Supergirl #24 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Diogenes Neves (pencils), Marc Deering (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: Brainiac and the Cyborg Superman have come to I’noxia. Now it will face the wrath of a force unimaginable: an angry Supergirl.

The Review:

Spoiler Warning: It’s going to be very hard to discuss this issue without spoiling the events of Supergirl #23 and Action Comics #23.3: Cyborg Superman. Honestly I’m not going to try. If you’re really concerned about spoilers for those comics, check out their reviews in the archives. You’ll probably like this comic at least as well as you liked them, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you choose to read on.

The last time we saw Kara Zor-El, two months ago, she was in something of a bad way.  In fact, she had just been murdered; the flesh stripped from her bones and used to reconstitute the Cyborg Superman. A lot of heroes might take that as the universe telling them to take some time off, but from the very first page it’s painfully clear that Supergirl doesn’t care what ‘a lot of heroes’ think.

Michael Alan Nelson caught my attention with his surprisingly honest version of Kara and that’s still very much in play. Nelson’s Supergirl has always been a powerful and intelligent character, even if she tends to prefer one to the other, and he’s taken evident glee in showing how much she can accomplish when she calls upon the full breadth of her talents. Kara’s journey has been one of controlling her anger and tempering her strength with intelligence. This month we’re reminded how powerful that anger can be.

Action Comics #23.1: Cyborg Superman – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Mike Hawthorn (artist), Daniel Brown (colors)

The Story: The Cyborg Superman wrestles with what it means to be perfect and what it means to be alone.

The Review:  Spinning out of the dramatic reveal of last month’s Supergirl, this Villain’s Month one-shot shows us how the rivalry between two brothers created a monster.

Gone is the Fantastic Four pastiche and lovable, death-seeking Hank Henshaw and instead Michael Alan Nelson has tied the Cyborg much tighter into Superman lore. I expect that this choice will be a somewhat controversial one, however, let it not be said that he doesn’t make a good showing of it.

Unlike old standbys like Two-Face or the Joker, the Cyborg Superman can get by on a showcase issue. Though the story isn’t terribly complex, the two timelines of the issue are each engaging enough to hold a reader’s interest. Those who favor the archetypal power of comic book plots will particularly enjoy this one; however I wouldn’t blame anyone who prefers complex character work that feels that this issue is just a bit shallow. To those readers, I will merely say that while the issue favors the broad strokes of the Cyborg’s story, Nelson’s skillful writing backs it up and makes it feel alive.

Supergirl #23 – Review

By: Michael Allen Nelson (writer), Mahmud Asrar (art)

The Story: With her kryptonite poisoning hanging over her head, Kara finds herself beset by the Cyborg Superman, her memories, and; worst of all; blue lights! Silly Kara, everyone knows it’s red lights you have to look out for.

The Review: One of the facets of serialized storytelling is the need to entice readers to return next month. This means that every issue needs to simultaneously stand on its own and also serve as a teaser of things to come. Often this means dramatic last page reveals, but, useful as these are, they don’t come without some pitfalls. And sometimes that means that stories that have no business taking up a full issue are stretched to fit so that there can be twenty pages between one big moment and the next.

While it’s possible that Michael Alan Nelson just wanted to pace his story this way, it’s hard to ignore how awkward it feels. The issue spends half of its pages focused on Kara’s battle with her memories, but never fully justifies that decision.

The ‘battle against your allies’ trope usually goes one of two ways: with the protagonist either struggling with the concept of attacking their friends or insisting that these aren’t them. Kara falls awkwardly in the middle, working out her frustrations with her supporting casts while completely conscious that they aren’t really there. Admittedly, the sequence works much better if you read the specters’ accusations as manifestations of Kara’s guilt, but it often feels like Nelson just wanted to have it both ways.

Supergirl #22 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer); Diogenes Neves (penciler); Marc Deering, Oclair Albert, & Ruy Jose (Inks;) Dave McCaig (colors) 

The Story: The Cyborg Superman gives Kara a gift for the girl who has everything, but he wants one in return.

The Review: Supergirl’s a character that I think has gotten a bad rap. She’s been a household name for a long time now, but she’s never really become anything more than Superman’s cousin to most people. Well, if you’ve always scoffed at the idea of ‘girl Superman’ or never found the time or money to investigate Kara Zor-El, may I suggest doing so now.

