Rachel Rising #21 – Review

By: Terry More (writer, artist, letters)

The Story: Rachel & Jet try to save her Aunt Johnny.

Review (with minor SPOILERS): This was one of those issues that made me feel a little silly for writing monthly reviews.  The apt comparison would be reviewing a 5 minute snippet of a movie – or – reviewing the action of a TV show between commercial breaks.  The point is that a story like Rachel Rising will eventually be reflected upon as an entirety.  Whether its final run is 30 issues or 100 issues, there will be a defined ending and we’ll consider it as a whole– we’ll even read it as a whole.  Most people that return to the series in the future to read it, won’t be bothered with these somewhat arbitrary breaks between issues.

That entire preamble is a long-winded way of saying that this issue is just doing work.  After all the big revelations and clarifications of the last two issues, RR kinda needed to return to just pushing the story along, and that’s what this issue does.

We needed to see what happens to Aunt Johnny now that her body is dead and her soul is trapped in her dog.  I guess the most interesting thing about this extended scene is that Rachel and Jet call in the creepy old town doctor for help.  Remember, this guy is keeping his wife’s mummified body in his kitchen!  And even this creepy old doctor gets weirded out by what is going on.  Kinda funny… How are they going to get the soul back out of the dog?  I bet they’re going to kill that poor dog…

Rachel Rising #18 – Review

By: Terry Moore (writer/artist/letterer)

The Story: Bad things continue to swirl around the hamlet of Manson.

Review (with SPOILERS): This was a good issue, but it illustrates several frustrating things about the series.

Let’s start with the positives since this is an essentially good comic book.  The one thing you can never get away from is how nice Rachel Rising looks.  It kinda goes without saying that a guy who publishes an instructional books called “How to draw women” and is famous for the female-centric Strangers in Paradise would draw excellent female characters.  But, often when we’re praising how well an artist draws women (especially when the reviewer is a heterosexual man), we’re just talking about the fact that the women are attractive.  Terry Moore really takes it a step further.  The ladies in Rachel Rising look like real women.  They’re all attractive, but Moore is able to give them little bits of reality that is usually missing from comic book women.  I mean, in the opening scene, a few of the bad witches are doing something outside of town, and I thought to myself while reading, “Geez…..they look like they probably haven’t had a bath in a few days.  I’ll bet they kinda stink.”  For all the comics I’ve read in my life and for all the vigorous things you see female characters doing, I don’t think I’ve ever considered whether Ms. Marvel can get BO if she doesn’t take a shower regularly.  There is just something about the way Moore draws women that makes them come across as real human beings rather than some idealized creatures that you’d never actually see in real life.  We all know women who look like the characters in RR.

Rachel Rising #17 – Review

By: Terry Moore (writer/artist/letters)

The Story: The same as it’s been; reincarnated witches menace a small, modern-day town.

Review (with minor SPOILERS): Rachel Rising has been mired in “Act 2” for what seems like a long time.  It’s still a very high-quality series and I enjoy each issue, but “we” have understood the broad outlines of the threat facing the town for 5-6 issues now and not much new has really happened: Each issue we learn a little more about Zoe or a little more about Jet or something about Malus, but nothing really happens.  These reincarnated witches TALK a big game about vengeance, but we’ve yet to see much really happen beyond the occasional, isolated murder.

Rachel Rising #2 – Review

By: Terry Moore (the whole damn thing… writing, art, lettering…)

The Story: Rachel tries to talk to a friend about what happened to her and elsewhere the beginnings of a murderous plot expose itself.

Review: Again, this is a hard series to review in single issues because you know that we are merely at the beginning of a 30-100 issue complete story.  I’ve used the analogy before that it is like pausing a feature movie every 15 minutes and writing a review about what you think.  Kinda dumb, huh?  The easy thing is to just not write reviews of this sort of material and it wouldn’t surprise me if the most of the “named” comic review sites drop their coverage of the series pretty early on.  That’s a shame because this is the type of series that deserves more coverage merely for offering us something original that is very different than whatever Hulk or Batman are doing.  We need to encourage this stuff and help remind readers that it exists.

This will be a full on SPOILERS review because without that, it is hard to write more than, “It’s good and creepy.  You should read it.”  If you’re waiting for the trade, just know that it is good and if you’ve enjoyed Terry Moore in the past or if you enjoy Vertigo-type stories, this will be your type of thing.

