Ten Grand #4 – Review

By: J. Michael Straczynski (story), Ben Templesmith (art)

JMS and Ben Templesmith are writing a hopelessly romantic comic; introducing new and interesting mythologies to the genre. The characters exist in the real world and are subject to the rules and physics of the world around us, but there are hacks and secret passages and rules that govern the twilight regions between this world and (for lack of a better term) the “afterlife”.

Straczynski is very clear that these aren’t alternate dimensions or some other sci-fi type of convention. This is heaven and hell and purgatory, demons and angels, sins and sinners. Joe Fitzgerald is a private detective who knows a great deal (but not everything) about the rules and shortcuts that govern access to the afterlife. His wife is dead but because of the arcane rules that control his life, Joe has the opportunity to interact with his wife in a small slice of paradise for just a few minutes whenever he dies in the pursuit of an honorable end. It is during one of these moments that Joe realizes that there is something wrong in heaven and his wife is being pursued by dark forces. Joe is determined to call in every favor and use every trick that he knows in order to rescue his wife.

Ten Grand #1 – Review

By: J. Michael Straczynski (writer), Ben Templesmith (art) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: A hard-boiled PI gets involved with a demonic cult.

Review (with very minor SPOILERS): There’s not a whole lot to say about this comic.  The story is derivative and not reason enough to buy the comic, and while Templesmith’s art is pretty strong, you can get Templesmith art from various collected editions because he’s not really breaking new ground (for him) here.

So what makes me call the story derivative?  Well, the main character is a private investigator or hit man or something.  I guess most people would call him “hard boiled” because that’s a shorter word than “unshaven, dirty, rumpled clothes, heavy drinker, no family”.  Of course, this dude works out of the seedy side of town where he gets approached by a young woman who wants him to do a job. And (of course) she is earnest and (of course) she can only barely afford his fee and (of course) the case has some past connection to the PI.  It’s just very cliche and since it happens in the first few pages of the comic, your attention is already beginning to wander.

Legends of the Dark Knight #2 – Review

By: B. Clay Moore (story), Ben Templesmith (art)

The Story: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, up until it gets you killed.

The Review: With this title, Smallville, and Ame-Comi Girls, that makes three digital-first series on my review list, and yet I’ve never even commented on that particular aspect of these titles.  So here goes.  While I think it’s smart of DC to anticipate the future market, I don’t know if setting aside a number of what have been really mediocre titles for digital-first release will do much to set a trend for web reading.  Still, changes in medium can’t stop good stories from popping up.

I have no idea how this story worked as a digital product, but as a collected issue, it’s a very fine showing from Moore.  Batman tales can come in many different flavors: dark and moody, mean and violent, tragic and poignant, warm and uplifting, funny and outrageous, strange but true.  Moore’s story of random philanthropists taking on the cowl of the Bat and running to their deaths manages to hit all of these different takes and maintain a unified tone.

Choker #6 – Review

By: Ben McCool (writer), Ben Templesmith (art) and Tom B. Long (letters)

The Story: Private Investigator Johnny Jackson has his final showdown with the mutant vampires and corrupt cops in Shotgun City.

Review: It might be cliché to point out the delays on this title, but those delays are very germane to this review.  The first issue came out in February 2010.  That was before I started writing for WCBR and still ran my own comic review blog.  Back then, I said that the art in Choker #1 was kick ass and that the story had promise.  I gave it a 7.2/10.

But, a lot of time has passed. Choker #4 came out in October 2010 and Choker #5 was in January 2011.  So, we’ve only had 2 issues of this comic in the last 18 months.  That’s enough time that anything but the broadest themes of the story have dribbled out of my mind.  I remember that there is this hard-boiled P.I. named Johnny Jackson.  Jackson is a former cop and is working on a series of grisly crimes committed by folks jacked up on some drug that turns them into kinda vampires.  Oh and corrupt police are involved and the corrupt police are using some kind of super-steroid called Man Plus.  That’s about all I remember.  What’s lost for me are all the little relationships among the characters that would make the climax of this issue strike an emotional chord.  I just can’t remember if I’m supposed to be cheering for Jackson’s Deena Pilgrim-esque partner??  I can’t remember if his sidekick is sympathetic or dorky?  I feel like I should be happy about the outcome, but it just didn’t resonate for me.

