Couchman Vs. Giant Stack of Comics!

Greetings citizens! Today is something special. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a few tweets from me with the #CouchmanVSGiantStackOfComics label. Well, I haven’t been able to get up to the comic shop since the beginning of May, so my pull box was quite full. In addition, I found several issues on the shelves that I wanted to pick up for one reason or another. All in all, I ended up with a stack of around twenty-five comics or so. I decided that a fun thing for me to do, in order to try and get back into the rhythm of reviewing comics, would be to go through the whole thing as quickly as I could and give some brief thoughts on each one. Well, almost each one. I cut the stack down to about seventeen comics for the review, but hey, that’s still a big pile. So, let’s dive in and conquer this stack!

First up in the stack is Ms. Marvel #16. This is the beginning of the Secret Wars tie-ins, both for the issue, and for me personally, which makes me groan. I’m not a fan of Secret Wars. The concept has potential, excising stuff from various worlds that just doesn’t work, and trying to bring everything into the main continuity. But I detest that they’re “ending” everything. Sure, I can buy that the Ultimate Universe is dead. Hell, it was mostly dead already, so it’s not like they’re losing much, especially since Ultimate Spidey is now the main Spidey. But the 616 universe? Sure, they –might- kill that, but only if they keep the vast majority of stuff from it, which means it will only be technically dead. I also hate all the freaking drama about it. This goes back to what I wrote about the Death of Wolverine story; there is no tension to it, so stop trying to make us feel tension! We’ve already gotten some announcements of things that are going to be around in the NewMU, so trying to tell us that “everything ends” is just dumb. Also, NewMU is a terrible name. If it’s intentionally trying to rip-off the New52, I only have to ask why? While there was good stuff in the New52, it was pretty widely panned, so why are you trying to make people think about it? If it’s unintentional, then how far up your asses are your heads, Marvel?

Ugh, okay, rant over. Ms. Marvel #16 is pretty solid. People fleeing from Manhattan have traveled to Jersey City, and all hell has broken loose in the city. Kamala tries to make sure her loved ones are taken care of, but is still reeling from having her heart broken. The writing is, as always, good with G. Willow Wilson making Kamala very relatable in both word and deed.

Red Sonja #16 is next, and like with Ms. Marvel, it’s solid as usual. Sonja is dying, and as people are wont to do in fiction, she sees the Goddess of Death. Death offers Sonja the opportunity to be one of her personal guards, but Sonja decides to just try and kill death. Which works out for her, as she ends up living. Admittedly, that all could’ve just been a dream, since Sonja was saved by a miracle elixir concocted by a dead alchemist, but I like to think Sonja’s just that badass. Walter Giovanni’s artwork is beautiful as always, and Gail Simone’s writing hits all the right notes. It saddens me that I recall hearing she was no longer going to be writing the series.

Next up on the block is Thors #1, written by Jason Aaron. I was interested in this series, because I am a big fan of Aaron’s writing on Thor and Star Wars, and it was an intriguing idea. Thors serve as a police force on Battleworld, crossing between the domains and reporting to Doom. I’m not fond of the idea of them serving Doom (before Secret Wars #2, I thought that they kept order for the sake of keeping order), but it is what it is. The writing is good, which is to be expected, and the artwork is also solid. All the Thors have a different outfit, making them all stand out from one another, but with enough commonality to them to identify them as part of the same group. However, what irks me is that Aaron killed off Beta Ray Bill. Considering Bill isn’t exactly a big name character, his death may be a permanent one to come from this whole mess. So, yeah, not pleased with the issue, and not sure I want to pick up the following ones.

On to something less aggravating; Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman #10. I’ve been reading the series for awhile now, and it is always a delight. Wonder Woman is a great super hero, and before picking up these, I hadn’t gotten any exposure to her in the comics. I did pick up a couple of issues of the main Wonder Woman title, but… it just didn’t pull me in and didn’t show off how awesome Diana is. The stories in Sensation Comics though are all about showing off how awesome she is, instead of things like pathos or character development. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those things quite a bit, but sometimes you just want something fun and light. Issue 10’s stories focus on a singer/actress who’s branching into a less “feminine” kind of image, and Diana is brought on as extra security from a creep who’s threatening her. The second one is about a dragon who attacks a city to get revenge on Diana’s mother for killing all of his people. My love for dragons could easily fill up an entire review on it’s own, but suffice to say that seeing Diana take down a dragon is simultaneously awesome, but also a little sad.

