Comic Quickies: Farewell Green Wake

Green Wake #10: It is sad to say, but issue 10 of Green Wake is the final issue of this wonderful comic.  The title has had a bit of a rollercoaster life span, it was first meant to be a 5 issue mini, then became an ongoing, then when sales were poor, got the ax.  I guess that's the business side of things.

For its brief lifespan, Green Wake has delivered on quality month in and month out.  Kurtis Wiebe's writing has been strong from issue one on out.  Though Green Wake isn't his most accessible work, (my vote is for The Intrepids) this is probably his best.  I always had the feeling Green Wake was a very personal book for Wiebe and that close to the heart element imbued Green Wake with an added layer quality.

Riley Rossmo's art is pretty much the perfect match for the subject matter.  He has an amazing knack for drawing you into the world with his atmospheric art, and he can draw some really gross/creepy/grotesque/wonderful creature-beasts.  All positives in my book!  Truly a great combination of art and writing.

Farewell Green Wake, I'll miss you.  Thanks for all the memorable times, particularly the soul-bearing moments in issue 5.  Wiebe has a great and detailed description of the Green Wake mythos up at his blog, Spinning Yarn.  Definitely worth checking out, but not before reading issue 10!

I should add that even though issue 10 spells the end for Green Wake, there's plenty of great comics from Wiebe and Rossmo already here or on the horizon.  The duo have a cool looking post-apocalyptic comic coming in July called Debris. Also, check out my post about Wiebe's Peter Panzerfaust. He also has another mini coming up called Grim Leaper.  Rossmo also has a four issue mini coming up about a zombie apocolypse called Rebel Blood.  I'm not a zombie lover by any stretch of the imagination, but this one looks worth a read.  Zombie Squirrels! RUN!

Prophet #22: This is easily my favorite comic of the moment.  Prophet is exactly what I look for from a comic: incredibly fun to read, yet stimulating and thought provoking, great writing, incredible art, and wonderfully creative.  Oh, and throw in sweet beasts.  Hard to beat that!

I could very easily gush on about this title, but you'd be better served by just going out and buying the issues for yourself.  This is one of those titles that makes me slash a bunch of lesser comics off my pull list because it makes me realize how great comics can be and that I shouldn't suffer anything less than the best.  (Good-bye Action Comics, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and Daredevil.)  I think I'm gushing again.  Yup, I am....

For real though, this is some of the best stuff on the shelf.  It will enhance your life.  Read and Enjoy!

Comic Quickies: Finales

Green Wake #5: This fifth issue marks the end of what originally was going to be the whole series, but Green Wake has sold well enough to be magically transformed into an ongoing title rather than a five issue mini.  Nice!

So how'd the first arc go? Pretty great.  The comic has a great blend of mystery and horror, which I know I mentioned before, but that's truly what sells me on the comic each month.

Riley Rossmo's art is totally unique and unlike anything I've encountered before.  Rossmo's style can be a blessing and a curse for me though.  There are times when I feel like his squiggly lines, and textures can be too much. Those times mostly come during the highly emotional moments that Wiebe scripts.  I feel those moments would be better served with a cleaner presentation so that the raw emotional power that is prevalent in Green Wake could have more room to breathe.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a raw emotional power to Green Wake.  Make no mistake, this is an intense story about love, loss and coping with what it leaves behind.  Kurtis Wiebe is so adept at portraying the emotional moments in a very genuine way, that I wonder if he has recent experience in such things.  Either way, it is incredibly compelling.

Overall, a great first arc, and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here.

The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4: Another finale, this time in Victorian London.  The fourth and final issue of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde delivered what the whole series had been building up to:  Mr. Hyde versus Jack the Ripper!

The showdown was a bit boring if you ask me, and the outcome of the action wasn't so much a surprise as it was confusing and strange.   Through the first three issues I really enjoyed where this was going, but I was ultimately pretty disappointed with how the whole thing ended.

Definitely not my favorite mini-series ever, but not the worst either.  Still, I liked the creative team enough that I hope they get some work in the future.  The final page hinted at perhaps some more Inspector Adye adventures, so hopefully Haddon and Corley can keep working and keep improving on what is a solid start in the comics business.

Jonah Hex #70:  The final of my arc/series finales is the final issue of Jonah Hex.

I became a fan of Jonah Hex after the 69th issue rocked my socks off with some great writing and the fantastic art of Jeff Lemire.  When I saw that the final issue would feature the art of Ryan Sook, I figured what the hell, and picked that one up too.

Sadly, my socks stayed firmly on my feet for this issue.

Like I had with the 69th issue, I picked this up because of the artist.  Now, I can't say that I've ever read anything that features Sook's art, but I've seen enough of his various cover artwork to know that the guy is great.  That being said, I can't really say that I was all that impressed with Sook's interior art in this issue.  It was good, but just not as good as I had hoped for.  I think the sparse, barren desert setting didn't allow provide enough of a backdrop for his art to flourish.

The writing wasn't anything special either.  The story was kinda hard to follow, and pretty fucking weird too.  But not in a good way.

A month ago I would have said I was all in for Hex's upcoming All Star Western adventures in the DC relaunch, but now I'm a bit more skeptical, and will approach the first few issues of the series with a much more discerning eye.

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!

Comic Quickies Debut Triple Threat

Nonplayer #1: Despite being up against some tough competition in the debut department, Nonplayer stands out as my favorite.  In fact, I pretty much fell in love with this one from the first page.  Nonplayer begins in the MMORPG world of Jarvath where a virtual assassination is strangely met with life-like response.  From the looks of things, the lines between reality and virtual reality are going to get pretty blurry in this futuristic fantasy tale.

