REVIEW: Rocket Raccoon #9

Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Jake Parker
Review: Will Dubbeld

I know, I know.
You loyal few may think it's a bandwagon move to review this book, considering Rocket Raccoon has become super popular and more and more omnipresent in the Marvel U.
Apparently there was some movie or another contributing to this pro-raccoon movement.

Well y'all can eat it. This raccoon book is awesome.

When Rocket reappeared in Dan Abnett and Andy Lannings rebirth of the cosmic Marvel Universe, I was hooked. Teaming him up with a retinue of fellow B-and-C-listers was icing on the cake. I absolutely adore Mort characters, and the entire GotG lineup was right up my alley. Mantis, Bug, Deathcry, Star-Lord (of all damn characters . . .), all of 'em a-ok in my book.

The book caught, took off and ran, and here we are. Several comic series and a movie later, Rocket Raccoon gets his own solo book and it's great. Skottie Young is giving us a comic that would be right at home in the Sunday funny pages. A light sci-fi romp that turns Groot and Rocket Raccoon almost into ciphers for Calvin and Hobbes, though I'm at a loss for which one is a mischievous boy and which is a mischievous tiger.

Rocket #9 gives us the tale of Rocket and Groots future, showing a Groot that has been turned into a rampaging kaiju due to Tony Stark and his meddling. It seems he gleaned the secrets of the tree-fellas regeneration in order to prolong human life and as a result turned Groot into a rampaging Godzilla monster.

Oh, the folly of science!

In the wake of Groots reenactment of the Rampage video game, elderly Tony Stark and elderly Steve Rogers decide only one raccoon can stop the marauding monster from Planet X . . .
Stark heads off to deep space and to Marvel's Mos Eisley, Knowhere.
For the uninitiated, Knowhere is the decapitated head of a Celestial turned space station/city and de facto base of operations for the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The real treat here is Jake Parker's depiction of an aged, grizzled Rocket Raccoon. Bearded, scarred, and grumpier than normal, Rocket looks amazing here. Full of piss and vinegar, the exchange between him and Stark is great.

After initially rebuffing ol' Shellhead, Rocket hops in his x-wing fighter and heads to Earth to battle his old friend, Groot.

Alright, it's not really an x-wing. BUT! this book does have a lot of Star Warsian moments and humor within. I don't mean like Jar-Jar "humor", I mean the quippy dialogue and some hijinx from the old Droids cartoon.
You guys remember that show? Dude from The Police wrote the theme song . . .

So ol' Rocket heads to Earth, all ready to throw down with his pal Groot.
His spaceship turns into a Gundam, you guys. Amazing.

So spoilers, but this book ends on a great note. Dangerously close to giving me some feels . . .

The creative team on this book is nailing it. The writing is fun, unencumbered with Marvels mega events and crossovers, self contained arcs, and this particular issue was one and done.
Beginning, middle, and end. 1 part and over.

It still can be done, writers.

The art is outstanding, reminiscent of aforementioned Sunday comics, with amazing colors. Sharp inking and lettering put the icing on this raccoon cake.

My only apprehension about the book is Rocket Raccoons fate post-Secret Wars. With Marvel shaking things up, hopefully books like this will not get swept under the editorial rug, causing the huddled mass of fans to look up and shout, "save us!"
And Deadpool will whisper, "chimichangas."

REVIEW: Black of Heart #4 and Open Tree #2

Black of Heart #4
Writer: Chris Charlton
Artist: David Hollenbach
Review: Art Bee

On March 28th at the Gem City Comic Con in Dayton, Ohio, the attendees will be witness to the unveiling of four new issues from Assailant Comics. One of these issues is Black of Heart #4, which is the next to last issue of the award winning series. This series recently won First Prize for the 2014 Space Award and offers a great main character, well developed plot, and unique, powerful artwork.

In the last issue Detective Drake Harper was suffering from hallucinations after going to a dentist, who is revealed to possibly be the killer. These hallucinations hinder him as he prepares to take on Lucky Luciano along with the rest of the department. The investigation has shown that Lucky has been importing narcotics in large quantities, and they are going in force to stop it.

