Vandroid 1 (February 2014)

Unnamed 1 I was hoping Vandroid was going to be about a van with the mind of a killer HAL or Colossus, but apparently it’s just a Terminator knock-off. As knock-offs go, it’s not bad at all. Writers Tommy Lee Edwards and Noah Smith do an excellent job with the eighties setting. Their dialogue’s funny and they’ve got a great roving eye for some of the issue. It’s when the reveal happens, just over halfway through, it becomes clear the comic doesn’t have enough gas.

The art, from Dan McDaid, is good and appropriate for the content. Vandroid feels more fully realized than the narrative suggests. There might be something better to come along, it’s just too soon to tell. The next issue will be the decider.

It’s hard to know what to make of a comic where so little gets established the first issue, especially for a limited series.

C+

Writers, Tommy Lee Edwards and Noah Smith; artist, Dan McDaid; colorist, Melissa Edwards; letterer, John Workman; editors, Ian Tucker, Daniel Chabon and Jeffrey Mariotte; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Rocketeer Adventures 3 (July 2011)

838629 Rocketeer Adventures really needs some editorial guidance. Or at least the stories need to make sense in relation to one another.

The first story, from Ryan Sook, is pretty good. But Sook makes a big point of how Cliff gets the fame Betty so desperately wants, only he never indicates whether she’s jealous about it. His finish, while beautifully done, could go either way.

Then there’s the Joe R. Lansdale short story. Lansdale writes a pulpy text–nothing particularly special and he doesn’t describe the action very well. Bruce Timm’s occasional illustrations ignore the pulpy quality. Timm does G-rated art for an R-rated story. It’s a complete disconnect.

The final story, from Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards, is easily the best. Ross has a fun setup and, refreshingly, concentrates on the female characters. Edwards’s stylized art suits it well.

Even with the pluses, the issue feels unsubstantial.

CREDITS

A Rocketeer Story; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Ryan Sook. Heaven’s Devils; writer, Joe R. Lansdale; plotter, artist and colorist, Bruce Timm. Junior Rocketeers; writer, Jonathan Ross; artist and colorist, Tommy Lee Edwards; letterer, John Workman. Editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #126

Dhp126

It’s another big issue of Presents and a decent one.

Brereton’s The Nocturnals looks real nice and reads well. He introduces a bunch of characters, but the protagonist’s plot is compelling. It’s often very funny.

Schutz has a one page thing (art by Mireault and Bottenberg); it’s okay, if not special.

Hedden and McPhillips have an excellent story with Snipe, about a monster hunter on a talk show. Great art, great script.

Watson’s Skeleton Key is… fine. It’s a page.

On the other hand, Weissman’s Phineas Page is only a page too; it could have been a feature story. Awesome little strip.

Reprinted from Europe, Manoukian and Roucher’s Metalfer starts. Superb art, confusing, kind of dumb story. It might get better.

Strnad and Edwards cover Starship Troopers. Nice art, competent writing for filler.

DeMos and Gillis close with a story a guy obsessed with holes (the shape). It’s quite good.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #121

Dhp121

The issue opens with Zero Boy and Pander’s Jack Zero, which starts out a little awkwardly… but then quickly establishes itself as a good Western. Pander’s art looks fantastic, bringing a lot of energy to the setting and Zero Boy’s script is thoughtful.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Nixey’s Trout installment this issue. He changes up styles here for effect (a dream sequence) and it loses the charm the previous entries had. It’s confounding and almost adversarial. Nixey doesn’t give a point of entry for the reader here.

Macan and Edwards’s Aliens story is kind of interesting, without being noteworthy (rather good art from Edwards, of course). Macan doesn’t like the sci-fi constraints and wants to tell a human story instead; it’s a little obvious and doesn’t work.

Then Snejbjerg does scripting and art on Lords of Misrule. It’s creepy, with great art, but an awkward finish.

Dark Horse Presents 121 (May 1997)

Then Snejbjerg does scripting and art on Lords of Misrule. It’s creepy, with great art, but an awkward finish.

CREDITS

Jack Zero, Part One; story by Zero Boy; art by Arnold Pander; lettered by John Costanza. Trout, Nicky Nicky Nine Doors, Part Three; story and art by Troy Nixey. Aliens, Borderlines; story by Darko Macan; art by Tommy Lee Edwards; lettering by John Workman. The Lords of Misrule, Part Two; story and art by Peter Snejbjerg; lettering by Annie Parkhouse; edited by Ian R. Stude. Edited by Bob Schreck and Jamie S. Rich.