 The first, and most striking quality of Nonplayer is the absolutely gorgeous art.  I may be a bit of a comic newbie, but Nate Simpson's artwork is hands down the most beautiful comic art I've ever laid eyes on.  Every panel of every page is filled with meticulously detailed and imaginative art, and it is truly an awesome sight to behold.  That being said, the artwork isn't the only strength of Nonplayer.

This debut issue sports some great writing as well.  The opening half of the issue builds up to, and delivers a great action sequence.  From there, we catch a glimpse into the regular everyday life of the main character, and Simpson adds some nice touches, some that are rather subtle,  that make her easy to relate to on a human level.  After watching her do some epic ninja shit in the opening half, it was good to see the normal side of her. I thought the character building was deftly handled. 

On top of the strong character building, Simpson also managed to fit in world building both on the virtual, and non-virtual worlds that his comic features.  It might sound like a packed issue, and it is, but it doesn't seem crammed at all.  By the end, I immediately wanted to read the next issue.  A sure sign of a winner.

Green Wake #1:  Up next in this debut studded Comic Quickies, is the crime noir title, Green Wake.  This one starts out with a gristly murder, and a missing suspect.  The mystery element of this comic hits on three levels.  The first is the murder mystery itself, which is looking to be pretty interesting.  The second is the town of Green Wake itself, that seems to be some sort of lodestone for the decrepit and the lonely.  The third is the main character, Morley Mack, who seems to have a pretty mysterious past.  All these elements play nicely together to make for a damn interesting story.

After reading this one, I feel like I have basically no idea what is going on, but that sense of feeling lost is tampered with the fact that as I read I got the sense that this comic is gonna have a great slow-burn pace to it, and that everything will eventually unfold in good time.

Kurtis J. Wiebe's writing is dark and gritty, and Riley Rossmo's art fits the feel of the comic perfectly.  I'm very excited to see where this one is leading.  

Blue Estate #1: Another crime/mystery story here, but with a totally different feel.  Blue Estate takes place in Hollywood, and has a bit of Hollywood-ized crime feel to it.  The majority of the issue is back story that sets up what will be the conflict for the series.  As with Green Wake, I feel a little bit lost in the early stages of this one, but there are plenty of cool elements (drugs, starlets, ex-KGB agents, money laundering, etc.) at play to make this one worth reading.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this one because of the art.  The problem was that the issue featured four different artists, each with a different style, and for me it broke up the flow of the story a bit.  There were times when a character would not look quite the same as he or she had earlier in the book, and I had to double check to make sure it was the same person.  Those types of things took me out of the flow a little bit, and took away from the enjoyment.  I'm not sure if the multi-artist approach is gonna continue throughout the series, or if that is a one issue type deal.

Still, a pretty solid comic, and one that I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the future.

"Who is Jake Ellis?" Extended! And some awesome looking debuts...

Good news for fans of the Who is Jake Ellis? series.  I recently learned via Multiversity Comics that the sweet spy/espionage series is getting a much deserved extension! What was initially slated to be a 5 issue mini series has now been extended to at least 10, possibly 15 issues.  Writer Nathan Edmondson says that he'd always had a longer story line in mind, so the extension of the series will allow him to delve into some areas he wouldn't have had time for in the original format. 

This is pretty awesome news, as Who is Jake Ellis has been extremely entertaining through the first two issues and one of my surprise hits for 2011.  This title has quickly risen through the ranks and has become one of my most eagerly anticipated titles.  I know I've said it before, but it is worth saying again: If you aren't doing it already, read this damn comic!


In other comic news, two brand spanking new comics come out today that I feel are worth mentioning. These two debuts have been on my radar for the last few weeks, and at last they are hitting the shelves.

The first is Green Wake, written by Kurtis J. Wiebe, also known as the writer of the very awesome comic The Intrepids, and the art is done by Riley Rossmo, who has done work on other cool titles that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. 

This one is a sort of horror/crime noir that looks to be absolutely gristly and amazing.  It'll  be interesting to see how Wiebe switches up his style from the somewhat light-hearted Intrepids to something more dark and gritty.  The art in the preview is looking prety great too.  This looks to be another hit for Image.  Check the link to the website for a preview of issue #1, or just get down to your local comic shop and buy the comic.  It comes out today!

The other comic I want to mention is Nonplayer by Nate Simpson, who in true hero fashion writes, draws, and colors this absolutely stunning comic.  The art truly stands out in this one, as it is some of the most beautiful and detailed art I've ever seen, and on that quality alone, Nonplayer is getting tons of much deserved attention from all the big comic sites out there.  However, as amazing as the art is, the story appears to be equally as interesting.

This one is basically about a young woman who leads a rather mundane and ordinary life, but on the MMORPG game, Warriors of Jarvath,  she is an elite assassin.  The edges between reality and virtual reality get blurred after her latest hit.  Sounds pretty mind-bending and cool to me.  Once again, feel free to click the link and check out the preview, or simply search "Nonplayer" and take a look at the bevvy of previews and promos.  There are rumors swirling around that this might be an instant comic classic, so now's your chance to get in on a piece of comic history.  "Classic" or not, I know that it looks awesome, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

If you happen to be in Seattle, Nate Simpson is doing a signing at Comics Dungeon today as well.