Captain Marvel #15 is a solemn issue. Carol finally returns home from her grand space adventure to find out that her friend Tracy passed away not too long ago. Carol had known it was coming, but it was still a shock. The issue is spent hearing bits of her life, and mourning her. It’s a very well written issue, and spoke to me on an emotional level like little else has in a long while. I teared up a little, not gonna lie.

Alright, back to the Secret Wars, this time with Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps. We get introduced to Banshee Squadron, AKA the Carol Corps. The Corps serves as a fighter squadron for Hala Fields, one of the many domains of Battleworld, under the leadership of Captain Marvel. The Corps begin to question whether all of the “facts” of the world as told by Doom are truth or not. They get sent on a mission, ostensibly to take out some invading Ultron robots, but the ship they’re sent to destroy instead has people on it, though the revelation comes too late to save most of the people. Carol attempts to save them though, but she fails and is presumed dead. She later turns up at the squad’s barracks with the lone survivor. She declares that she’s going to find out the truth, and asks for her squad’s aid. It feels like a shorter issue than it is, but it’s well written and sets up the series well. I think I like this more than any of the other Secret Wars things I’ve read because it actually shows one of the heroes actually in opposition to Doom, questioning if he really is God or not. The writing by Kelly Sue DeConnick is good as always, and it makes me sad she’s not going to be writing Captain Marvel anymore. The artwork is also solid, evoking the same kind of feel as reels from World War Two and American propaganda posters. All in all, a good read, and so far the only Secret Wars title I want to follow.

Star Wars #5 and #6 continue to make me smile. Jason Aaron is great at capturing the voices of the characters, to the point where I hear them speaking in my head like the actors. The pacing feels a little on the slower side, but I tend to prefer that as it gives more time for everything to sink in and for the characters to interact. My only disappointment is that there’s no Chewie. I always liked Chewie, and am hoping to get more about him from these comics. Luke goes back to Tattoine to search Obi-Wan’s place for something – anything – to help guide him. Boba Fett is also on Tattoine looking for Luke, and the two find each other. Meanwhile, Han and Leia are scouting out possible new locations for the Rebel base, but end up having to lay low on a planet that Han’s used for such things before. Unfortunately, they get visited by a very unexpected guest; Han’s wife.

In the same galaxy far away, we’ve got Darth Vader issues 5 and 6 as well. These issues are more fast-paced, with some really nice action. It’s hard for me to describe what’s going on in these issues beyond that. It’s mostly about Vader trying to prove to the Emperor that he’s still a competent lieutenant, and him gaining a greater understanding of their relationship. I really like this series because it shows more of Vader than we’ve seen before. We see him as being more cunning, more devious, and all around more interesting than he was in the original trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, I freaking love Vader, but in the movies he doesn’t have much of a repertoire. This takes what we’ve seen before and expands it, accentuates it. The artwork is really nice as well. There are a few panels of flashback to the events of Revenge of the Sith, and damn do they look good. They practically look like screenshots, they’re that good.

I’ve been trying to get into more independent comics lately, and whilst perusing that section at my comic shop, I found one that caught my eye; Lady Mechanika #3. They sadly didn’t have any prior issues, but I figured what the hell and grabbed it, flipping through it briefly. The artwork caught my eye immediately, with a high level of detail  in the pencils, along with well modeled everything. The colors, likewise, are excellent, capturing the mood of the scenes perfectly allowing everything to stand out as being distinct. Another neat touch is that some (but understandably not all) of the panel borders have neat flourishes, mainly being made of clockwork looking pieces. It’s a neat little touch to the pages to give them a little distinctiveness. The writing is also solid, with a feel not far off of Indiana Jones, but steampunk. The beginning is a bit slow, but it picks up quickly enough. A pair of archaeologists are searching for something in Sumerian ruins called the Tablet of Destiny. One of them is being coerced into searching because the villains (the German Empire) have his daughter. But the titular Lady Mechanika, along with a fringe acquaintance of the girl’s father, rescues his daughter, Winifred. Afterwards, they head off to Africa to find him, but they’re followed by the Germans, and the issue ends with Winifred and Lady Mechanika stranded in the Sahara. I really want to try and track down prior issues in order to find out what the deal is with Lady Mechanika. She says that she has metal limbs and ghoulish eyes, so I want to get the full story.