Now, it could be that this will read a lot better in trade.  And, I could go back an reread my single issues.  But honestly, with the backlog of comic material in my house, something has to be pretty damn special to elbow its way back onto the reading list as a refresher due to publishing delays. And I’m not sure Choker is that special.  It’s nice, but it’s simply not the greatest thing ever.  Certainly it isn’t good enough to kick my current back issue project (rereading ROM Spaceknight) to the side.

Quick Hit Reviews – Week of Jan 5, 2011

Here at WCBR we all have pretty extensive pull lists.  Every week, despite our best efforts, there are a few comics that get read, but don’t get the full review treatment.  Without further ado…

Avengers: The Childrens Crusade #4 – I’m enjoying this series as much as anything with an Avenger’s tag on it.  The big news is that the Scarlet Witch is back…. kinda.  The story is lots of fun as we have Wiccan trying to save his mother and the rest of the Young Avengers trying to save Wiccan, while Wolverine tries to kill Wanda, etc.  Just really good stuff.  Cheung’s art is also just top shelf material.  He draws a great Wolverine.  The only thing that has me a little concerned is that this is issue 4 out of 9.  With a bimonthly schedule, it’ll be done around November-ish.  So far, this title has been fun enough that the continuity alarm isn’t going off, but I wonder if they’ll be able to sustain that feeling once Marvel cycles through their next FEAR ITSELF event.  Grade: A- — Dean Stell

Thanos Imperative: Devastation #1 – I had mixed feelings going into this issue.  For all the bitching and moaning from fanboys over Marvel scaling down their cosmic franchise, I kinda felt it was time.  I enjoyed the cosmic stuff, but didn’t think the Thanos Imperative was setting the world on fire.  It was a fine miniseries, but nothing that screamed: You must continue to tell cosmic stories!!!!!  So, I figured this one-shot would be a kind of death-rattle for the cosmic line-up.  WRONG!  It was really awesome!  The basic story is that Cosmo the dog is carrying out the last wishes of Starlord (Peter Quill who died at the end of Thanos Imperative).  Peter had urged Cosmo to continue the Guardians of the Galaxy, but with heavy hitters and not the cast offs that the Guardians were.  So Cosmo ropes in Gladiator, Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill and a few other A-listers to form a few team.  I’m excited.  The only thing holding this issue back from getting an A was the art.  I just don’t think this is what Sepulveda was born to draw.  Grade: A- —  Dean Stell

Choker #5 – I quite enjoy the Bens (McCool and Templesmith) miniseries from Image and think it’ll be a great read in trade.  We’re really close to the final resolution of this series and while I’m (honestly) a little confused by some of the machinations going on and who is who, I’m still enjoying it. Templesmith’s art is just one of a kind and is perfect for this type of dark noir infused tale of steroids gone overboard.  The corpse vacuum even makes a return!   The thing hurting this series is the release schedule.  It’s not realistic to say, “they should have all 6 issues in the can before they solicit the comic at all” because the creators kinda need that cash flow to finance the creation of the next issue.  I just wish that the single issue buyers who are at least partially funding the creation of the art got a less punctuated reading experience than the folks who kept their money in their pocket and waited for the trade.  We should get a better experience than the folks who sat on their wallet, but we don’t.  That just seems backwards to me.  Grade: B — Dean Stell

Iron Man – Thor #3 – This comic was pretty good as we see Tony Stark trying to resist the High Evolutionary’s grand plan to make Tony a new “God” and then Thor gets into the act.  I think this would be fun if you just absolutely need more Thor or Iron Man in your life and Eaton’s art is really nice to look at.  The biggest negative for me in this issue is how the heck Diablo got powered up to the point where he could hang with Iron Man, Thor and the High Evolutionary.  He is a a career B-lister who got taken out by Black Cat a few months ago in ASM.  There’s nothing wrong with this comic, but it is an average Big 2 superhero comic.  Grade: C  — Dean Stell

Welcome to Hoxford #4 – Review

By Ben Templesmith (Creator, Writer, Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Welcome to Hoxford has been one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Gory and disturbing, yet driven by an extremely compelling anti-hero, Ben Templesmith’s latest has definitely satisfied the horror fan within me far more than I ever expected. I can’t wait to see what happens to Raymond and the inmates next.

