Six-Gun Gorilla #5 – Review

Simon Spurrier (Writer), Jeff Stokely (Artist), André May (Colorist)

The Story: Blue gets into a huge mind-trip as lessons are learned, with people watching him live no less!

The Review: Morals and philosophy are hard things to properly insert in a story. While introspection and life-lessons aren’t necessary per se in a story, it can be pretty entertaining when done well. However, it can be done in a manner that is too preachy, resulting in a story that forces its ideas down the readers throat, or it can be too vague, leaving an ambiguity that merely diminish the work in general. Many could agree that any piece of fiction can pull this off, but it’s always a challenge to do so effectively without boring or insulting the readers intelligence in the process.

It’s a good thing then that not only does Simon Spurrier pulls it off in this issue, but he also does it by using some of the inherent strengths of the comic medium in the process of telling his story. This issue not only provides some answers to the general weirdness of the situation and to Blue’s predicament, but it does so in a way that does not cheaply betray the very spirit that drove this series forward to begin with.

This issue, in order to tell some of its morals, focus a lot more on Blue, as we get to learn a bit more in the process of his struggle with the world he’s stuck in. Despite the fact that the issue jumps around a bit with the media, how society sees the struggle of a single blue-cameraman and Blue’s ex-wife, this part of the tale is centered around him, which makes for a better read. As he lives the moral through some kind of crazy introspection forced upon him by the planet, the readers gets to experience this as well as the viewers on Earth, which makes for an apt comparison that revolves around the very lesson Spurrier gives.

Comics You Should Be Reading

Welcome to a new feature here at WCBR, which will hopefully resurface periodically.

Here we highlight series that we reviewers feel are not getting the readers, or the attention, that they deserve.  These are books that we’ve been particularly enjoying.  These are DC/Marvel books that should be in the top ten, or at least the top 20, in the monthly sales figures, or indie titles that, qualitatively, should be mentioned alongside blockbusters like the Walking Dead, Chew, or Morning Glories.

So, with the intro out of the way, let’s get started!

American Vampire (DC/Vertigo)

Written by Scott Snyder (who is taking over Detective Comics) and with art by the incredible Rafael Albuquerque, American Vampire is the story of a new breed of vampires who arise in the United States in the late 18th century. They can go outside and don’t have much use for old-fashioned, Euro-vampires and their sissified clothes. The story is also a bit of a bonus for history buffs as we have so far touched on the Old West of the 1880’s, Hollywood of the 1920’s and Las Vegas of the 1930’s. Did I mention how awesome the art is?

-Dean

 

Fantastic Four (Marvel)

Before Hickman’s run, I hadn’t had any love whatsoever for the Fantastic Four since childhood. Now FF is my favourite Marvel book and Reed Richards right up there with my favourite characters. This alone should be testament to how good this book is. It’s a book where anything is possible, one that challenges, and shatters, limitations of scope and structure. This is a big book chocked full of big ideas and massive, cosmic hullabaloo. Every issue of Hickman’s Fantastic Four feels like it’s charting new ground with every month’s offering feeling bold, adventurous, and full of life. To top it all off, Hickman also writes all of the characters, especially the kids, fantastically and in a manner that makes them impossible not to love.

-Alex

 

Kill Shakespeare (IDW)

This is a fantastic series, regardless of how you feel about the Great Bard himself. While it does have plenty of references and in-jokes for people familiar with Shakespeare’s work, knowing the plays is not at all a requirement for enjoying the fantastic dialogue, wonderful characters, and constantly twisting plot. The quality of both the writing and the art make this one a no-brainer for anyone’s pull list, and will have a place on my shelf both in single issue and trade form. Well worth taking the time to seek out and sample.

-SoldierHawk

 

Orc Stain (Image)

This is one of the whackiest series out there on the stands right now. The story is pretty basic: The various fractious races of orcs have finally been united under one, all-powerful Orctzar. All that stands between the Orctzar and absolute power are the services of a one-eyed orc who has the ability to crack open anything with his little hammer. But, the story is merely a frame for James Stokoe’s wicked sense of humor and art design. Starting with the art, everything in the Orc Stain world is an animal. The orcs don’t just wear armor…it is all various hard-shelled animals fitted all over their bodies. Ditto for the swords and everything else. The visual look is like nothing else. And the humor is something else. Much of this humor revolves around orcs losing their gronch (with is orcish for “junk”). The comic makes me laugh and admire the art design.

-Dean

Action Comics (DC)

Don’t be put off by the lack of Superman; this is quite possibly the best, and smartest, book DC is putting out. Razor sharp wit, a hilarious supporting cast, and super-polished Pete Woods artwork make this book a must-read. Best of all is the fact that the title is very much a “Paul Cornell” book. It’s funny, it’s action packed, and Cornell writes a fantastic Lex Luthor. Then there’s robot Lois, possibly my favourite new character of the year and the sort of zany, smart-mouthed creation that Cornell excels at. Top this off with a really cool “villain of the month” format that often looks to highlight some of DC’s underused baddies, and you’ve got something that is made out of win… and just a little bit of insanity.