While she doesn’t have the same spunk that made Power Girl such a hit before the reboot, the New 52 Supergirl is hardly the Kansas farm girl that many presume her to be. In fact, I’d risk it to say that she’s actually one of the best representations of a teenager looking for her place in comics right now.

Rather than play her for humor, Michael Alan Nelson gives Kara real troubles and writes them with all the seriousness they deserve. Supergirl has always suffered most when defined, in this order, by being a girl and by being a teenager, but here Kara is a hero who just happens to be young and just happens to be a girl.

But lest you think that this is a grim n gritty read, I assure you that the book nails Kara’s moments of confusion, bringing a different but enjoyable brand of comedy and character into the series. When the Cyborg Superman reveals his plan, Kara responds beautifully, (beat) You want to say that again? I couldn’t hear you over all the creepiness coming out of your mouth!” This is a young woman who feels alone in the universe but that doesn’t for a second get in the way of the her certainty of what she feels. Whether it amounts to conviction or foolhardiness, Kara’s precarious but unwavering self-confidence makes her feel like a real teenager.

28 Days Later #24 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: 28 Days Later comes to an end.  Selena and Clint were in a pretty dangerous position when we last saw them.  Will they survive?

What’s Good: First, let’s give the tip of the cap for an outstanding series from Boom! and writer Michael Alan Nelson.  I generally loathe licensed property comics and they’re usually not very good because they don’t have to be: People buy them just because of the brand on the cover page.  But, the 28 Days series told a wonderfully rich, post-apocalyptic tale set in the timeframe between the 28 Days and 28 Weeks movies.  As it became clear that the last 4-5 issues were actually set in London during the beginning of 28 Weeks (when the Rage virus has a nice rally & everyone dies again) we really start to be concerned for our protagonists: Selena and Clint.  Will they survive?  The beauty of this series is that it could have ended just fine with any sort of resolution, but since we care about these characters sooooo much after 24 issues, we really do want a happy ending.

It is really hard to discuss this comic without getting into SPOILERS.  So, go read the comic first and then come back and leave your comments below.
Nelson really packs a lot into this final issue.  First he drags our heroes through one more dreadful circumstance in infected London.  For me, one of the high points of apocalypse-fiction is the writers coming up with new things the characters have to do to survive and as readers, we have to debate in our minds, “Sheesh, would I be willing to do that or would I just lay down and die?  I think I’d just die because that is disgusting.”  But, since the easily grossed-out people didn’t survive the infected, Selena and Clint are able to do that and Nelson also gets the characters out of London pretty fast.  Yippie, they’re on a boat and sailing free straight to France.  Anyone who saw the 28 Weeks movie knows that the final scene of that film showed how the infected had gotten loose in France (and would therefore overrun Eurasia).  Oh no!  Selena and Clint may not be safe after all!  I won’t spoil the final ending, but Nelson continues to tease us right up until the final page.  Very well done!

28 Days Later #23 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters), Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: We enter the final issues that bridge the gap between the films 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later.

What’s Good: What a masterful job Michael Alan Nelson has done to position this story where it is.  All along during the comic series, I had wondered if this series had any relation to the 28 Weeks Later film.  During the last couple of issues, we saw that the events were taking place during the opening phases of 28 Weeks and that was really cool.  I’m generally not a huge fan of licensed property fiction, but I do love the novels or comics that explore a film from another point of view without changing anything.

And, that’s what we get in this issue.  While Selina is off settling her peace at her old house where she was force to kill her husband during the initial outbreak, Clint finds himself locked in a parking garage along with most of the other human residents of London.  If you saw 28 Weeks, you would immediately say, “OH NO!”  When we saw this scene in the film, we saw it from the perspective of the people who were immediately overtaken by the infected that broke into the parking garage.  The comic shows the scene from Clint’s perspective on the other side of the crowd: There’s a noise, the lights go out, there are sounds of struggling, people start pushing as panic sets in and Clint knows he needs to get out of there.

For this point, the issue follows Clint trying to survive as the military attempts to sterilize the city by killing everyone.  Of course, Selina comes back for him just at the right moment, but the cliffhanger leaves it very ambiguous whether they will live or not.  Clearly the final two (?) issues of this series will cover Clint and Selina’s attempt to escape and the fun thing is that we could have a good ending whether they survive or not.  While I’m sad that this series is ending, it is really nice to see a comic series that had an ending in mind.  I almost hope they do another series after the 28 Weeks film.  🙂

Aragon does a nice job with the art.  In some places he gets a little murkier and the lines get smudgier than I’d prefer (and that’s mostly from comparing to Declan Shalvey who was the original series artist), but you never have any doubt about the story and the characters all look alive.