The Story: It’s Raymond Delgado and the few remaining survivors against a pack of ancient beasts in the blood, action-packed conclusion of Welcome to Hoxford.

What’s Good: Since the final chapter of the series is so focused on the mayhem caused by the clash between man and beast-men, there really isn’t a whole lot to it. The set-up called for action and now it’s delivered. That said, there are a few surprises regarding the nature between the hunters and the hunted as the story makes its way to a satisfying, brutal finish.

What’s Not So Good: As much as I enjoy Templesmith’s stylish artwork, it really doesn’t work that well during scenes heavy on action. And there is a lot of action in this one. The heavy use of gore and dark coloring makes the events more muddled and confusing than gruesome. Templesmith’s art style fits the book well, but a little clarity and direction would have gone a long way.

Conclusion: Welcome to Hoxford #4 is a visceral, slightly disappointing, conclusion to a well executed horror story. While the artwork leaves a bit to be desired while all the action is taking place, it shouldn’t deter anyone interested from giving the series a shot. There is a lot to like about a visit to Hoxford.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Welcome to Hoxford #3 – Review

By Ben Templesmith (Writer and Artist)

The Story: With vicious creatures on the hunt throughout the halls of Hoxford, insane inmate Raymond Delgado fights back. It’s ancient evil versus human evil in a clash that proves just how twisted things can get when two very different types of darkness collide.

What’s Good: This series just keeps getting better and better. Ben Templesmith creates a stylish horror story that creates a conflicting response within the reader in a spectacular fashion. You can’t help but root for Raymond Delgado, the anti-hero of the story, despite the fact that he is pretty much the worst that humanity has to offer. He is a perfect match for the horrors (and inmates) of Hoxford and the only one capable of fully grasping the situation at hand. It makes for one compelling, haunting read.

I also must mention that the other inmates in the cast provide some truly disturbing moments as well. While spoiling anything would ruin some of the more fun moments in the book, let me just say that there are scenes that are definitely not for the squeamish. Templesmith goes out his way to make sure that you don’t forget what type of people are committed to Hoxford and it works to great effect.

What’s Not So Good: As much as I enjoy Templesmith’s visual style, it creates a bit of confusion in this issue since it is so heavy on action. With the unique color palette and copious amounts of gore, sometimes it is difficult to tell exactly what’s happened during some of the more intense scenes. It is obvious bad things are happening, but I wish it was more clear about what bad things are happening. A minor complaint, but worth mentioning regardless.

Conclusion: After a somewhat shaky start, Welcome to Hoxford is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories of year. I highly recommend this one to all horror fans.

Grade: A-

-Kyle Posluszny

Welcome to Hoxford #2 – Review

By Ben Templesmith (Writer and Artist)

I had somewhat mixed feelings about the debut of this new Ben Templesmith series, but I just couldn’t resist another look at the deranged inmates residing in the twisted Hoxford Reform Facility. And after reading this issue, but am I glad that I did.

While the bulk of the first issue was spent establishing characters and Hoxford itself, the second wastes no time creating a focal point between inmate Raymond Delgado and Doctor Ainley and a conflict between ancient evil with a taste for human flesh. The premise is the darkest that humanity has to offer finds himself face to face with the darkest that history has to offer. And you know what? It works far better than I had expected. While I am not entirely sure how long you can really go with such a fairly limited concept, I am more than willing to go along for the ride.

