Weekly Reviews: Chew #26, Mind MGMT #1

Chew # 26 - John Layman (w) Rob Guillory (a)

Image Comics $2.99

One of the best things about Chew has been its surprise success.  Writer John Layman famously shopped it around for a good while before deciding to finance it himself and publish it through Image Comics. The surprise is that this book might have been considered too strange for mainstream readers, but it’s had incredible success. Its proof that if you have a good story you can sell virtually any strange idea you can come up with.

Chew, for those who have somehow missed the boat thus far, revolves around a detective named Tony Chu.

Tony, who lives in a world where the consumption of bird meat is illegal, is a cibopath. This means that he can take a bite from anything (literally anything, at times it gets a bit disgusting in hilarious ways) and get a psychic impression from that object. This power often helps in his investigation. Chew slowly reveals a conspiracy surrounding Tony Chu and the world he lives in.

In issue # 26 Tony is in a coma. This is almost a relief as Tony is a bit of a dick. That’s another interesting thing about this book. Tony is a person who you would want nothing to do with in real life. However, Layman writes him in such a compelling manner that you almost miss him when he isn’t on stage

Anyhow, Tony is in a coma so this issue focuses on his sister, Toni, who works for NASA. Toni is great, she’s a sweetheart, and a character you actually want to root for. In this issue her food power (like Tony, most characters in this book have food related powers) is revealed in a hilarious scene which reveals yet another reason why this character is so much fun. There’s a strong case to be made for a book that can put its main cast on the sidelines, and still be as great as it has ever been.

As good as a writer as John Layman is, it wouldn’t be the same book without artist Rob Guillory. It’s almost impossible to write about Guillory art without using the word “cartoon” (the book even has sound effects like “bam” written out) but that’s not knocking the book. When doors slam, they tell you they’ve slammed, as if the art doesn’t make it clear enough. Guillory’s lines are jagged and soft, and typically fun to look at. This book needs his sort of pop art edge. Without it the book would be too dark, the humor wouldn’t quite get through. With it, Chew is one of the best books on the stands, a book that should never be missed.

Mind Mgmt # 1 - Matt Kindt (w, a)

Dark Horse $3.99

Mind Mgmt # 1 from writer and artist Matt Kindt  (Super Spy, Revolver) is the perfect example of why single issue paper comics may never die. From the color of the paper to the text that wraps around the edges, this is a book that is best enjoyed as a single physical object. A trend in comic has been to add material to single issues that won’t be collected in the eventual collection. This usually feels like a gimmick, but that isn’t the case here. Anyhow, the book is so good you won’t want to be miss an issue in any case. This is the kind of book so rarely seen that it’s hard not to get really excited about.

Loosely, Mind Mgmt revolves around the mystery of “The Amnesia Flight”. Two years before the book opens, every person on a flight lost their memory. The book sucks you in by throwing questions at you. The main character is a woman who wants to write a book about that flight. In this issue she is researching the book, which we’re told she’ll never be able to write. It’s intriguing and fun. Kindt is a man full of ideas, hopefully in this book (an ongoing) he’ll get to see all of them through. That was the only problem with Kindt’s last graphic novel, Revolver. It seemed too short for him to be able to get everything he wanted to say across.

Kindt’s light watercolors splash against crooked shapes. Many of his characters seem almost incomplete, but in a waty that just gives them more definition. Mind Mgmt is a lot of fun, and it’s only going to get better.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Weekly Reviews: The Secret Service #2, Manhattan Projects #3

The Secret Service # 2 - Mark Millar (w) Dave Gibbons (a)

Marvel Icon, $2.99

The Secret Service # 2 is actually kind of fun. There isn’t any excuse to continue reading Mark Millar’s books but, for those of us who can’t help ourselves, this issue delivers. It isn’t original, not by a long shot, but the opening scene alone is well worth the price of admission. At least if you’re a fan of ridiculous over-the-top violence, which this column is a frequent proponent of.

The Secret Service is a pretty by-the-numbers spy story. A man with a License to Kill (yes, the character actually says he has one) introduces his nephew to Spy School while he runs off on another mission. More than likely in the next issue the nephew will have to save his uncle’s ass, as well as the world. Said ass-saving and world-saving will take place in the fourth issue.

Yes, it’s predictable, but other than a few pieces of dialogue this is a Millar book that isn’t embarrassing to read. The main reason for that is it doesn’t feel like a bloody film. It should, because it is, but Dave Gibbons’ art helps to suck the reader in, and makes this is a compelling read. Co-plotter Matthew Vaughn might have something to do with that as well.

Really, you could worse. People talk endlessly about Brian K. Vaughan’s Saga (out this week as well), but this is a much more enjoyable read. At least you know going in that it’s going to be predictable.

Yes, I’m recommending a Mark Millar book. Now will someone contact my LCS and tell them to stop me from buying Hit-Girl? For some reason I never can help myself.  This shit is worse than crack.