Next is Wonder Woman #41. Like I said, I tried reading the main Wonder Woman title before, but just couldn’t get into it. However, I am a firm believer in second chances, and since the cover was showing off her awesome new costume, I figured I’d give it another shot. Not a whole lot happens in the issue, but that’s fine. The previous issues I had seen featured a bunch of stuff going on with no explanation, which made me confused and disinclined to pick up future issues. That’s one thing that really bugs me about DC’s comics in comparison to Marvel’s. Marvel gives a recap page at the beginning of each issue, allowing new readers to get caught up on general plot details that are important to the issue, and to refresh the minds of those who need it. DC lacks such a thing, so if you pick up an issue, it’s very easy to get lost. For example, last time I had picked up Wonder Woman, she mentions being the God of War, and her mother has been turned into a statue. How and when did that happen? Not to mention I had no idea who some of the other people were in said issue, including the person who created Donna Troy. Is a recap page really such a hassle to include? Or is DC saying “If you want the full story, you’ll have to buy it to find out!”? Because if that’s the case, I’m more inclined to just try and find the issues online to spite them. But, whatever, let’s talk about this issue. Diana briefly visits with the incarcerated Donna, then goes to see… some woman with a baby who I guess is Zeus? Seriously DC, recap page! Then she goes to see Hephaestus who has her sweet new outfit, and then heads off to stop a tragedy. A kid has threatened to blow himself up if he doesn’t get to meet Wonder Woman, but it turns out he was just luring her there… to meet her I guess and get a few hits in. He escapes back to his layer, where’s he’s given a Pegasus, a bow and some arrows by a magical green pool in his floor. Overall, I’m still iffy on the series. It has elements I like, but on the whole it just feels a bit lacking. Not bad, but not good either. It just sort of exists, which is a shame considering how awesome Wonder Woman is. Wonder if there’s any chance of getting Gail Simone to write the series again. Or maybe Kelly Sue DeConnick.

Starfire #1. The vast majority of my exposure to Starfire has been from the Teen Titans animated series that used to run on Cartoon Network. The only other thing I’ve seen with her, was Linkara’s review of Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, which was… much less flattering. However, this seems to be more in line with the animated series, so I’m pleased. Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, writers who I’m somewhat familiar with because of the writing on Harley Quinn, are writing the series, and I couldn’t be happier. Starfire is in Key West, with no money or place to live. The local sheriff helps her out with those two things, and the issue ends with a big storm hitting the area, and Starfire exclaiming “X’hal!” All in all, it’s a cute and fun issue, and I’ll be adding it to my pull list next time I get to the comic shop.

Continuing the parade of new stuff, we’ve got Black Canary #1. Black Canary is one of those characters I haven’t seen much of, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen. My primary exposure to her has been in the Justice League Unlimited and Young Justice cartoons, as well as a supporting cast member of Batgirl. Her solo book has her as part of a band also called Black Canary. For some reason, she’s going by D.D, and I’m wondering what that stands for (I know her name is Dinah, which is one of them, but what’s the other?). Anyway, the band is on tour, and has been plagued by problems, mostly involving Dinah busting some heads. Their show in Detroit is different though, because it’s attacked by aliens who are after the youngest member of the band, a girl called Ditto. The band all agree to stand by Ditto, in spite of not knowing why the aliens are after her. It’s an interesting opening to the series, with some solid writing. The artwork has a nice style to it, very gestural with lots of energy. It’s got kind of a punk feel to it, though I’m hard-pressed to explain why it feels that way. I’ll be picking up the next issue, and deciding if the title is worth adding to the ol’ pull list.

Last up is Doctor Fate #1. I have a soft spot for characters like Doctors Fate and Strange. The idea of a supreme sorcerer really speaks to the nerd in me, so when I saw this, I had to pick it up. There’s apparently a lead up to the issue on DC’s website, but I’m just going with this based on its own merits. It does surprisingly well. It’s established that Anubis is causing a great flood in the Brooklyn area. Khalid Nelson has been chosen to be the wielder of the Helm of Thoth to oppose Anubis. After some denying that this is happening, Khalid accepts his fate and dons the helm. There’s a bit more to it than that, but those are the basics. The writing is decent, though being a lover of mythology, I was picking apart some of the Egyptian deity stuff, like why Anubis is the villain. If Doctor Fate is supposed to be the supreme force of order, shouldn’t he be opposing Apep? Why does Bastet give him the Helm of Thoth? Shouldn’t Thoth do that? Also, I thought it was called the Helm of Nabu, but I may be wrong about that. The artwork is good, with no major hiccups, except for one instance where the panel layout is randomly different, which threw off my reading of it. Overall, a good beginning to the series, and another one I’ll be picking up the second issue of.

