Joe’s back! And we talk about Endgame!
As always, Alex and Joe can be found on twitter respectively @karcossa and @jc_hesh if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
Prepare yourself as the most ambitious moment in Valiant’s history launches forward with two original stories, exclusive to Free Comic Book Day 2019!
Before Sony’s live-action BLOODSHOT blockbuster film takes movie theaters around the globe by storm in 2020, discover a breathtaking new tale of Valiant’s brutal one-man army!
Then, the 41st century dawns anew with a pulse-pounding prologue to FALLEN WORLD, a shocking new event series starring Rai—the formidable protector of a future Earth— that launches just days before Free Comic Book Day…
Look, I don’t want to sound unfair, but this free comic contained one of the better Bloodshot stories since Jeff Lemire ended his run. It didn’t have the same level of impact as Lemire’s run did, but then to compare this thirteen page story to Lemire’s run is grossly unfair. Tim Seeley did, however, give me what I have been wanting since the end of Harbinger Wars II, and that is a continuation of Bloodshot’s story and not an unnecessary retelling of his origin.
With the thirteen page Bloodshot story serving as a prelude to the upcoming series, Seeley gives us a story that has a classic framework at its core; hero saves person from thugs – but reducing it to this base level means that I’m ignoring the nuance and foreshadowing that Seeley slips into the story. After having read the prelude to the series, I’m already looking forward to seeing where the writer takes the character once Bloodshot launches later this year.
Dan Abnett‘s Fallen World preview adds an interesting angle to his upcoming miniseries (and as of the first issue, you don’t need to read the prelude to enjoy the miniseries). This story centers around two people who are members of a religious movement dedicated to worshiping Father, New Japan’s AI Overlord before the satellite city came crashing to Earth. In the short nine page tale we get a good insight into the leader of said religious order as he receives a revelation as to the nature and source of his faith. In nine pages, Abnett delivers a surprising treatise on faith and how we choose to react when that faith is challenged; do we double down or open our hearts to the possibility of change?
Both stories feature art from two of the most visually exciting artists around; Tomas Giorello and Juan Jose Ryp on the first and second story, respectively. Given that this is a free comic, one could almost have expected Valiant to give the stories to a couple of up and coming artists, and not ones of this caliber. The effect of this is that despite there being two distinct art styles within the book, they’re both wonderful to look at and each artist adds a lot to the story despite the reduced page count.
The Free Comic Book Day special also includes an interview with each writer, which serves as another way to hook you into the upcoming stories (as if the two preludes weren’t enough). If this wasn’t free, I’d tell you to go buy it.
Bloodshot Prelude
Writer: Tim Seeley Pencils: Tomas Giorello
Colours: Diego Rodriguez Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 8.6 Art: 8.9 Overall: 8.8
Fallen World Prelude
Writer: Dan Abnett Pencils: Juan Jose Ryp
Colours: Andrew Dalhouse Letters: Jeff Powell
Story: 8.9 Art: 8.9 Overall: 8.9
Recommendation: It’s free. Pick it up.
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with an early FREE copy for review.
What the Hell are we doing in New Jersey? Eddie and Tala barrel full-force into the Garden State in search of the one man who can turn Eddie human again. But standing in their way are some small-time mobsters, a crew of inter-dimensional bounty hunters, and an army of toothless grannies! Oh, and Eddie summons The Devil! New arc! A perfect jumping on point!
It’s rare that I find a comic I enjoy as much as Grumble, and yet have so little to say about it. The series stays on the fantasy side of things, in a world where the supernatural and interdimensional could easily be one and the same, where talking dogs aren’t as out of the ordinary as you’d think (though in fairness this could be because Tala is making people forget/not notice that Eddie is a bipedal pug). Regardless of the reasoning, it makes for a fantastic comic.
Rafer Roberts and Mike Norton have created a comic that is effortlessly entertaining and funny without sacrificing the strength of the story. More importantly, they’re very consistent with each comic – there’s something with each issue that hooks you in and pulls you further into the world as one of the main characters does something that leaves the other speechless (usually Eddie) that hasn’t failed to leave me entertained.
After the revelations of the previous issue, Grumble #6 eases up a little and allows you to digest what you know, and allows you to adjust your perspectives a little as the comic goes on. The pacing of this issue after the last is perfect – Roberts allows you to breath and digest the emotional impact of issue five while keeping the story moving with his customary wit and charm. Norton, once again, is also brilliant. His page construction, the facial expressions and body language often made me smile as much as the words upon the page.
Truly one of my favourite series on the racks right now… one could easily say it’s a magical experience.
…I’ll stop talking now.
