Graphic Novel Review: The Spirit Books 1 & 2

There's two comic related things I've been wanting to do for a while now; read some The Spirit comics, and read something by Darwyn Cooke.  Then, one day, while browsing the used comics shelf at a bookshop, I discovered a couple of The Spirit trades written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke.  Win, win!  So I bought them and took them home, where they sat on my shelf awaiting a time when I needed something light and fun to read.  That time came around mid-terms.

Despite not knowing a damn thing about the character, I dove right in and figured I'd get the hang of things sooner or later.  Lucky for me, The Spirit isn't really the kind of guy that needs a whole big introduction and origin story to be enjoyed.  Sure, Cooke peppers that stuff in, but he focuses primarily on making sure the story itself is a lot of of fun, easy to get into and easy to get out of.  I guess you could say this was sorta a popcorn/fluff read, but it's a very well done fluff read.

The story starts out with a pretty standard abduction story.  Ginger Coffee, (Yup, pretty much everyone has a goofy-ass name like that in this comic), a well known news reporter, is abducted by some mysterious baddies,and taken to an undisclosed location.  The police are baffled, so it's up to The Spirit to crack some skulls and crack the case.  This opening story serves mostly as a way to introduce the reader to the world of The Spirit and from there Cooke introduces a bigger story arc that will span the length of his run with the character.

One aspect that I really appreciated about The Spirit  is that Cooke told the main story arc in a non-sequential fashion. He broke things up by inserting issues here and there that at first didn't seem to fit the main story line at all, but eventually came to play a role in the overall story by filling in back story, setting up things for later down the line, or developing characters that are integral to the plot.  Now, a lot of comics do this, but rarely have I seen this done so well.  My experience with this narrative trick is that it usually comes across as very overt and heavy handed.  Not so here.  Cooke skillfully made me think one thing about what was going on, only to reveal later down that line that certain instances were much more than they appeared.  It's nice to read something that is scripted so well.  Cooke made great use of the medium to deliver a great plot.

An aspect even more impressive than the plotting was Cooke's art.  I've always admired Cooke's art style, which is evocative of the golden age of comics.  I think he is a perfect match for The Spirit, and its cast of characters because they also evoke that golden age feel.  At first glance, his art seems a little more cartoony than I usually prefer, but once embedded in the story I really felt like his art made the story and the characters come to life.

 I gotta admit, this whole thing, characters, story, and art all seemed a little too campy to really be something I would enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The Spirit delivers a solid story with plenty of action and hi-jinks.  It's also a story with heart, and even a good sense of humor.  Put simply, there's a lot to enjoy, and very little to frown upon.  As long as one isn't searching for a read that will be emotionally engaging and provide deep meaning, The Spirit will likely entertain. It's light, it's fluffy, and it's a lot of fun.

Grade: B

Comic Quickies: Young Guns

Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1: Yes! (Fist Pump!) I didn't know this even existed until I strolled into the comic shop one Wednesday and it was in my pull box...it's good to have a shop owner who looks out for you!

So, in case you didn't know, Rocketeer Adventures is back for round two.  And look at that fucking sweet Darwyn Cooke cover!  I would buy that poster.

Anyway, like the first go-'round this new version follows the same template: short 8-10 page comics from an all-star cast of comics creators, and pin-ups from some of the finest artists in the land.  This issue is no exception, as comics legend, Stan Sakai delivers what was my favorite story of the issue.  This was one of my favorite titles from last year, so I'm very excited to be getting more.  If you haven't already done so, check this one out.

Rebel Blood #1: When I heard Riley Rossmo was working on his very own project to follow up his fantastic work on Green Wake, I got really excited. Then, when I saw some art previews, I nearly wet my pants.  Even if the story was about a zombie outbreak, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist.

I guess you could say that Rebel Blood is a zombie story with a twist.  The twist being that even animals can get infected, thus the infection rate is insanely fast.  The story follows Chuck who's a firefighter stationed at one of those remote forest watchtowers when he gets the news of the outbreak.  With his family at home in a distant town Chuck hustles to see if he can save them.  Along the way there's some sweet zombie killin' action.

