Previously…on From the Vault…

FROM THE VAULT

 

By Eugene Selassie

 

 

 

March 17, 2008

 

 

From the Vault: Voodoo Child #1 from Virgin Comics

Writer: Mike Carey  Artist: Dean Ruben Hyrapiet  Created by Weston and Nicolas Cage

 

Voodoo Child is the story about a boy named Gabriel who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana right before the start of the Civil War. Gabriel is hinted at being the son of a slave woman and a plantation owner father, but the father was loyal toward the abolitionist movement and have escape routes set up for slaves. Apparently they have been found out by locals, and those loyal to the seceding of the southern states murder everyone at the home. Gabriel and his mother escape, but not before a stray bullet nearly kills him. A local voodoo priest helps them and performs an incantation to keep the boys spirit alive, but it mutates him into an earthen elemental like being. Today, Gabriel is using powers basically rooted in evil to do good. There are two police officers hot on his trail, along with the source of his demonic powers coming to claim him as well.

 

I will admit to having been conflicted upon reading this comic. I was skeptical about another Hollywood name wanting to cement their name in the comic industry.  With this being creator owned, and with the Cage’s being consummate comic fans, I gave the benefit of the doubt. The story to me had many peaks and valleys, which is atypical of much of Mike Carey’s work. I normally dislike the majority of it as it sometimes reads as simple fan-service, but this story was above average. I felt the pacing started well, but into the second third of the comic, the plot really became as bouncy as Plastic Man. The art here also helped and hindered the story all at the same time. Hyrapiet puts forth beautiful art, but the storytelling aspect really left me confused at times. Overall this is a sound concept (even though the pseudo-Ghost Rider evil powers used for good riff has been overused the past 16 years). I really need to read more before I can give a solid BUY THIS recommendation. This first issue was a decent start.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

 

About the creators:

Mike Carey has written comics for Marvel, DC (Vertigo), Image, Virgin, Harris, and Dynamite to name a few companies.

 

Dean Ruben Hyrapiet has pencilled and inked multiple books for Virgin Comics.

 

Information from Comicbookdb.com 

 

 

 

March 10, 2008

 

Eugene Selassie

EugeneSelassie@hotmail.com

From the Vault: Hero Squared #3 from Boom Studios

Writers: Keith Giffen and J.M. Dematteis  Artist: Joe Abraham

Captain Valor is the greatest hero that Earth has ever known. Well, not our Earth. Valor somehow accidentally crashes on our Earth. He meets his counterpart on this Earth, a selfish, egotistical jerk named Milo. Stephie, Milo’s girlfriend (whom he pretty much neglects) turns out to be our Earth’s version of Valor’s arch nemesis Caliginous. The adventures of these super powered characters are played out in snippets from Milo’s comic books. This issue shows Valor paying respects at a funeral for an old man whom Valor tried to get to a hospital, but was too late in saving. It also deals with Stephie going through and packing Milo’s things, but reliving some of their memories. Finally we see Caliginous’ ultimate plans begin to come to fruition.

Firstly, let me say that any work from this creative team being in the Quarter bin at any local comic shop is a crime. From Justice League International collaboratively, to Lobo, or X-Factor individually, these writers know how to write good comics, period. The humor is balanced by a good sense of pathos…from Stephie (even though we know she is becoming a super villain) dealing with the wrongs that Milo has done to her, to Milo and Valor’s heart to heart; Milo shows Valor that though he can do all of these amazing feats, he is still human, and despite Milo’s shortcomings he is a good person…somewhere deep inside. Joe Abraham does a very serviceable job of delivering on the humor, sadness, and internal frustration that these characters feel. Even without the word bubbles the story is understandable. My curiosity has been piqued and I hope to find the rest of the issues of this amazing series.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

About the creators:

Keith Giffen has written, penciled and inked many comics for decades from Marvel, DC, Image, Topps, Boom Studios, Dark Horse just to name a few.

J.M. Dematteis has lent his writing talents to Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, CrossGen, Boom Studios among others.

Joe Abraham primarily has done artwork for Image and Boom Studios.