On top of the hallucinations Drake is trying to deal with the disappearance of his love, Patty. What is this man supposed to do?!

I really wish I could say.

Drake Harper is the kind of character we can get behind. He strikes me as a cross between Dick Tracy and Jim Gordon. He has been on the trail of “The Vulture”, but he is oblivious to how close he is. This issue ends with him about to open the door. Believe me. This is no spoiler. The last issue will be the showdown with the evil killer known as “The Vulture”.

Once again I have to give praise to David Hollenbach for his awesome and unique artwork. The cover alone is striking but I would have to say the best panel is on page 6. It depicts Drakes face with a portion shown in x-ray, revealing the tooth causing his hallucinations. The detail and feeling in this image really need no words. It tells a story all on its own.

It is easy to see why this series is winning awards. CSI, Criminal Minds, and other crime drama fans should be on board with this comic book. Chris Charlton has a true masterpiece on his hands with this work. I can’t wait for the finale but I will be sad when it is over.

Open Tree, Legends and Tall Tales #2 – “Linus and the Fluke of Love”
Writer: Chris Charlton
Artist: Lauren Sparks
Letters: Brant Fowler
Review: Art Bee

On June 27, 2014 I posted a review of the first issue of Open Tree, and to date it has been my most enjoyed comic. Imagine my excitement as I found out the second issue of Open Tree was upcoming.

The very first thing about “Linus and the Fluke of Love” that is noticeable is the artistry. Lauren Sparks has a stupendous talent with water colors. The comic book is just plain GORGEOUS! Page 21 can barely contain the picture of a whale exploding out of the water. The details she uses in addition to her shading ability is truly captivating.

“Linus and the Fluke of Love” is a poem Chris Charlton has composed to tell the story of the heartbroken Linus. He was rejected by his love and three years later was swallowed by a giant whale. While in the belly of the whale, he meets and falls in love with Hanna (yep, she was swallowed too). This whale has a serious appetite for humans.
Look out, Jaws!

This story is quite touching, but it does not top Open Tree #1. It is a great read though and will make you smile. My 8-year-old daughter read it and did not quite get it at first. I think the poetic tone of the text threw her off. She loved the pictures and has tried to recreate them herself.

She is a bit off from Lauren’s work.

This issue is a good follow up to the first. It has a nice, pleasant, and uplifting tone that we all need from time to time. Navigate to Assailant’s site and get a digital copy to check out for yourself.

REVIEW: Silk #1

Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stacey Lee
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

So like every other Spider-Man fanboy I was pretty happy when Marvel announced this book. The powers-that-be at Marvel did a really good job getting me all hot and bothered for the “bastard sister” (no relation) of one Peter Benjamin Parker. Whoa, take it down a notch there Mr. or Mrs. QuickToJudge, Miles Warren has nothing to do with this one. I sure as hell hope not anyway because I don’t think I could survive another trek through the rolling hills of Ben Rileys, test tubes, smokestacks, and holographic foil covers.

Cindy Moon (a.k.a. Silk) happened to be bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker on that fateful day way back in August 1962 circa 2015. Sure. Why not? In my opinion it’s a great idea. Just when you think they had milked the Spider of all his sweet, sweet juices, Marvel blindsides you with a one-two donkey punch haymaker combo to the humble beginnings.

Silk voluntarily hid herself from Morlun and his family, the Inheritors, in a secret bunker for like 10 years or something like that, so they wouldn’t be drawn to Earth 616. It seems that these Inheritor whack-jobs are traveling through the multiverse sucking the life forces out of every version of Spider-Man. She leaves the bunker and births this mundane mega event Spiderverse.

I was not happy with Spiderverse as a whole.

I quickly got bored and stopped caring in general. If you didn’t read it, I would stress by any means just catch the highlights on the interwebs and call it good.