Well, that’s it for Couchman VS Giant Stack of Comics. Will I do this again? Maybe, depends on if I get behind on picking up my comics again, and how well this is received. Let me know what you guys think.

Red Sonja, issues #1 and #2

Greetings once again, citizens! Today’s review is going to be something a bit different from my other comic reviews for several reasons.

First, this is the first time I’m reviewing something that’s not Marvel. I don’t have anything against any comic companies, but I am rather fond of Marvel. Today’s offering though, is from Dynamite. Dynamite seems to do lots of licensed properties, like Conan, Terminator, Green Hornet, etc. I haven’t heard a whole lot about them, to be honest, which isn’t too surprising since they’ve only been around since 2004 or 2005. They’ve got a surprising number of recognizable titles though, but they’re more or less all licensed ones.

Next, this is the first time I’ve reviewed something that’s not a superhero book. As much as I love superheroes, my first love when it comes to fiction genres is fantasy, and this happens to be a fantasy comic. Part of the reason I picked this comic up in the first place is because I wanted to see how a fantasy comic was.

Finally, this is the first time I’ve reviewed something by the incredibly talented Gail Simone. Like Alan Moore, Gail Simone is a writer who I’ve heard universally good things about, and have had multiple titles written by her recommended to me by various people. So let’s get started on Red Sonja volume 2 #1!

Now, this book was one that was not a recommendation from anyone. So why did I pick it up? Well, as I mentioned, Gail Simone is a name I’d had several people mention to me, and I was interested in picking up a fantasy book. Really though, there were two things that actually made this title stand out from everything else around it. First is the cover.

A red-headed woman in a chainmail bikini. At one time, that would’ve certainly stood out. However, after playing D&D for over ten years, I’ve seen more chainmail bikinis than I can count, so I’ve become immune to them. No, that’s not the cover I’m talking about.

This is the cover I saw, because my comic shop keeps newer issues in front of older issues. This jumped out at me immediately because it reminded me of the artwork of one of my favorite shows of all time, Samurai Jack. It’s obviously not identical to that, but it’s reminiscent, but with less emphasis on harsh angles and blocky figures. The cover made me take a closer look, and that’s when I remembered a Gutters strip I read about the series before it was launched. I specifically remembered the commentary that was below the strip, and it made me curious enough to buy the first two issues.

We open on “Three turns of the season past” where a man in some fancy looking armor is proclaiming victory. The man, King Dimath, is discussing the outcome of the battle with a lieutenant. The enemy king is unaccounted for, though whether he escaped or his body has yet to be found is uncertain. Dimath’s son was “collecting humors and specimens” much to Dimath’s shame. Dimath, his son, and the lieutenant head down into the dungeon. The lieutenant tells Dimath that there are only two survivors down there, and that the slaves kept within had been worked incredibly hard, and forced to fight in the arena. Dimath wishes to see such fierce men, and seems more than mildly surprised to learn that they are not men, but women. The lieutenant suggests mercy-killing them, since neither one seems to have any spark of humanity left, but Dimath insists that they be fed, bathed, and given a horse so that they may make their own way. After hearing this, one of the prisoners finally speaks up, saying that her name is Red Sonja.

Back to the present now, we see Sonja sleeping in the woods by a fire, wearing a scale mail bikini, and with several wineskins lying empty around her. Some thieves are trying to sneak up on her, to avail themselves of her belongings. However, they can’t seem to shut the hell up, and she wakes up, saying they can take the food and gold if they want. The lead thief continues to show off his incredible intellect by challenging her, even though she already said they could take the stuff they wanted. She gives him another opportunity to just leave, but no, clearly he wants to die.

At this moment, two girls armed with bows interpose themselves between the moron and Sonja, saying that they will save her. Pretty sure she didn’t need saving, but it’s the thought that counts. Sonja, being hungover, tells them to be quiet as they rescue her. However, the girls can’t seem to fire on the bandits, leaving them open to be attacked. Sonja’s had enough of this crap and proceeds to make quick work of two of the bandits.

