Author Archives: Alex K Cossa

Underrated: Freaks Of The Heartland

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We’re rerunning an older column this week. I may have gotten to obsessed with Westworld and may have forgotten to write a new column for the week.

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:  Freaks Of the Heartland

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This is another book in the “well this looks interesting” series that usually results in me grabbing, seemingly at random, a trade paperback from the shelves at my LCS. Freaks of the Heartland was originally published as a six issue miniseries around 2004/2005. The series was written by Steve Niles and Greg Ruth handled the art and lettering.

Freaks Of The Heartland is set in the 50’s or 60’s, based on the visual clues throughout the book, and tells the story of young Trevor Owen and his mysterious younger brother Will, a mysterious child who is condemned to live in the barn behind the house. 

When I first cracked the cover, I was struck at how wonderful the art was – which feels like an odd statement given the subject of the book. Ruth’s work is frankly astounding. He is able to give you all you need to know about the characters within a panel or two at the very most – whether this is a facial expression, a gesture or their body language, this is a book where the words are almost unnecessary for your understanding of the story and the journey the characters are on. 

Niles is known for his horror comics, and the story of Freaks of the Heartland has its origins in the horror genre. There is the hidden threat and ominous sense of foreboding are very present throughout this book, and right up until the very end you’re never quite sure how the cards will fall in the conclusion. Nothing is telegraphed, nothing is given away, and the ending is all the more powerful for that. I went into this book without any idea of the plot – I never bothered to read the back of the book, and so I won’t give you anymore plot details here than I have because there are moments and revelations that hit me as I turned each page that I don’t think would have had the same impact upon me had I been more cognizant of the plot when opening the book.

Instead, I hope you’ll take my word for it that this is an utterly fantastic non-superhero story that will make you rethink the power of sequential art as a story telling medium. I genuinely believe that this story, a story that is told in its entirety in one volume, is an example of what comics are truly capable of when you look past the cyclical nature of superhero stories.

I devoured this book in a single sitting and knew immediately that had it been released this year then there is no question it would have made an appearance on my Best Of 2018 list. At this point, I’m thinking I’m going to add some kind of “Best thing I read this year that wasn’t from 2018” category just so I can highlight the book once again.

I usually end this column with a recommendation to check out the book or series or movie in question, but I genuinely can’t recommend this graphic novel to you highly enough If you don’t grab this with both hands when you see then you’ll miss an Underrated gem.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Those Two Geeks Episode 253: A Time Travelling Royal Rumble Preview

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Alex, Joe, and Matthew Klein spend the entire show on topic, talking about their predictions for yesterday’s Royal Rumble event.

Matthew’s book Crashing is available now through IDW Publishing. His webcomic The Rhyme Scheme is available for free here. He can be found on Twitter @matthewklein316 and Instagram @macktheknife1116

You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Underrated: A Random Selection Of TPBs

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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: a somewhat random selection of trade paperbacks..

This week I wanted to highlight books that have either already appeared in this column, or haven’t appeared yet (but that I plan to cover in more detail in the future). There’ll be no real order here, but each book will be a jumping on point of some kind into a series that are each absolutely worth reading.

Voracious: Diners Dinosaurs and Dives (Action Lab) The elevator pitch for this series is pretty simple and immediately interesting; time travelling chef hunts dinosaurs. But as catchy as that is, it does a disservice to Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr’s series. Across two miniseries (or two trades), the pair have created a story with more flavours than a tyrannosaur steak; there’s a cop drama, genuinely funny and heart warming moments, a deeper exploration of the mechanics of time travel than you’d necessarily expect and some straight up action sequences. This is easily one of the most exciting comic series I’ve read in the last five year (the final part of the trilogy launches in the next couple of months).

God Country (Image) The concept for this story is pretty unique and straight forward; a man with Alzheimer’s regains his memory when holding a mysterious sentient sword. The only problem is, the sword apparently belongs to some space gods… God Country is one of Donny Cates finest stories, and one that has the potential to hit a lot of us who have experienced a loved one suffering with this horrible disease. There’s also an undertone about discovering who you once were, who you are, and the question of whether a sentient sword is a possession or a free being. Plus, with this being made into a movie in the future, you’ll want to read this sooner than later.

Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior: Risen (Valiant) Hardly surprising I’d include a Valiant book, and Risen is the introductory story to one of Valiant’s finest fourteen issue runs in recent memory. This chapter tells the story of how the Eternal Warrior comes back to life each and every time he dies – another simple concept, but one that weighs heavier and heavier each time you see him fall later in the series.

Sex Criminals (Image) Sometimes you just really need a good crime story. And despite the title, this isn’t about sex criminals, but criminals who have sex and then commit a crime. Because every time they orgasm time freezes so they choose to rob a bank (or take a shit in their bosses office). As you do.

Letter 44: Vol I (Oni Press) I had very little idea what this was about when I picked up the first trade, but quickly discovered that it tells the story of humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrial beings, and the president who chose to keep their existence a secret (all the while perpetuating wars to give his soldiers combat experience and developing incredible technology to combat the potential threat). Equal parts political intrigue and science fiction story, I’m still not sure whether the tension is higher in space than it is on Earth, but the story is freaking amazing.

Ether (Dark Horse) A tale about a scientist who can travel inter-dimensionally, Ether explores what would happen if said scientist arrived in a world where magic, not science is the rule of law – but what is magic but as-yet unexplained science?

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Those Two Geeks Episode 252: Can Alex Tangent Without Joe?

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Alex sat down to record and had no plan whatsoever… and may or may not have rambled for the entire truncated show.

You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Underrated: Judge Dredd Megazine

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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: Judge Dredd Megazine

Initially launched in the 90’s as a monthly companion to the weekly anthology comic 2000 AD, Judge Dredd Megazine is a much easier beast to keep track of when you’re importing it (via Diamond and my comic shop) than a weekly comic that would likely cost more than the average Marvel or DC book. Judge Dredd Megazine usually sets me back around $12-17 depending on the exchange rate when I’m picking it up. It’s more than I remember paying for it when I was in England, but not honestly all that much more – and it’s significantly cheaper than flying over to pick it up.

The megazine, a play on words with magazine and Judge Dredd’s home city of Mega City One, generally comes with an additional comic that collects stories previously published within 2000 AD or the megazine itself. I always factor this bonus material into the overall price when the exchange rate is less favourable for me, and still have never felt that I’ve over paid in a large part because of the (48ish page) supplemental insert – plus, the fact that you get around 80-90 pages of anthology comics plus a few text based features as the main draw means that value for money is certainly there.

At this point, I feel it’s worth talking about the way the stories are presented in the megazine, rather than the stories themselves because this is an anthology comic there is always a story that has just begun, or is still early enough in its progress that you can catch on without worrying too much about what you’ve missed. Honestly, it’s probably exposure to Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD as a kid that has enabled me to just pick up a story mid way through and enjoy it without worrying too much about What Came Before as long as the story flows and makes sense (which likely lead to my firm belief that, as much as possible, comics should always be new reader friendly). The stories are written and drawn by some incredibly talented people – the credits for Judge Dredd Megazine #417 include Michael Carroll, Dan Abnett, Phil Winsdale, Chris Roberson, Andrea Mutti, Ales Kot, Mike Dowling and more – with each creator bringing their own unique style and skillset so that the aesthetic of the book’s stories can change noticeably every ten issues or so, but because of the editorial and design team (in #417, that’s editor Matt Smith and designers Sam Grettonm Oz Osbourne and Gemma Sheldrake) there’s a consistent level of quality and visual presentation within the bones of the book that it still feels like the same megazine you know and love.

It’s a unique, yet oddly wonderful, feeling to be able to miss tens of issues and be able to dive right back in. If you’ve ever seen a good friend for the first time after years apart, then that’s the feeling I’m talking about here.

The reason I’ve been reticent to talk about the stories within the book is because there’s no real guarantee that you’ll see the same characters again once the story has been told, although there’s always going to be a Judge Dredd story featured within the megazine, the other three or four stories rotate on a regular basis with the only constant being the quality of what you’re reading. Most are sci-fi in some form, though there has been a more classic fantasy or steam punk story sneak in here and there, so if you’re not into anything but capes and cowls then you may not find anything you like here, and that’s okay. But if you’re wanting to branch out and expand your reading to offerings from across the pond, this is one of the best ways to get a sample of some great comics.