Story: Rafer Roberts Art: Mike Norton
Colours: Marissa Louise Letters: Crank
Story: 9.4 Art: 8.9 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy
Albatross Funnybooks provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
A team of paranormal investigators poking around Burden Hill disturb the graveyard where the ”Master” lies, setting off a chain of events that will have serious consequences for the animal defenders of the haunted town.
Beasts Of Burden is one of those properties that will immediately grab my attention whenever I see it on the racks at my LCS, or in the preview images. I was first introduced to the Wise Dogs when I was subtly convinced I needed to read the hardcover book collecting the first set of stories by the owner of the shop, and promptly fell in love with the characters, writing and artwork.
The Presence Of Others introduces us to some new (human) characters and reintroduces us to some old friends – but don’t worry if you’re new to Beasts Of Burden, you don’t need to be intimately familiar with the backstory to enjoy this book because the point of view characters are the newly introduced ones which allows Evan Dorkin to ease new readers into his world.
And it’s such a brilliant world.
The supernatural underbelly of our world guarded by magic wielding dogs from the evil of rats, demons and other denizens of the underworld. It’s a concept that I really enjoy, and have devoured any form of Beasts Of Burden since I was introduced to the series. The Presense Of Others is another cracking entry in the story, and one that I wholeheartedly recommend to any who like their comics without the superhero flavoring.
If you want to read something unique this week, with some great water color style artwork, then you can’t go wrong with this comic.
Story: Evan Dorkin Art: Jill Thompson Letters: Nate Piekos
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy
Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
In the year 4002, a cyborg samurai named Rai struggles to find his morality, while the nanite-filled supersoldier Bloodshot is on a mission to save the citizens of Earth. Will they work together for the greater good? All signs point to no.
If you’ve read 4001 A.D. and the final arc of Rai, then you’ll know that New Japan has fallen to Earth after a battle between Rai and Father that cost millions their lives. But if you didn’t read those comics, then it doesn’t matter; Fallen World #1 is packed to the gills with some early arc world building and explanations through judicious use of the often underrated narration boxes. The first few pages in this book feel like they were taken from a twenty year old comic – and I say this as a positive thing because Forgotten World #1 is one of the most accessible comics for newcomers to Valiant.
Written by Dan Abnett with art by Adam Polina and colours by Ulises Arreola this book represents a long awaited return to Valiant’s future timeline, and while there are some minor stumbles, over all the comic doesn’t disappoint. Fallen World #1 follows the characters from the 4001 A.D. story in their new grounded reality; Rai, Bloodshot, the Eternal Warrior, the Geomancer and other former citizens of New Japan – both human and positronic (think artificially intelligent humanoids) as they try to adapt to their new surroundings and (re)build their society.
The artistic stumbles previously mentioned largely come about in the second half of the comic in the figures and forms on the page; though I am aware that what may be a stumble for me could be your favourite moment in the comic. For me, it was only really noticeable because the rest of the book has a very high standard of quality.
As a launching point for a new miniseries, this is a really good comic. But Fallen World #1 is also a launching point for a new era of Valiant’s future time line – and it takes that challenge and [insert random sports analogy here denoting massive success]. This issue has me genuinely excited for what comes next.
Story: Dan Abnett Art: Adam Pollina
Colors: Ulises Arreola Letters: Jeff Powell
Story: 9.1 Art: 8.8 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.
Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.
