from the current Zero Year storyline, which has been brilliantly re-telling Batman’s origins, in order to give us a flashforward into the world of the upcominc series Batman Eternal. Tonally, this issue is different from what we’ve seen from Snyder and Capullo, with Tynion and Nguyen’s input clearly shining through. It’s less gritty and more adventurous. It’s perhaps less dramatic or moving than the the main Batman series, but even as we’re thrown in the middle of things, the writers manage to convey a sense of suspense (who’s ruling Gotham’s underworld?). Finally, one of the joys of this issue consists in several spoilers, including the fate of Harper Row and the rise of a new Batman baddie (or is it an old one?).