This may not be an underrated gem in the UK, but on this side of the pond? It absolutely is.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

Those Two Geeks Episode 251: A New Year, Same Old Geeks

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Alex and Joe sat down to record and had no plan whatsoever… and yet spent the entire episode more or less on the subject of toy collecting in 2024.

You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Underrated: Black Hammer: Secret Origins

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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: Black Hammer: Secret Origins

A lot has been said about Black Hammer, Jeff Lemire’s homage to the classic hero comics of yesteryear, and much of that praise can be found on the back of this very collection. Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Cullen Bunn, Dan Jurgens and more are all effusive in their praise for a comic that Mark Millar called “the most brilliant comic I’ve read in years.”

I would agree with everything said on the back of the book, honestly. Jeff Lemire is one of the dozen or so writers whose work I will read without caring what it is because I know the quality of writing will always be very high (of course there are some things that just don’t do it for me, but not because they’re bad – but because it’s not entirely my cup of tea). Black Hammer is one of those things that is both really good (better, honestly, than I expected), and entirely my thing.

In short, it’s one of the best things that I have ever read from Jeff Lemire.

So what exactly is the book about? I’ll use the blurb from the back of the book to explain:

Wiped out of their superhero universe by a multiversal crisis, the forgotten heroes of Spiral City now live as a dysfunctional family on a mysterious farm in a small town from which they have no escape.

If it sounds intriguing, well you’ll be happy to know that’s only the very tip of the iceberg. The premise is good, and promises an interesting look at what life looks like after (forced) retirement, but it’s the way that the characters come to life on the page that’s truly gripping. Some have accepted their new lot in life, and are even making the best of what cards they’ve been dealt as they adjust to life after superheroics.

And some, well, some have never given up trying to get home.

The way that Lemire frames the opening parts of Black Hammer (as I write this I have the following three volumes on my read pile, but I’m just looking at volume one today) is that escape is hopeless, and anything other than acceptance is foolishness. But if that were you, would you accept what you’ve been given or do your damnedest to get back to the home you knew, even if it may not be as peaceful as where you are?

The answer, ultimately, would depend on a couple key differences; whether you were at least content with the new life you had or if it was driving you to insanity. Within the pages of Black Hammer, there are characters nearing their breaking point (or in some cases may have already gone beyond the breaking point), and it’s fascinating watching them all struggle to navigate the normal that they now find themselves in.

Black Hammer has spoken to my love of modern takes on distinctly Golden Age heroes. With a Justice League like group of characters locked in mysterious pocket dimension where they’re forced to live normal lives on a farm, we get to explore what happens to a hero on a forced retirement. Not everybody I know is a fan of where this comic is going, and how it’s been getting there, but every issue has been a win for me – which is another reason this appears in this issue of Underrated. But the tinges of something lingering just beneath the surface give a genuine sense of unease to the comic. Black Hammer is very much a slow burn, but it’s going to be incandescent when we get the pay off at the end…

Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Underrated: The Wolverine

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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: The Wolverine.

A little while ago on Underrated, I took a look at one of the most reviled movies in the X-Men Franchise, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This week I wanted to take a look at the sequel to that movie because, ending aside, I think it’s a pretty good movie – no, really, take that cyborg thing out of the equation, and I’d give the movie a sold 8.5 or so out of 10. Obviously the cyborg drops the rating some, but I still really enjoyed the movie. And yes, I did see the movie recently.

The funny thing about The Wolverine, at least for me, is that I only recently realized that people weren’t quite as fond of it as I was. Whether that’s because I was so desperate for a great Wolverine movie that I overlooked a lot of the flaws when I first saw it, or that I just simply enjoyed it more than the folks who had a bone to pick with the film. Obviously, I watched this after having seen Logan, which was exactly the Wolverine movie that I, and many others, have always wanted. Does The Wolverine still hold up after the sequel, or is it really as average as people have been saying?

I genuinely don’t think it is, so allow me to give you a few reasons why.