Ryan C
Detective Comics #1002 (DC)** – I don’t have much good to say about Tom King’s “Batman,” but right now this book might even be worse. Bard Walker’s art is nice, but Peter Tomasi’s script is so uninspired that the big “villain takes his helmet off to reveal his true identity” cliffhanger is just completely flat.If you don’t care what happens on the first 20-ish pages, you won’t care what happens on the last one, either. Overall: 2 Recommendation: Pass
Freedom Fighters #5 (DC)** – Thank goodness for Eddy Barrows’ art, because Robert Venditti’s scripting on this book is just lazy as stupid. Uncle Sam is back and he gets in some fights but he’s weak — and the cliffhanger is a re-introduction of a villain introduced earlier in the same issue. It’s like he’s not even trying. Overall: 2 Recommendation: Pass
Dial H For Hero #2 (DC/Wonder Comics)** – This book’s been fun so far, if nothing amazing. Sam Humphries has a nice handle on his principal characters, if not the premise of the “H Dial” itself, and Joe Quinones elevates the proceedings with his fluid, crisp art that he employs — successfully — to “ape” several different styles. Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read
Books Of Magic #7 (DV/Vertigo)** – After an uptick for a couple of issues, writer Kat Howard is just going through the motions here again, the whole installment being an extended set-up for re-introducing Titania, Queen of Faerie. Tom Fowler draws her well — hell, he draws everything well — but this was just a paper-thin issue in terms of story. Overall: 3 Recommendation: Pass
Logan
Thanos #1 (Marvel)– Tini Howard and a rejuvenated Ariel Olivetti tell the story of how Thanos met Gamora just in time for Avengers Endgame. Howard switches from POV to POV when writing about the Mad Titan showing doubts about his purpose to court Lady Death while his Butcher Squadron begins to suspect something is up when members of their team end up missing. She and Olivetti also set up a nice rivalry between Thanos and Magus aka Adam Warlock, whose church matches up against Thanos and his army of killers and pirates. It’s the macro-threat while it looks like the series will mainly focus on Thanos and Gamora’s relationship. Ariel Olivetti’s art is a real find in this series as he’s dropped his usual painted style for something looser, yet with the same level of detail on ships and tech. Overall: 8. Recommendation: Buy
Dick Tracy Forever #1 (IDW)– Writer/artist Michael Oeming is the perfect fit for comic strip hero Dick Tracy with his square jaw, Art Deco cityscapes, and pulpy dialogue.Dick Tracy Forever #1 has three stories (Plus fun activities like an old school comic), two one and dones and one serialized one. The first one is an ode to silent film, especially Chaplin, the second one pays homage to radio serials, and the third one furthers the plot, I guess. But Dick Tracy Forever isn’t a total nostalgia-fest as Oeming satirizes the law and order detective’s inability to stop systemic crime and corruption that can’t be stopped with a right hook, tommy gun, or some space age gadget. Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy
Shean
War Of the Realms: Uncanny X-men #1(Marvel)- As Malekith has raised cane in the Nine Realms, with adversity at every corner. As he enters the 10th realm, he unfortunately has to deal with what’s left of the X-men. As Cyclops assemble a formidable team to battle Malekith’s army. By issue’s end, what no one saw coming is [redacted]’s entry into the story. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #1 (Marvel)– Being this is the first comic book that I read which is used to promote a theme park, I assumed it would be subpar. I was glad to be wrong, as the book unfolds with Han and Chewie setto go to a certain outpost for a job, one that Chewie already senses as trouble. Soon after they get there, their potential employer seemingly has set them up,as we find out about Han’s aversion to Sarlacs. By issue’s end, Chewie’s predilections are more than true, setting the scene for thr entrance of a character from one of the most hotly debated points of contention in the Star Wars mythology. Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy
Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!
Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).
Before you start yelling at me for writing a column about why the worst reviewed Fantastic Four movie doesn’t entirely suck, I’m not saying the movie is the best thing since sliced bread. It’s not. But it is unfairly shit on by so many of us, and that’s the whole point of Underrated. This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character.
The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are underrated in some way.
This week, because one of the most anticipated comic book movies ever has recently come out, I wanted to revisit an older column and talk about the much derided Fantastic Four movie from 2015. Or Fant4stic, as the stylized logo goes, which is how I’ll be referring to the movie from here on out. The flick was directed by Josh Trank and starred Micheal B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm and Tobey Kebbel as Victor Von Doom. The relatively unknown director Josh Trank had previously directed the cult hit Chronicle and one other movie that I’ve never seen before being handed the reigns to Marvel’s first family, but based on Chronicle there was hope that Fant4stic would be on par, with, or better than, the other superhero flicks of the year.
Obviously that wasn’t the case. But was the movie really as bad as we think it was?
Sure it was certainly disappointing when it came out, almost entirely failing to meet the vast expectations heaped upon on it – of course, I’m being facetious, because almost from the get go it seemed this movie was doomed to fail. From the way people turned their nose up when talking about the rumours swirling about choices made around Doom’s origin, at one point he was supposed to be a Russian hacker called Victor Von Domashev; the reprehensible reaction to the casting choice of Micheal B. Jordan as the Human Torch (yes, there were some who were more worried about the lack of perceived blood relation between the Storm siblings rather than the colour of their skin, but the sense that many – myself included – got was that the outcry was a bit more racially tinged); and the dreaded Studio Involvement toward the end of the filming and editing process.
By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the strife between the director and the studio (if you haven’t there’s a good account of it here), but when Trank tweeted his frank tweet about Fant4stic you could hear geekdom cry “I knew it! It’s so bad even the director hates it!” And Tobey Kebbel seemed to agree with Trank in an interview given last year, saying that “the honest truth is [Trank] did cut a great film that you’ll never see.That is a shame. A much darker version, and you’ll never see it.”