What I think I liked most about this first issue is that we get a good sense of who Chuck is.  Spoiler Alert: He's kinda a dick.  Which makes him an interesting "hero".  What was extra special is that as Chuck is racing to the rescue, we get into his head a bit as there's a series of green colored panels which depict Chuck's imagination of how his rescue mission might turn out. Through these I got a good sense of the character, and I thought it was a unique and interesting way to handle character development.  I'm definitely excited for more.

Prophet #23: The first arc in the new generation of this amazing title comes to an amazing, and plot-twisty end in this issue.  I gotta say, this had a really awesome ending and it set up infinite possibilities for a future of awesomeness for the title.  In just three issues, Prophet has skyrocketed to the top tier of comics on my pull list.  Each issue has been a wonderland of creative, nutty, fantastic ideas all working together to create a unique science-fantasy action comic.  The writing by Brandon Graham has been sweet, and the art by Simon Roy has been perfect.

I think this is Roy's last issue at the art helm for now, but I'll definitely be looking out for his future projects as I think he's a rare talent in the business.  (In just a paragraph or so I'll be checking out some of his past work too!) My fingers are crossed that he blows up (in the good way) and always has a project that he's working on.  I can't say this enough: you gotta check out Prophet.  Issues 21, 22, and 23 specifically, as they are a shining example of how great comics can be.

Jan's Atomic Heart: One of the goodies I picked up while I was at Emerald City Comicon was Simon Roy's first published work, Jan's Atomic Heart.  I consider this a very fine piece of treasure, as it was one of those things that I just sort of stumbled across, but knew I had to have it as soon as I laid eyes on it.

In this 52 page one-shot (which is printed like a digest-size graphic novel) set in near-future Frankfurt, Jan is the recent victim of a car-accident.  While his body is healing in the hospital, his consciousness has been transferred to and old lunar-made robot body.  Jan soon discovers that similar robot bodies are being used as bombs in terrorist attacks.  Fearing he may be the next to explode, Jan turns to his only friend, Anders for help, but what they discover is more shocking that Jan could have ever expected.

Considering that Jan's Atomic Heart is Roy's first published work, I was surprised at how ridiculously good this comic is.  It is written with all the skill and confidence of a veteran all-star writer and illustrated beautifully.  Simply said, this is a nearly flawless comic.  There's a subtle emotion to the comic that gives the story another layer on top of the great art, and engaging characters.  This is seriously awesome and I strongly urge anyone who reads this to check it out.

Jan's Atomic Heart might be tough to get a hold of through traditional channels, but Roy provides a nice link from his blog to a spot which sells it...you can also see a 22 page preview, so all the more better.  Enjoy!

Comic Quickies

Screamland #1:  I really thought Screamland had a lot of promise; A comic starring Pulp-style movie monsters who are out of jobs thanks to green screens and CGI, forced to try and make a buck by hitting the convention circuit...Seems like it would be in my ballpark.

Well, I was wrong. 

Apparently at the height of their fame, during an epic Hollywood style party, (think: pool, hookers, blow, alcohol, etc.) these movie monsters, who include a wolf-man, blob, swamp creature and robo-brain, made an orgy porno.  Flash forward to present day where they are all down on their luck and hard up for cash.  The Invisible Man decides he's gonna release the porn, and try to drum up some publicity.  Oh, and some monsters die.

That's about it.

Even though the plot is razor thin, I could have at least made it to issue #2 had the characters been anything more than caricatures of what we already expect from these pulp creatures.  The Wolf-man snarled a lot, the robo-brain was a Nazi prick, the Blob just wanted people to be his friend.  There just wasn't anything that jumped out as unique or interesting about this comic, and the decision to not pick up another issue was pretty damn easy.

 Green Wake #3:  There's comics like Screamland, and then there's comics like Green Wake.  The former is a total let-down and the latter just manages to creep you out, tug at your heart strings, and leave you dazed, confused and itching for more.

To say that Green Wake is a slow burn style story is a bit of an understatement.  Writer Kurtis Wiebe has done a knock-out job of feeding teeny-tiny little nuggets of long-lusted after information at just the right moments.  Not only that but he's created an incredibly intriguing murder mystery tale, and placed the whole story in a town that is a huge mystery in and of itself, aaand filled that town with characters with mysterious pasts.  That's a lot of mystery.

