Liberator Created & Written by Matt Miner
Pencils & Inks by Javier Sanchez Aranda
Colours by Joaquin Pereyra
Lettered & Edited by Vito Delsante
Cover by Ben Templesmith
Backup “Lil Liberator” by Sean Von Gorman
Published by Black Mask Studios

The third issue of Liberator by Miner & Aranda hit shelves on Wednesday, September 11^th, 2013. Issue #3 opens with Damon and Jeanette surrounded by police officers on the Broughton University campus, liberated fuzzy bunnies in hand. Miner’s series has been excellent thus far in providing excellent hooks and jaw-dropping cliff-hangers that leave the reader craving that next issue, and unfortunately for this great series we’re now three quarters of the way to the conclusion. Javier Sanchez Aranda’s inks really shine in this issue due to some terrific panels in which Damon and Jeanette are dressed in black garb.

Caught red-handed with the liberated bunnies in tow, Damon and Jeanette manage to pull a fast one on some dull uniform police officers that make Officer George Green of Showcase’s Trailer Park Boys look like J. Edgar Hoover or Melvin Purvis incarnate. The activist aficionados take advantage of the two dumbstruck cops and Jeanette diffuses the situation by deceiving the officers into believing they’re a part of a sorority initiation. The boys in blue get a call and take off into the night, leaving Damon and Jeanette free to their own devices. Damon begins to show a different side of his activism in this issue, a side that may end up getting the better of him by the conclusion of the series with next month’s issue. Following the departure of the police officers, Damon angrily and foolishly tosses a rock through the window at Broughton University. Well deserved, most assuredly, though foolish on Damon’s part all the same. While our noble hero’s intentions may be good, he appears to take a bit of a turn for the worse in this issue with his brash behaviour that draws unwanted attention.

Jeanette’s infatuation (or love? We’ll have to see…) for Damon begins to wane with the changes in Damon’s behaviour at Broughton. After chastising Damon for his carelessness, Jeanette becomes even more annoyed with Damon’s disregard for communication security when he texts her about the events of the previous evening. She then has to remind our protagonist of the importance of a communications blackout which involves zero texts or emails or phone conversations about their destructive tendencies. Here, Miner hits out at an important issue that has plagued Western democracy in the past few months. Assuming you didn’t hear the news about NSA Prism leaked by former NSA employee Edward Snowden, the government is very engaged in collecting citizen’s communications for the purposes of national security, and activists like Damon and Jeanette are often criminalized by the state and labeled terrorists. If Damon doesn’t become more security conscious and begin making some better decisions, he may very well fall victim to arrest and jail time just for helping animals that are in desperate need of rescue. I’m hoping for a happy ending, but Damon is seriously slipping and the effects begin to manifest themselves in his working life at the café where he receives even more flack from Randy about showing up late to work.

Jeanette discovers a startling link between Trapper McMartin’s fur farm and the Fur Coalition of the USA, right before Damon engages in another arson. Unfortunately for Damon, the new information Jeanette’s uncovered isn’t of good nature. I’m not giving away any spoilers so you’ll have to buy the issue! Ask your local comic book shop to order your copy of Liberator #3 today!

This issue also features a 1 page back up story written, penciled and inked by Sean Von Gorman as well as some beautiful fan art from Megan Hutchison and Gianluca Constantini.

Write to Liberator at: liberatorletters@gmail.com

Follow Matt Miner on Twitter: @MattMinerXVX

Follow James M. Clark on Twitter: @JamesMClark87

Follow Inter-Comics on Twitter: @inter-comics

Matt Miner’s Liberator #2

Created and Written by Matt Miner
Pencils & Inks by Javier Sanchez Aranda
Colours by Joaquin Pereyra

Matt Miner’s Liberator series from Black Mask Studios returns to your local comic book shop this week with issue #2 of 4 hitting stands July 31^st, 2013.

Building on the clout Miner has generated with his for charity series about animal liberation, issue #2 allows readers to jump back into the world of Liberator and builds upon the tension between Damon and Randy we saw glimpses of in issue 1. Liberator #2 opens with Randy bullying Damon with feminine jeers and the owner of the coffee shop having to intervene. Call me crazy but I think somethin’s a-brewin’ here. Something tells me Miner’s building towards something with this coffee-shop feud, and perhaps I’m just a misanthrope but typically when someone is a douche to human beings as Randy is, they’re an even bigger douche to animals. And that would allow for our handsome hero (Damon), to take some kick-ass action against the hulking buffoon Randy.

Call me crazy but I think somethin’s a-brewin’ here.

Following this little tiff between protagonist and antagonist, Miner takes us right back in amongst it with some TV news coverage of the arson attack on the dog-fighting ring Damon liberated in issue #1 (don’t have issue 1 yet? What are you waiting for! Hit your LCS on the 31^st and grab both of them!). It appears the valiant knights that head up the glorious Federal Bureau of Investigation have deemed the liberation of animals from the clutches of a sadist an act of “terrorism”. In case you are somewhat cloudy on what that word means, it is basically a bogeyman word promulgated by governments to apply to anyone other than the government itself, although, governments automatically fit their own definitions of terrorism. So now that the good ole’ Eff-Bee-Eye have labeled Damon a “terrorist”, you’d think he’d be packing his bags and dropping off the grid. Not so quick. A less-than-admirable group of animal activists lay claim to the attack, which helps take some of the heat off Damon’s ass (for now, at least). Interestingly, Randy (the douche bully) full-heartedly agrees with the FBI that the person(s) responsible for the dog-fighting liberation are terrorists. Again, as I said above, I think Miner is building something here so pay close attention to the interactions between Damon and Randy as we begin the latter half of the arc with issues #3 and #4. It’s the classic battle of liberalism (Damon) vs. conservatism (Randy). Having chatted with Matt Miner a good deal I think I know how this one will play out, although he hasn’t told me specifically. We’ll just have to wait and see kids!

Let me tell you first: fur farms are some sort of dystopian evil shit you think would belong in a George Orwell story or a Matt Miner comic, but they’re all around us.

Now that Miner’s built on the events of issue #1 in the opening pages of issue #2, it’s time for Damon to do what Damon does best: liberate (and fuck up the baddies!). Following the successful liberation of the dog-fighting ring, Damon’s next target is the McMartin fur-farm. And let me tell you first: fur farms are some sort of dystopian evil shit you think would belong in a George Orwell story or a Matt Miner comic, but they’re all around us. Every day animals are tortured as badly, if not worse than some of the world’s most nefarious prisons (Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, The Gulag… you get the picture). Later on in issue #2, you’ll bear witness to the atrocities committed on these farms as Miner and Aranda pull no punches in their graphic depictions. As Damon makes his way into the fur farm, a twig snaps and he realizes he isn’t alone. But don’t worry: this isn’t a heavy-handed police state arrest of an unarmed activist. Rather, Damon’s found himself a like-minded accomplice who has been eyeing the same fur farm as him. I bet you can guess who it is if you’ve read issue #1, but if not, you’ll just have to read it and find out!

Dont miss out, pre-order your copy NOW!

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

Matt Miner’s Liberator mini-series from Black Mask Studios gave me everything I could ask for: its counter-culture, heavily liberal in its ideology, horrific and disgusting but wonderful at the same time.

Recently I’ve been getting pretty sick of corporate comics. Crossover this, mega-event that… BUY! BUY! BUY! Consumer culture. I am Jack’s sense of utter disappointment. I am Jack’s buyer’s regret. If you examine any medium closely and under extreme scrutiny, constantly scavenging for the cutting edge, game-changing material you will find the counter-culture is where this genesis occurs. In film it’s avante-garde, auteurist cinema; basically anything with a Criterion re-release DVD or Blu-Ray or films so obscure you have to order online or to a specialty movie store. In literature it’s most often post-modern novels, novellas and collections of short stories. In comics it’s the independent presses and publishing houses, to be specific: anything NOT by Marvel, DC, Marvel Max or Vertigo. Marvel Max and Vertigo are often confused as ‘the cutting edge’ because they are smaller imprints of their respective publishers and Vertigo especially publishes a lot of creator-owned titles. Just because these titles don’t sell as much as say Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or any corporate properties, just because they have an esoteric, cult-like following DOES NOT mean they are ‘the cutting edge’. Don’t get me wrong, I collect a lot of Marvel Max and Vertigo, a lot of Marvel and DC as well. I have a DC tattoo on my arm and wear it proudly. However, I don’t think these comics do a lot to change comics as a medium and push it in an altogether new direction from the grassroots. And I’m not sitting here drinking Starbucks with a fucking chapeau like some trendy hipster as I type away.

