By @Joe Molloy
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Kristian Donaldson and Gary Brown
Colours by Dave Stewart
Published by Dark Horse Comics
The Massive is the tale of a group of eco-activists called the Ninth Wave and their struggles as the World collapses around them. Spurred by a string of environmental disasters, society is bordering on collapse and the crew of the environmental-action ship Kapital (think the Sea Shepherd) battle to survive, find their friends and keep their ideals.
Because the Massive is also the name of a boat, a boat that barely appears in this story. Contact was lost during a huge storm and the Kapital has been searching for her sister ship ever since. A search that is hampered by the fact the world has descended into chaos.
This could be the smartest book that Brian Wood has ever written. Amongst a body of work that contains Demo, DMZ and Northlanders that is saying a hell of a lot. I’m a big fan of Wood and his political thrillers and very glad that this time he has expanded his scope to the entire world.
This could be the smartest book that Brian Wood has ever written.
At times Brian Wood reminds me of Warren Ellis (not too surprising they worked together at Marvel early on in Brian’s career). He creates these strong characters and then throws them into some very tricky situations. There is a strong Global Frequency vibe from the Massive, which is never a bad thing. Here too is a team of highly skilled and dedicated individuals brought together to save the world. The difference is in the Massive it is too late, the world has already gone to hell and they need to save themselves while still holding on to their ideals.
Because this is also a story about character. How it is formed and how it can be tested. How what we have done can become who we are. Callum Israel, the Captain of the Kapital and leader of Ninth Wave is an ex-mercenary who listened when the ocean spoke to him and then dedicated his life to protecting it.
Callum Israel is an ex-mercenary who listened when the ocean spoke to him and then dedicated his life to protecting it.
Artist Kristian Donaldson has an almost clinical cleanness to his linework but one that he never allows to become sterile. He excels at drawing the technical stuff that this book is stuffed with: boats, guns, oil rigs and sinking cityscapes. But he still manages to imbue his characters with real life, warmth, and great haircuts, (the selection and quality of the hair do’s in this comic wouldn’t look out-of-place in Melbourne’s most hipster riddled cafe).
Gary Brown takes over art duties for the second story arc. He has a rougher sketchier style than Donaldson but it has great energy and at times reminds me of R.M. Guera’s work on Scalped.
Artist Kristian Donaldson has an almost clinical cleanness to his linework but one that he never allows to become sterile.
Colourist Dave Stewart is generally regarded as being the best in the biz and has a string of Eisner awards to prove it. The book relies on flashback to fill in the back stories of these characters and the colouring does a vital job of letting the reader know the when we are looking back through time. Stewart changes the colour palette for the flashbacks and uses a pastel wash over everything to tie it together.
Captions are used well to keep the reader informed of just where the action is happening. The story whizzes all over the globe and I loved how new locations are indicated with latitude and longitude as well as by name. New characters are introduced with a tidy list of their name, date and place of birth. This is a comic that could fall victim to over complexity but the creative team fight that well with the tight structure they keep in place.
Part of what I love most about the Massive is that it feels like a global book.
Part of what I love most about the Massive is that it feels like a global book. The action takes place all over the world and the crew of the Kapital is multi-national. To those of us who live in Not-America it is nice to see, as it can feel as though the American comic book industry has no idea we are out here. Wood addresses this directly in the script with a great exchange on the Antarctic ice that says much about how he sees Americas role in the world.
The constantly changing locations suit the rotating roster of artists and it doesn’t feel like a disconnect when we get a new penciller. We also get to have the mighty JP Leon on covers. I love his art more every time I see it ( it also reminds me to build up the courage to write about the Winter Men).
The constantly changing locations suit the rotating roster of artists and it doesn’t feel like a disconnect when we get a new penciller.
Should I buy it? If you like Brian Wood then it’s a must. If you haven’t tried his work yet then this could be the start of something beautiful. Without really meaning to I have accumulated over Brian Wood 20 trades and I still haven’t picked up any of his Marvel, Star Wars or Conan work. The man has quite the back catalogue of fine comic books.
This collection is tidy package. You not only get first six issues but also the preview short stories that ran in Dark Horse Presents and fill in the back story on our main characters.
Next time: A tale of a cloned baby Saviour for the 21st Century. Punk Rock Jesus by Mr Sean Murphy.
Follow Joe on twitter @JosephJMolloy or check out his website: joeblogscomics for more comic reviews!
Posted on June 19th, 2013
Category: REVIEWS, TRADING UP
Tags: Brian Wood, Comic Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, Gary Brown, Kristian Donaldson, The Massive review, Trading Up
By @Joe Molloy
Skillfully tying fifty years of Godzilla movies into one focused narrative, the Half-Century War tells the tale of Ota Murakami and his encounters with the famed lizard.