Two interesting things happen in this issue.  The first shows Rachel visiting her Aunt Johnny who runs the local funeral home.  As you can imagine, with a scene taking place in a funeral home in the dead of night as the Aunt works on a dead body, it is unsettling.  Amping things up is the fact that the Aunt seems convinced that Rachel is just another spirit who visits her late at night in the funeral home.  We really don’t know what is going on with Rachel (did her “killer” just bury her before she was really dead OR more likely there is something weird afoot) and the Aunt seems kinda nuts, so these scenes only serve to increase the sense of unease and confusion that Moore is building.

Rachel Rising #1 – Review

By: Terry Moore (story & art)

The Story: Terry Moore, who brought us Strangers in Paradise & Echo, trots out his newest series.

The Review: It is very difficult to discuss this issue without a SPOILER WARNING.
This is a pretty hard issue to review because it is merely a first chapter and it comes right on the heels of Moore wrapping up Echo.  Now, based on track record and talent level, Rachel Rising should be a very intelligent and rewarding ride for the next 3-4 years, but this issue makes it pretty clear that Moore treats an ongoing comic series as a marathon, not a sprint.

The basic premise is revealed in the opening pages as we see a woman rising from a shallow grave in the forest while another woman (look at her closely) looks on.  It’s a prolonged scene too, where Moore really makes the reader feel the struggle this young woman is having as she pulls herself from the dirt.  We also get a few point-of-view flashback scenes of her attacker (which is really creepy) and a few tidbit hints that her rise may not merely be a case of the killer burying her before she was really dead; something supernatural seems to be involved.

From there we follow this young woman as she staggers back to her house, examines her wounds (complete with a few more flashbacks), and begins trying to recapture what the hell happened to her.

Echo # 4 – Review

By Terry Moore (Writer and Artist)

Terry Moore’s Echo is about two women joined by inexplicable circumstances. Annie Trotter was a test pilot for a weapons manufacturer who decided she was worth killing for scientific study. As a missile pressed against her body, Annie’s experimental suit simulated an atomic blast high up in the stratosphere destroying her and the composition of the suit itself.

Julie, a down and out photographer whose life couldn’t get any worse, had the unfortunate luck to be underneath the explosion. As bits of the suit fell down upon her, its mysterious composition stuck to Julie’s body and with it Annie’s memories!

Echo #4 elucidates Julie and Annie bizarre relationship via the suit and what role Annie’s boyfriend Dillon will play. The question remains if Annie is still cognizant but incorporeal within the suit or the suit has stored all of Annie’s being. This tantalizing science fiction tale is given the warmth and profundity that accompanies Moore’s work. Julie’s sacrifice for her dog, Dillon’s outrage over the cover up of Annie’s death, and the callousness of Jack towards Annie’s death and Dillon’s grief, provide the emotional resonance for renewed interest. These characters are relatable despite their setting and predicament, and one can’t wait to see what happens next.

The mood of the series is noticeably different but remains congruous aesthetically to Strangers in Paradise. This may leave fans of that series a little out of place, but given that Moore is an incredibly expressive artist, he gives his characters a visual accessibility of emotion that other science fiction comic don’t have. For instance, the forlorn pout on Julie’s dog is enough for the reader to share his food with him, let alone Julie. Moore’s ability to make not only his writing but his art accessibly emotional provides the personal connection which bonds with the reader like a top-secret experimental suit.

Terry Moore’s Echo is amazing! (Grade: A)

-Steven M. Bari

Echo #3 – Review

By Terry Moore (art, writer)

After a slow start, this series is beginning to find its legs. Terry Moore covers a lot of ground giving all the major players (thus far) a good amount of exposure. The time given to the supporting cast aren’t character building moments, but instead set up sub-plots and motives. I know it’s too early to say this, but this is the strongest issue of the series so far. In perfect Terry Moore fashion, we’re given high emotional moments and the exposing of character flaws.

Julie, rightfully so, is the person we spend the most time with. The opening of the issue immediately goes for a gut punch as she visits her mentally ill sister, Pam. As ill as Pam is, there’s a connection that cannot be denied once she’s exposed to Julie’s secret. Later on, Julie’s vulnerability is further exploited when she confronts her soon to be ex-husband, who wants nothing to do with her. As she tries to open herself up to him and reconcile what’s left of their marriage, he gives her the cold shoulder, blasting her flaws, personal tragedies, and her last ditch effort to “seduce” him. We may not have seen Julie’s closet of skeletons, but the emotional ringing she goes through in this scene is pretty rough.

Perhaps the only plot left untouched is the metal that’s grafted itself onto Julie. We learn little to nothing more of the substance other than it’s dangerous and could have destructive ramifications in the long-term. Other than that, it’s put more in the background. And I’m fine with that – I’ll take the character driven moments any day. This time around, they feel a lot more natural than ridiculous scene we were given last issue with Julie in the hospital.