28 Days Later #22 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: Selina sets off on a personal mission and leaves the US military safe zone as this series begins to wrap up.

What’s Good: One of the very good things about this issue for long-time readers is that it framed where this story fits in the whole saga of the films 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later.  After last issue, we had seen our heroes, Selina and Clint, reach a US military safe-zone in London.  I had questions about whether this was the safe-zone from the 28 Weeks film and how much the comic was going to acknowledge that second movie and how the comic would continue if it was acknowledging that second film.

Well, things are a lot clearer a month later.  For one thing, the final issue of this series has now been solicited, meaning that this series is wrapping up rapidly.  For another, this military safe-zone that Clint and Selina have found is the one from the 28 Weeks movie.  This is pretty neat: Michael Alan Nelson is telling a story that happens in the dead space between the two films and it will have a definite ending.  Neither Clint or Selina were in the second film, so they could die in the next couple issues… or they could be fine.  We really don’t know!  But, by tying this story to events we’re familiar with from the 28 Weeks film, we can build a sense of foreboding because we (the reader) know that the shit is about to hit the fan again…and our heroes are completely unprepared for it.  They think they’re safe.  It is a rare circumstance in fiction where the reader positively knows what will happen next and has to watch beloved characters wander into danger.

From an actual story standpoint, this issue is mostly quiet.  Clint is mostly poking around in the safe zone and asking questions that confirm this story’s existence in the 28 Weeks movie world whereas Selina goes off on a touching journey to find her old house and dead husband’s body (pre-infection).  One of the awful things about zombie-fiction is that since zombies strike you in your house (your place of safety), all of the survivors have seen horrid things happen to loved ones, yet rarely have time for a real goodbye.  Seeing Selina’s past really makes this hit home.

28 Days Later #21 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Pablo Peppino (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: We begin a truly new phase of 28 Days Later as Clint and Selina are now “safe” in a sanitized London.

What’s Good: If you’re looking for a jumping on point for this outstanding series, here it is.  Personally, I think people make way too big of an issue out of “jumping on points” but the fact is that some folks are intimidated by seeing the #18 on a comic because they feel like they’ve missed a lot of story.  This issue seems to completely wrap the first phase of this story that dealt with Clint and Selina (and multiple now deceased friends) trying to make their way to London so that Clint can do a story about post-infection England.

It seems as if this story is flowing right into the events of the movie 28 Weeks Later as this London is controlled by the US military and I’ll be very curious to see how close they stay to the 28 Weeks story because it was a much weaker film and it would represent the reader knowing roughly what will happen next.  I’m sure it won’t be that straight forward and it’ll be interesting to see what surprises Nelson has for us.

There are a couple of big attractions for this issue.  One is just seeing Clint and Selina in a “safe” environment: no infected, no survivors forming despotic enclaves and no murderous British Army officers.  So, they’re a little out of their element.  That’s kinda of a story we’ve all seen in fiction, but Nelson executes really well by showing these two characters being drawn closer by being in an alien environment.

The other enticing new element is the tease about Selina’s past.  We’ve gotten little bits of her past during this series and we get a lot more here.  Selina clearly has a purpose for being in London and I’m highly curious to learn what it is because it can’t be anything as mundane as visiting her old home or laying a wreath of flowers in honor of her husband.  Clearly it’ll end up being something exciting and probably something brings her back into partnership with Clint.

We get a new artist on this issue and Pablo Peppino continues the tradition of strong art on this series.  He keeps the look and feel consistent with what previous artists Declan Shalvey and Alejandro Aragon have given us and I really appreciate that.  Unless an artist is really going to bring something spectacular to the table, I’d almost prefer for titles to have a consistent look.  Peppino may be capable of the spectacular, but 28 Days is really a “story” comic and shouldn’t be an art showcase.  Regardless, his storytelling is impeccable.

28 Days Later #20 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: Selina is in big trouble, as she is captured by a British Army Officer that has bone to pick with her.