Info from Wikipedia.com and comicbookdb.com

Questions or comments? Post them at IndependentPropaganda.com or send to EugeneSelassie@hotmail.com

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February 23, 2008

 

Eugene Selassie

EugeneSelassie@hotmail.com

From the Vault: Blade of the Immortal #101 published by Dark Horse Manga

Writer/Artist: Hiroaki Samura

As I write this review my mind drifts back to the good old days (Man, am I sounding old) of Anime and Manga. Long gone is the giddy feeling that I had the first time that I watched Ninja Scroll or the newest episodes of Gundam Wing. Forgotten are the first few installments of Shonen Jump that I have read. I like my manga like I like my hip hop music…everything is cool pre-2000 (Samurai Champloo and Kanye West being the respective exceptions.) This issue of Blade of the Immortal brought a little of that giddiness back. The main character Manji is a ronin who was infected by kessen-chu, mystical bloodworms which can heal all wounds and grant their host immortality. His line of work got his sister captured and killed. Manji made a vow to atone for the 100 innocents who have died at his hand, he would slay 1,000 evil men in exchange for final peace for an immortal…death.

Manji is sworn to protect Rin, who is the last heir to the Mutenichi-ryu dojo which was destroyed by the rival school, the Itto-ryu. A third party from the Mugai-ryu wishes to make contact with the Mutenichi-ryu. Before they can discuss alliances, Anotsu who is leader of the Itto-ryu sends three top level killers after Rin. The killers have in their possession kessen-satsu, a poison which somehow nullifies Manji’s healing powers and immortality.

This issue is part three of the Trickster story arc and yanks you RIGHT into the action. The pencils are loose and in a black and white comic, that is quite alright. Storytelling is something that I am very picky about in pencil art, ESPECIALLY in manga, but the art flows perfectly. Dialogue is very sparse but when it was used, it mattered. In this, the penultimate chapter of this story arc, the more action the better. I felt that the fights were handled by a fight choreographer. Manji and his unholy ally Giichi’s fight scenes were broken up with a nice back story on one of the assassins that added much needed depth to one of the antagonists. There is a scene in the story that some might immediately find offensive. Though Western culture has been groomed to think this, the editor explains on the back page the cultural significance to other cultures around the world. All in all, a quick action packed ride that I highly recommend picking up the entire story arc for. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

About the creator: Hiroaki Samura has done work for Dark Horse and EroGuro as well as many other short works.

Info from comicbookdb.com and Wikipedia.com 

Questions or comments? Post them at IndependentPropaganda.com or send to EugeneSelassie@hotmail.com

Be sure to stop by the IP Message Boards! Independent Propaganda message boards!Come here and brag about your independent comics and webcomics!Come here to talk about FROM THE VAULT!It’s time to say what YOU think.

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February 15, 2008

 (Image courtesy of IP’s favorite comics reseller: Mile High Comics)

Eugene Selassie

EugeneSelassie@hotmail.com

From The Vault: Ball and Chain Issue #3

Writer: Scott Lobdell  Artist/Inker: Ale Garza and Richard Bennett  Colorist: Nick Bell

Most of the articles that I have brought you have been first issues. This is a break from that pattern and a PERFECT example of how to give new readers all they need to know in twenty-two pages. The series focuses on Edgar and Mallory; a married couple that was on the brink of divorce, when an accidental run in with some extra-terrestrial technology gives them both super powers. The alien despot known as Slaughter has amassed a power base and needs one final energy source to complete his super weapon…the same energy source that Edgar and Mallory have absorbed. They choose to use their powers to fight evil as Thunderball and Chain Lightning (combining them you get Ball and Chain). This issue sees Edgar surrounded by ninja like villains and his powers nearly depleted. Mallory discovers that their super powers fade the further she is away from Edgar, which leaves Edgar in a dangerous predicament.

First, I must applaud Scott Lobdell for once again creating a gem. Edgar and Mallory leap off the page as their humor and three dimensional personas really shine. When I read their dialogue, I hearken back to Dave Addison (Bruce Willis) and Maddie Hayes (Cybil Sheppard) in Moonlighting. The villains are throwaway villains in this ish, which is perfect to focus more on the dynamic of Mallory and Edgar and their love for each other triumphing over all of the crap that they’ve been through. I must say that Lobdell channeled his inner Grant Morrison with the science explaining their super powers. On the art side, Ale Garza’ slight anime influence is a welcome fit on this title. His clean pencils mesh with Bennetts’s inks and Bell’s colors to make a nice masterpiece. My only qualm is the panel layouts on three of the pages that made it difficult to follow the story, but besides that I think this issue packs everything necessary to be a great done in one issue; a very difficult thing to do considering that this is not the first issue, but this creative team rose to the challenge. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

 

February 9, 2008

 

Eugene SelassieEugeneSelassie@hotmail.com 

From The Vault: VELOCITY pilot season.Written by Joe Casey Art by Kevin Maguire              I went into this review with a bit of trepidation. I am a HUGE Joe Casey fan. I am a HUGE Kevin Maguire fan. I profess to having an affinity for tech based characters beating the s**t out of each other, but I have also been burned when it comes to Cyber Force in the past. This one shot focuses Velocity, speedster and like her fellow Cyber Force members, were created as weapons by the corrupt Cyberdata conglomerate. Velocity is delivering a kidney to a hospital for a Senator’s sick child. While she is there, she gets a physical examination. Unbeknownst to her, an enemy agent has infiltrated the hospital. She is working for a mad scientist who is bent on taking control of Velocity.            I will say this first and get it out of the way…some of the dialogue felt out of place. I normally would NEVER lodge this complaint of Mr. Casey. It probably is due to the grim nature of most of Top Cow’s line as a whole, so when this many moments of levity find their way into one of their comics, it is surprising. I have to say that not many writers have shown the deadly gruesomeness of what super speed can really do outside of a Flash comic. Kudos to Joe for such originality on such an old school super power. Also a tip of the hat to Kevin Maguire. His art conveys so much emotion, but always had a bit of old school flair. This seems to be a reinvigorated Maguire. The action sequences haven’t looked this good with this character since Silvestri himself drew them.             I wish that there was more of an open ended conclusion, but I understand that these Pilot Season one shots are being used to gauge reader interest. If anything, this creative team has MY VOTE if they decide to do an ongoing, or better yet a Cyber Force series.Rating: 4 Stars About the creators: Joe Casey has written numerous titles for Marvel and DC Comics, along with Image, Wildstorm, Top Cow, Devil’s Due, Dark Horse, Funk-o-tron, Boom Studios, Active Images and is part of Man of Action who created Cartoon Network’s Ben 10. 

Kevin Maguire’s pencils and inks have graced the pages of titles from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Malibu, Image, and Penthouse Comics.

 

 

February 2, 2008

January 26, 2008

From the Vault: The Weapon #1

Written by Fred Van Lente

Pencils/Inksby Scott Koblish

Colors by Paul Mounts

            This week’s featured story is Platinum Studio’s The Weapon. At first glance there is a Richard Dragon, Iron Fisttype feel to the book. The opening gives a back story to an ancient order of monks and an evil emperor who employs an evil ninja clan to eliminate them. The tone quickly changes and by the fourth page we cut to today and the lead character Thomas Zhou (Zhōu). At first it was a little much with him being a martial arts expert, AND a Quantum Physicist, but even someone within the story brings it up, so it no longer felt as awkward. Thomas uses his deceased grandfather’s old Chinese legends with his flashy martial arts and techno-mass marketing to sell items at an inventors’ expo. The crowd leaves his exhibit unimpressed and only one corporate big-wig remains, Megan Dean-Hughes; the daughter of a wealthy diamond distributor looking to start her own business. The dialogue felt very natural between the two and I enjoyed the friendly jab to a certain wall crawler’s alter-ego; “Not every science geek put up with getting beat up on the walk home from school.” Thomas is assaulted by some rather ridiculous looking attackers (acceptable for where they were located), who tip off Thomas to the fact that his grandfather’s stories weren’t make believe. The fight scene to follow was EXCELLENTLY choreographed and felt like an action movie should. A massive scene of property damage causes Thomas trouble with the law, and Megan to have to bail him out. Events lead Thomas on a journey examining his roots, with the Nancy Drew-like Megan and her UNLIMITED resources in tow.

There were minor details that made me a tad uneasy. I did feel that with the items he designed, Thomas could have EASILY struck a bargain with a military contractor instead of floundering at inventor’s expos. The transition from one scene to the next could flow a little smoother. I thought that they might have given away too much of Thomas’ multi-faceted persona in the first issue though. On the positive side, the character interaction made me curious about both Thomas and Megan’s personal lives. There is a grand mythos that adds an aura of coolness to this book. The art VERY much fit the tone of the story. The inks and colors all came together to make a great overall read.