Kebbel goes on to say that much of the footage of Doom in the movie isn’t him, due to the amount of the film that was reshot “I played Doom in three points: Walking down a corridor, killing the doctor and getting into the time machine, and lying on the bench. They were the only times I played Doom. Everything else was some other guy, on some other day… doing some other thing. I was infuriated that he was allowed to limp like that!”
With all the vitriol surrounding the movie prior to it’s release there was realistically no hope for the movie (indeed it barely made enough money to cover the budget, let alone the marketing costs), and many people took a rather large shit on the movie because they felt that they had the right to do so – whether they’d actually watched the movie or not.
Almost a year after the movie came out, I sat down and watched it on Netflix for the first time. And you know what? It wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as I expected it to be.
Now I did go in with some pretty low expectations but, dare I say it, I actually enjoyed the movie; even though it seemed to do everything possible to prevent that from happening. Yes, there are moments that seem contrived only to move the plot from point A to B in the most straight forward manner, and there is a sense that there are two visions on display here due to the reshoots, but this isn’t as bad a movie as you’d expect based on the hatred and criticism that Fant4stic received upon it’s release.
While some of the acting is questionable, the performances of Jordan and Teller (and Bell’s vocal performance) are pretty solid. While we’ll never get to see the original version of the movie, the one we did get does have a visual punch that’s better than you’d think. As a slow burning action movie, this isn’t too bad.
Was this a great Fantastic Four movie? Hell no.. but it’s not as bad as you’d think, and if you look at it as a movie very loosely based on the Fantastic Four rather than an actual Fantastic Four movie, then it’s actually watchable.
That’s why it’s Underrated.
Punk Mambo comes to comic shelves this week courtesy of writer Cullen Bunn and artist Adam Gorham. Punk Mambo is a hard-living voodoo priestess who grew up in London, then relocated to Louisiana’s Bayou Country. Now, she’s a mystical mercenary for hire. In her first-ever solo series, Punk Mambo investigates a series of abductions in the New Orleans gutter punk scene, stumbling upon a deadlier mystery that takes her to the haunted shores of Haiti.
We got to talk to Cullen about this new series, his affinity for horror, and a comparison to a certain other British horror comic.
Graphic Policy: Punk Mambo; she’s full of spit and vinegar, and must be a blast to bring to life?
Cullen Bunn: She’s so much fun! You don’t write a character like Punk Mambo and not have fun. She’s all attitude! And she has magic to back her up! In the early stages of the book, I spent a lot of time trying to get into Punk Mambo’s head. I really wanted to make sure I understood where she was coming from, where she was going, and how she tackled challenges. Once I figured her out, it was just such a blast!
GP: Even within the Valiant universe, Punk Mambo isn’t seen as often as some of the other characters. How much freedom does that give you when framing the story?
CB: I had a lot of freedom here. I really took the character and ran with her. I treated Punk Mambo as if I created her from scratch, that I was telling her first story. I really felt like I could take the character anywhere.
GP: A name like Punk Mambo has a musical feel to it; what’s your sound track when writing/drawing the comic? Do you have a go to playlist?
CB: I have a hard time listening to music while writing. Even film scores can be distracting to me. I do listen to music sometimes to set the mood, and for PUNK MAMBO I know I listened to a wide range of stuff, from the soundtrack to RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD to Joy Division (“She’s Lost Control” would likely be Punk’s intro music if she were a pro wrestler) to Dead Boys to The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets to the Dead Milkmen.
GP: Voodoo isn’t anything I’m overly familiar with; how familiar were you with Voodoo prior to the series, and how much did you need to research to stay faithful to the religion (pun not intended)?
CB: I’m familiar enough to make myself dangerous. I’ve done plenty of research on the subject. In this book, though, I’m absolutely leaning into a much more cinematic version of Voodoo. I’m more concerned with defining Voodoo in the Valiant Universe going forward. We’re establishing some rules, showing off some new “powers” in the world, and developing some new villains who will haunt the world for a long while to come.
GP: With the character being a Brit who is more than familiar with the supernatural, she does invite Constantine comparisons; in your mind, what differentiates the two?
CB: Oh, sure. I knew there would be comparisons. In fact, even I sometimes said that I wanted to establish Punk Mambo as the Hellblazer of the Valiant Universe. But Punk is a lot more action-oriented than Constantine. Constantine isn’t a superhero, but I think Punk Mambo is—even if she doesn’t see that. She is surrounded in magic and ritual, but she is also ready to jump into a fight and kick some teeth in when she needs to.
GP: You’re writing a lot of horror series and becoming well known for that genre. What draws you to it?