What’s Good: So far in this series, Selina has kinda been the baddest person in the story.  It’s really remarkable how well Nelson has pulled that off.  When I watch a TV show like Nikita, I just fundamentally have a hard time believing that a 120 pound woman regardless of her level of training is able to continually smash five 250 pound men who are also well trained.  It just doesn’t work that way in real life.  But, Nelson has never made me question for a second that Selina is the baddest MF in the story.

So, it’s kinda interesting to see her suddenly in a situation where she is no physical match AT ALL for the British Army officer who has taken her captive.  Sure, she gives it the old college try a few times, but Captain Stiles is soooo on another level physically that he is almost disdainful of her efforts.  Thus, it is fun to watch Selina have to come up with another plan to extricate herself.  I particularly loved the exchange about why Stiles has allowed her to keep “her” machete.

I honestly thought the art was a mixed bag in this issue.  I wouldn’t ever call it “bad art”, but it was not as crisp as this series has been and there were a few scenes where Selina looked really funny.

28 Days Later #19 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: A pretty good jumping on point as the danger shifts from the Infected to a British Army Colonel with an axe to grind.

What’s Good: One of the nicest things that I can say about this comic series is that it has almost made me forget the film on which it is based.  All along, that outstanding film has been useful as background information, but it is hardly required because the comic exists completely on its own.  This issue dives right back into events that happened close to the end of that film and in so doing, creates a nice little “jumping on point” (although I hate that term) for newer readers.  That’s something that a title like this needs (even though I think anyone could pick this up anywhere and just enjoy it) because seeing issue #19 on the cover makes an issue uninviting to newcomers in today’s comic market.  Sigh….

And what a neat little jumping on point it is!  If you’re like me, you’re going to be on Wikipedia to recall some events from the end of the film to put the action here into context.  But, what is best about this story arc is that it shows how a series such as this is about much more than the Infected (this series’ answer to zombies).  All stories set in these post-apocalypse worlds are interesting because they have their monsters, but what is more scary is what the humans do to one another after the breakdown of society.  What if one of those survivors was a badass Army Special Forces officer who had an axe to grind against YOU? And, what if that officer was completely unbound by rules or regulations? That is the scenario that Nelson paints here and it’ll be enjoyable to watch where this takes us.

It also seems like Nelson has stories for this series that’ll go for as long as people keep buying it, and that is a very good thing because this is one of the best and most consistent series being sold right now.  It hasn’t had a bad or confusing issue yet.

Aragon’s art is again very strong.  He’s accomplished something that I didn’t know would be possible and made me not miss Declan Shalvey (who started on this series and is now doing issues of Thunderbolts for Marvel).  He effectively captures the mood of the characters and sells the drama very well.

28 Days Later #18 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: As Selina and Clint get closer to London, the infected become less of a problem than the other humans.

What’s Good: 28 Days just delivers the good every single month and it has become one of my “most anticipated” books every time because I can’t wait to see what happens next.  This issue is a great example.  We’ve seen our protagonists chased by the infected, we’ve seen they deal with the US military and we’ve seen them deal with a few nasty bands of survivors.  What’s left?  Well, if you remember the story arc featuring the US military science lab around issue #12, you might remember an off-hand remark from the head scientist that a certain military officer was looking for Selina and had special plans for her.  That chicken comes home to roost in a big way in this issue as Selina and Clint face what could be their toughest obstacle yet.  This direction is also appealing because it seems that this dude has it in for Selina based on something she did in the past.  We really know very little about Selina even if you include the information from the movie.  I love stories that dole out the bits of back-matter in dribs and drabs and am looking forward to leaning more about Selina.

I’m also really enjoying the dynamic that Clint and Selina has developed over these past 3-4 issues since they because the only two remaining central characters.  It’s fun to watch them grow closer, get friendly and even start to get some romantic feelings for one another (although I hope we don’t go there for a long time).  I’m sure at some point, they’ll pick up another character or two, but I hope it isn’t too soon because I’m not sick of this two-person dynamic yet.

Aragon’s art is again quite good for this type of book.  There’s nothing too flashy in this art.  It’s just nice and effective sequential art that tells the story.

28 Days Later #17 – Advance Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Ron Salas (art), Nolan Woodard (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Ian Brill (editor)

The Story: After escaping from the gang of thugs who pass for civilization in London, Selina and Clint leave town and have a chance to unwind.

What’s Good: Stories like 28 Days need to take their foot off the gas every once in a while.  You can’t just keep moving the reader from one tense and horrifying set piece to another.  Well, I guess you can, but the reader builds up a callous pretty quickly and the writer’s “shocking moments” start to just bounce off the audience.