The Manhattan Projects # 3 - Jonathan Hickman (w) Nick Pitarra (a)

Image Comics, $3.50

If you’re a Warren Ellis fan, and you aren’t a Hickman fan as well, what have you been reading for the last couple years? With Ellis largely disappearing from comics, Hickman is his spiritual heir, even if he usually lacks the same sardonic humor.

With all the superhero bullshit and re-launch shenanigans it’s easy to forget about the independent writers. Of course, yesterday’s independent writers are now helping lay the foundation of the mainstream universes, but none of them have yet to return to their roots with as big a splash (creatively speaking) as Jonathan Hickman has.

The Manhattan Projects, one of Hickman’s two current ongoing creator-owned projects, finally gets great with this issue.  The pieces start to fall into place, and we almost get a glimpse of what the book is about, outside of its real-life science and history gone alternate-universe-mad.

Really, just as with Hickman’s other Image book, Secret, it’s hard to say too much about this book without spoiling the shock and surprise. Sometimes it’s fun to be left in the dark.

Nick Pitarra’s art is slightly off-kilter, and a little strange. He exaggerates facial proportions slightly, but not enough to bring his figures into the realm of caricature and jar with the serious tone of Hickman's writing. It’s also nice that the cast of the book is finally revealed.

The Manhattan Projects has felt like a series of (mostly) done-in-ones, and that was the only flaw in the first two issues. They didn’t feel cohesive. Here we finally get a glimpse of the bigger picture.

As with pretty much everything Hickman writes (even his Fantastic Four is a fantastic mindfuck) this is highly recommended. There are a lot of great writers bubbling just under the surface of mainstream comics, but none of them are writing books this good. Hickman may be hitting his peak, but this isn’t a bad thing. The next few years are going to be a lot of fun.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Weekly Reviews: Supercrooks #2, Rebel Blood #2

Supercrooks # 2 - Mark Millar (w) Leinil Yu (a)

Icon/Marvel Comics, $2.99

The first issue of Supercrooks had a great tagline: “There are too many superheroes. Let’s go somewhere else.” That issue was pretty entertaining, if a little obvious. Everyone who follows the comics world knows what Mark Millar is doing at this point. Nearly all of his comics work is simultaneously being developed as motion pictures. The one exception seems to be the forthcoming Jupiter’s Children with Frank Quitely on art.

Talk all the shit you want, (and people should be discouraging the practice as much as possible) but the books usually work if you think of them as movies. That first issue had a great theatrical opening, scene, and was actually kind of exciting. The second issue is slightly less entertaining.

Supercrooks is a caper story. In the alternate universe that the books takes place in Supervillians have gotten tired of being foiled by Superheroes, so they decide to go to Spain to commit a grand crime, at which point hijinks will supposedly ensue.

Therein lies the problem with the second issue. Not a lot happens. Yes, there’s plenty of violence, and a dick joke or two, but the second issue of four is still all set up. At this point we should be in the thick of the plot, but we’re not. Nearly the entirety of the issue is spent introducing us to characters. We’re not really told why we should care about these characters, though brief glimpses of backstory are given.  Still, all of this would be forgivable if the art were exciting, but, really, it’s not. It’s pretty by the numbers.

This will eventually be a movie, and possibly an enjoyable one. This is not a very good comic. If you’re into Millar you probably have this book already, but if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about you’re better off staying away.

Rebel Blood #2 - Alex Link (w) Riley Rossmo (w/a) 

Image Comics, $3.50

In artist/co-plotter Riley Rossmo's own words Rebel Blood is “a survival horror book which is about Chuck Rebel, who is trying to get home before the mutated flora and fauna get to his family. It’s about the possibilities, in any sort of what if situation when loved ones are at risk, trying to draft visually all the worst case scenarios and possible outcomes.” Soundbytes are great, and that’s an exciting premise, but is the book actually any good?

Well, yes, and no. Rossmo's art is fantastic. He came to prominence a few years ago by drawing the sadly missed Proof. Since then his art has just gotten better. At the same time the story of Rebel Blood isn’t very exciting, or original, and relatively hard to follow.

In issue 2 we watch Chuck Rebel as he drives an ax into rats and bizarre teethy monsters, and then generally runs like hell. The art is disorienting and fleshed out with dark reds and light blues and greens, and plenty of black. Rossmo is one of the best artists working in independent comics today, and this book is the perfect example as to why.

Still, this book is not a mandatory read, at least not in single issues. If your stack is light this week, and you need a violence fix, pick this up. Otherwise, you’re better off waiting for the trade.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Weekly Reviews: Crossed Badlands #3, D.B. Cooper #2

Crossed: Badlands # 3 - Garth Ennis (w) Jacen Burrows (a)

Avatar Press, $3.99

Crossed is a series set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by what could best be described as zombies, known as the Crossed.  These aren’t your daddy’s zombies, however, or anything resembling that crap Kirkman churns out. These creatures are intelligent, almost human, but they’ve had their filters removed. They are pure evil, possessed by the worst that can exist in humanity.  Each story in the series focuses on a separate group of survivors, and follows them as they try to make their way through the new world.