Before she can kill the third one though, he vomits blood onto the ground, saying he’s sick and begging for help. The two girls explain that it’s the plague, and that the king wishes to see her. Sonja tells them they can take their king and shove him where the sun don’t shine, but then they mention that it’s King Dimath, and her tune changes. She has the girls begin whipping up a hangover cure, and also cleaning her boots. Once that’s done, she tells the girls that she can find her own way, but they are apparently serving as her bodyguards. Side note, the girls have been calling her by grand titles and such, and in this bit of dialogue, one of them calls her “She of the Excellent Cleavage.” I cracked up at that, but I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it’s just because it seems so at odds with Sonja’s personality so far, or maybe it’s because it sounds like something a tactless internet commentor might call her. Anyway, Sonja seems confused that they’re her bodyguards, but they insist that they’ve killed hundreds. Of rabbits. Very large rabbits. I can only assume that this did not help the hangover. They leave the plagued man with a wineskin and a dagger, so that he can “die a soldier.”

Upon reaching the city, Sonja sees that there are no guards posted, and she demands to know what the deal is. However, her “bodyguards” (Nias and Ayla) say that the king will explain, and that the people plan to greet her with a party. We cut to her being prepped for the party, and protesting the wearing of a gown. Nias (or Ayla, it’s hard to tell with them being identical) tells her that this is to be their city’s last state dinner, and the gown is traditional. Sonja reluctantly allows them to dress her in it. For all of her protestations though, Nias and Ayla tell her she looks beautiful.

At the party… wait, where’d the midsection of the dress go? The thing looked like a normal gown on the previous page, but now it looks like a bikini top with a skirt. 

Did she cut it away? She does seem to like showing off her midriff. Or maybe that’s just the artist. Anyway, Dimath tells her that his people have been touched by the plague, and that the Zamorans have marked them for death. The Zamorans were the opposing army from three seasons ago, and though these days they’ve been slaughtering cities afflicted with the plague, and “have a terrifying general, who brought unclean allies from the coast… beasts of the sea who walk like men.” Sooo crab people? Or murlocs? I hope it’s not murlocs, that’s the last thing we need. Regardless, Dimath begs Sonja to teach the citizens that remain how to fight, so that they may die with honor. Sonja of course agrees.

After four days of training montage, the Zamorans arrive. Sonja rides ahead of her “army” to meet them, and finds herself face to face with their general.

Issue two opens with Sonja doing an internal monologue about Dark Annisa, how they were in the arena together, and she considered her a sister, all while killing Annisa’s horse. Unfortunately, she gets trapped under the dead horse. A couple of guys decide to try and kill her, but Nias and Ayla manage to HOLY CRAP!

Okay, I made fun of them earlier, but that was some damn fine shooting right there! Dimath rallies his troops, and battle is joined between the two sides. As that happens, Annisa and Sonja engage one another, and Sonja continues to monologue to herself. Man, you’d think that’d be distracting to do while in a fight. But at least she’s not having a flashba-

Nevermind, flashback time! We see Sonja and Annisa in the dungeon, receiving the attention of an incredibly creepy frog man. The two are scheduled to fight, but Annisa says she won’t fight Sonja, even if it kills her. Back in the present, Annisa is being significantly less friendly, what with trying to kill Sonja and all. Oh, and she starts talking crazy about having a ghost posse with her. Sonja tries reasoning with Annisa, who only talks more crazy talk, but then Dimath rides in and attempts to end all this nonsense. And he does… by getting a knife thrown through his throat.

Sonja dramatically tells Annisa that she will pay for that, but Annisa shows Sonja her reflection, showing her to be afflicted with the plague. Annisa describes what Sonja will feel from the plague, and then shoves her tongue down her throat. I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to make out with plagued people. Er, anyway, Annisa offers to allow the town to go on with what little remains of their lives, but she demands Sonja’s surrender in return. Sonja does so, and is then exiled, but not before being marked as a carrier of the plague, marking the end of the issue

So, as an introduction to this character and world what are my thoughts? I think I want to read some more freaking Red Sonja! The artwork’s great, with a satisfying level of detail in every panel, character models that look to be proportionally correct, and distinctive looks for each character. The colors are also really good, giving a sense of mood and atmosphere, and helping the characters to feel unique. The greatest strength though is the writing. Red Sonja is clearly an ass-kicker of the highest caliber and knows it, but there is also a sense of humor to her. We don’t get to see too much of the other characters, but from what little we do get, there’s still a good sense of the characters. The pacing is good, setting up who Sonja is and why she’d be concerned with this city’s problems, but still having a lot of mystery about the character to be explored later, and it also leaves you on a pretty tense cliffhanger, wondering exactly what will happen to Sonja and the city. I highly recommend this series to anyone who is interested in reading about a barbarian. I also highly recommend following Gail Simone on Twitter, because she’s pretty funny.

Next time: More Superior Spider-Man! Until then, take care, citizens!