The Maze Agency 2 (1998)

Maze agency v2 2 Barr finds himself a great setting for a murder mystery with this issue. It’s set at a monastery, apparently open as a tourist destination for New Yorkers who want to get away; there’s a period of silence thing, there’s a great visual setting. It all just works.

The issue has two inkers–Ande Parks and Jason Baumgartner–for Gonzalez’s pencils. Baumgartner does a little better, but it might just be because he has more of the action while Parks has to do all the opening mood.

Barr has time to do some nice character stuff with his leads and the supporting cast. This second Maze series, without worrying about establishing the leads’ romance, is more comfortable with them just being a couple. It helps immensely.

But there’s also time for Barr to work in two mysteries, not just the eventual murder mystery. It’s a nice little issue; great finish too.

CREDITS

The Adventure of the Realm of Silence; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Gene Gonzalez; inkers, Ande Parks and Jason Baumgartner; letterer, Caliber Graphics; editor, Joe Pruett; publisher, Caliber Comics.

Dark Horse Comics 14 (October 1993)

I realized, a few pages in to Mike W. Barr and Brad Rader’s Mark story, Rader’s a good artist. He’s at the beginning of his career, but he’s good. He does these Eisner-homage close-ups. Nice stuff. But The Mark looked bad at the start—because the character’s design is ludicrous.

It takes place in a pseudo-Nazi Germany or something. The writing’s generally okay, but the comics’s all about those close-ups.

Dorkin and Thompson finish their Predator story next and, wow, does Thompson get lazy. Dorkin’s script is dumb—his high humor is a dying guy making dumb jokes about being Ford-tough, but the art hammers in the nail.

Naifeh’s good on The Thing story, which really does seem to avoid any previous comic appearances. There’s some excellent writing… too bad it’s lines directly from the movie and not from Martin.

Besides Predator, it’s not bad.

CREDITS

The Mark, Part One: Taking Back the Streets; writer, Mike W. Barr; artist, Brad Rader; colorist, John A. Wilcox; letterer, Clem Robins. Predator, Bad Blood, Part Three; writer, Evan Dorkin; penciller, Derek Thompson; inker, Ande Parks; colorist, Robbie Busch; letterer, Pat Brosseau. The Thing From Another World, Questionable Research, Part Two; writer, Edward Martin III; penciller, Ted Naifeh; inker, Moose Baumann; colorist, Ray Murtaugh; letterer, Clem Robins. Editors, Bob Schreck, Chris Warner, Jerry Prosser, Randy Stradley and Martin; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horse Comics 13 (September 1993)

So is Dark Horse Comics where Dark Horse stuck all their licensed properties once Presents’s sales dropped?

The creative teams are mildly interesting. Jim Woodring writing Aliens—nothing happens, it’s an all action story—with Kilian Plunkett on the art? It looks good anyway.

Ted Naifeh pencilling a Thing story? It’s more distinct because Edward Martin III’s script sort of ignores all the other Dark Horse Thing comics. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but Martin’s a little less creative than one would like.

Then it’s an Evan Dorkin Predator story. It’s kind of funny—a Predator crashes a paint ball competition. But the humor doesn’t carry over to the dialogue; it’s just a funny idea. The Derek Thompson art is trying something different for a Predator story, lots of emotive, elongated faces.

It’s interesting to see these attempts, but none of them are good. Especially not the Aliens.

CREDITS

Aliens, Backsplash, Part Two; writer, Jim Woodring; artist, Kilian Plunkett; colorist, Matthew Hollingsworth; letterer, Ellie De Ville. The Thing From Another World, Questionable Research, Part One; writer, Edward Martin III; penciller, Ted Naifeh; inker, Moose Baumann; colorist, Ray Murtaugh; letterer, Clem Robins. Predator, Bad Blood, Part Two; writer, Evan Dorkin; penciller, Derek Thompson; inker, Ande Parks; colorist, Robbie Busch; letterer, Pat Brosseau. Editors, Ryder Windham, Randy Stradley and Martin; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Battle Hymn (2005) #1

Bh1

I wonder if Moore took this to Marvel and pitched it as a “Captain America is a tool” limited series. It’s too soon to really tell anything about the comic (always a good sign on a four issue limited, a wasteful first issue) but Jeremy Haun’s artwork is fantastic so it’s relatively painless.

Moore concentrates on how lousy the American government treats its citizens and its soldiers, whereas the British come off as civilized. I wonder if he’ll keep it up, given he’s doing a World War II comic. It’s not often one finds a World War II story where the emphasis isn’t on a bunch of people saving the world from bad guys.

Oh, wait, I forgot the other Marvel connection. It’s basically about the world discovering the sea-people, so it’s a Namor story.

Summing up–lovely artwork, lousy pacing. The issue takes about three minutes to read.