I love fresh comics though. By fresh I mean something that makes me step outside my comfort zone, broaden my paradigm and engage with something new. A lifestyle I haven’t encountered before in my day-to-day, a character I would never befriend in real life, or sometimes, something that’s altogether too familiar to me but reimagined in a way I’ve never seen before. Matt Miner’s Liberator mini-series from Black Mask Studios gave me everything I could ask for: its counter-culture, heavily liberal in its ideology, horrific and disgusting but wonderful at the same time. I think I’ve found a kindred spirit in Matt Miner, someone who refuses to stand by idly as atrocities are committed under the guise of legality and though these atrocities may be legal, they aren’t morally right and are intolerably evil in my moral view. Needless to say, I champion Liberator and what Matt Miner’s done. Below you’ll see a screenshot of my email communique with Miner, which is probably the BEST reason to get off your ass, hit the local comic shop and purchase Liberator.

If you have a pet, that alone should be a good enough reason to buy this comic!

Your hard-earned money isn’t going to line the pocket of some faceless creator who won’t give you the time of day: ALL of Miner’s share of profits from the book (that’s right, 100% of his profit share) go to canine rescue efforts. I actually feel guilty for getting this free advance review copy so I’m ordering doubles of Liberator for all 4 issues to assuage my guilty conscience. This is, at best, armchair activism. And though I can testify that I’ve adopted all my cats from veterinarian adoption centres, I could be doing a lot more to help canines and felines. You could be too. Trust me, you can’t read Liberator and just put it down and say “someone should save those dogs, think I’ll go get a Coke”. Liberator is a tour de force that does anything but inspire armchair activism.

Down to the nitty gritty aspects, I assume you want to know just what makes this comic so epic and moving.

Down to the nitty gritty aspects, I assume you want to know just what makes this comic so epic and moving. Well… everything. Part of it has to do with the chemistry between Miner, Aranda and Pereyra. You can tell the symbiosis of story flourishes between these three hot talents. Aranda pencils and inks Miner’s story to paper, while Pereyra breathes colourful life into it. When you read this comic, you’ll definitely see the artist interpretations demonstrate a clear understanding of Miner’s cause and moral message, and an agreement with it. I would have to say this story’s message is one of the most important I’ve encountered in my entire readership of comics. I’m in complete awe of it. A large part of this comes from Miner’s selfless nature, it is admirable. The story isn’t just cool for the sake of cool; it’s cool because it’s honest. I believe it was Hemingway that once said any story can be excellent if it’s honest and the prose is clean and neat. Hemingway wasn’t talking comics obviously, so my caveat to Hemingway’s quote would be that the art must also be honest, clean and neat. And it is, as I mentioned above the artistry in Liberator is very telling of a creative team coming together to put out a story that matters.

When you read this comic, you’ll definitely see the artist interpretations demonstrate a clear understanding of Miner’s cause and moral message

To speak to Miner’s ability as a writer is above my capacity. In my own comics writing I feel hindered by my excessive use of caption and dialogue. As I recently told a pal, “I make Bendis look like a fucking silent issue”. Miner doesn’t have my problem. NOT AT ALL. The caption and dialogue are well balanced with the finesse of a seasoned veteran that relies on his artists to tell half the story, while his efforts comprise the other half of the comic. Every word that Miner puts on the page belongs there. Anton Chekhov would be a fan of Miner, because Miner knows the importance of placing a gun in Act 1 and making it go off by Act 3. I’m really looking forward to seeing this mini-series through to its fourth and final issue as Miner introduces numerous subplots that are slowly unfolding by the end of the issue and leave the reader wanting to read more.

The story isn’t just cool for the sake of cool; it’s cool because it’s honest.

I’ll give a brief examination of Liberator’s story without spoilers because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who is looking forward to grabbing it when it drops on June 19^th, next Wednesday. Liberator concerns itself with Damon, an animal rights activist and vigilante dog-rescuer. Fans of Batman and Punisher with liberal leanings will enjoy this series, as the lead character is essentially a Batman of dog rescue. Much like the legendary Bruce Wayne, Damon doesn’t kill, he actually doesn’t even harm sentient beings, his only ‘criminal’ action is property ‘violence’. And this of course is ‘property violence’ as defined by the state. As one writer offers in the afterword to Liberator #1, inanimate objects can’t feel pain nor suffer (I’m paraphrasing this), though animals can. And that is Damon’s heroic quest: to liberate canines (and perhaps other animals in later issues? We’ll have to wait and see) from their abusive human oppressors. It is a noble hero quest, one that Matt Miner doesn’t just sit in his office and place on paper and shove it down our throats… Miner actually goes out and saves these poor animals, much like his hero Damon. Though, I should point out, Damon and Matt aren’t one and the same. I’m sure they’re quite similar but it’s not as if Miner is perpetuating violence, he’s merely using his creative talents to draw attention to an issue that is important to him.

Fans of Batman and Punisher with liberal leanings will enjoy this series, as the lead character is essentially a Batman of dog rescue.

Following a rather explosive opening scene, Miner reveals more and more of his character to his readership. Damon is the common everyman, unlike Bruce Wayne, Damon doesn’t have a plethora of expendable resources at his hands. He works in a Starbucks-esque coffee shop where he’s criticized by a somewhat villainous co-worker for his liberal ideology and feminist sympathies. A cute red-headed siren of a love interest is introduced for all the romantics out there and it’s pretty obvious Damon and Jeanette are going to end up at least allied, if not are already falling head over heels for each other. Jeanette is cute and sweet and tugs on the heart strings of this reader, I’ve got myself a new fictional crush. While Damon works clandestinely, Jeanette is the courageous public protestor who isn’t afraid to get arrested to draw attention to her cause. They are sort of like the ying and the yang of the protest culture; Jeanette the peaceful public face and Damon the anonymous militaristic face. I’m going to stop myself here for the sake of not ruining the story for those hoping to purchase.

I’d have to say Liberator has it all and more.

Aside from drawing attention and raising questions of animal rights, Miner also blends his animal rights epic with other prevalent social issues that beg careful consideration from anyone who hopes to be politically and socially aware. No spoilers but questions of human rights are also raised in Miner’s depiction of totalitarian police control of protests, women’s rights and male patriarchal sexism, friendship and love (including obviously human-animal relationships and human relationships as well). I’d have to say Liberator has it all and more.

I’d encourage everyone to buy Liberator, you won’t regret it. And even if you buy it and do regret it… at least you’ve donated to a noble cause and become involved in something larger than yourself. Just by buying a comic, you’ve helped out, and that’s what Liberator is all about… helping out. So get off your ass and buy it!

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

Jupiter’s Legacy #1 is the first installment of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely’s new Image venture.

Jupiter’s Legacy #1 is the first installment of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely’s new Image venture. The covers for the first issue were very well done, with 4 different covers: one by Quitely, one by Phil Noto, one by Dave Johnson, one by J. Scott Campbell, one by Christian Ward and one by Bryan Hitch. I’m a huge fan of Dave Johnson’s stuff – mostly his 100 Bullets, Deadpool and Fury Max covers – so I grabbed the Johnson and Quitely covers. Each cover tells a different part of the story as great covers often do. Quitely’s cover depicts the two main characters in the foreground with a statuesque rendering of their parents in the background and is my favourite of the two I grabbed, though Johnson’s cover is pretty wicked in portraying the decadent nuances enveloped in Millar and Quitely’s story.

Quitely’s cover depicts the two main characters in the foreground with a statuesque rendering of their parents in the background and is my favourite of the two I grabbed.

Perhaps the reason I prefer Quitely’s cover over my coveted tried and true Dave Johnson cover art has to do with what Millar does best in this story: create a multi-generational narrative that starts in 1932, Morocco and continues into 2013, America. This echoes Watchmen’s shifts in time setting as Moore offered glimpses at his character’s past and present over multiple decades, though different from the time periods Jupiter’s Legacy concerns itself with. Being that the story portrays superhumans living in the real world and gives readers a sense of what would occur in our pop-culture if superhumans actually existed; it’s no wonder I see Moore’s influence in the pages of Millar’s comic.

The 1932 pages of the story at the start called to mind that nostalgic feeling of an awesome adventure I just couldn’t wait to dive in to.

The interior art is what has really sold me on this series. Millar is a great writer, sure, but I hadn’t previously encountered much of Quitely’s pencils and inks outside of a few issues of The Invisibles and his symbiosis with Peter Doherty on the interiors is really a spectacle to behold. The 1932 pages of the story at the start called to mind that nostalgic feeling of an awesome adventure I just couldn’t wait to dive in to. Doherty and Quitely then demonstrate their adaptability and transplant us to the glitz and glam of the red carpet in modern day, March 2013. There’s scantily clad super heroines and heroes partying at night clubs, golden-age style superhero fights, psychic dimensions and drug overdoses; everything you’d expect from a Millar comic if you’ve ever read any Millarworld titles.