Echo #3 has an excellent balance of plot movement and character development. It reads at a brisk pace and Moore’s art strongly compliments the high drama that takes place at the beginning and end of the issue. My only complaint is the lettering which gets a bit shaky at times. Otherwise, it’s a fine issue that’s sure to satisfy. It won’t answer any lingering questions, but it does move the story forward. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Echo #2 – Review

By Terry Moore (story, art), Brian Miller (colors)

I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with this book on a monthly basis. I’ll give the book a couple more issues, but if I’m not completely hooked by then, I’ll just wait for the trades. Echo is not a bad book by any stretch – it’s got a good science fiction concept, beautiful art, and excellent pacing. Now, you’re probably asking, “Well what’s there to complain about then?” And my answer is, I just don’t know if there’s enough story to get me by each issue. There’s also elements that nag me as disingenuine at times (which I’ll get to in a moment).

Terry Moore wastes no time putting us right on the heels of last issue with Julie’s metal problem. Try as she might, it won’t come off her skin. So, she drives to the nearest hospital for help to which the doctor completely blows her off; he believes she’s playing a prank on her. And even though the nurse is convinced that Julie’s problem is serious and reak, she wastes no time in discharging her. Now see, this is just stupid. No hospital would turn a patient away – especially when it’s something this serious. Prank or not, Julie easily could seek out a second opinion or at least fight for it. But she doesn’t, she just gives up and walks away. She also does this to her soon to be ex-husband when he blows her off. I mean, if her problems are as serious as this, wouldn’t she just drive down to his place of work and show him the problem first hand?

It’s this kind of characterization that annoys me. It’s like she’s playing the “stupid” character in a horror movie. You know the one I’m talking about – the one that gets killed. Moore has constructed events like these to play upon our sympathies for the character, but they do anything but. Readers are smarter than this. Don’t play them as fools. This is a serious problem for me, and it’s not one I’m going to let go. Moore should either let moments like these play out realisticly or he shouldn’t do them at all.

These rest of the issue is otherwise excellent. Moore does a great job with his compositions and narrative. They’re both much improved over the first issue. There’s a scene in particular with Julie and her dog that grounds this book with a lot of realism. We get more of the government conspiracy, and a new player enters the story who will most likely become Julie’s adversary. There’s a lot to like about this issue, but I’m just not convinced (yet) that this is a title that will read well on a monthly basis. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – Scalped and Walking Dead are similar books that read much better in trade form – so we’ll see. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

Echo #1 – Review

By Terry Moore (art & story), Brian Miller (colors)

I’m probably going to be flamed by the comic community for this, but I’ve never read a Terry Moore book before. I’ve heard *many* good things about Strangers in Paradise – and I do plan on buying all the trades soon, because I’m itching to see what he can bring to Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. So truth be told, Echo is the first work I’ve ever read by Terry Moore. And I’ll be honest, if I had not met him at WonderCon ’08 I probably would have skipped over this book. He sold me on this book, so Terry, if you’re reading this, give yourself a pat on the back.

Echo starts off in a very awkward way. A woman flies through the air with a nuke strapped to her back as she tests kind of experimental flight suit. This invention enables her to fly through the skies with great maneuverability and at high Gs. Then something terrible goes wrong. For unexplained reasons, the Air Force blows her out of the sky with a missile. This causes the nuke she’s carrying to explode. A form of fallout from the nuke ends up mixed with this now dead woman’s suit. I’m not going to go any further on what scientists determine of these little stones, but let’s just say it’s not good.

Enter Julie, a normal woman out photographing nature when this catastrophe occurs. She’s not perfect – she’s got her share problems: her credit’s gone into collections and she’s going through a bitter divorce. But within moments, she’s presented with an extraordinary situation as she’s rained on by these radioactive stones. A lot of these stones fall into the bed of her truck along with a large piece of debris from the detonation. Knowing something’s not right, she flees the scene. It’s only when she gets home that she realizes what trouble she’s gotten herself into.

If you can make it past the clumsy opening, you’re in for a treat. I only say clumsy, because the art contained within the opening pages feels so amateurish in terms of weight, perspective, and dynamics. Once we the story moves to the ground level (literally), Moore’s art begins to shine. Echo is one of those books that you’ll just need to take at face value. There’s no real hard science involved and Moore doesn’t give a lot of explanations, but it’s probably for the best. Instead, we’re presented with a classic science fiction situation in a more modern and realistic setting. Count me on board for next issue. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes