Tag: Christopher Golden

Sons of Anarchy 6 (February 2014)

SonsOfAnarchy 06 rev 1This issue isn’t just all action, it’s basically all action down a short stretch of highway. There are some flashbacks and interludes, but really, it’s just three action sequences. First, the club gets ambushed–that one might be a cliffhanger resolution–then the girl and her protector go on down the highway a bit and the other guys in the club continue the shoot out. Then the girl and her protector get into a fight with the angry motorcycle guy.

And even though no one’s in danger–it’s a licensed comic, after all, are they going to kill a regular cast member–Golden and Couceiro sell it. There are some really confusing panels in the second shoot out because the good guys and the bad guys generally look alike, but Couceiro brings it all together for the finish.

It’s shocking what solid reading this book has turned out to be.

B 

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; artist, Damian Couceiro; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Sons of Anarchy 5 (January 2014)

Page 1 object 958 XIt’s an all action issue. I’m not sure there’s time for anything else in this series besides action. At best a page or two, here and there, with the characters preparing for their eventual participation in the action. It’s good and pulpy.

One definite standout is the color from Stephen Downer; whoever decided to make the blood blue to make it stand out (there’s still red blood around… oceans of it), whether it was Downer or the editor or whoever, it’s a good choice. It draws attention to the violence, it makes the danger vibrant.

But it’s hard to say how well Golden can wrap this whole thing up. He’s got his major plots, but all the subplots have fallen away. It’s doesn’t feel like episodic but it also doesn’t feel like the girl on the run’s story.

Still, it’s definitely a good read for a licensed comic. Just slight.

B- 

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; artist, Damian Couceiro; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Sons of Anarchy 4 (December 2013)

290934 20131211135341 largeThis issue is heavy on the action. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be heavy on the action, but it definitely ends up that way. Couceiro does a great job toggling between action and talking heads. It’s the way he paces the sequences–somehow he uses the same pace for both talking and action. Works out well.

It’s kind of a bridging issue. Golden reveals a few things, checks in on his subplots, but it’s all just to get the characters to the place they need to be for the next issue. Given many of the characters are traveling, it’d be nice if things were tied to location. Sadly they aren’t.

Still, it’s a good issue. Golden and Couceiro turn in a sturdy comic book, the cliffhanger manages to be inevitable but unexpected. However, it does seem a little like Golden has started to pad out the series’s issues.

B- 

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; penciller, Damian Couceiro; inkers, Couceiro and Emilio Lecce; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Sons of Anarchy 3 (November 2013)

SOA 03 rev draggedGolden goes an interesting route with this issue. He takes almost the entire issue to resolve last issue’s cliffhanger–he also explains why the guy who betrays SAMCRO does so in an almost too action-packed flashback. The cliffhanger resolution’s pretty simple….

The worst thing happens. Well, maybe not the worst. But Golden doesn’t give the cast a last minute save. He lays out the foreshadowing and then he delivers on it. It changes one’s expectations of where Golden’s willing to take the comic.

He does fill in way too much exposition though. The comic’s bursting with new characters to remember–most of them are just important names, not even on page–and it’s a lot to digest. Golden simplifies it a little bit towards the end, but an exposition recap of the too much exposition seems like a bad device.

Still, it’s solid. The soft cliffhanger’s a good one.

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; penciller, Damian Couceiro; inkers, Couceiro and Emilio Lecce; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Sons of Anarchy 2 (October 2013)

286089 20131010154105 largeGolden might have written himself into a corner with this issue’s soft cliffhanger. It might deal with too much continuity from the source television show for a fresh comic reader to pick it up.

Otherwise, though, it’s a good issue. Golden sticks with his female character who’s looking for help from SAMCRO. There’s a big flashback sequence, where Golden jumps between viewpoints a little but it’s fine–he makes sure Anarchy feels like a television episode. There’s action in the flashback, then bad action in some other flashbacks and asides.

By bad action I don’t mean Couceiro does a bad job with it, I mean it’s very unpleasant stuff. Not a gun fight, bad people doing bad things to helpless people bad. Somehow Couceiro manages not to make it too rough.

In fact, I’m not sure there’s any cursing in the comic.