There’s scantily clad super heroines and heroes partying at night clubs, golden-age style superhero fights, psychic dimensions and drug overdoses; everything you’d expect from a Millar comic if you’ve ever read any Millarworld titles.

All in all, I give this comic a 4/5. The art was quite handsome and the writing was funny, thought-provoking and intelligent. The only reason I’m not giving it a perfect 5/5 score is the fact that it’s been done before by Millar. Millar is a great writer and has done a number of comics I’d place in the upper echelon of modern comics, including Red Son and Wanted. Though I’d like to see him branch out more in his choice of genre. Superheros seem a frequent favourite of Millar’s that may be more of a crutch than an aid to him: he relies on them too heavily even outside of his corporate comics writing. I’m not one of those nothing-impresses-me fanboy assholes Millar is constantly writing about, I’m just saying Millar is a versatile writer capable of writing comics outside the superhero genre, so it would be nice to see something fresh from him.

Click HERE to view Jupiters Legacy comics

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

We as readers have come to expect nothing less than the best in violence, sex and gore from David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade over these past 8 issues.

Ferals #8 begins with some good ole fashioned werewolfing and hard-core sex. We as readers have come to expect nothing less than the best in violence, sex and gore from David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade over these past 8 issues. As Dale Chestnutt is balls deep in his FBI partner and has her bent over the kitchen table, a knock at the door from the local ferals interrupts Dale’s passionate romp much to everybody’s chagrin.

There’s a decapitator known as the ‘Headless Horseman’ that’s been making his rounds and doing what he does best: decapitating people

Dale’s female counterpart has become rather accustomed to Dale’s rough and rumble S&M love-making and has to go as far as caking on some extra foundation to hide the scars and bruises; reminders of a time well-had. It seems the top brass at the FBI is holding out on Dale; there’s a decapitator known as the ‘Headless Horseman’ that’s been making his rounds and doing what he does best: decapitating people (I hope you didn’t think he was the best at giving head; he’s the best at taking heads away).

Dale makes for the wilderness with his fellow Feral compatriots only to find they are less than interested in welcoming Sven Halvorsen (Dale’s newly adopted moniker to hide his real identity) to their feral community. There’s a bit of a misunderstanding: Dale’s claim of enjoying hunting wolves turns out to be a shared pastime of these local ferals, though they want to hunt him.

There’s a bit of a misunderstanding: Dale’s claim of enjoying hunting wolves turns out to be a shared pastime of these local ferals, though they want to hunt him.

Elsewhere, as Pia (Dale’s partner) makes her way into town to get in good with the local females, she too runs into a misunderstanding. As a group of local women kick her ass from here to there, the local women then realize Pia is not the revolving man-door they were looking to put a hurting on. Turns out, one of the women is after a nasty little number that has been cheating with her husband.

Pia (Dale’s partner) makes her way into town to get in good with the local females, she too runs into a misunderstanding.

Dale’s adventure in the wilderness by his lonesome is setting us up for something big as he stumbles across a deer with its head severed from its body (remember what I was saying about that headless horseman?). When Dale finally discovers said severed deer head, it’s a bit too late: he’s walked right into another werewolf’s territory! After a scuffle, Dale stumbles upon a missing school bus full of kids, all of their heads missing. Just who is this sick fuck? And will Dale be able to stop him in time before he commits another atrocity?

The last page as always hooks us just like an AMC Breaking Bad cliff-hanger: 20 or 30 feral werewolves descending from a hill, all bound for a Dale Chestnutt buffet! This series is becoming far and away my favourite book to pick up. The David Lapham Wednesday’s are my favourite of the month. I’m hoping to see this series win an Eisner or at the very least be nominated… it’s fantastic. I can’t stop raving about it to friends or harassing David Lapham on twitter about how good his work is. You should pull this entire series if you haven’t already and prepare yourself to see werewolves at their coolest!

After a scuffle, Dale stumbles upon a missing school bus full of kids, all of their heads missing.

Click here to view Ferals at: www.Inter-Comics.com/Ferals

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

Written by David Lapham
Art by Gabriel Andrade

When we last saw Dale Chestnutt, he was in a pretty rough state from the events of the first Ferals arc (see issues #1-6; previously reviewed) which culminated in a Mexican stand-off and shoot out free-for-all between Dale, Christopher Ingebritsen and the Ferals clan as well as the FBI agents.

I’m telling you… dude can draw some seriously mean mountains!

Ferals #7 opens with some beautiful landscape art by Andrade of the snow-topped West Coast mountains. Having just come back a few days ago from vacation in British Columbia and Washington, I’m telling you… dude can draw some seriously mean mountains! I was pretty rattled when the shop I visited in Washington didn’t carry Avatar titles because I didn’t get to read this until I got back yesterday and I can’t go without my Avatar titles. But wait… I was talking about that epic shootout! Dale is somehow alive, though barely and page 1-3 show Dale chowing down on gorgeous Gerda’s innards. Page 2-3 really blew me away with a great double page shot of Dale stuffing his face full of Gerda’s guts.

Page 2-3 really blew me away with a great double page shot of Dale stuffing his face full of Gerda’s guts.

Page 4 brings us back to reality with Dale hospitalized though unscathed by the events of Ferals #6. How can this be? As the FBI explains to Dale and fills us in; the feds are taking care of him and having his nails trimmed as far back as possible so that he doesn’t go Feral on their asses. Yet not too much can contain a handsome, slick-talking, shit-kicking werewolf like Dale Chestnutt and the feds have to unleash a blast of buckshot on Dale though he obviously survives now that he’s Feral.

The feds have come in to a position of power over Dale!

The feds have come in to a position of power over Dale and aren’t seeking to experiment on him, though readers get the impression that their use of him in another Ferals cell spells nothing but bad news down the line for our beloved anti-hero. I was a bit pissed that Lapham killed off that babe Gerda but trust me, there’s a lot more sex to come; did you honestly think Dale wouldn’t continue boning babes? Hell yeah he would.

Dale uses his charm on the locals!

I don’t want to spoil it any more for you guys, this series is amazing, you should all go out and buy it or give David Lapham, Gabriel Andrade and Avatar Press an apology for being such an ignorant shithead and not reading it.

Click here to view Ferals at: www.Inter-Comics.com/Ferals

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

Crossed Badlands #12 opens with a hilarious page of “Yellow-Belly” aka Edmund dreaming of umm… well, some big round butt as he floats into it somewhere in the dreamy cosmos.

Crossed Badlands #12 opens with a hilarious page of “Yellow-Belly” aka Edmund dreaming of umm…

We can see the progression of our protagonist from yellow-bellied grade-A pussy to the burgeoning possibilities of Edmund being a hero (this is the same dude that hid in a barrel as his mom, dad and brother were violently raped by Crossed geeks). Edmund puts his foot down in this issue – the crossed geeks will no longer violently fuck and kill their way across his community – when he decides he is going to do what he should have done from the hop; warn everyone that the geeks are coming!

We can see the progression of our protagonist from yellow-bellied grade-A pussy to the burgeoning possibilities of Edmund being a hero

Lapham’s hilarious characterization of a whipping boy turned hero can’t help but win the hearts of his readers as we cheer for him to kick some Crossed ass.

Lo and behold! Nobody believes the starry-eyed teen as he runs around a small town telling everyone that the geeks who raped and pillaged a local carnival are coming to spread their madness and pandemonium to the neighbouring communities. But wait! Our hero discovers a biker bar and as he so aptly puts it: “Biker’s kick ass”.

You’re gonna cheer so hard when you see who Edmund has to go toe to toe with!

The biker’s aren’t nearly as stupid as the local townies and ask Edmund to take them to the carnival so they can witness firsthand where the infection began. This leads to another brilliant Jacen Burrows 2-page spread of the Crossed rampantly dismembering circus animals as the bikers and Edmund stumble upon ground zero.

As the bikers and Edmund prepare themselves for a no-holds bar, knock-down, drag-out brimming to the tits with violence war everybody takes a night to relax: Biker-style. Edmund partakes in the festivities enjoying beers, cigarettes that don’t smell like cigarettes and the warm embrace of a biker babe whose “Butt was really nice and a bit jiggly”. If you had of told me the cowardly loser introduced in Crossed: Badlands #10 would be sliding up inside some biker tail not 2 issues later; I would’ve called you a moron.

If you had of told me the cowardly loser introduced in Crossed: Badlands #10 would be sliding up inside some biker tail not 2 issues later; I would’ve called you a moron.