Story and Art by James Stokoe
Published by IDW
During thirty years of indifference to Godzilla I had managed to avoid nearly all contact with the legendary beast. Barring the odd glimpse across the channels of his 90′s American movie, I knew little and cared less. Turns out all it took was the work of one very talented cartoonist to get me deeply involved in the world of rampaging radioactive lizard monsters and the men that struggle to contain them.
Skillfully tying fifty years of Godzilla movies into one focused narrative, the Half-Century War tells the tale of Ota Murakami and his encounters with the famed lizard. It begins with the first time Godzilla stomps out of the sea to destroy Tokyo and continues as he rampages across the planet while pursued by the AMF (Anti-Megalosaurus Force!).
It begins with the first time Godzilla stomps out of the sea to destroy Tokyo and continues as he rampages across the planet while pursued by the AMF.
My only previous exposure to James Stokoe was his Orc-Stain comic but that made me a fan for life, he is firmly on my must-buy-no-matter what he’s producing list. His hyper-detailed art style is a skillful blend of Japanese and Western influence. Reading his work makes me want to put some serious time studying Asian comics, a favourite touch is how he has everyone break into the classic manga sweat when under pressure.
Stokoe is a very detailed artist who crams a ton into each panel and also combines dynamic lettering and explosive SFX seamlessly on the page. Godzilla’s sound effects are amazing, it looks like he’s emitting a force field of screeching sound. Explosions (of which there are many) and the resulting dust clouds are used to great effect. Often with the massive lizard looming out of a cloud of dust to spew forth a cone of violent force from his mouth. It turns out Godzilla has Radioactive Blast Breath.
Stokoe is a very detailed artist who crams a ton into each panel and also combines dynamic lettering and explosive SFX seamlessly on the page.
Each issue starts with a large panel containing an overview/map of where the action takes place, be that Tokyo or Bombay. It’s great at setting the scene locally and often has smoke billowing out over the trail of destruction but it’s also perfect for establishing that this is a global threat that storms the planet wreaking havoc.
The AMF have to develop their own crazy tech and crackpot science weapons to try and take down Godzilla as he is immune to conventional weaponry. And then we meet the others. I am by no means a Kaiju scholar but it seems many of the most prominent are included, Mothra, Megalon and King Ghidorah among them. We are treated to many epic battles between the mighty beasts, intercut with the puny humans scrambling around trying to stop or at least divert Godzilla.
We are treated to many epic battles between the mighty beasts, intercut with the puny humans scrambling around trying to stop or at least divert Godzilla.
Should I buy it? If you are a Godzilla or a Stokoe fan then this is a must. If you think you might enjoy reading a magnificent looking comic about rampaging giant monsters then it’s for you too. If you don’t like any of that then you might need to re-examine your priorities.
Next time: Godzilla is a hard act to follow, so I am going to take things in a completely different direction and write about The Massive by Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson and Gary Brown. A look at the world after the water levels have risen through the eyes of an enviromental activist group. A tightly written eco-thriller with sharp art that might be the smartest thing Brian Wood has written, which is saying something.
Click HERE to view Godzilla comics
Follow Joe on twitter @JosephJMolloy or check out his website: joeblogscomics for more comic reviews!
Posted on June 4th, 2013
Category: REVIEWS, TRADING UP
Tags: Brian Wood, Godzilla, Godzilla The Half-Century War, IDW Publishing, James Stokoe, Joe Malloy, King Ghidorah, Kristian Donaldson, Mothra, Tokyo, Trading Up
By Daniel Cole
Welcome to the very first 6 Shooter where the comics will be awarded with a Headshot, Hit, Miss or the dreaded Misfire!! Follow our rating system to see what they get.
Welcome to the very first Six Shooter! This is a weekly column that will review six specific comics. Big new releases, small interesting titles and random curiosities. All will be looked at. The way it works is that there will be a brief review of the comics followed by our rating system. So going with the gun theme our ratings are:
Headshot (Best of the week)
Hit (Read)
Miss (Don’t Read)
Misfire (Worst of the week)
As it’s the first ever Six Shooter it would seem prudent to focus this edition on First issues. Thankfully the gods of comics where smiling down on us and we actually have six new number ones (we cheated as one of them is a one-shot) to review.
But before we carry on we would like to give a big shout out and thank you to Twitter friend @Hulksmash1985 for coming up with the column’s name. Go, follow him because he’s awesome. So without further ado let’s review some comics!
CLIVE BARKER’S NEXT TESTAMENT #1 – Boom! Studios
Written by Clive Barker & Mark Miller
Art by Haemi Jang
A long time ago Clive Barker was a master of horror with Hellraiser being his crowning achievement.