Ben Templesmith is really impressing me with his work on this series. Raymond Delgado is an incredibly compelling (and completely insane) anti-hero that really wouldn’t work unless the setting, atmosphere, and concept was just right… and it is. Simply put, I don’t think he could work in any other environment or storyline, and that alone makes him unique and interesting enough to warrant following. Delgado’s reality (and Hoxford in general) is dark, dreary, and disturbingly violent – a fact that is reinforced by some incredibly gritty and surreal visuals. From a creative standpoint, everything just comes together extremely well.

I really don’t have anything truly negative to say about Welcome to Hoxford at this point, but feel that it really is being written for a specific type of audience. I can’t (in good conscience) make a sweeping recommendation, but those into the horror genre or the concept of the anti-hero really must give this one a try. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny

IDW reveals three new G.I. Joe series

When IDW Publishing announced they had reached a deal with Hasbro to plan a re-launch of the G.I. JOE comic book franchise, they kept their mission plans secret. But now, with the impending release of the kick-off issue, October’s specially priced G.I. JOE #0, it’s time to discuss the plans in detail.

G.I. JOE #0, a $1.00, 24-page comic being released next month, will debut three new series launching in early ‘09. The issue contains three stand-alone five-page stories unique to the #0 issue, as well as character sketches and commentary from artist Robert Atkins, previews of upcoming covers, and interviews with the new G.I. JOE creators. The issue features two regular covers, one from Dave Dorman and one from JonBoy Meyers, as well as two special incentive covers from Atkins and a wraparound image by Ben Templesmith.

As to the content of the stories themselves, well, so far, the only news announced to fans has been the return of acclaimed G.I. JOE writer, Larry Hama and the addition of artist Atkins. While Hama is indeed back in the fold, he’s returning as part of a larger action team that will present these three initial comic book series in which G.I. JOE and COBRA are fully revitalized and re-established for a new generation of fans.

The first title to come storming out of the gate in January will be the singularly titled G.I.JOE, written by Chuck Dixon and featuring art by Atkins. This title moves ahead in the timeline from Hama‘s series and looks at the fledging G.I. JOE organization as it explores an all-new threat, a shadowy organization that is first introduced to the team in a #0 issue story. Dave Johnson (100 Bullets) will provide covers for the series, as will Atkins. The first issue features a special wraparound variant cover by superstar artist Gabriele Dell’Otto (Secret War).

Larry Hama will be heading up G.I. JOE: ORIGINS, a series that re-envisions the G.I. JOE team for a new generation. Hama will be putting his great strength of blending strong characterization and action storytelling, honed over decades of writing these characters, to effective use in looking at the formations of the G.I. JOE organization and just who the characters on the team really are. Hama will be joined on this series by artist/colorist Tom Feister (Ex Machina). Each issue will come with two regular covers, one by Andrea Di Vito and one by Feister himself. The series launches in February.

Finally, launching in March will be the third round of this initial salvo: G.I. JOE: COBRA, a four-part miniseries written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa, with art by Antonio Fuso, and covers by Howard Chaykin (American Flagg) and Fuso. This series provides a unique look at the new status quo for the primary threat in the G.I. JOE universe. The series views the sinister COBRA organization from a ground-floor view as a familiar G.I. JOE team member seeks to infiltrate Cobra and learn their inner workings.

In addition to these titles, IDW will be launching comics that lead into next summer’s G.I. JOE live-action major motion picture from Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, as well as deluxe reprints of past fan-favorite tales. Details for both these projects will be released soon.

G.I. Joe #0 (item code AUG08 4120, a 24-page, $1 issue, will be available in October. G.I. Joe #1 launches in January 2009; G.I. Joe: Origins #1 debuts in February 2009; and G.I. Joe: Cobra #1 premieres in March 2009.

Welcome To Hoxford #1 – Review

By Ben Templesmith (Writer, Artist)

How do you go about reviewing something that seems to be dark and disturbing just because it can be? While I am sure that there is something that resembles an actual story brewing underneath all the gore and language – I can’t possibly imagine what that might be. So far, Welcome To Hoxford is the type of horror that gives the genre a bad name. Most of the characters are extremely violent, mentally unstable convicts. The (heavily stylized) gore is fairly excessive, and there really isn’t anything resembling a narrative arc outside of finding out what exactly is going on at the Hoxford facility. With all that said, however, I have to admit that enjoyed my walk on the dark side quite a bit. Maybe it’s just the horror hound within me, but there is something noteworthy about Mr. Templesmith’s uncomfortable vision of an asylum with the potential to become more infamous than Arkham.