Edmund gets some war paint tattooed on his arm before him and his biker comrade’s head out to kick some sadistic zombified ass! Another beautiful Jacen Burrows 2 page spread of the biker’s gunning down Crossed with some kick-ass Uzi’s and biker babes. This issue comes with a reappearance of a character from Edmund’s quiet high-school days; you’re gonna cheer so hard when you see who Edmund has to go toe to toe with!

The latter pages of the story are gripping as we witness just exactly how far Edmund has progressed from pussy to cold-blooded killer and the events of Crossed: Badlands #12 definitely take their toll on the psyche of an otherwise harmless young man. This issue is one not to be missed! A brilliant cliff-hanger ending to be concluded next issue in Crossed: Badlands #13 before the beginning of The Darkness writer David Hines’ arc.

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

As the Crossed descend on the town, the townies start to realize perhaps Edmund has a good reason to be such a cowardly bitch!

Part two of David Lapham’s “Yellow-Belly” arc continues in Crossed Badlands #11 written by David Lapham with art by Jacen Burrows

The issue opens with Edmund having returned home from the carnival and confessing to his mother and a police officer the brutality he witnessed while at the carnival with his father and brother (both now dead; having fallen victim to the Crossed in issue 10).

The issue opens with Edmund having returned home from the carnival and confessing to his mother and a police officer the brutality he witnessed.

Edmund’s yellow-bellied cowardice begins to show even more in this latest issue with a series of events that would test any man’s mettle. However, Edmund’s pant-peeing cowardice isn’t just yellow… it’s downright ‘yella’. As the Crossed descend on the town, the townies start to realize perhaps Edmund has a good reason to be the cowardly bitch that he is and perhaps they could all do with taking a page from his book. One of the guys that gave Edmund such a hard time at school even commends Edmund for this and thanks him for warning them about the plagued legions of Crossed wreaking havoc on the town.

Edmund’s pant-peeing cowardice isn’t just yellow… it’s downright ‘yella’.

We’re introduced to some more characters from the school Edmund attends and are given their backstory. The events of this issue lead to an epic few final pages with more great art by Burrows and as much pandemonium as readers can handle!

The events of this issue lead to an epic few final pages with more great art by Burrows and as much pandemonium as readers can handle!

Having a go at a series after Jamie Delano is a tough task for any writer but Lapham has taken the reigns with fervour and delivers some really high-octane story. Jacen Burrows shows more and more that he was meant for the series and I’m really hoping Avatar Press pairs these two again in other Crossed arcs.

Follow James on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out his website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com where he reviews only the most bloody and visceral comics!

Minutemen #2

Not only do we get to see the progression of Hollis’ book in this issue but also important life events of other members of the original vigilante team.

Minutemen #2 begins with a diner scene involving the original Nite Owl (Hollis Mason) discussing the possibility of his yet to be published expose, Under the Hood. The tag line DC pumped for this issue occurs in one of the last panels when a character states, “It’s strictly dynamite, Hollis. This isn’t a book. It’s a bloody confession.”

With that, writer Darwyn Cooke sets the stage for another brilliant issue of Minutemen. As Cooke begins the rising action in Minutemen’s story arc, fans of the original Alan Moore series begin to see the progression this prequel is taking towards the events of Watchmen.

Not only do we get to see the progression of Hollis’ book in this issue but also important life events of other members of the original vigilante team. For example, readers are shown a few panels of the budding relationship between Sally Jupiter (the original Silk Spectre) and her PR man Larry. Readers of the original will take note that Larry and Sally eventually have a bit of a fling, and viewers of the film will remember the powerful scenes where Larry is belittling Sally for her relationship with Comedian a.k.a. Eddie Blake.

Fans of the original Alan Moore series begin to see the progression this prequel is taking towards the events of Watchmen.

One thing I want to draw to everyone’s attention is Cooke’s use of panel-heavy story. I actually found the reading of both Minutemen and Silk Spectre rather daunting in terms of length. This is by all means a good thing. Panel heavy stories give readers more comic for their buck as there is obviously more story when there are more panels in a comic. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last comic I bought that came close to Cooke’s Before Watchmen titles in terms of the number of panels.

I know I stated in my previous review of the Before Watchmen #1’s that I wouldn’t be reviewing the 2 page Crimson Corsair titles in the back of each issue until the conclusion of the series. However, I feel compelled to note that this issue is important in terms of Crimson Corsair as well because it features the introduction of the title character, The Crimson Corsair!

Silk Spectre #2

I LOVED this issue! We see young Laurie Jupiter taking on a gang of thugs as a letter to her uncle Hollis Mason is captioned simultaneously.

Much like Minutemen, Silk Spectre #2 is another panel and text-heavy story by Darwyn Cooke. I don’t mean to rub anyone the wrong way, but I’ve liked Silk Spectre much better than Minutemen and I think it has to do with the art. Cooke is a very talented artist and writer, though I feel his strong suit is writing and Amanda Conner definitely steals Cooke’s thunder when considering the difference in art.

I LOVED this issue! We see young Laurie Jupiter taking on a gang of thugs as a letter to her uncle Hollis Mason is captioned simultaneously. This particular issue is very much a tale of Laurie’s transition from the troubled youth rebelling against an overbearing mother and her blossoming into womanhood.

Laurie is now independent and living with her boyfriend. Now free from her mother’s shackles, Laurie spends her days with her lover and friends living in a shared house and experiencing the things typical of many 1970’s young adults.

This particular issue is very much a tale of Laurie’s transition from the troubled youth rebelling against an overbearing mother and her blossoming into womanhood.

Cooke’s use of the 1970’s setting is spectacular and maintains continuity in the Watchmen storyline but also shows us a different Laurie at the same time. Conner’s art also compliments the time period and one of my favourite panels from this issue was a living room scene where the décor and style of dress are spot on.

The rise of hallucinogenic drugs is also portrayed in this issue and Cooke does them well. Psychedelics such as LSD play a major part of the storyline and we get to see our young heroine experiencing the wondrous joy of marijuana with her friends.

What Cooke did to make me really enthralled in this issue of Silk Spectre was the reference of Ken Kesey in both the storyline as well as a quote at the end. I was a big fan of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and just a big fan of Kesey in general. Cooke’s use of the Kesey quote near the end of the story is fitting both in terms of its relation to his own story as well as the prevalence of Kesey’s writing at the time. This particular period gave voice to many of my favourite writers: Kesey, Hunter S. Thompson and William Burroughs. It’s excellent to see the intersection of comic book fiction with prose literature, the mirroring of the two mediums is something that always fascinates me both as a reader and as a writer.

Comedian #2

I honestly haven’t seen a Vietnam comic done as well as this since Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart’s The Otherside.

Comedian #2 grabs you from the get go, beats the living shit out of you and then takes you further through the brutally violent narrative that is par none in the Before Watchmen series thus far. I was saying to a friend the other day that #1 didn’t blow me away but this issue definitely served me up all I was looking for.

The story opens with 4 beautiful pages by JG Jones of the Ali vs. Liston fight depicting Comedian at the fight alongside Bobby Kennedy. I love boxing, and Ali is a personal favourite so this really blew me away and sucked me right into the story. I really enjoy Azzarello’s use of real historical events with his characters written in to important world history.

The story opens with 4 beautiful pages by JG Jones of the Ali vs. Liston fight depicting Comedian at the fight alongside Bobby Kennedy.

From the fight, Comedian makes his way to ‘Nam. JG Jones does an excellent job of drawing this theatre of war. Vietnam and war comics in general are some of my favourite and most compelling narratives. This story doesn’t disappoint at all. There’s a lot of action in the jungle, and Eddie Blake is in the thick of it.

There is also great historical authenticity on Azzarello’s part in his explanations of communism, how the war began and how Washington doesn’t seem to give a shit hence a lack of funding.

I honestly haven’t seen a Vietnam comic done as well as this since Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart’s The Otherside. I’m enthralled in this series and will definitely be writing my thoughts about it when the next issue is out.

Nite Owl #2

Straczynski’s story takes a dark sexual twist as Rorschach and Nite Owl encounter a dominatrix with some poor sap bent over her horse.

The first appearance of my favourite character in Before Watchmen: Rorschach! The issue begins with Nite Owl (Dan Drieberg) and Rorschach chasing a perp. From there, Straczynski’s story takes a dark sexual twist as Rorschach and Nite Owl encounter a dominatrix with some poor sap bent over her horse.