  • The Opening Sequence
    In this case I’m talking about the entire sequence set in the Canadian wilderness. Hugh Jackman pulls off the broken former hero role incredibly well, and much like the prequel I could have happily watched an entire movie centered around a broken Logan on the outskirts of society. Wait.
  • It’s a great homage to Wolverine’s first solo series
    Look I know that the ending is butchered almost entirely by the mechanized Silver Samurai, but once you get beyond that The Wolverine is a brilliant homage and reinterpretation of the Claremont/Miller series from the 80’s with an updated twist. The hallmarks of the series are there, albeit in a slightly modified form in most cases, as the movie does its level best to pay tribute to that classic four issue miniseries.
  • The choreography
    With this movie having a softer rating than its sequel, you’d be forgiven for wanting more of the brutality from that movie to show up in The Wolverine, but considering the rating I think the choreography of the fight scenes is done very well – yes, a lot is left to your imagination regarding the results of said action, but this is still a movie about a violent mutant and you do get a sense of that… even if it is done in a PG13 way.
  • The story 
    Despite struggling at the final hurdle, the movie’s plot is actually better than a lot of popcorn action flicks. It’s certainly no Logan but it’s a better overall product than both of its immediate prequels.

Yes, the movie has its problems, especially with how it fits (or used to fit depending on who you’re talking to) into the X-Men movie franchise, and how it treats certain characters, but when you look at it as a standalone movie that follows one character after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand… it’s actually pretty good; like I said, I’ve always enjoyed this movie, and that’s why it’s the subject of this week’s Underrated. Plus, without this movie then we’d never have had James Mangold back for the sequel

Those Two Geeks Episode 250: The Uncelebrated Anniversary Episode

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Alex and Joe plan to spend time talking about toys, and nothing but toys, but fail miserably.

You can reach Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Underrated: Black Beetle: No Way Out

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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:  Black Beetle: No Way Out

The Black Beetle: No Way Out

Another week, and yet another case of “Alex bought something for Underrated without knowing anything about it beforehand.” This week we’re looking at the first volume of Francisco Francavilla‘s Black Beetle: No Way Out, another book that I found at a thrift store for an absolute bargain price. Actually, bargain is understating things. I paid $1 for this book (technically $1.25, but at but 4 get 1 free it works out to a dollar). Which is an absolute steal of a deal for a hardcover trade.

Black Beetle: No Way Out is published by  Dark Horse, written and drawn by Francavilla, and takes the form of a modern reinterpretation of the old pulp novels of the 30’s and 40’s, with all the semi futuristic-steampunk technology and sleek lines that includes.

This throwback feeling permeates the entire graphic novel, genuinely allowing it to read as a pulp novel from a bygone era – but one with the tonal sensitivities of today. It’s within this area that Francavilla tells the story of a vigilante who is equal parts the Shadow, the Spider and the Black Bat – and though comparisons to Batman will be made, the only similarity there is that Batman is more prevalent in the cultural awareness of our medium than the other three characters previously mentioned. I’m not saying the comparisons are unfair, but that the similarities are more in line with the characters Batman took inspiration from rather than Bruce Wayne himself.

The story, then, that is told within No Way Out is very reflective of those pulp novels, especially the original covers that are used as story breaks between the individual issues. Francavilla’s artistic approach is very evocative of the art styles of the time – simple colours, thick lines and a sense of foreboding. With Francavilla handling both the writing and the art duties in the book, we’re given a tour-de-force of a creative offering as he delivers an incredible experience.

And that, ultimately, is why I loved this book so much. It’s an incredibly fun pulp story, a classic hero romp with a hero who in’t shy about using his guns. Of course that does leave a little room for folks to be concerned about a lack of substance in the plot, but I think for the most part that is a concern that can be put aside by the artistic offering.

This is a book that’s absolutely worth a read.

Yes, I only paid $1 for it, and yes, I only bought it because it was in a thrit store, but I am so glad that I did. Black Beetle: No Way Out is easily the best thing I have read all week – including the four other books I picked up – and I am frankly astounded that I had never read this before. I’m equally as astounded that I’d never even heard of the book before.  Consequently, this is a book I don’t see getting the love it deserves – that’s why the book is Underrated.

Join us next week when we look at something else that is, for whatever reason, Underrated.

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