Welcome To Hoxford tells the story of the newest batch of inmates to be transferred to the privately owned Hoxford prison/rehabilitation facility. Each one is given a bit of background, though things seem to be focused most on Ray Delgado, the most disturbed of the bunch. You see, Ray has a “virtual encyclopedia of conditions” and throughout the story we are given brief glimpses into his shattered mind. While not exactly the hero type, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that he emerges as the main vehicle for whatever twisted plot emerges. There are things brewing inside the walls of Hoxford, but whether or not it will lead to a compelling tale remains to be seen.

Ben Templesmith handles nearly all aspects of this book and I believe things are much better off because of it. There is a clear, consistent tone to the writing and artwork that brings Hoxford’s gritty world to life. While the characters are horrible and vulgar, they are believable representations of the dregs of society and written in such a way as to greatly add to the atmosphere created by the unique artwork. The artwork carries a density that can’t be ignored thanks to a striking color palette that varies with each major scene change. Also worth noting is the way Templesmith uses reds to make each scene of violence look memorably artistic.

There are really two ways one can look at a book like Welcome To Hoxford. On one hand it can be considered a shallow, empty, and, ultimately, unnecessary addition to the horror genre because there seems to be limited storytelling potential. On the other hand, one can dive into the thick atmosphere and unsavory characters because, to my knowledge, there aren’t many books like this available. Templesmith is a proven storyteller so, for the time being, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and enjoy Welcome To Hoxford for what it is (instead of worrying about what it might be). (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny

NEWS: Ben Templesmith’s New Miniseries, Welcome To Hoxford

Werewolf necrophilia and talking rats are just a small part of the dark, creepy action in Ben Templesmith’s new miniseries, Welcome to Hoxford, debuting in August from IDW Publishing. The co-creator of 30 Days of Night (with writer Steve Niles), Templesmith has built quite a fan following in recent years, including critical and sales successes with titles he has both written and created artwork for, including Wormwood Gentleman Corpse and Singularity 7.

Written and illustrated by Templesmith, Welcome to Hoxford is a horrific new series that features a unique and nasty take on werewolves. In the debut issue, Raymond Delgado is the newest inmate at the Hoxford Correctional Facility and Mental Institution. He has no hope of release, parole, rehabilitation, or decent conversation. Ray hasn’t been taking his medication. No surprises there. On a good day, he’ll tell you he’s Zeus and only bite your arm off—literally. On a bad day, you won’t have time to scream to the prison guard for help. But Dr Jessica Ainley, his doctor for five years, wants to help Ray and can’t understand why the newly privatized, corporately-run prison won’t give her access to her patients. And why people are always transferred into Hoxford, but no records show anyone ever transferring back out.

“It’s odd,” said Templesmith. “But the whole reason this book exists is because my work has been banned from a few prisons. I’m told it’s among the darkest work I’ve ever done, and I don’t mean the amount of black ink I’ve been using.”

IDW will also release Templesmith’s The Art of Wormwood in August, the third such art book he has produced.

Welcome to Hoxford #1 will be available from Comic Book Retailers in August 2008.

Comic-Con 2008: Complete Progamming schedule

The full programming schedule is available now. I noticed a high increment in game related panels compared to previous years. Many people will not like this as it doesn’t have any relation from the comics.

Friday is Star Wars day. Artists scheduled for panels include Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Robert Kirkman, Eric Larsen, Jim Butcher, Kevin Smith, Frank Miller and Brad Meltzer among others.

Media & games related panels include Watchmen, Stargate, Prince of Persia, Star Wars, Spaced, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Ghostbusters, The Wolfman, American Dad, The Spirit, World of Warcraft, The Venture Brothers, 24, Robot Chicken, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Eureka and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along among a lot more of other panels.