We get a bit of a peek back into the events of Rorschach’s past and Dan’s friendship with one of comic’s most remorseless characters. This issue gets real noir, grimy and gritty with Rorschach and Nite Owl taking on the investigation of a murdered call girl. Not going to spoil it any more (ok… maybe it’s a high-profile murder case… but I won’t say any more!) for you because you should definitely be buying this issue from www.inter-comics.com! There is much exposed about Dan’s past pre-Nite Owl as well as the current story taking place during a team up with buddy Rorschach.

Commenting on the art, I believe Andy and Joe Kubert are producing the series best artwork in terms of its relativity to Dave Gibbon’s art on the original Watchmen.

Commenting on the art, I believe Andy and Joe Kubert are producing the series best artwork in terms of its relativity to Dave Gibbon’s art on the original Watchmen. I also think that Len Wein and John Higgins’ Crimson Corsair short in the back of this issue had an awesome tie-in with Straczynski’s story and that this is becoming more and more apparent as both Crimson Corsair and Before Watchmen continue.

If you want to catch a review of Before Watchmen by a different set of eyes, check out Resident of Gotham’s blog postings.

Follow me on twitter: @JamesMClark87 or check out my website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com reviewing only the most bloody and visceral comics!

David Lapham take reigns as the writer of Crossed: Badlands with issue #10.

Following the six issue “Homo Superior” 6 issue arc by Jamie Delano, David Lapham take reigns as the writer of Crossed: Badlands with issue #10. Returning from his previous run on Badlands, artist Jacen Burrows gets back at things with some disgustingly good depictions of the carnival of horrors David Lapham has in sore for his 4 issue “Yellow Belly” arc.

Just take a look at the regular cover: a perverted POV angle from the inside of a dark recess of the carnival that Lapham’s brought to town in “Yellow Belly”.

"Yellow Belly" introduces us to an interesting character named Edmund a.ka. 'Yellow Belly'

“Yellow Belly” introduces us to an interesting character named Edmund a.ka. ‘Yellow Belly’, not only because of his cowardly nature (see Burrow’s panels from the barrel scene; GLORIOUS!) but also because he peed his pants in the sixth grade. Edmund or ‘Yellow Belly’ is a loner high school kid close to graduation.

Lapham’s got a bit of a sense of humour with his intertextuality if I’m playing my cards right. We’re introduced to a ‘tough as nails’ football player named Joe Rigg (the UFC Fighter?), Katie Weiner (Gretchen Weiner? Lacy Chabert’s character in Mean Girls?) and Betty Ford.

Meet Katie Weiner AKA (Gretchen Weiner? Lacy Chabert's character in Mean Girls?)

Edmund’s parents come through and pay for the car insurance as a gift and he decides to head to the local county fair, full of “Freaks, Geeks, And Other Oddities”. Burrow’s art of the weird and unusual and the midway lights in all their splendor is breathtaking, fun and enjoyable. Things quickly turn from glitz and glamour to the grey and the grim after a brief stint by a vicious Freak Geek.

When the Geek – who is really just a hoax – discusses his job with his boss and the possibility of losing his job, he’s suprised to see one of the Crossed has come to replace him! Edmund and his family must run to safety, but who will make the cut? Edmund seems a bit too weak for the world of the Crossed so we will just have to see if he has the guts to survive 4 issues of brutality under the pen of Lapham.

Edmund seems a bit too weak for the world of the Crossed so we will just have to see if he has the guts to survive.

This issue is an awesome precursor to Lapham’s contribution to the series and the setting is fantastic! Stop by your local comic shop today and pick up your issue of Crossed Badlands #10!

For more on Avatar titles: follow me on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out my website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com for reviews on Ferals, Crossed and Alan Moore’s Fashion Beast starting in September.

David Lapham teams up with killer artist Gabriel Andrade for a tale of debauchery that involves rather hairy circumstances!

David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Crossed 3D, Crossed Badlands #10-14) teams up with killer artist Gabriel Andrade for a tale of debauchery that involves rather hairy circumstances; David Laphamthat of a werewolf nature. These two pair up for David Lapham’s creator-owned series Ferals which is sure to knock the socks off any true horror fan.

Let me start by saying I’m a big fan of Avatar Press and I highly recommend their books to anyone. I’m on a crusade with @InterComics to promote the shit out of Avatar’s books because they’re amazing transgressive comic fiction that shouldn’t be ignored.

Meet Dale Chestnutt, a boozer, a cop and an all round good-looking guy with an appetite for the ladies!

Ferals takes place in remote Minnesota towns and the narrative centers around a hard-drinking cop who usually thinks with his small head and sorts out the details later. Dale Chestnutt is everything you could hope for in an anti-hero extraordinaire: he’s a boozer, a cop, good-looking and he’s usually looking to get frisky with whatever female happens to sit on his lap.

The series begins in issue #1 with an introduction to Dale, followed by the murder of his friend and fellow police officer by a wretched werewolf creature that has ties to the mysterious babe that Dale meets near the end of issue #1, Gerda Ingebritsen. For fans who like babes drawn with utter precision and in scarily-good detail; Gabriel Andrade doesn’t disappoint. Since I started reading this series, I’ve had this question in the back of my head: who draws better boobs? Gabriel Andrade or Darrick Robertson? I really can’t come to a conclusion as to who can draw ta-ta’s better, but you should be the judge and grab a copy of Ferals today!

Who draws better boobs? Gabriel Andrade or Darrick Robertson, you be the judge!

There are a few things I would like to point out to readers as to why this series is so damn good you need to go buy it. First: David Lapham writing noir-horror… the story is creepy but funny and has a very pulp/noir vibe to it that will just suck you right in. Two: The violence… This series gets brutal pretty fast just like Avatar’s Crossed series. If you like blood and guts and dismembered people and all sorts of crazy, sick, twisted shit you don’t even want to fathom: you’ll get scared pretty damn good by Ferals. There’s a few instances of mutilated genitals in compromising positions throughout the first story arc of this wonderful series, so it is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN. Three: SETTING! As I read more and more Lapham, I realize how much of a master he is with setting. The remote and secluded small towns that Ferals takes place in contribute to the eeiry mood set in the story.

I’d also recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of HBO’s True Blood, particularly fans of the werewolf character Alseid. For fan’s of HBO in general; please read Avatar titles. I’ve been looking for the HBO of comics for some time and I most certainly stumbled across it when I started picking up Avatar titles recently. Vertigo and Image have great series geared towards adult readers, but Avatar achieves what Marvel’s Max brand hope to: to push comics to the max and create comics for the adult reader with content not appropriate for children. I’m not saying anything against Max or Vertigo or Image, I love them! I am saying that Avatar competes quite well with them and I often find myself digging into my Avatar titles first when I get home from the comic shop.

The werewolf clan depicted in Lapham's Ferals holds many secrets and a few are slowly being leaked into the fabric of the story.

The werewolf clan depicted in Lapham’s Ferals holds many secrets and a few are slowly being leaked into the fabric of the story and becoming bigger storylines as the series unfolds. They are a highly interesting group of people who come to play a big role in Dale’s motivations in the latter issues of the first arc. Currently, Ferals #6 is on shelves while we eagerly await the unveiling of the next story arc which begins with #7 in this great Werewolf-cum-Crime series.

For more on Avatar titles: follow me on twitter @JamesMClark87 or check out my website: http://50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com for reviews on Ferals, Crossed and Alan Moore’s Fashion Beast starting in September.

Crossed Badlands #9

Last Wednesday marked the end of Jamie Delano’s genius run on Avatar’s Crossed: Badlands with the conclusion of his “Homo Superior” storyline. Crossed: Badlands #9 brings to a close the events that have been culminating in the Florida Everglades.

After issue #8, Steve is our lone heroine, cutting a murderous swath of violence across the Everglades in order to survive and protect the young child growing inside her. Armed with but a few remaining bullets and some make-shift spears, Steve makes her last stand against the Crossed at a desolate hotel on the beach. Delano gives us his thoughts on maternal instinct in a sadistic, plague-ridden world and delves more into Steve’s back-story.

Armed with but a few remaining bullets and some make-shift spears, Steve makes her last stand against the Crossed at a desolate hotel on the beach.

Issue 9 takes place 4 months after the epic events of issue 8, with Steve alone and very close to giving birth. Leandro Risso gives us an interesting re-introduction of Steve and the former “Homo Superior” characters that have now fallen victim to the Crossed plague. Delano takes a step back and allows Steve to reflect on her life, her mother and her professional career before the Crossed plague. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone but Steve isn’t exactly Mary Poppins or Supernanny, she’s been a mean bitch for all of his Badlands arc and don’t be surprised when you find out how Steve helped her co-workers cope with on-the-job stresses.

Issue #9 takes place 4 months after the epic events of issue #8, with Steve alone and very close to giving birth.