I think Thompson’s first issue was pretty darn good. He delivers a small scrap with Dragonclaw, who isn’t all that but you have to start somewhere. Most of the book deals with Silk’s struggle to find her place and purpose during the dawn of her “new” life in the world outside her secluded bunker. Thompson’s skillful use of Silk’s inner monologue really helped to drive the story and pull some heart strings all at once.

I can’t say anything bad about the art either. It didn’t make me weep uncontrollable tears of joy, but I wasn’t weeping in sadness either. I’d recommend giving this book a second thought if you get the chance.

I mean, after all it still has that new hero smell.

REVIEW: Ei8ht #1 and Darth Vader #1

Comic: Ei8ht #1
Story: Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson
Art and Colors: Rafael Albuquerque
Review: Art Bee

My pull list is barren of Dark Horse Comics, mainly because the comics they produce are natural satellites of planet suck. This past week there must have been some strange eclipse of the sun or some kind of disaster that knocked one of the newest satellites into space. Ei8ht was found at my LCBS on a shelf. Even though the cover is not very attractive, I opened it and flipped through it.

Two things made me purchase this book. The first is the artwork. It was very unique looking using a lot of blue. The second was the inside of the front cover, which contained the following code:

“The past is Green.
The present is Purple.
The future is Blue.
The Meld is something else entirely.” (last line in yellow)

This made me think 'time travel science fiction written in crayon'.

I had to give it a try.

Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson have done a great job with setting a shark sized hook. This story is centered on the time traveler, Joshua, who is sent back to find a man with a star-shaped scar. After traveling back, Joshua has some memory issues, but is found by some savage looking people who introduce him to the Meld.

We are left holding a large bag with little in it. We know hardly anything about Joshua or the one holding him. Joshua’s mission is vague at best with us just knowing who Joshua is after. So where is the hook you ask? That is a damned good question. I am not sure where it is, but I swallowed it and need to read the next one. If you ask me, that is some good story telling.

The artwork is uniquely fantastic. Albuquerque’s inking and drawing is great. His lines are clean and deliberate. The scenes are all done with in white and blues with the sky and other items featuring the color of the time-line. Hari and Nali are a pair of sisters that are drawn very well. I particularly like the shape of their heads in relation to their eyes.

Although Dark Horse is a stop in the ghetto; don’t forget to make the left turn at Albuquerque and check Ei8ht out. I am going to have to read at least 3-4 more issues to know if this is going somewhere, but it is already off to a good start.

Comic: Darth Vader #1
Writer: Keiron Gillen
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Review: Art Bee

Marvel’s breakout in the Star Wars scene deserves some attention. Last month we witnessed the dawning of a new age in Star Wars comic books. Until then Dark Horse has been presenting us with some half-assed scatter-plotted crap.

With three books out (Star Wars #1 and #2, and Darth Vader #1), Marvel is aiming for another galaxy far, far away (ha ha! . . . a pun!). They are batting .500 and in my opinion all three of these are well on their way out of our galactic neighborhood.

My only fear is that the Marvel machine will take this awesome start, spread it out over five to ten different books to try and maximize revenue. I can understand a few books to broaden the plot view, but I can’t stand having to spend $50 a month to know what is happening. That is why I don’t read Avengers or X-men any more. TOO MANY TITLES EACH MONTH!!!

I love Star Wars, and these books are the best. If you like the movies, get them if you have not already. They pick up right after Episode IV: A New Hope.

Please, Marvel. Don’t overkill a good thing . . . again. Please.

REVIEW: White Crane - The Legacy of Fang Chi, vol. 1

Written by Zanna Vaughan-Davies
Art by Santiago Espina
Review by Will Dubbeld

I think my love for martial arts stemmed from ads in old 1970s Marvel comics espousing the merits of Count Dante and his Black Dragon Fighting Society.
“Learn the 50 Dragon stances!”
“Unlock the secrets of the Deadly Venom Strike!”
“Kill a man with your Tiger Claw Death Touch!”
. . . or whatever the claims were.