CB: I’m just really messed up. I’ve loved horror stories for a long time. I think there is so much great material to mine when it comes to fear. I also think that the best horror, for me for all the doom and gloom, is a hopeful genre. It shows that no matter how bad things get, the heroes must hold onto hope and keep on fighting.
GP: That it does. Thanks so much for answering our questions!
How do you stop an unstoppable weapon?
New story arc! “A GUY NAMED RAY,” Part 1. Two of the leaders of the Bloodshot team find themselves on thin ice with their bosses at Project Rising Spirit. With little left to lose, they decide to take down PRS—and they have just the perfect weapon to use!
It’s always tough to start reading a comic in a series that has consistently failed to meet expectations, especially when that series was never one you were overly excited for or interested in. Such is the case with Bloodshot: Rising Spirit. After the last couple of issues, I was about ready to check out of the series and wait for September’s new Bloodshot series.
While I won’t say that Bloodshot: Rising Spirit #6 has made me a believer in the series (I fear it’s too late for that), what I will say is that with Eliot Rahal coming on board to help with scripting duties (even though he’s not credited in the cover image above), I at least had a little faith that we’d get a stronger issue than we’d seen before – and we did.
Where issue #5 was essentially a prolonged fight scene between Bloodshot and the H.A.R.D. Corps member Gunslinger that had some cool sequences, it ultimately fell flat with the story. This issue doesn’t fall flat, and finally has some interesting sequences with Bloodshot and his struggle to adopt an identity as it’s forced upon him. The entire comic is full of condensed short stories as Bloodshot faces one identity after another, interspersed with a scientist or two commenting on the effectiveness of the new methodology of what essentially amounts to throwing shit at the wall and hoping something sticks.
If this was the first issue, then I’d be telling you to pick the series up; Bloodshot: Rising Spirit #6 is probably a better jumping on point in terms of quality than we’ve had all series – and since this prequel series takes place before Valiant’s first Bloodshot story since relaunching, you could actually just start here in conjunction with the recap and ignore the first five issues.
Overall, this represents a strong increase in the quality over previous issues – whether that’s due to Eliot Rahal and Rags Morales joining the team or not I’ll leave up to you. After the struggles the series has had thus far, it’s refreshing to see that there’s still hope that Bloodshot: Rising Spirit can end on a high note.
Story: Kevin Grevious, Eliot Rahal
Art: Rags Morales and John K. Snyder III
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Simon Bowland
Story: 8.2 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.
One of Valiant’s deadliest villains continues to wage war wherever she goes!
Heartbreak and violence as the woman known as War-Monger meets her match in the deserts of Mongolia. Seeking vengeance, Vexana the War-Monger finds a kindred spirit in the man who would become to be known as Dracula – Vlad Tepes, warlord of Wallachia!
The Forgotten Queen #3 has a wonderfully understated plot that is able to keep the reader utterly engaged as it divides its time between the past and the present, tying together both stories as the issue progresses.
I’ve been enjoying the series so far, but this issue has been the highlight for me as Tini Howard gives you a surprisingly deep insight into what had been a fairly two dimensional character. I had never felt that War Monger ever had the depth to be considered anything other than a threat (unlike, say the villains who could be heroes, or the villains who at least have understandable motives), but as The Forgotten Queent has progressed, Howard has been able to change my perception of the character slowly and organically as we learn more about the immortal hell raiser as she moves through the years.
There’s also a slight growth to the character over the seven hundred years the story spans; a maturing of sorts that opens a door for further character growth to be explored. If the goal of this series was to flesh out Vexana, the War Monger, then Tini Howard has certainly succeeded; and with an issue still to come, I’m excited to see how she caps off the miniseries after the final page’s casual revelation.
Amilcar Pinna and Ulises Arreola once again are give a variety of different times and locales to flex their collective artistic muscles. Whether intentional or not the colour pallet begins to form a cohesiveness as the time periods in the comic close up, subconsciously allowing the reader to make the distinction between time periods without being explicitly told; it’s a brave choice that pays off as the issue comes to a satisfying close.
The Forgotten Queen #3 has none of the quibbles I had regarding the previous issue, instead surpassing my expectations with what I thought would be possible with a series focusing on War Monger. If you’re a Valiant fan, then it’s absolutely worth reading this series – whether War Monger will play a larger part in the future of Valiant, I don’t know, but it never hurts to gain an additional insight into a character that hasn’t had the spotlight in recent years.
Story: Tini Howard Art: Amilcar Pinna
Colours: Ulises Arreola Letters: Jeff Powel
Story: 8.6 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Read
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