Badlands #9 can EASILY compete with the release of Walking Dead #100, with a stunning conclusion no reader can foresee!

Pick up Crossed: Badlands #9 here today!

Going Forward

As Badlands #9 was the conclusion to Jamie Delano’s run with Crossed, issue #10 is a completely new storyline and new take on the Crossed by hard-boiled crime writer David A. Lapham (Stray Bullets, Ferals, Dan the Unharmable, Deadpool MAX). Lapham will be writing a 4 issue arc (#10-14) which will be followed up by a David Hine storyline. If you’re not familiar with Lapham’s work, you’re in for a treat. As this series progresses it only gets better and I’m sure Lapham will have something brilliantly violent in store for readers.

As this series progresses it only gets better and I’m sure Lapham will have something brilliantly violent in store for readers.

You can follow James on twitter at @JamesMClark87 or visit him at his website 50shadesofbloodandviscera.wordpress.com

Before Watchmen: Thus Far (June Publications + Ozymandias)

Whether you’re for it or against it, DC’s prequel to Watchmen – Before Watchmen – is here. I realize a lot of hardcore Alan Moore fans are quite miffed that DC opted to launch a prequel series written by other creators after Moore turned down the option to write the prequels himself. DC owns the rights to Watchmen and I’ll be the first to say I was pissed off when I heard they were doing a prequel series without Moore’s input. Being a creator myself, I can understand why Moore wants no ties to the prequels since he didn’t feel he was allowed the creative freedom with DC that he is being granted at Avatar and other independent publishers. As Moore has stated, DC missed the boat on him writing prequels or sequels to Watchmen by about 20 years as he would have liked to continue with the series on the heels of the original Watchmen’s release.

Sympathies for Moore – one of my favourite creators and someone I look up to as a writer – aside, I stopped to consider what having another creative team would mean for these prequels. Moore’s Watchmen was one of the most influential comics of the past quarter century and these other writers have had that quarter century to digest and form their own ideas and notions of the world of Watchmen. Having that long to read and re-read the original countless times and being that it is every writer’s dream to reshape popular characters people care for in order to carve a name for themselves in the annals of comic history, would you not think that perhaps this Before Watchmen launch will help recreate the world of Watchmen and allow other writers the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings on these monumental characters?

Moore’s Watchmen was one of the most influential comics of the past quarter century and these other writers have had that quarter century to digest and form their own ideas and notions of the world of Watchmen.

First off, let’s talk creative teaming on this project. To avoid death threats and speak from the heart on this, no pairing besides Moore and Gibbons would have done the project TRUE justice. However, I think DC has done an excellent job of forming creative teams for these limited series. On Minutemen we have Darwyn Cooke performing double duties as both artist and writer. Silk Spectre is written by Cooke but art duties are Amanda Conner (she’s brilliant; I loved the art for this issue). Comedian boasts what I consider the second best pairing in the prequels with the king of crime comics, Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, The Joker, WonderWoman, Spaceman) scarring readers with his sharp and witty poison pen while JG Jones’ artwork for the series lends itself to some pretty epic interior artwork in issue 1 (particularly liked the panels of Comedian playing football with a certain President). Nite Owl is written by J. Michael Stracynski with Andy and Joe Kubert handling the artwork. Ozymandias, one of the more important characters from Moore’s Watchmen, is written by comic veteran Len Wein and artwork by Jae Lee. The previously mentioned titles are the only ones that will be covered in any detail in this posting due to the other titles not being released until later this summer. Looking forward, Dr. Manhattan is also written by Nite Owl writer J. Michael Stracynski though artwork is by Adam Hughes. Being a fan of gritty, hardboiled crime fiction, I’m most looking forward to Rorschach which will be written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo. I don’t think I have to explain why I consider this to be the pick of the litter, having not even read it yet: have you read The Joker? Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo were meant for each other. The Joker was a NY Times GN best seller and I don’t doubt that Rorschach will follow in the Joker’s footsteps. Brian Azz has a knack for exploiting the most grotesque character flaws and twisting them into something so sick and deranged its horrifying, as exemplified by Joker. Bermejo is an EXTREMELY talented artist that has earned his stripes en time and again not only on Joker but also his own take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with a Batman twist: Batman Noel, which was released in November of 2011.

A sneak peak at the interior art for the Before Watchmen series.

All of the issues of Before Watchmen come with a few pages of Crimson Corsair in the back of the issue, though I won’t be discussing that at length until the conclusion of the series.

I should also mention that there is a 1 shot epilogue by various writers and artists to sum up the series. DC also gives fans the option of buying a digital combo pack edition for $4.99, only $1 more than the magazine format!

Minutemen #1

Before Watchmen Minutemen #1

Minutemen is a 6 issue series focusing on the pre-Watchmen team of Sally Jupiter, the original Nite Owl, Dollar Bill, Mothman, a younger version of Comedian Edward Blake and Silhouette. Usually I’m more taken in by story as opposed to art but I feel the story in this series wouldn’t work at all without the Golden Age inspired art by Darwyn Cooke that gives Minutemen its dated/oldies feel. If you’re unfamiliar with Moore’s Watchmen then a lot of subtle hints that Cooke drops as to the impending doom of the Minutemen will be lost on you. Though I wasn’t as excited for this title as with some of the other Before Watchmen titles, I’d still give this issue a 4/5, though it goes without saying it can only get better as Cooke moves along in this particular storyline.

Silk Spectre #1

Before Watchmen Silk Spectre #1 Variant

I’d like to state for the record here that I think Comic Book Resources’ review of Silk Spectre short-changed it and that there is a LOT of substance here. What the @!#$ were you guys reading? Cooke plays on the relationship between original Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter) and her younger protégé, daughter Laurie Jupiter. Cooke’s art would not lend itself well to this title and I think having the womanly touch of Amanda Conner’s art helps paint a very sad picture of Laurie Jupiter who is constantly at odds with her overbearing mother. This particular issue dealt with Laurie meeting a boy who she has a crush on and the strain her mother, their familial situation and the spotlight have affected not only Laurie, but Sally as well.

Comedian #1

Before Watchmen Comedian #1

Of the two titles written by Brian Azzarello, I think this serves as a good introductory issue to Comedian but it left me wanting more. Not that JG Jones’ artwork wasn’t great and the story wasn’t good but I perhaps went in with high expectations of Rorschach and the Comedian series seemed to me an afterthought. I am glad that Azzarello will be writing Rorschach and Comedian because I feel both characters can be done exceptionally well by such a talented writer. I am hoping that Comedian will take off in the next few issues and was just slow to start. This issue also comes in variant cover by 100 Bullets artist Eduardo Risso. In this issue we get to see Comedian’s beginnings and now that I’ve read the 5 titles released thus far, I can tell you they all follow a rather formulaic introduction of the character in their younger years, a few pages in their teens and young adulthood and then an adult portrait. By formulaic I don’t mean this is a boring means to re-introduce Watchmen, the back-story to all of these characters is unique and interesting, though so far every issue 1 has introduced the character in their early years and moved forward to adulthood which is usually the last few pages.

As of yet, Comedian doesn’t seem as sick and evil as twisted as Moore portrayed him but I do think Azzarello will have some interesting revelations coming into play as the story arc progresses. The relationship of the Kennedy’s and Jackie O. to Comedian plays an important part in this issue and sets the stage for what is to come in next month’s issue.

Nite Owl #1

Before Watchmen Nite Owl #3

Dan Drieberg is depicted much as he was in the original Watchmen by Moore and the transition from original to the prequel as it pertains to Drieberg/Nite Owl II is virtually seamless as far as I am concerned. Young Danny is a fascinating character with his head in the clouds and an obsession with Nite Owl (Hollis Mason). His abusive father is portrayed differently than Sally  Jupiter though it becomes quite clear by the portrayal of parenting figures in Dan and Laurie’s lives that they suffer a rather similar fate in terms of being ostracized for their shortcomings in their individuality. Andy and Joe Kubert’s art for issue 1 was pretty stellar, I especially liked pages 6 and 7 which boasted no dialogue and were excellent examples of sequential art storytelling. These pages show Danny entering Hollis Mason’s fortress – the Owl Cave – undetected and exploring the wondrous. Of the origin stories so far I think Silk Spectre, Nite Owl and Ozymandias have done the best jobs of re-interpreting and re-imaging the characters differently from Alan Moore’s work. Nite Owl also has gripping action sequences and beautiful character growth. As Danny grows older, it is glaringly evident to readers that he is in need of a father figure as his own father’s praise will never be gained, nor does Danny want it. Hollis Mason takes the boy under his wing after the death of Danny’s father and trains him to become Nite Owl II. I’m quite excited by the promise of this issue and would highly recommend the series to anyone who likes loner/nerdy type heroes who you can’t help but sympathize with.