A highly recommended panel is the Kevin Smith one. I don’t even like his movies, but his panels are hilarious.

Check the full list for Friday here.

For Saturday there is lots of panels to pick from: Ralph Bakshi, Joe Hill, Ben Templesmith, Steve Niles, David Mack, Dean Koontz, J. Michael Straczynski and media events for Futurama, The Simpson, Heroes, Dollhouse, Terminator Salvation, Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fringe and Starship Troopers 3.

The full list of panels for Saturday is here.

Dead Space #1 (Special Convention Edition) – Review

By Anthony Johnston (writer) & Ben Templesmith (art)

Dead Space is an Electronic Arts game that’s going to be released in Fall 2008 for video game consoles and the PC platform. This comic is the prequel to that game, and since I’m going to buy the game, I don’t mind reading the comic book to get more of the background story.

The story seems to borrow elements of 2001, Doom 3 and Aliens. It has a creepy atmosphere, a greedy government, a strange alien monolith, and religion thrown in for good measure. You’d think this would be a recipe for disaster, but this issue is a great introduction to the series and it’s ripe with lot of tension.

The story begins with a distress transmission from a planet that humans intented to colonize. We’re then transported to a series of flashbacks that slowly unravel the story. People start to act strangely, the crap hits the fan, and well, you get my drift.

Please check this video trailer of Dead Space’s trailer. It features Ben Templesmith’s art made into quasi-animated sequence. It kicks ass! The footage you’ll see is not from this issue, however. It seems it’s from a preview or #0 never published (his partner doesn’t get attacked from a monster in #1, that’s the reason of my assumption). Anyway, if you see this issue floating around, give it a go. You’ll enjoy yourself. Oh, and a closing note: I believe that the only difference between the convention edition and the regular edition is the variant cover. (Grade: B)

-Daniel Yanez

P. S. – We are giving away stuff from WonderCon, including a signed copy of Dead Space #1 by Templesmith, himself! Check it out what do you need to do to get that for FREE.

WCBR’s WonderCon 2008 – Swag Giveaway!

Want a ton of free stuff? Good, because we want your comments!

Comment on this post telling us what panel, artist, or author you liked the most at WonderCon. If you didn’t attend, tell us which panel, artist, or author you would have gone to.

There’s no need to register, but you need to add your email address in the comment section – don’t worry, your address wont be seen by anybody but us and we promise to *NEVER* spam you with anything. We won’t add it to any database or sell it either. We just want your participation! The winner will be selected randomly out of all the people who comment. Giveaway ends March 2^nd, 8pm PST. Good Luck!

And here’s all the stuff you can win!

* Willow Creek #0 signed by Christian Beranek
* Hellboy: The Golden Army (Promo Comic)
* Dead Space #1 signed by Ben Templesmith (Special Convention Edition)
* 2 10000 Bc pins
* 2 Get Smart pins
* Mini Posters: Star Trek, Iron Man, Dead Space, Funny Games, Doomsday, Blade, 10000 BC, Prom Night
* Animation Magazine March 2008 (WonderCon Edition)
* A lot more stuff

Fell #9 – Review

By: Warren Ellis (writer) and Ben Templesmith (art)

After reading the trade, I ran to my local comic book store and  (luckily) found a copy of Fell #9. It’s $1.99. Cheap! I don’t recall a comic being so cheap in the last 5 years or so. What’s nice about buying the issues over the trade is you get Warren Ellis talking about how he got the story in a “behind the scenes” sort of manner, plus you get the letters section, too.

Detective Richard Fell takes a case of hostage negotiation – someone’s taken two old people hostage in their house and they’ve been held there for about three days. It took me a moment to understand the doodles drawn on the hostage’s front door, then I realized it was all of Fell’s mind formulating his adversary; imaginative and clever. It becomes apparent that Steve (the hostage-taker) injured the old couple. But it all turns out it was a major health insurance screw-up, which almost feels like a lost scene from Michael Moore’s Sicko.

Fell helps Steve get some kind of justice at the end. I love how Ellis grounds these stories in reality, whether he’s inspired by stuff he sees on the news or the Internet.