A long time ago Clive Barker was a master of horror with Hellraiser being his crowning achievement. However the years haven’t been kind to Barker’s brand and his recent works seem desperate to catch the same lightning that made him famous. From this issue it doesn’t look like Next Testament will help him reclaim his former glory.
The basic concept of a man obsessed with an otherworldly power (this time a colourful god) is a solid starting point. But it isn’t presented in a compelling way.
The comic itself is rife with used ideas and themes. This isn’t a problem per say, but the familiarity to it all makes for a dull read. The basic concept of a man obsessed with an otherworldly power (this time a colourful god) is a solid starting point. But it isn’t presented in a compelling way. Barker and Mark Miller (not that Millar) set up the narrative whilst leaving a few mysteries for a later date. So they at least achieve on delivering what an issue one should do, but it is a shame that it is all a bit pedestrian.
Thank god for Haemi Jang. His art gives the comic a great visual identity.
However thank god for Haemi Jang. His art gives the comic a great visual identity. The colour work gives the book a realistic tone, whilst the shading adds visual horror elements. His characters are expressive and well detailed and the god in question is a striking image. He frames the narrative as a film with widescreen panels and close ups. The book looks great.
It is a shame then that the narrative is so mediocre. Although the art is great it isn’t enough to entice you into continuing with the series.
MISS
THE WAKE #1 – DC Comics
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Sean Murphy & Matt Hollingsworth
Scott Snyder takes a break from Batman to create The Wake. We have science fiction, a few flashes of horror, human drama and so on.
Scott Snyder takes a break from Batman to create The Wake. It’s a comic that traverses a lot of different genres. We have science fiction, a few flashes of horror, human drama and so on.
The main focus of the narrative is a little familiar. A group of specialists are brought together to figure out what has been found in the depths of the ocean. Yes, it’s the same plot from a plethora of films and Snyder doesn’t really attempt to distance his tale from its influences.
Yes, it’s the same plot from a plethora of films and Snyder doesn’t really attempt to distance his tale from its influences.
But the narrative also has some more interesting elements. Bookending the issue with two different time periods opens up the narrative and creates a good sense of mystery.
But the book’s focus is on the familiar. Even the main cast are the usual suspects for this type of story. Our main protagonist has a few flashes of originality though, which is promising.
Joining Snyder on this book is Sean Murphy. His style is a little rough in places, but overall his line work is detailed. The problem is that the visuals are big and cinematic, which in turn reminds the reader that this idea has been done before. But Murphy does deliver the right tone for the first chapter of the story and gives the book a great look.
You can see the sparks of something interesting, but the main thrust of the narrative is your run of the mill science fiction setup.
The Wake is somewhat frustrating. You can see the sparks of something interesting, but the main thrust of the narrative is your run of the mill science fiction setup. However as a first issue it is interesting enough for readers to come back for the next instalment. Also if you are a fan of these particular tales then you’re sure to enjoy this.
HIT
KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #1 – Dark Horse Comics
Written by Timothy Truman
Art by Tomás Giorello & José Villarrubia
There is something inherently charming about Conan.
There is something inherently charming about Conan. Robert E. Howard’s pulp creation has an enduring legacy and his recent resurgence in the comic book medium has been a joy to read. However it would seem that this latest title bearing the Cimmerian’s name doesn’t exactly set off on the right foot.
Timothy Truman decides to frame his story as a tale told by the great King himself. It isn’t a bad narrative device, but it does give the first half of the issue a leisurely pace. Add to this an overabundance of exposition and the plot barely seems to move forward. Truman might set up the world and all the players of his narrative, but it is to the detriment of the issue.
The biggest plus of the book is colourist José Villarrubia. His colours have a grain to them that dates the art in a satisfying way. The shading of the art also makes the book quite striking visually.
Tomás Giorello has a nice rough style that really suits the sword and sorcery setting. But he isn’t really given much to do due to the fact a lot of the scenes are just people talking. But the biggest plus of the book is colourist José Villarrubia. His colours have a grain to them that dates the art in a satisfying way. The shading of the art also makes the book quite striking visually.
But the book doesn’t really grab your attention. The heavy exposition within this issue maybe necessary, but doesn’t really make for an entertaining read.
MISS
X-MEN #1 – Marvel Comics
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales & Laura Martin
It would be cliché to say, “Believe the hype,” but Brain Wood and Olivier Coipel have delivered an impressive opening issue.
It would be cliché to say, “Believe the hype,” but Brain Wood and Olivier Coipel have delivered an impressive opening issue. It is the combination of great writing and excellent art that manages to elevate this title above a simple X-Men tale.
