Retcon (2017) #1

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Retcon is about these secret paranormal military guys going out and killing secret paranormal ex-military guys. There’s a lot more back story on it and a fair amount of details–nothing really on the characters, just events and magical stuff–but the main story is pretty fast.

Two agents are tracking a former agent in an AA meeting, they get orders to “disavow” the former agent (in front of the AA members), one of them balks. Then it turns out the former agent has a magic werebear thing going on and the balking current agent has a different magic thing going on.

Toby Cypress’s art is wild, but constrained and thoughtful. Matt Nixon’s script is fine. The comic drags in parts, speeds in parts (especially in the cliffhanger setup), but it’s fine. It’s engaging, even if the characters don’t get any sympathy besides being possible victims.

Retcon 1 (September 2017)

Retcon #1 Retcon is about these secret paranormal military guys going out and killing secret paranormal ex-military guys. There’s a lot more back story on it and a fair amount of details–nothing really on the characters, just events and magical stuff–but the main story is pretty fast.

CREDITS

T.P.T.B.; writer, Matt Nixon; artist, Toby Cypress; letterer, Matt Krotzer; publisher, Image Comics.

The White Suits 1 (February 2014)

296598 20140219153919 large I’m trying to imagine worse writing than Frank J. Barbiere’s dialogue in The White Suits. There’s got to be some out there but it’s so shockingly terrible, my mind is clouded over. Lines from this issue repeat themselves, kind of like a hammer to the temple.

And it’s a shame, because Toby Cypress does a really solid Paul Pope impression. I can’t say he’s Pope-lite, like a lot of people these days, because much of his detail work is an impression. His dollar bills look like Pope’s dollar bills in One Trick. But whatever, Cypress makes it all look good.

I actually thought the art would make the book tolerable. Like it could somehow overshadow the lousy writing. It can’t.

I’m beginning to think all these highly affected dialogue and narration styles are just to hide the bankruptcy of ideas. Suits’s Dark Horse; I inexplicably expected more from them.

D-

CREDITS

Writer and letterer, Frank J. Barbiere; artist and colorist, Toby Cypress; editors, Shantel LaRocque and Chris Warner; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Blue Estate 2 (May 2011)

Blue Estate‘s second issue changes everything up. Gone is the private investigator. Now the protagonist is Rachel, the Steven Seagal stand-in’s wife. The issue is split between her and her brother.

It’s a fast read–without the narration, it moves speedily.

Osborne does a better job with the brother than the sister. He establishes characters, ground situation, all in dialogue, all without it getting too expository.

For Rachel though, Osborne has secrets and revelations to get through. He handles them all right; he’s keeping secrets not just from the characters, but from the reader as well. The purposeful misdirection is really obvious… especially since he’s willing to do a 180 and reveal other details. Sometimes on the same page.

The book has four artists working on sections. I can usually identify Nathan Fox but the art flows quite nicely together. The changes give the series a fluid feel.

CREDITS

One Day At A Time; writers, Viktor Kalvachev, Andrew Osborne and Kosta Yanev; artists, Toby Cypress, Nathan Fox, Kalvachev and Robert Valley; colorist, Kalvachev; editor, Philo Northrup; publisher, Image Comics.

Blue Estate 1 (April 2011)

What a cool crime comic.

It’s hard to identify who’s responsible for the plot—the book has two story credits and one script credit—but it’s definitely peculiar. The narrator of Blue Estate is a two-bit private investigator. But he’s not a Bogart-type, he’s an overweight TV and action movie geek whose dad runs the police’s major crimes division. So he knows the lingo, knows what’s going on, just doesn’t seem (this issue’s impression suggests) to know what to do about it.

His “case” involves the Russian mob, a closest gay action star (who looks a lot like Steven Seagal) and corrupt cops.

Scriptwriter Andrew Osborne does a great job with the narration; it’s the private investigator standard, but made far more interesting by the speaker not being the standard.

The narrator would be comical, but Osborne and the artists don’t ever let Blue Estate become a joke.

CREDITS

The Rachel Situation; writers, Viktor Kalvachev, Andrew Osborne and Kosta Yanev; artists, Toby Cypress, Nathan Fox, Kalvachev, Paul Maybury and Robert Valley; colorist, Kalvachev; editor, Philo Northrup; publisher, Image Comics.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector (2000) #4

Jeter runs out of space here a little. He’s got an exciting conclusion, but then he’s also got a big special effects conclusion (Cypress is disastrous as rendering it, unfortunately) and some more talking heads stuff.

Also–and here’s why I was confused last issue. He’s got the station commander–Major Kira (you can’t refer to “Deep Space Nine” characters and expect non-Star Trek aficionados to know them)–using the exact same dialogue the evil guy used when he was possessing people. But it’s apparently not done to raise suspicion. It’s like Jeter copied and pasted dialogue and didn’t think about the context. The editor should have caught it.

This issue is probably the least successful for the above pacing and art reasons. It also ends on a humorous note, mimicking how a television episode would end. But it doesn’t work because it’s way too slight.

The series should have run five issues.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector (2000) #3

This issue is the all action issue. Or close to it.

I think N-Vector is most useful–not to discount its success as an episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” it’s a fine episode of that television program–as an example of how television pacing can be adapted to comic books. The problem, of course, is the length and pricing. It takes four issues to get a single episode. All together, it would have been ten dollars for, basically, something one watches for free on television.

Also, this issue requires the reader be familiar with the show and the relationships between its principal characters. I couldn’t tell if people were acting out of character or if I’d missed something since I hadn’t seen the show or if the evil space entity had possessed them.

Jeter’s good at plotting out the dramatic moments; still a fine licensed comic read.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector (2000) #2

Did Wildstorm not get the likenesses in their “Star Trek” license or something? At first I thought it was just Cypress’s style, bringing a scratchy indie feel to a completely mainstream release, but now I’m wondering if it’s just because he couldn’t draw the actors. His artwork is a little static at times, especially for this issue, which is mostly talking heads. Then there’s the problem with him not being able to show important details–I don’t know if Quark found a dead Ferengi or Ferengi costume or a Ferengi blow-up doll.

As far as writing, this issue’s a little better than the first, as Jeter is getting into the actual situation. Even if someone isn’t familiar with the characters or ground situation, the drama’s been introduced and Jeter’s got a good A plot and a good B plot (no doubt they’ll tie together nicely).

A fine, mediocre comic.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector (2000) #1

So this series is a continuation of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” I guess I’m glad I don’t care about the ending of the series being spoiled for me.

I decided to read it because of Jeter, who’s a science fiction novelist of good repute, and because I didn’t realize–on seeing it in his bibliography–N-Vector was a Star Trek comic book.

Jeter does a fine job writing the characters and matching their personalities to the show (as far as I can tell, having mostly seen the first couple seasons), but there’s zero subtext. It’s more of a television episode than a comic book. The issue breaks are the commercials.

The art is the most interesting element–for a licensed comic book, it looks nearly nothing like the norm. Cypress isn’t interested in likenesses, he’s using the art to convey emotion.

It’ll probably turn out a pointless read, but I’m on board.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – N-Vector 4 (November 2000)

The series should have run five issues.

CREDITS

Writer, K.W. Jeter; penciller, Toby Cypress; inker, Jason Martin and Mark Irwin; colorist, Bad @ss ; letterer, Naghmeh Zand; editor, Jeff Mariotte; publisher, Wildstorm.