The recurring nun doesn’t show up on this story (but she does as a sketch in the back pages). Previous issues of Fell were published intermittently, but Ellis promises faster turnaround after #10 (which he estimates it’s going to be released by spring). This series has turned out to be a gratifying find. It may come out inconsistently, but it’ll remain on my pull list. (Grade: A)

-Daniel Yanez

A Second Opinion

Okay, the nun’s been missing in action for two issues now! What gives?! Other than that, we get another fun issue of Fell. As Daniel mentioned, the scene where Fell is visualizing his opponent on the other side of the door is pure genius. Ben Templesmith’s art may not be for everyone, but there’s no denying his narrative skills on this book. As for Warren Ellis? Well, this is probably some of the most “normal” work you’ll ever see him do. It still has his quirks, but most of story isn’t far from reality.

Nearly all of Fell’s past stories have been open-ended. This issue continues that tradition. Sure, we wanna see what happens to the hospital director, but Ellis leaves that to our imaginations. There’s no denying that this is a strong issue, but it’s beginning to feel a little too “Law & Order” for me – like it’s just going through the motions. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Fell #1-8 (Feral City TPB) – Review

By: Warren Ellis (written) and Ben Templesmith (illustrated)

I read this trade reluctantly because I didn’t like Templesmith’s previous work (Wormwood). But you know what? The right script, some realism, and believable characters makes his art shine. Templesmith has been redeemed (at least for me).

Richard Fell is a detective who’s just been transferred to the worst part of town. Snowtown has plenty of drugs, killers, freaks and feral dogs and it seems like it’s always night. With every issue you get a complete story – If you haven’t read any previous Fell issues, it’s still very accessible. There’s not too many books out there where you can pick up any issue and still “get it”. For the faithful who’ve read every issue there are definitely continuity tidbits scattered about.

There’s quite a lot of things to like about this book. The last issue implemented a great idea of using photographs and post-it notes to tell the story. Abstract but very cool. Another thing that stood out with issue #8 is we finally see the dawn of a new day. It’s the first time we, as readers, ever see daylight, and it feels like a premonition of things to come – a brighter future for a dreary city.

This book looks like it could work perfectly as a TV series (Showtime or FX) with Warren Ellis as the head writer, and Templesmith as perhaps the art director. I’d watch it! You can read the first issue here. (Grade: A)

-Daniel Yanez

 

A Second Opinion

Okay, the nun in this book is crazy. Well, this whole book is crazy, actually – but I love it. It’s demented, yet structured fun by Warren Ellis. I know we’re reviewing the trade here, but if you ever pick up the individual issues, they’re only $1.99 a pop – a steal in this day and age!

Sure, you only get like 16 pages of story, but the fact that you’re getting complete stand alone stories in each issue is just fantastic. Fell plays out like a twisted crime story with some good laughs thrown in here and there. Richard Fell doesn’t necessarily make the book good – it’s the characters he meets that do. (Grade: A-)

– J.Montes

 

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse: Calamari Rising #1 – Review

By: Ben Templesmith (Created, Written & vaguely Drawn)

Holy crap! What the heck is this comic about?! I didn’t understand anything of what was going on. Now, I haven’t read the previous series (I believe this is a mini-series), but since this is a #1 issue, I thought it would be accessible to everyone. Sadly, I was wrong. Good job, Templesmith!

So, the story is about this putrid guy (I guess he is a living dead corpse, if that makes sense), who gets scared about some dimensional rip in the sky and goes to put on his Robocop suit (probably to fight back because he’s the main character). There’s supposed to be a Calamari Rising somewhere – maybe it will in the second issue, but if it’s coming from the sky, shouldn’t it be descending? I don’t know, and I won’t know because I’m not picking this or any other future Wormwood issue.

I didn’t pick up 30 Days of Night because of Templesmith’s horrible art. And yeah, I know you shouldn’t judge the book by its cover. But whatever. I gave this book $3.99 and it stinks. (Grade: F)

-Daniel Yanez