The latest issue of Badlands, the Crossed ongoing series, was perhaps the most interesting to come out under the Crossed banner since the inception of the line. It was a quiet issue. No appearances from the Crossed, no horrific murders, just not so quiet character development. It was a breath of fresh air. The selling point of this series is, and always will be, the mindless violence. At the same time, it was nice to take a step back and look at the survivors. Crossed, when you get to the heart of it, is about human beings. It's about the idea of real people stumbling through a nightmare world, trying to do nothing but survive to the next day. It raises terrible questions on a regular basis, and its goal seems to be to make the reader question their own morality: what would you do in this situation? How far would you go to survive? Would you damn another human being for your own survival?

This is the concluding issue of the inaugural arc of Badlands. It returns the original creative team of Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows to the world for the first time since the original nine issue arc ended. They tackle the job handily. The original series felt lacking, but David Lapham took the ball and ran with it. The return of Ennis and Burrows has been surprising in that they've actually managed to top Lapham's work on the books. It's as if they felt the need to remind readers that they created this world, and they will always do it best.

This issue opens with a shot of something horrible and the mayhem doesn't abate for the rest of the issue. The issue contains all the mindless violence a Crossed fan could hope for, and concludes the story in a manner that is both satisfying and horrifying.

Crossed: Badlands is actually exceeding expectations at this point. With a six issue arc by Jamie Delano coming up next, it will more than likely only continue to impress. Crossed isn't for everyone, but any fan of honest, violent, cerebral horror should be reading this book. There is more than enough room for stories to be told in the crossed world indefinitely. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun reading what's coming up.

The Secret History of D.B. Cooper #2 - Brian Churilla (w/a)

Oni Press, $3.99

The first issue of The Secret History of D.B. Cooper was impossible to classify. It was eye candy for drug addled minds, but it was hard to find a plot. The second issue is much of the same, but at least it gives more of an idea where this book is headed. Near the end of it a plot device is thrown in that might actually be the least original thing about it.

This book is definitely original, though. Really, it's hard to think of anything like it.

The story is based around the real life story of D.B. Cooper, who hijacked an airplane in 1971, and then disappeared. To this day it is unknown exactly what happened to him. Writer/artist Brian Churilla introduces Cooper as a CIA agent who is possibly insane, but then again, maybe not. He sends Cooper tripping through a possibly imaginary world guided by a red teddy bear. Then things get weird.

Churilla's art pops and shatters the senses while at the same time avoiding the easy cliches of acid soaked cartoon shenanigans. That stuff is there, but the book never gets too cartoonish, and rarely could it be considered bright. It would be very easy for this book to be very bad, but luckily for us Churilla is good enough at what he does that the book is compulsively readable.

If you're into weird shit, or drugs, this is probably for you. Books like this (at least ones worth reading) don't come along often, but this may just be that long strange comics trip you've been looking for.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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Weekly Reviews: Secret #1, Saga #2

Saga # 2 - Brian K. Vaughn (w) Fiona Staples (a)
Image Comics, $2.99

The second issue of Saga is here, but it’s still impossible to tell what the book is about. Brian K. Vaughn’s two previous creator owned works, Y the Last Man and Ex Machina had clearly defined premises from the start, but that is not the case here.

While the book tells a compelling story, and is introducing interesting characters, it’s impossible to tell what the book is going to be about at this juncture. It could be that this is simply the story of a family beings chased through the universe, but that rings false somehow. Vaughn has stated that Saga is going to be longer than both Y and Ex Machina. Unless you’re Robert Kirkman it’s impossible to make a story about being chased last a hundred plus issues.

So what is Saga, exactly? It’s beautiful for one thing. The book’s art is gorgeous, weird, and surprising enough that it demands a slow attention to details.  The colors... well, the colors could be the best thing about this book. They’re never static. The backgrounds dim and brighten, and most of the pages seem to have a strange light shining through them.

Saga is probably worth your three bucks, even if it’s just for the purty pictures. The story isn’t quite there yet, but it indeed has potential.

Secret # 1 - Jonathan Hickman (w) Ryan Bodenheim (a)
Image Comics, $3.50 Print, $2.99 Digital

 

Secret is the second ongoing from mad scientist of the moment Jonathan Hickman.  The first, The Manhattan Projects, came out about a month ago, but this is the better first issue of the two.

The Manhattan Projects seems to be a sort of done in one type book, each issue featuring a story that loosely relates to the overall plot. It works to a point, but that first issue, as good as it was, somehow felt a little lacking. Secret #1, on the other hand, is the best single issue Hickman has written since The Nightly News ended.

It’s impossible to say much about this book without giving anything away. You’ll want to go into Secret blind. The book shocks you immediately with its use of color, and a couple pages later the design will widen your eyes again. The way Ryan Bodenheim uses angles and detail is impressive as well.

Don’t wait for the trade on this. This is the kind of comics goodness that comes along so rarely that you’ should dive in immediately. It’s available digitally on Comixology. You should go there now.

-- Jeffrey Whitelaw

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