This isn’t an Eisner winning story or ultra detailed art, but I’ll take stories like this over “editorially mandated event” stories and “five months to draw a monthly comic” art anytime. As I am finishing this article, I am en-route to my local comic shop to pick up the rest of this series. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

About the creators: Info from Comicbookdb.com and Wikipedia.com

Fred Van Lente has written and penciled/inked comics for Marvel, Moonstone Books, Evil Twin comics, and Platinum Studios other hit about to be made to a movie, Cowboys & Aliens (another great read)

Scott Koblish has done cover art along with pencils and inks for Marvel, DC, Archie comics, Top Cow Productions and Platinum Studios.

Paul Mounts is a colorist and sometimes inker that has done work for Marvel, DC, Extreme studios (Image), Aspen MLT, Continuity Comics,  New Comics Group, Malibu Comics, CrossGen, Eternity Comics, and many more…

You can contact the author

January 18, 2008

From The Vault #1: X-O Manowar #0The name’s Eugene Selassie and I am a comic aficionado of twenty years. Thanks to the great people at IndependentPropaganda.com I will review “done in one” stories that are not too old and can be found, more often than not, in the dollar bin of anyone’s local comic shop. This past decade, with companies writing for the trade paperback, good single issue stories are hard to come by. Indie companies tend to make good strides to provide an alternative to the decompressed storytelling and provide great jump on points nearly every issue.           

I am one of the few who purchased Valiant comics not for the chromium holographic premium super extra mega edition covers, but for their solid storytelling. One of these great reads was X-O Manowar #0. I have read many “zero” issues in the past that don’t really do much to further the story or give any background info for a character. X-O #0 did EVERYTHING a zero issue is supposed to. Firstly a background; During the closing of the fourth century a boy named Aric from the province of Dacia (who was at war with the Roman empire) witnessed his parents murder at the hands of Roman invaders. The boy dispatched with the attackers and for years kept bloody retribution as his only reason to go on. In a nightly raid, he stumbles across extra-terrestrials who have mutilated some of his brethren. Before Aric can dispense with them, he is captured and taken aboard their ship. Seven years pass in the alien slave pens. A cartographer, who will make some readers laugh, helps Aric escape. When he does, Aric finds a weapon to even the odds; a Manowar class X-O armor. This high tech “Guyver” type suit allows Aric to escape and battle the aliens. Aric discovers quickly that while seven years had passed on the ship, nearly sixteen hundred years had passed on Earth!            

I’ve heard X-O described as Conan the Barbarian in an Iron Man suit. While that is enough to pique my curiosity, the book is much more than that. Bob Layton and Jorge Gonzalez craft a very effective origin story. We even get a few pages (without dialogue) showing the spider-aliens’ civilization. The heart-wrenching and gruesome scenes of Aric’s family being killed made Aric’s reaction all the more palpable. And they even fit in another Valiant universe hero without the appearance feeling forced. Before being Marvel’s controversial E-i-C, Joe Quesada along with inker Jimmy Palmiotti KNOCKED THIS OUT OF THE PARK. The coloring is good, nothing phenomenal, but it doesn’t hurt the story. Really, I wished these guys were on a tech based book on a regular basis. If you are into sci-fi with human heart at the core, this is for you. Great story, phenomenal art and a holographic cover that actually looks good! Pick this book up from your LCS, you will not regret it.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

About the creators:

Bob Layton has written, penciled, and inked for companies such as DC, Marvel (including his most recognizable work on my favorite character Iron Man), and help build the foundation of the too short lived Valiant (also helping with its evolution to Acclaim and some of Acclaim’s video games) and Future Comics.

Jorge Gonzalez has done work for Marvel, Valiant and Image Comics, the majority of these during the tumultuous 1990’s

The often controversial Joe Quesada first got major industry attention during his Valiant run. He then formed Event Comics. His work sporadically appeared at DC and he did decent sized runs on some Marvel titles. Quesada was brought in as editor for the new Marvel Knights line and his revamp of those characters led him to the position at the top of the Marvel hierarchy as editor-in-chief.

Jimmy Palmiotti has lent his writing AND inking to MANY titles as well as his inking for Marvel, DC, Wildstorm, Fox Atomic Comics, and of course Event Comics for arguably his most famous creation Painkiller Jane. The series eventually garnered a TV movie and series on Sci-Fi network. 

(Some info about the creators taken from author from Comicbookdb.com and Wiki)