Alan Robert’s Wire Hangers #2
Life of Agony bassist Alan Robert becomes a comic book creator with his inaugural work, Wire Hangers. This four part series is a dark tale of conspiracies, vigilantes, cops, feds, homeless freaks, nosey reporters and gore. Alan Robert is the writer and artist of this twisted series.
The artwork stands out immediately. The book is drawn to be admired. Reminiscent of Ben Templesmith, the pages become a character all their own. The art is a murky and wild, capturing the chaotic and sinister tone of the story. Smartly placed lighting effects give life to the panels and catches the readers’ eye. There are weaknesses in Robert’s skills. Certain characters are disproportionate and he seems unable to capture some action movements .
The story is picking up the pace and the characters, stilted and cliqued in the first issue, are getting a life and voice of their own. The story continues to unfold the bizarre Suicide King Killings. A reporter is taken captive by a mysterious homeless man who seems to know about a yet unrevealed conspiracy. A broken cop refuses to accept the spoon fed leads given to him by men in black suits. Glimpses of a man pulling all the strings are alluded to, but nothing is totally clear at this point.
Wire Hangers is 32 pages of advertisement-free twisted fun. Alan Robert shows off some bad-ass comic book making skills. It’s not perfect, but it’s keeping my interest.
3.5 out of 5
After seeing Millar and McNiven’s debut issue of Nemesis trashed by some big name comic reviewers (IGN and CBR), I had to come to its defense. Nemesis is the world’s greatest villain who targets the world’s best law enforcement officers. He is sadistic, smart, and has seemingly limitless resources. While he may appear one dimensional, I felt that added to his “bad-ass”-ness. He is methodical and cold which is terrifying. Mark Millar’s plot was predictable, but it wasn’t bad. These are elements that have been over-used, yet it worked.
How Steve McNiven’s art was criticized in this issue is beyond me? I don’t know what crack is being smoked at CBR, but I want some. The wordless panels of mass destruction were sharp and spot on. Much of this issue fell upon McNiven’s talented pencils and he delivered. From inks to colors, this book jumped off the pages and held my attention.
The conclusion was a bit cheesy and very predictable. I’m looking forward to the next issue. How someone could read this and not want to get the next issue is beyond me. This isn’t Millar and McNiven’s runaway hit Old Man Logan, but it is a fun comic.
3.5 out of 5
We Will Bury You #1 review
I was already looking forward to Choker when I walked into the comic book shop, so the Templesmith-esque cover of We Will Bury You from IDW caught my eye. The zombie cover, that is actually from the pencil of Ben Templesmith, is the highlight of the issue.
The story takes place in 1927 and the form-fitting collared shirt and pants outfit of our dykie heroin Fanya seem completely out-of-place, even if she is going for a manly look. Her Harry Potter glasses don’t seem to fit either. Fanya and her friend Mirah are drawn with clean, smooth lines. Every other character looks hairy, dirty and disgusting, often with distorted facial expressions. We haven’t even got to the zombies yet. This contrast is purposeful in creating an atmosphere and tone, but Kyle Strahm may have done the job too well as the characters are so vile and ugly that I barely want to look at the pages.
Yes, this is only the first issue, but I really can’t tell what direction Brea Grant and Zane Austin Grant are going to take this story. From what I can tell, the only two non-wretched beings is this city have a forbidden love, which will have to be put on hold while they deal with the zombie apocalypse.
In the end, this horse is slow coming out of the gate, but since it involves zombies, I’ll probably give issue #2 a chance.
2 out of 5
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Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #1 review
One glance at the cover of Warren Ellis and Raulo Caceres’ Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island and I was hooked. This book oozes sci-fi coolness. Beautifully drawn and richly colored comic pages quickly immerse the reader into Ellis’ version of 1830 London.
Two competing police forces, the Bobbies and the Bow Street Runners, are trying to keep the streets of Georgian era London under control. A rogue given the monicker Spring-Heeled Jack, who appears to have harnessed the powers of static electricity, has taken up the hobby of tossing police onto spiked wrought iron fences. Of course, conspiracies abound as we get hints that the Bow Street Runners and their Magistrate masters may not only have justice as their motive for taking down Jack and the mysterious Captain Swing.
Raulo Caceres employs a plethora of short black strokes to add shading and detail to most every surface. You can see and feel the emotion on every character’s face. The biggest accomplishment is that Caceres seamlessly blends the fantastic and the style of the 1800’s to keep the story “realistic” in a sense.
This comic provides a full $3.99 worth of entertainment. The 21 pages of comic goodness are supplemented by six additional brown parchment looking pages with a fitting script font and technical drawings that go further in solidifying the idea that there is some mad scientist lurking about that is way ahead of his time. The text also provides details of the actual historical events that are being used to frame the story.
The only real criticism I have is that this is issue “1 of 4″. I’m already wanting more.
4 out of 5
Days Missing #1 review
I was compelled to buy Achaia’s premiere issue of Days Missing for several reasons. First, it costs less than a dollar; bargains are always a plus. Its tagged with “Roddenberry Presents” so I thought it would be an interesting sci-fi story. The cover and back were sharp and the concept seemed original. Was it worth a buck? Buck, no!
Comic industry veterans Phil Hester and Frazer Irving should be ashamed. Hester’s script just falls flat. I was interested by the concept but bored by the poor execution. The story is about a mysterious figure who intercedes on behalf of humanity to keep us from extinction. This white haired, crazed eyed hippie has been around since earth’s creation and has been waiting for humans so he could hang out with someone similar to him. The issue begins with a viral epedemic that could destroy the earth’s population. The cosmic hippie lends his hippie hands and once again humanity is saved from annihilation. The pages are littered with too much unnecessary back-story and the pace is deathly slow.
Artist Frazer Irving’s skills are uncharacteristically poor and sloppy. I think Irving realized that the story sucked and just drew these panels in a drunken stupor. Large black lines outline every character, giving them a cookie cutter appearance. The bland cast is drawn just as they are written – boring.
I will never have the dollar I spent on this drivel back or the 10 minutes it took me to read this. Take a pass on Days Missing.
1 out of 5
Stumptown #2 review
Did you ever pick up a comic on a whim, not hearing any hype surrounding its release, and strike gold with your chance purchase? That’s what I did with Stumptown. Oh yeah, solid gold, baby.
Dex is a private investigator and proprietor of Stumptown Investigations. Writer Greg Rucka creates a female character, both flawed and loveable. The series first arc The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo, But Left Her Mini follows Dex as she seeks the whereabouts of a missing girl. Taking the case to settle a gambling debt, Dex is quickly pulled into a quagmire of shady villains with hidden motives and itchy trigger fingers. Rucka nails the atmosphere and intrigue behind the protagonist and the plot. I love the layers that Greg Rucka weaves and builds as Dex gets deeper into finding answers.
Artist Matthew Southworth draws a pitch perfect match for Greg Rucka’s extraordinary narrative. In a character driven comic, the artist must be able to convey the story without relying on action sequences and muscle-clad heroes. His silent panels are well structured and flow perfectly.
Get onboard right now so that you can say, I was there at the beginning. This is a smart comic that should be at the top of pulllists.
4.5 out of 5