-Alex

Artifacts (Image/Top Cow)

This is an extended 13-issue event that promises to change the face of the Top Cow (Witchblade, The Darkness, Magdalena) universe. While it’s still in its infancy as an event (issue #2 was just released), that’s an advantage for a new reader who wants to jump onboard to this epic story of mystical artifacts and those who which to defend—or claim—them. Ron Marz is doing excellent job of bringing non-Top Cow readers up to speed on all of the players, powers and forces involved in the saga, so not being familiar with the source material shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. Pick up issues #1 and #2 now, and save yourself the trouble of tracking them down when everyone is raving about this series in the next couple months.

-SoldierHawk

 

28 Days Later (BOOM!)

Do you love The Walking Dead? Then you should also be reading 28 Days Later (based on the movie of the same name). It is just that simple. Lots of zombie comics think that zombies (or infected in the case of 28 Days Later) are the main attraction. Smart post-apocalypse stories like TWD and 28 Days (or The Stand, The Road, etc.) know that the true star of these stories is the breakdown of human society and whether decent people have any hope in a land where ruthlessness is a true advantage. Although it is similar to TWD, it has enough differences to make sure that it has original concepts. This is a comic that I’m excited to read every month and it never disappoints.

-Dean

 

S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel)

Part science fiction, part fantasy, part history, all awesome. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a mind bending, time-traveling adventure in which many of the great minds of the Western world—and some great minds who aren’t from the West at all—come together to form the beginning of the S.H.I.E.L.D. that guards the current Marvel Universe. Think a history-based League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with a bit of Marvel lore (and some absolutely gorgeous artwork) thrown in, and you’ll quickly see why, barring something absolutely incredible happening between now and January, this is my choice for best new book of the year.

-SoldierHawk

Scalped

40 issues in with no passable jumping on point save issue one, this isn’t the most new-reader friendly book.  But I’m listing it anyway, because Scalped is just that damned good.  Scalped has consistently been among the very best comics on the stands since it debuted in 2007 and yet, since 2007, it has flown under the radar, in spite of an Eisner nomination and a (now) big name writer in Jason Aaron.  This book is grim, dark, gritty, unrelenting, uncompromising, and so  real that it hurts.  It’s an ugly and dirty book but also one that’s very real and human and even after forty issues, the idea of an American crime story on an Indian reservation is as fresh as ever.  It’s a compelling, and ingenious, mix of noir and social commentary, both sides balancing the other but both also being equally brutal.

-Alex

 

Irredeemable #1 – Review

By Mark Waid (writer), Peter Krause (pencils, ink), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: “Irredeemable” is about Superman going bad, really bad, like child-murdering bad. Except its not really Superman, but rather a hero named, “The Plutonian,” that Mark Waid has created in order to explore the idea of an evil all-powerful Superhero.

What’s Good: Truth be told, Waid rarely disappoints and has a very good, consistent track record of spinning great tales and this comic is no exception. Even if one isn’t a fan of Waid’s work, no one can argue that he couldn’t run a clinic on the craft of creating comics.

The pacing in this issue, i.e. the beats of images and words arranged on a page in the various panels, is excellent. Immediately the reader is brought into the Irredeemable Universe and then decisively frightened by The Plutonian as he releases hell and horror on a defenseless family.

I’ve read people calling this comic “high-concept,” but I don’t agree with that particular estimation of Irredeemable. Rather, it seems to turn on a fairly common observation of human nature, which is that the most talented people have the most destructive sense of insecurity. Waid, in my opinion, is just applying this truism to a near omnipotent being, who seems to be so hurt by the opinions of a few, that he deforms into a sadist.  This idea alone sets a great story.

What’s Not So Good: Well, besides that fact that I have the urge to throw-up every time I have to pay $3.99 for a normal sized comic, I felt that there could have been more story plugged into this issue. Everything moves pretty fast, but there were still some extraneous panels and lingering moments, especially in the back-story, that could have been tightened up.

I felt the coloring of this comic was a little bland. Also, the pencils were solid, but nothing to write home about. I think the art team benefited from excellent direction by Waid, which raised their average presentation.

Conclusion: Although the art was somewhat lacking, and the book was slapped with a high brow price tag, I’m already hooked into this story, I am really looking forward to this series. There are many plot gems for future story-lines that Waid embeds in the dialogue that point to many interesting things ahead for this series.

A word about the sickening violence in this comic: I abhor cheap violence for shock value or to over compensate for lack of content. In Irredeemable, Waid is guilty of neither. Instead, the violence plays an important role in furthering the story, despite how disturbing it is.

Grade: A-

-Rob G