Riley Rossmo has gotta be one of the most unique comic artists out there.  His art is not immediately the most accessible stuff, but it is work that rewards close scrutiny.  Because there is a lot of plot packed into each issue, and I'm usually incredibly anxious to see what burning questions get answered in the issue, I have to force myself to slow it down and really cover each panel.   As great as Wiebe's writing has been in this series, Rossmo's art has been crucial to setting the atmosphere that makes Green Wake breathe with life.  Taking the time to really enjoy the art makes Green Wake all the better.

Blue Estate #3:  First off, the covers for this series have been some of my favorites of the year.  Shirtless Uzbek drug dealer sitting in a zebra skin chair?  That's a winner in my book.

Blue Estate is starting to feel like the comics version of say a Cohen Brothers or Guy Ritchie film.  Large cast of characters, most of them shady, desperate, or ruthless, a plot with lots of ins and outs, great dialog and a mix of violence and comedy.  So far I've been enjoying the ride.

Lucky for me things started to click for me this issue.  Though I enjoyed the last two issues, I sorta felt lost in all the events that were going on.  In this issue I started to make the connections between specific characters, and what they are up to, and how they fit into the grand scheme.

I think the art mash up that happens each issue is at least a little bit responsible for my confusion.  There's been a gang of artists that attack each issue, and during the issue, the artist can switch at any given moment, which means characters can look at least a bit different from one page to the next.  The slight alterations have given me a bit of a challenge, but I think my learning curve is starting to level out.  Definitely a comic that'll require a straight read through once the whole arc is out.

 Mystery Men #'s 1 and 2:  These issues were a total impulse buy at the comic shop this week.  I was nearly out the door with my weekly purchases, when another customer asked me if I had checked out Mystery Men.  I hadn't, which meant I had to at least give it the flip-check.  The in-store description I got was 1930's era Marvel Universe with pulp style heroes.  Going on that description, and a flip-check that revealed some sweet interior art I made the plunge.

The first issue is sort of the "get the team together" issue.  Which could come across as shitty, but it was actually well handled.  Dennis Piper, AKA The Operative,  is a Robin Hod style cat-burgler who steals from the rich to help out the poor, and oppressed during the depression.  His lady, Alice Starr is an up and coming actress who thinks some guy calling himself "The General" will help connect her with some Hollywood directors.

Unfortunately for Alice, The General, who runs a board of rich and powerful people who plot to oppress millions for their profits, kills her in a sacrifice to some sort of demonic creature that has promised to grant The General great powers.

The General, who has some crooked cops in his pocket attempts to pin the murder on Dennis Piper.  While eluding the police Piper discovers that Alice has a sister who might be the next victim.  As Piper attempts a rescue, which turns into an ambush, he and the sister, Sarah, get rescued by a mysterious guy who named The Revenant.

I will say that I enjoyed these first two issues, but there were a few things I could have done without: The Dirty Harry style catch-a-bullet-in-your-teeth shit was not cool, the cheesy ass way The Revenant speaks is kinda lame, and Sarah being essentially a female Rocketeer seemed a bit cheap.  The Revenant's style of speech turned out to be a plot point and now I'm fine with it, but the other things bug me a bit.  Still, I think these are worth checking out, and I'll be on board for the 3rd issue.

Rocketeer Adventures #2:  It is pretty much a guarantee that a week with Rocketer Adventures in the pull box is an automatic awesome week.  So far, this comic has amazed me.

Yes, this issue is awesome for the great Darwyn Cooke story and art.  Yes, it is awesome for the 8 pages of Gene Ha art.  As amazing as those two things are, and believe me they are amazing.  "Betty Saves the Day" by Cooke is a true gem, however they pale in comparison to the absolutely fucking ridiculously gorgeous pin-up by Geof Darrow.  (I couldn't find a picture of it anywhere on the interwebs, I'm sorry.)  Seriously, that double page spread is the coolest thing I've seen in comics this year.  I really hope it'll become available in poster-form some time in the future.  I wants it.

Anyway, all gushing aside, Rocketeer Adventures is great.  Each issue puts together an all-star cast of writers and artists that crank it up to eleven.  You don't need to have read the original Rocketeer material (I haven't, but I will sooner or later) to enjoy this comic.  It is simply great writers and artists doing some of their finest work with a really cool character.  Check it out!