Ozymandias #1

Before Watchmen Ozymandias #1

Jae Lee’s art for Ozymandias was hella good! Page 1 is my favourite splash page in the series thus far and I really like Lee’s sequentials. Ozymandias is the most sublime and surreal hero art I’ve encountered in a while and I was hooked from the splash page and in need of a fix like a fat kid in a candy shop. Len Wein truly understands Adrian Veidt’s life motto, “I have goals to achieve, dreams to make come true”. While Ozymandias is undoubtedly villainous in his efforts to secure world peace, Wein helps readers come to an understanding of his origins that makes sense and would be agitating factors in Ozymandias later life decisions to force the world into peace by pulling the wool over its eyes. This issue also has the introduction of the villain Moloch as he takes something precious from Adrian Veidt, prior to Adrian taking up the mantle of Ozymandias inspired by his idol Alexander the Great. I don’t want to spoil it and ruin things for you if you have not read, and I won’t, but remember that thing Rorschach writes in his journal in Moore’s Watchmen? “Adrian Veidt, possible homosexual? Need to investigate further” Well, just keep that in mind in this issue. Ozymandias ends with Veidt donning the Ozymandias costume for the first time. I am eagerly awaiting the next issue and was pleasantly surprised by the success of this issue and the way in which Len Wein and Jae Lee have set in motion some awesome plot devices in this limited series.

You can follow James on twitter at @JamesMClark87

Back at it again, James M. Clark here. I’m currently waiting until Wednesday to get my comics from the shop, so unfortunately no reviews until then but I felt like blogging a Top 10 List to keep active.

I decided to create this Top 10 because I’m frustrated when people ask me, “What’s your favourite comic book?” Usually I ramble for forty, fifty minutes before the boys in blue arrive and escort me away for harassment. But then I get incredibly pissed off waiting with the police because I think “Crap, forgot to mention I’m a fan of ______ or _____”. There is just too many series I follow and too many interesting characters and concepts and worlds to explore when you’re a comic fanatic. There isn’t enough time or words in the world to describe them, so I boiled it down to MY top 10 favourites. So for all you out there ready to throw your two cents in, throw ‘em. I’m not claiming this is the best 10 comics ever created but I wouldn’t eschew them either. I’m always interested to hear what other people read because I’ve found it’s best not to be ignorant otherwise you may miss out on a book that you really enjoy. That being said, here is the Top 10 according to your heavily-biased Canadian friend from across the pond.

#10. Y: The Last Man (Vertigo)

Written By: Brian K. Vaughn
Art By: Pia Guerra and others

Being the last man on Earth leaves you with plenty of time to...think!

Y: The Last Man is a comic about the last man on the planet Earth, Yorrick Brown and his male pet monkey, Ampersand. The first trade provides a number of possible reasons males have all mysteriously dropped dead; virus, an odd scientific birth and other reasons are given throughout the series. I find this series has high literary value because I regard it as a largely feminist work. With this comic we get to examine what the world would be like if men did not exist and women were free of gender bias. However, Yorrick and his male pet monkey are the only males to survive whatever it was that caused the world’s men to perish. Brian K. Vaughan takes readers on an incredible journey giving them new clues as to why Yorrick and Ampersand may exist, and introducing them to the dangers of feminine society.

#9. Transmetropolitan (Vertigo)

Written By: Warren Ellis
Art By: Darrick Robertson

Transmetropolitan chronicles the battles of Spider Jerusalem, infamous renegade gonzo journalist of the future.

Transmetropolitan is a futuristic punk/sci-fi series that follows anti-hero Spider Jerusalem, an eccentric and down on his luck writer-reporter as he comes down from mountainous seclusion in search of a quick buck. The exploits of Spider are hilarious and the world Warren Ellis creates is so staggeringly large in scope one can’t help but wonder just WTF goes on in Ellis’ head. I was hooked on this series from the moment I discovered it and much like my quick reading of Preacher, I read the entire series in about a month or two.

#8. 100 Bullets (Vertigo)

Written By: Brian Azzarello
Art By: Eduardo Risso and others

The mysterious G-man named Agent Graves who solves stranger’s problems for them by appearing with a gun and 100 untreaceable bullets

100 Bullets is probably one of the grittiest crime epic’s I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The genius creative team behind this series has since gone on to do other comics together and is perhaps one of the best Writer/Artist pairings in comics today. Brian Azzarello tells the tale of a mysterious G-man named Agent Graves who solves stranger’s problems for them by appearing with a gun and 100 bullets, every last one of them untraceable. Eduardo Risso’s bleak but enticing art sucks readers in to the world of 100 Bullets from the very first page and doesn’t let go the entire time. Each of these stories focuses on a person who has some sort of unwanted stress in their life, someone they need gone and what they decide to do with the 100 bullets Agent Graves gives them.

#7. The Boys (Dynamite)

Written By: Garth Ennis
Art By: Darrick Roberston, John McCrea, Carlos Ezquerra and others

The Homelander leads the Seven on a rescue mission unlike any others!

The Boys is one of my favourite series because it is a parody. And no one does parody better than Garth Ennis. The Boys follows check. Essentially, The Boys is a parody of the premier superhero comic titles such as Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, etc. The Homelander or ‘Homo-Lander’ is a hilarious imitation of superman with an insatiable appetite for gay sex, Tek-Knight is a Batman doppelganger who can’t stave off his own insatiable appetite for gay sex and his lust for his teenage sidekick’s tight little behind. Like Preacher, The Boys is quite over the top and offensive so I wouldn’t recommend either title to a young reader, perhaps best enjoyed by someone 15 and up. The adventures of Wee Hughie, Butcher, Mother’s Milk, The Frenchman and The Female are sure to bust anyone’s guts and are a wicked read for those with a sense of humour.

#6. Preacher (Vertigo)

Written by: Garth Ennis
Art By: Steve Dillon, John McCrea, Carlos Ezquerra and others

Preacher deals with the deep friendship between the titular character, Jesse Custer, and his friend Cassidy, the Irish vampire.

Yup, Garth get’s two series on this top 10 list. Can you tell by my choices that I’m a 3^rd generation British-Canadian yet? I began reading this series after being a fan of Hellblazer for a long time and hearing Preacher described as an off-shoot of Ennis’ work on Hellblazer. The story follows Texas preacher Jesse Custer (initials JC, modern-day Christ, but BAD ASS) who has the pleasure of acquiring the word of God when he becomes possessed with the offspring of an angel and a demon. The word of God doesn’t mean he has a bunch of lunatics following him around and drinking his blood and eating pieces of his flesh but rather, the amazing ability to command people to his will. With a few words, Jesse Custer possesses the ability to make anybody do as he says which leads to hilarity at every turn. My personal fav is when he tells an overbearing conservative police officer to ‘Go eff himself’. Jesse develops into an amazing hero throughout this series and essentially does the work of a God that has abandoned Heaven and hidden himself somewhere on Earth. Jesse uses his power to do good and help folk out along the way and goes in search of a cowardly God in order to make God realize the error of his ways in abandoning Heaven. Jesse is accompanied by his girlfriend, Tulip O’Hare and the ultra-cool Irish vampire Cassidy on this wild road-trippin’ adventure across America’s heartland.

#5. Watchmen (DC)

Written by: Alan Moore
Art by: David Gibbons

This city's afraid of me... I've seen its true face...

Watchmen is a favourite of mine and just makes the top 5. While Alan Moore hates me and would probably like to see me nailed to a cross and burned alive for picking up DC’s prequel Before Watchmen series, the original fascinates me both as a comic and as a literary work. Moore is without a doubt the best creator in comics. The way in which he builds a world and inserts incredibly interesting and complex characters that are easy to identify with and then writes suspenseful, believable dialogue is what draws me to Alan Moore’s work and specifically to Watchmen. I first encountered Watchmen as an undergraduate student in a course titled ‘Reading the Modern World’. It was the most interesting required reading I had in all of university and I had read the thick graphic novel 6 times over before we were even required to read it. I relish every moment and every read I have with Watchmen, it’s a classic that I always keep close by because each new reading of it leads to a deeper understanding of this text and most often a new interpretation and new creative energy for me to write. If you haven’t ever read Joseph Conrad, this graphic novel begs a question I think Conrad was one of the first to ask, “Who watches the watchmen?”. In laymen’s, retards or American terms, the question Alan Moore poses means: Just what kind of sick bastards did we give the power to guard us?