According to vintage comic ads, if I’d ordered Count Dante’s lessons and followed Charles Atlas’ Dynamic Tension Muscle Building Program I would be the baddest motherfucker at the comic-con.
Unfortunately, I’m a pretty lackadaisical nerd and aside from a few brief lessons in karate and Jeet Kune Do, I haven’t the discipline to pursue a school of martial arts.
But Hong Kong action theater and back issues of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu are my jam.
I’ll go to bat any day of the week to defend the fact that Shang-Chi could kick Richard Dragon’s ass.

I’d contacted Zanna Vaughan-Davies about a preview copy of White Crane completely blind to the fact it was a martial arts book. An indy publisher asked for takers on review copies of the book, and the Hammond Comics Blog was like, “Yo!”
Because YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING.
I visited the White Crane website after the fact and discovered it was about Chinese history, mythology, and martial arts and promptly put a check mark in the win column.

White Crane gives us a fictionalized account of Fang Chi, the woman who founded White Crane Kung Fu (or more appropriately White Crane Shaolin Boxing if memory serves). If you’re looking for a history lesson via graphic sequential storytelling, however, turn away now. White Crane is a no-holds-barred fantasy adventure story, peppered with elements from Chinese mythology and the martial arts genre.
Actually, peppered is too pedestrian a descriptor. White Crane is spiced with those elements.

This book is spicy.

The Legacy of Fang Chi opens with a monastic temple of Chang San Feng under attack from the villainous Serpent Cult, a tried and true genre move. I was already in love with this book and it was only page 6. Sprinkled throughout the first chapter are flashbacks involving Fang Chi, her father, her nanny, and novice monks, setting the scene for the fall of Chang San Feng and the death of Fang’s father. True to form, Fang Chi vows revenge and sets off to seek justice.

This book reads like watching a Shaw Brothers movie, and I mean that as one of the highest compliments I can pay.

During the course of her journey Fang is visited by a white crane and follows the bird, imploring it to teach her. The white crane leads her to Pan the Mad Man, a fellow martial artist, and a ‘Taoist immortal’ named Sun Xin Wu who acts as our wise, slightly off-kilter teacher in the story. The ‘Test Your Might’ scene with Pan and the mountaintop training with Sun Xin Wu give us a few more familiar feelings, but I’m making a conscious effort to refrain from rattling off the tropes form martial arts films, books, and mythos.
Somewhere between the Wuxia training sequence and the corrupt Imperial magistrate I decided this was one of my favorite comic books. I’m all too familiar with the sometimes linear storytelling found in within the martial arts genre, but it is so rare to find a martial arts comic book that the tropes are a wonderful breath of fresh air. Things that would almost be considered cliché to some audiences are instead brilliant homage. We’re only a eunuch sorcerer and some hopping vampires away from collecting the full set…

The book doesn’t just tread familiar ground, however. The central antagonists, the Serpent Cult, perform a ceremony to contact their demonic Cthonian hellmasters (as cults do) and the way it was set up was a game changer. I’ll omit the details to avoid spoilers, but I was amazed by how this sequence played out. It went to show that although Zanna was writing fairly true to genre form, he isn’t afraid to throw a curve ball in there.
Also, we get a dragon by the end of the book, so my opinion is pretty well cemented.

It is noteworthy to say that White Crane is not an all ages comic. The book is full of adult language, a bit of (tasteful) nudity, and a fair amount of violence and gore. Kiddies need not apply.
Unless your parents are cool with that.
Mine were. They let me watch Conan the Barbarian when I was, like, 8 years old.
Parents, be the cool parents. Let the kids watch Conan and read White Crane . . .

Santiago Espina’s art is great. Brightly colored and crisply inked without much muddying. His art is reminiscent of older independent companies from the 1980s, like you would’ve found in Eclipse books or maybe Innovation or Continuity. It’s concise with well laid out paneling, not every square millimeter crammed with hyper-realistic detail or crosshatching.
It looks like a damn comic book. Although a bit rough in spots, the art was refreshing. It goes back to the well, back to the more simplistic roots of the medium.
Because Yes, Virginia, you can overdraw a comic book.