The return of one of the X-Men’s most intriguing villains brings about a new threat that decides to possess a character long forgotten. It is a simple setup that uses the reader’s familiarity with the book’s cast to great effect. However it is fine for new readers to jump on-board. Wood uses a bit of exposition to get readers up to speed, but it doesn’t overwhelm the book. His use of characterisation helps him to establish the cast, with the crisis on the train being the best example of this.
Olivier Coipel’s art is simply gorgeous. Dynamic action, expressive characters and clean presentation make this a visual treat for the reader.
Olivier Coipel’s art is simply gorgeous. Dynamic action, expressive characters and clean presentation make this a visual treat for the reader. Laura Martin’s colour work brings the whole thing to life. Her use of vibrant colours just makes the art pop off the page.
With the writing delivering an interesting plot with a lot of character work and the art giving the book a stunning visual identity, X-Men #1 is the sort of high quality comic that X-Men fans deserve.
HEADSHOT
TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS #1 – IDW Publishing
Written by Mairghread Scott & Mike Johnson
Art by Agustin Padilla & Priscilla Tramontano
The dialogue in this book is excellent. The characterisation is pitch perfect and really suits the narrative. It may not be the most interesting plot, but at least its backed up with great character work.
A spin off from the TV show of the same name and a continuation from the last Transformers Prime comic book series, this title once again focuses on the Dinobots.
First and foremost this title is geared towards readers of the previous series and Transformers fans. There isn’t much here for the new reader. Scott and Johnson do explain away the situation, but there is a clear sense that certain plot points are missing. However saying that the dialogue in this book is excellent. The characterisation is pitch perfect and really suits the narrative. It may not be the most interesting plot, but at least its backed up with great character work.
As for the art Padilla’s depiction of the Transformers isn’t as busy as a Michael Bay film, but there is something inherently simplistic in his designs.
As for the art Padilla’s depiction of the Transformers isn’t as busy as a Michael Bay film, but there is something inherently simplistic in his designs. The clean work is serviceable and Padilla does his job well. Tramontano’s colour work doesn’t really help as the muted tones make the book look bland.
It isn’t a waste of time, but the character work and dialogue isn’t enough to recommend this to anyone other than a fans of the previous series.
MISS
GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS REALM KNIGHT (One-Shot) – Zenescope Entertainment
Written by Pat Shand with Joe Brusha
Art by Noah Salonga & Wagner Souza
This sexy reinterpretation of fairy tale and folklore characters is a good hook.
This is a done-in-one comic that is clearly geared towards bringing in new readers and setting up upcoming Grimm Fairy Tale series. However if you are not familiar with this particular brand then you will be lost here as someone forget to tell Shand to cater for new readers.
This is a comic that is clearly tailored to its own fanbase and although the narrative isn’t difficult to follow there is the sense that new readers will be missing something. This sexy reinterpretation of fairy tale and folklore characters is a good hook. With each one having new backstories, skills and powers. But the presentation of them is a little pedestrian at best. Most of the page count is just banal chatter from the characters and seems a bit of a waste of time. Especially when the purpose of the issue is to set up a team of “highborns” (heroes) to defend their modern day realm. The dialogue is forced and the jokes fall flat as Shand basically borrows plot points from the recent Avengers film.
The inherent overt sexual nature of the protagonists is captured well, even if it is totally ridiculous (especially the armour).
The art team do well even if the change of artist halfway through is a bit jarring. But Salonga and Souza give the characters and the book a decent look. The inherent overt sexual nature of the protagonists is captured well, even if it is totally ridiculous (especially the armour).
If you’re a fan of Grimm Fairy Tales then this is for you. It is clearly an important issue when it comes to the Grimm universe’s continued narrative. However if you have never picked up an issue of Zenescope’s sexy interpretation of these characters then you should probably avoid this. As a comic in its own right it gets a lot wrong, even if the art isn’t all bad.
MISS
VERDICT
Well Marvel’s re-launch of X-Men was easily the best comic of the bunch. But The Wake has the potential to be an interesting read. A few too many misses this week though, but no misfires so that’s a bonus.
Do you agree with the reviews? Did we get them wrong or right? Have any suggests on what we should review next week? Get in touch in the comments section.
For more comic views and reviews follow Dan on Twitter at @gizmo151183
Posted on May 31st, 2013
Category: Blog, REVIEWS, SIX SHOOTER
Tags: Brian Wood, Clive Barkers Next Testament #1 Review, Comic Reviews, Daniel Cole, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Realm Knight, Haemi Jang, IDW Publishing, King Conan Hour of the Dragon #1, Mark Miller, Matt Hollingsworth, Olivier Coipel, Scott Snyder, Sean Murphy, Six Shooter #001, The Wake #1 Review, Timothy Truman, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters #1, X-Men #1
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