Very curious to see what Golden does next.

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; artist, Damian Couceiro; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Sons of Anarchy 1 (September 2013)

283162 20130913133525 largeIt’s a little too soon to tell how Sons of Anarchy, one of the more unlikely licensed comics one can imagine, will pan out, but the first issue suggests it will go well.

Writer Christopher Golden is able to get a three act structure out of the issue; he straightforwardly introduces the regular cast, saving most of the flourish for his original characters in the story. A girl’s in trouble, has nowhere to go except to SAMCRO–I don’t even watch the show and Golden’s got me familiar with the vernacular.

In the meantime, there’s a bar fight with the regular cast, along with some nods to character development. Golden’s structure seems traditional enough–he’s introducing his series-long plot lines here while still delivering a solid single issue.

Damian Couceiro does an excellent job with the art. He toggles effortlessly between exposition, action and talking heads.

It’s surprisingly solid.

CREDITS

Writer, Christopher Golden; artist, Damian Couceiro; colorist, Stephen Downer; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editor, Dafna Pleban; publisher, Boom! Studios.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #155

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Another fine issue. The pleasant surprise is the Angel story finally approaches good. Golden and Sniegoski introduce a lot of humor into this installment (completing the story) and it helps a lot. Also, Horton and Lee are mostly drawing supernatural beings and they do it well. The end’s a bit weak, but it’s something to do with the TV show chemistry, which doesn’t work if one’s reading a comic book.

Iron Reich 3000 finishes too. Land includes a page about the history of the fictional future war for those interested… though it’s hard to believe anyone would care. Even though his script is adequate, it doesn’t intrigue. The art from Saiz and Blanco is quite good, with Saiz really getting in some iconic battle panels.

Then there’s another Full Throttle. Jarvis takes over scripting too and writes a fun, quick little story. His art’s good and the story moves well.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #154

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Finally… a solidly mediocre issue.

Iron Reich 3000 isn’t bad. Land writes it like an infantry comic set in the future (one has to wonder about Starship Troopers influences) and Saiz and Blanco do a good job with the art. Saiz’s abilities are clear here… but he does draw all his characters like male models. It’s hard to believe they’re grimy soldiers.

The second installment of Full Throttle is better than the first. Sivasubramanian is only confusing when it comes to referring back to that first part, actually. More nice art from Jarvis. It’s a story about robotic gorillas—and a cute little robotic monkey. It’s got to be all right.

The second part of the Angel story is a little bit better than the first, as Golden and Sniegoski complicate the setup a little. Horton and Lee’s artwork of scary forest animals is good, far better than their people.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #153

Dhp153

I think some of these Presents licensed properties stories might be ideal examples of why properties should never be licensed across mediums. This issue’s Angel—and Golden and Sniegoski’s script isn’t even bad—is too short and too slight, even for the concept (one of the Angel cast makes a Blair Witch movie for demons). Horton and Lee’s art could be a lot better too.

The surprise of the issue is The Mask. Gilroy’s script is engaging and entertaining—even though the Mask (as illustrated by Marangon and Emberlin) is the laughing version, Gilroy’s approach is one of terror and foreboding. The two tones don’t match well, but it’s the best story the issue… and in the last few Presents issues, in fact.

Just when I think Armstrong’s art might be getting better on Doc Thunder, he loses his ability to draw the human body proportionately. Once again, it’s awful.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #141

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It’s the all-Buffy issue and, wow, does it get bad.

The first story, which I thought was going to be a low point–from Brereton, Golden, Bennett and Amash–turns out to be all right. It’s Buffy meeting the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Golden’s writing is fine, Bennett’s art is adequate. Golden plots it weird and manages to make it somewhat charming, even if there’s weak dialogue.

The second story is the secret origin of Angel, which is pretty boring. This time Golden is solo, with Gomez and Florea are on the art. The art’s bad. Lots of sketchy lines, bad faces… I guess the scenery is all right. Golden’s writing is weak, mostly due to his terrible narration.

But the third story–from Watson and Perrin (Florea inks again)–redefines bad art and writing for this issue. Watson’s writing is laughably bad. Perrin’s not ready for primetime.