Age of Bronze (1998) #8

Shanower needs to include two things. First are maps. He moves all over the place; each issue should end with a map. Second is a cast list. He’s got this one character returning after being gone three issues. It’d help if a cast list reminded the reader of characters and their histories.

Otherwise, it’s a fantastic issue, probably the best so far. With Odysseus, Shanower has finally found a worthy protagonist for the comic. The issue opens with him departing home, saying goodbye to wife and child, bringing the long missing human component.

Then Shanower does another one of those jumps in time. This issue is now almost two years since Helen was kidnapped, so probably a year passes at some point during this issue. The passage of time needs work.

Regardless, the series is finally coming together. Shanower is even working on the faces–Odysseus is very distinct and recognizable.

Age of Bronze (1998) #7

Shanower fast forwards approximately nine months and opens with the birth of Achilles’s son. No one knows about Achilles and the girl, everyone still thinking he’s a girl too. It’s somewhat extraordinary and doesn’t work in Shanower’s realistic retelling. Achilles is such a jerk, it’s also unlikely sometime in the nine months he wouldn’t have gone off the handle… as he does at the end of his scene.

No Helen or Paris, but Shanower finally gets around to presenting the political argument for the war. It’s an issue late (and the time period—why everyone took nine months off between this issue and last is problematic) but it’s a neccesary scene.

The last part of the issue is the introduction of Odysseus. Shanower handles the scene rather well (it’s nice to get someone heroic instead of not).

Great art here—though the faces still look alike.

It’s a strong issue.

Age of Bronze (1998) #6

Well, certainly by Republican standards, Achilles is not a rapist.

The issue ends with him, dressed as a female, forcing himself on a girl. They’re presumably about thirteen. Between him and Paris, Shanower seems to be implying men’s errors tend to be due to desire for women (in Paris’s case, Helen). I imagine it’s in the source material too, but it’s sort of boring.

Besides Achilles being a rapist and still being a hero, the issue’s excellent. Shanower goes all over the place with the story, lots of different characters, all of them properly identified so one isn’t trying to discern identity from appearance. The war is building up.

Again, there really isn’t much humanity to the story. Achilles’s friend (or girlfriend or victim) is about the only one who gets any non-melodramatic, event moments. She gets a couple panels.

It’s a wonderful exercise. The question is, of what?

Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (2000) #3

Ennis brings Rifle Brigade safely home for its delightful conclusion.

It’s a somewhat busier issue than usual, as it opens with the boys still in the SS prison. They get out quickly, sabotage some German laboratory and head off for their escape. Actually, most of the issue is action–they’re escaping in a stolen plane and elite German commandos (genetically engineered thugs) attack them.

Ennis is able to get in a constant stream of jokes–while the action’s going on, while the Germans are recovering from the attack. The only place he doesn’t do a lot of humor is at the end (the issue ends as the D-Day fleet is in transit). I wouldn’t say he gets respectable, but he does tone it down a little once the boys intersect with history.

What’s so striking is how smart the script has to be, even though the humor’s crude.

Brilliant.

Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (2000) #2

The lunacy continues. And maybe amplifies a little.

While the boys in the Rifle Brigade are being questioned by a busty SS woman, the regular army guy who caught them is bickering with the SS commander. Basically, Ennis just uses the structure to get in as many Nazi jokes as possible. There’s a beauty to his comic writing–especially the panel where, after the Rifle Brigade has inspired the entire prison to sing about the manly deficiencies of the Nazi Party leaders, a Brit in front of the firing squad gets off a bit of the chorus.

It’s somewhat hard to tell if the British are supposed to be foolish but stubbornly brave or just stubbornly brave. The only stupid Rifle Brigade member is the gay guy coming on to the captain again this issue.

Beautiful art from Ezquerra in what’s basically a talking heads issue.

Simply marvelous comedic work.

Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (2000) #1

Rifle Brigade might be Ennis at his funniest (this first series anyway). He mixes absurdly graphic violence with constant humor here. There’s nothing going on but his attempt to get a laugh out of situations. He even takes the time to set up jokes, like the gay soldier trying to get a dying kiss out of his captain. But it doesn’t stop there, since the captain’s now suspicious.

Ezquerra’s artwork is fantastic stuff. He can make just an illustration worth laughing over (The Piper, for example, brings a grin whatever panel he’s in) but he’s also able to do all the action Ennis requires of him.

The joke of it–British bravado amped up–is particularly hilarious because Ennis doesn’t make them smart. They’re dumb, vicious and hilarious. Of course, having the Nazis as bad guys means being vicious isn’t going to make them unsympathetic.

It’s an utterly hilarious comic.

Tom Strong (1999) #7

Moore finishes the story with an unexpected conclusion, one he hadn’t hinted at earlier and should have. Tom Strong’s birthday was coming up. It ends at his birthday party (and the Millennium City Y2K party). It’s a great scene, but it’s sort of tacked on.

This issue is significant for one major reason. Moore talks a lot about race. Sure, it’s in the extremes of Tom Strong having a bastard son with a Nazi superwoman, but Moore doesn’t flinch when putting those two up against Tom’s black wife and his mixed daughter. Most mainstream comic books completely avoid the discussion (or just don’t have any black characters).

This issue has a flash forward, not flashback, but Frank and Smith. It’s not the best Frank art, but it’s good. Moore’s writing isn’t as strong on that portion though.

It’s a decent issue, some good surprises… but there’s no kick to it.

Tom Strong (1999) #6

It’s appropriate Gibbons draws the flashback story here, given the villain–Saveen–reminds a great deal of the villains in Watchmen. Moore doesn’t suggest a lot of superheroes in Tom Strong, it’s all a lot more science-based. The issue is, for a large part, a walk through Tom Strong’s past. Saveen’s set up a little museum to him and narrates the historical importance of the items.

As a storytelling device, it definitely works as it focuses the attention on Tom’s reactions, which a one or two panel flashback wouldn’t. But it pales compared to the flashback story–Moore unintentionally sabotages it.

The flashback story is done late thirties style with phenomenally appropriate expository dialogue. Gibbons’s art is great, restrained just enough Sprouse can still impress in the present day portions.

Finally in this issue, Moore seems to have established how Tom Strong‘s going to work. Solidly, if somewhat unspectacularly.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #157

The final issue of Dark Horse Presents doesn’t even note it on the cover. On either cover actually. If it weren’t for The Goon, one might say the series just trailed off. Luckily, it does have The Goon.

That statement is not to suggest The Goon is fantastic. It might be only my second ever Goon comic. Powell’s art is nice and his writing is fun in a very mean-spirited way. I thought the series was about zombies, but here it’s just The Goon and Franky bullying people (not even sure Franky gets named in the story). Well, bullying fish. Still, it’s big and it’s different and distinctive.

Without it, Presents would go out on Witch’s Son. In this installment, Allie seems to be setting up a new superhero. Sook gets assists from Moline and Owens inks them both. The art becomes indistinct. It’s not terrible, but somewhat lame.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #156

Well, Gray inking Sook on Witch’s Son—at least at this stage of Sook’s career—produces a far better result than Sook inking himself. It still looks very Mignola, but there’s a lot more fluidity to the characters. As for Allie’s script? It’s competent in terms of dialogue, but the content is fairly weak. Witches, demons, yada yada yada.

Warner and Brunner—Brunner can draw (he’s a terrible writer though, good thing Warner’s here… sort of)—do a story about a hit man who dresses like a clown. Even drives a little car. It’s not bad, it’s not good. It passes the pages pretty well and there are some nice panels.

Chuah Ghee Hin has a very confusing story about dragons. His artwork is gorgeous, however; it’s almost a mix of cartooning and etching. He can’t really draw action (the etching), but there’s a lot of charm to it overall.