I’m sure many readers aren’t used to a book of this nature, as the market is inundated with superhero books, mediocre horror comics, and indy books masquerading as oblique social commentary. Many of you will find White Crane to be a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stagnant business. Do yourself a favor and seek out this book, I’m sure you’ll find it to be worth your time and money.
eagerly awaiting volume 2 . . .

REVIEW: Moses

Publisher: Westerino Comix
Writer: Jeff Guarino
Artist: Dean Westerfield
Review: Art Bee

Recently The Hammond Comics Blog received a request to review a graphic novel called Moses. This monster of a novel (597 pages) was a little intimidating at first, but once I got started it went pretty smoothly. Jeff Guarino and Dean Westerfield are a pair of school teachers who enjoy creating their own webcomics at www.westerinocomix.com. and, according to their Facebook page, they like to do most of their work at various coffee houses around Long Beach, CA.

To really gain an appreciation for this novel I had to read through it twice. The first time I was lost due to trying to get through it too fast. This book needs to be taken panel by panel as you need to pay attention to when you are in a flash back, a telling of a story, or the mainline plot.

This book has its roots in the Holy Bible and other referenced books. Moses portrays Moses’ life outside of the plagues and Mt. Sinai in which he shares wisdom through stories. These tales include the story of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Arc, Job, and others. It is interesting how each of the stories has a different spin on it from the Bible. For instance, instead of the name Abraham, Avraham is used. Overall this book is Moses’ spiritual journey over the course of his life.

Dean Westerfield uses a black and white ink style that, while not spectacular, is effective. Towards the end of the book he has some really superb art, and his consistency with the characters makes it easy to follow who is who.

There are some panel sequences that seem like they do not need to be there, however. For instance, at the start of chapter 3, the first 13 panels seem to have nothing to do with anything other than showing Moses’ tent and different features. Right after these panels, the chapter goes right into the creation story with Adam and Hava. Every so often a series of these non-important panels appear. Perhaps I am missing the significance . . .

My favorite part of the book takes place in chapter 8. Moses is out on a hillside taking a leak when a voice tells him to remove his shoes. “Why?” he asks. The voice responds, “The place you stand borders on the holy.” This just struck me as hilarious. Moses had just urinated, but the concern was his shoes.

This is not the best nor the worst graphic novel I have ever read. My suggestion is to keep an open mind as you read it or you will get lost. My being lost the first time had to be due to the fact that I am Christian, and I was looking too deep. This book is not claiming to supplement the Bible. They are just trying to entertain us by putting a little spin on religion. You can read Moses for free on their website.

REVIEW: Reyn #1

Writer: Kel Symons
Artist: Nate Stockman
Colors: Paul Little
Review: William R. Davis Jr.

Reyn is a fantasy book that is set in The Land of Fate, a place now consumed by darkness. It follows a young Jedi . . . uh, I mean Warden who may be the last living member of his order. Issue one follows him through a few scrapes, introduces us to the main characters, and sets up the next adventure.

Great first issues are hard to produce, and I generally tend to cut the creators a little slack here. Unfortunately Reyn is not a book I going to be following in the future.

The book opens on a farm, where a family is attacked by a giant subterranean spider. Reyn shows up and slays the creature. Everything is competently drawn and I’m enjoying the book at this point, and then in comes the farmer’s daughter.

Wearing a shirt that would make a 1980s Rob Liefeld blush, the father asks Reyn to stay on the farm indefinitely. As the daughter bites her lower lip and looks on the father says: “We don’t have much to offer in the way of excitement, least not the kind that you’re probably used to. But there’s other kinds of things a man could find some excitement in, right?” Reyn then thanks him for the hospitality but politely turns down the offer. It then cuts to the daughter coming into his room, saying something of the lines of: “Paw says I should convince you to stay, and I aim to make a convincing argument.”

Gross.

Within four pages this book is forever ruined by moronic writing. Is this what turns people on these days? I must be getting old, but please keep hillbillies pimping their daughters out to strangers from the pages of my funny books in the future. I would go into other aspects of the book but I respect our readership too much for that.

So if you’re looking for hackneyed, sexist drivel, pick up a copy at your LCS today.