#4. Spawn (Image)

Key Writers: Todd McFarlane (Creator); Alan Moore; Frank Miller; Brian Michael Bendis; Steve Niles, Brian Holguin, David Hine, Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman
Key Artists: Todd McFarlane (Creator); Greg Capullo – two of comic’s top artists in my belief

Spawn must choose between his life on Earth and his place on a throne in Hell.

Spawn, Hell’s white knight. The series was created in 1992 and helped establish publisher Image as a major player in the comic’s game. Again, dark themes (maybe I should see a psychiatrist?) and this time our hero is an ex-Black Ops specialist who is double crossed into damnation and recreated as a soldier in Satan’s (or in Spawn’s case Malebolgia’s) army. In as little as 5 years, Spawn went from Todd McFarlane’s brainchild to a feature film and an award winning HBO animated series. Now, 20 years and 220 issues later, Spawn is still going strong and still boasts an amazingly talented creative team behind it. It seems Todd McFarlane’s success with Spawn spilled out into other avenues, making Todd the richest dude in comics with his assets in Image, McFarlane Toys and baseball collector’s items. If you’re a writer or an artist looking at plying your trade in the world of comics, your dream is to be Todd McFarlane, the guy is an ace. However, I should note that in 2008, Al Simmons (the first Spawn) committed suicide and a new Spawn (Jim Downing), took over as the title’s main character. While I did find the initial transition jarring, Jim is one hell of a Spawn and as pieces of his past are slowly being revealed, I just can’t help but be enthralled by what’s coming up around the next bend. I’m an avid collector and subscriber of the series and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this character.

#3. John Constantine: Hellblazer (Vertigo)

Key Writers: Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, Brian Azzarello, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Jason Aaron, Peter Milligan, Mike Carey, Denise Mina, Darko Macan, Andy Diggle.

"You don't need anything magical to tell most people's futures. They get old, get married, have kids, work their life away, and die. And, that's just too depressing for me!"

Alright, I’ll give you Brits a break and put some British works into the mix. John Constantine came off the pages of Swamp Thing some years ago. Albeit the movie starred Canadian actor Keanu Reeves, it was quite terrible. Keanu as John and Shia LaBoeuf as Chas? Gimme a break. This character has so much more potential than the big-screen gave him credit for. He holds those same dark qualities I look for in a character and he is extremely cynical and hates himself almost as much as Deadpool (see above). The chain-smoking British mage is most often authored by a British writer and is Vertigo’s staple as its longest running series as it approaches 300 issues in the months to come. It is most definitely not a kid’s comic and deals with extremely dark themes while incorporating loads of sex, violence and a horror/fantasy landscape which is literally straight out of Hell. John wages war with demons and other mystics and is a con-man by trade, constantly suckering his seedy enemies with the short end of the straw. The list of talent attached to this series was just too awesome not to be in the Top 5.

#2. Deadpool (Marvel)

Key Writers: Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld (creators); Daniel Way, David Lapham, Victor Gischler, Joe Kelly, Mark Waid, Christopher Priest, Fred Van Lente, Adam Glass.

The "Merc with a Mouth" is infamous for breaking the fourth wall.

Yup. Bet you’d never find Deadpool on any other Top 10 List. I realize you UK comic fans are probably pissed and are wondering if Doctor Who, Judge Dredd, etc. make the list but unfortunately they do not because I have not had the chance to read them. Why Deadpool is #2: he is an acquired taste. Not everybody likes Canadians (Americans mostly, we did burn down their White House and we do make better beer), let alone mouthy schizoid Canadian mercenaries dressed in crimson spandex with guns, sharp swords and sharper humor. But once you get to know this crazy Canadian regeneratin’ degenerate you just can’t help but love him. I first picked up Deadpool at about 7 years old and let’s be honest: he kicks Wolverine’s ass. Yeah Wolvie is the X-Men’s cornerstone, the poster-boy and the better selling character but I’ve never been one to bandwagon and if I had the choice to have beers with a superhero, it’d be Deadpool. Why not Spiderman? Same reasons eggheads, if I want to read about school boys saving people where everything is relatively kosher, I’ll put Spidey and Supe in the Top 10. I believe people are pre-disposed to never be entirely good but also to never be entirely bad and Deadpool definitely walks the fine line between the two as he is most often described as an anti-hero. He is a young hero in comparison to a lot of other titles at only 20 years old, having been created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza in 1992 when they were working on New Mutants #98 together. If you have a good sense of humor and can wrap your head around a mercenary who recognizes he is a comic book character, loathes Wolverine and loves tacos then I’d recommend you grab yourself some Deadpool issues and a few Canadian cold ones. He is a popular but often under-rated and overlooked character that I think deserves a lot more praise than he gets.

#1. Batman (DC COMICS)

Key Writers: Bob Kane (creator); Frank Miller; Jeph Loeb; Alan Moore; Doug Moench; Chuck Dixon; Dennis O’Neill; Brian Azzarello. Greg Rucka, Scott Snyder & Many More but these are my favs.

I highly regard Batman as the best hero in comics because of his dark allure. Perhaps that’s why Superman doesn’t appeal to me as much.

HAHA! Gotcha! I bet you all thought I was going to go with the hegemonic North American practice of ranking Superman first like IGN and so many other Top 10’s. Hell naw. If I have pissed anyone off doing this, I don’t care for your two cents here, save ‘em and buy a lolly, keep your forked tongue behind your teeth and @$#% off while you still have two legs to carry you. Ahem… so, why Batman? Batman was my first experience with a hero. As a child I’d go after school to my grandparent’s house and have a few hours of TV and a snack before my parents would come to get me. When I wasn’t busy being a little hellion, I’d watch the old Batman’s starring Adam West with my grandpa. There was so much adventure and action, coupled with those cheesy super-imposed comic bubble sound effects that I couldn’t help but take up Bruce Wayne’s crusade and label myself a Son of Batman. From the old TV show I moved on to the animated series in which Mark Hamill voices the Joker, to the Tim Burton films and so on and so forth (and yes, Nolan’s rendition is the best to date). But we aren’t here to talk TV or film today.

I highly regard Batman as the best hero in comics because of his dark allure. Perhaps that’s why Superman doesn’t appeal to me as much. The Dark Knight boasts many spin-off character franchises and what I believe to be the best cast in comics of all time. The heroes – Batman, Robin, Red Robin, Red Hood, Nightwing, Batwing,  Oracle, Batwoman, Batgirl, Catwoman. The villains – Joker, Riddler, Two-Face, Scarface, Bane, Hush, Mad Hatter, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Ra’s Al Ghul, Clayface,  Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn. There are several other heroes and villains I’ve forgotten about, but these are all marquee, top selling characters. And there’s always new characters popping up, such as James Tynion IV’s Talon which is due to come out this fall. Batman has stood the test of time and continues to evolve with modern comics and in modern pop culture as a much loved mythos.

You can follow James on twitter at @JamesMClark87

Crossed Badlands #8 Wraparound Cover by Jacen Burrows

First things first, I want to give a shout out to both Inter-Comics and Avatar Comics! Good day to you nerds and babes, James M. Clark here from Guelph, Ontario, Canada and this is my first time writing a review for Inter-Comics.

Down to business: Jamie Delano (Hellblazer, Dr. Who, and Captain Britain) and Leandro Rizzo produced my favourite comic last week and I’m itching for the next issue. For all you Walking Dead fans out there I would be so bold as to say Crossed kicks Walking Dead’s ass pretty hard, even with Walking Dead’s #100 coming up. Why? Because Crossed boasts the intense combination of Rizzo and Delano. Delano writes impeccable horror and is a seasoned vet, having written Hellblazer some 20 years ago and only gotten better since. Rizzo’s art lends itself well to Delano’s dark, twisted and funny as hell story with some brutal violent, gory imagery and T n’ A thrown in to boot. If you like Walking Dead but you need a bit more violence and gore, pick up Crossed Badlands #8 today!

Crossed Badlands #8 is the penultimate chapter in Jamie Delano‘s six-issue “Homo Superior,” with the next issue, #9 bringing the events of Delano’s run to a close. Gregory, Steve, Leon, Ashley and Ashlynne have made their way further through the Florida Everglades, having to fight off Crossed Hordes along the way. One, or two, or maybe three or four of them will die! Will they become the Crossed? Who will survive? Who’s going to be left standing for issue 9, the big finale?

Who will survive? Who’s going to be left standing for issue 9, the big finale?

Starting in issue #10, David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Ferals, Dan the Unharmable, Deadpool MAX) will begin his run on the Crossed series, following his previous Crossed 3 and Crossed 3D. Avatar Comics has confirmed they have the first 50 issues of the series plotted via Twitter and that they have a roster of amazing talent to bring on past Lapham’s run.

You can follow James on twitter at @JamesMClark87