Comics Reviews, Take One

Of course, I'll have plenty else to do, since I've been assigned responsibility for a related part of our product, which already exists, and which I'll be maintaining. Whee!

Last night I finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the latest book in the blockbuster series. It's just as good as its predecessors, although it is of course more than twice as long. It's worth reading, though, and you probably won't be bored by it.

It is, however, clearly a childrens' book, and has some problems associated with the genre, such as a somewhat simplified plot with bits that don't quite make sense. But hey, nobody's perfect.

Michael Walsh asked me at Eleanor's party what comic books I'm reading lately, since I haven't really written about them in recent weeks. So I figured I'd do some reviews of some of the books that seem noteworthy. Part one today, part two probably tomorrow.

Artesia Afield (Sirius; cover to #2 shown) is a mini-series following up a previous series and (apparently) several one-shots. Artesia is the former concubine of King Branimir of the citadel of Dara Dess. She eventually became one of his war captains, and in the earlier series ended up slaying him and taking his place, although not technically ascending to the throne. This new series involves Artesia leading her armies to aid the Middle Kingdoms against the expansionist Thessid-Golan Empire.

Sound like a lot of gobbledygook? It is somewhat hard to follow, though I imagine reading the earlier stories would help somewhat. (There's a trade paperback which I'm trying to track down.) Writer/artist Mark Smylie has clearly created an intricate fantasy world, with apparent evidence of magic and deities in the world, although kept fairly well in the background. The subject matter is mature, and the art is often stunning: Smylie's straightforward line drawings are intricately colored with what appears to be water-colors (though for all I know it's computer coloring).

I don't highly recommend the series, since I'm still trying to figure out what it's about and who all the characters are. (The characterization is not especially strong.) But it seems like it has the potential to be pretty neat.

Castle Waiting is now on its second series, this time published by Cartoon Books. The first series talks about the arrival of the Lady Jain at the Castle (which had previously been the home of Sleeping Beauty, before she and Prince Charming ran off to live happily ever after), and the birth of her son (green skin, horns and all) and an introduction to some of the other residents of the castle.

This first issue begins a new story, about one of the nuns who lives in the castle, who happens to be bearded! She tells Jain of her story, having run away from home to join the circus, where she meets the circus' own bearded lady, and the adventures they have together.

Linda Medley's artwork is simple and lovely, and she brings a light touch to her stories. I'm not an enthusiastic about this particular story as I was about the first series, but it's early yet; we'll see.

Crimson Plague #2 (Image) finally continues George Perez' science fiction/horror yarn which he started two years ago. (The first issue was reprinted with extra material a month or so back.) Shannon Lower, owner of a high-tech spaceship, has gone to the industrial outpost Mannaworks Three on one of the solar system's outer moons. There she encounters DiNA:Simmons, a young woman who's apparently been genetically augmented. Simmons somehow escapes Mannaworks Three and gets to Mars, where at Mannaworks Two she terrorizes the population: It turns out that her blood is an extremely effective virus, which kills on contact, dissolving the target's body.

The story seems to involve the question of who DiNA is, and why she was created. Meanwhile, there is a backstory involving a group of superhumans who mostly retired some years earlier, some of whom have been involved with the Mannaworks company, and at least one of whom seems to be investigating that company for some mysterious reason. And what Lower's role is in all this is still hazy, except that many of her friends were killed on Mannaworks Three in DiNA's escape.

Obviously there's a lot here, and it's not at all clear where it's going. Still, Perez' art is fantastic as always, which makes it worth buying all by itself. I think this is supposed to be a six-issue series, so hopefully answers will not be long delayed.

Dork Tower (Dork Storm) #9 is the next-to-latest issue by John Kovalic. If you don't already know, Dork Tower is mainly a satire of the gaming industry and (more to the point) the gamers who support them. Gamers can be obsessive, compulsive, manic, and possessed of remarkably poor judgment (gee, sounds a lot like SF fans!), but as Kovalic is a gamer himself, he paints their characters with a sympathetic brush.

This issue focuses mainly on Bill, the proprietor of Pegasaurus Games, and the gamers who come to his store, sticking mainly to one-page gag strips. There's some great stuff in here, and the back cover ad for Cheapass Games is priceless! And (brag brag brag) I actually know the person Bill is based on (as well as the woman his girlfriend "Stacy" is based on; she's actually a former cow-orker of mine). Pegasaurus Games, by the way, is based on Madison, WI's Pegasus Games.

Apparently there's a collection of the first six issues due out soon.

Lazarus Five (DC, issue #3 shown) is the latest project from Dan Jolley, who gave us JSA: The Liberty File, which I thought was pretty good. JSA: TLF's artist, Tony Harris, provides some spiffy covers, while a similar sketchy-but-realistic artist, Dusty Abell, does the pencils on the interior. The story is a sort of H.P. Lovecraft riff, with Elder Gods coming back. The catch is that the Lazarus Five are five men who have (I think) died and been brought back to fight the good fight against the evil things. They're a peculiar group, including a one-armed man, and a short fellow with a tail who carries the paw of a demon with him.

Each issue of the series focuses on one of the members of the Five (yes, it's a 5-issue series), telling their story and advancing the overall plot somewhat. Unfortunately, neither purpose is really given enough time in any given issue, and I admit I'm feeling kind of lost regarding what the series is about. Characterization is naturally rather limited by this storytelling approach. I was pretty enthused about this series after reading the first issue, but it hasn't really jelled for be since then, and now I'm feeling rather disappointed. I hope the last two issues are better.

Finally is perhaps the best book of the lot: Legend of the Hawkman #1 (DC), by Ben Raab and Michael Lark. The superhero Hawkman has gotten a raw deal in recent years, and I stopped following him quite some time ago. (Something about being the personification of a Hawk God? Geez...) This 3-issue series steps back a bit and is about the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl: Police officers from the planet Thanagar who come to Earth to capture the criminal named Byth, and who then stay on this new world as Thanagar's representatives. This series takes place immediately after they've sent Byth back to prison on Thanagar, and it therefore dodges all the cruft which has built up around the characters of Katar and Shayera Hol.

In their identities as Carter and Sheira Hall, the heroes are curators of the Midway City museum, and in their winged personas they fight crime with a variety of antique Earth weapons (which Katar is fascinated by). In this story, Shayera can't understand why they're staying on Earth, and desperately wants them to go home. Katar wants to give their new world a chance. Meanwhile, an actual "hawk god" is discovered to be living in a cave on Earth where Thanagarian legend says he was exiled centuries ago. Hawkman and Hawkgirl confront and defeat him, and return the urn which is his prison to display at the museum, alongside various other alien artifacts they're showing.

Lark's art is terrific, with a wonderful sense of form and movement, and Raab's story is straightforward and entertaining. Clearly this story isn't over yet; the hawk god will likely be showing up in the next two issues as a larger story is told from this beginning. Fans of the old Hawkman should love this, and non-superhero fans might also want to give it a try, since the "heroics" are low-key and the characterization is better than usual. I'm looking forward to the last two issues.

Okay, that's all for tonight; more tomorrow!