Nelson clearly gets this.  28 Days has been pretty tense for ~10 issues now, so it was time to let our gang rest.  This is an issue to depressurize and get to know the characters a little more and to be happy for them because for once they are not running for their lives.  What I found very interesting here is how different the characters are in their approach to relaxation.  They both take their chance, but Selina pops quickly back into “soldier mode”.  She has her system of rules that have allowed her to survive and she isn’t bending them for personal convenience.

But…you just know that the sanctity of this issue can’t last and by the end, Nelson is getting ready to toss us right back into the fire.  However, he very skillfully avoids showing us what the new danger is.  We’ve all seen enough post-apocalypse fiction to let our imaginations run wild, but we don’t know. It is a well-done cliffhanger and you’ll have to wait until next month to see what’s going on.

28 Days Later #16 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), Juan Manuel Tumburus (colors) & Johnny Lowe (letters)

The Story: Selina and the journalist she is guiding into infected territory get sucked into sectional fighting in infected London.

What’s Good: This is a pretty hard look at what can happen, as they say on certain internet sites, when the SHTF (Shit Hits The Fan).  How would survivors band together?  Would they be one, big, happy family?  Would they practice communal farming?  Who gets excluded from the group and why?  What do they fight over?  For the first time in this series, we are taking a break from being chased by the infected and instead seeing how human civilization reestablishes itself in London.  And it ain’t pretty and we’ll surely see more of this sectional fighting in future issues of 28 Days Later.

One other welcome bit in this comic is that we get a little of back information on Selina (our heroine).  The movie on which this comic was based didn’t give us much back info on her character except to make it clear that she is a “survivor”.  And, so far in this comic series she has been quite mercenary and willing to hack folks to bits if they are infected, so it was interesting to see something(s) that she actually does care about in this issue.

28 Days Later #15 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), William Farmer (colors) & Ed Dukeshire (letters)

The Story: Clint and Selina come face to face with what passes for civilization in post-infection London.

What’s Good: This series just keeps humming right along and any fan of zombies, survival horror, post-apocalypse or The Walking Dead should be reading this title.

In post-apocalyptic fiction, the civilization of survivors being led by some psycho-fascist-strongman is pretty much a cliché, but that’s okay because that is probably what would happen.  The closest we have to post-apocalypse in the real world are lawless places like Somalia and regions along the Afghan/Pakistan border and they sure haven’t turned into a worker’s utopia because the happy dudes who want to work together and smoke weed are quickly overrun by madmen with guns who want to take their food and gasoline.

So, it is appropriate that this excellent series would bring Clint and Selina into contact with a group like this.  What is key is how Nelson creates the character of the leader and he does a good job of not making him a complete idiot-psycho.  This has to be a person who hopeless survivors would follow for some reason and Nelson realizes the importance of making the leader someone who provides security and food.  It might be taking things too far, but some will see a slight amount of allegory in what frightened humans will accept from leaders who promise security.

The “star” of this issue, however, is the initiation rite that the leader inflicts on one of our heroes.  It is both creative and absolutely horrifying!

Once again, Aragon’s art is very effective.  His art is mostly working with Nelson’s script to tell a story, so the art is fairly contained.  However, he does play around with perspective to make panels interesting to look at without sacrificing the story.

28 Days Later #14 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragon (art), William Farmer (colors) & Ed Dukeshire (letters)

The Story: Our band finally makes it to London, but will it be what they expect?

What’s Good: Last month I was getting a little sour on 28 Days because I thought that the quest to reach London was getting so horrific that I just couldn’t imagine any group hanging in there.  Sane people would walk away and say, “No thanks!  Too hard!”

I should be a comics editor (LOL) because as if the creative team read my mind, they change things up in a big way in this issue. First, let’s get a SPOILER WARNING out here…

The big news in this issue is the death of a central character.  In some ways I feel a little silly saying “central” character because how attached can you really be to a character in an comics series that is only up to issue #14???  Well, it turns out that you see how attached you are when you see a final scene that is as well handled as this one.  The death is meaningful and is managed in a very touching manner.  I wish Second Coming had given Nightcrawler as good of a final scene as this.

In other developments, our survivors reach London.  The comic is going to get very obvious comparisons to The Walking Dead and those comparisons will not stop because of the events of this issue.  I mean that mostly in a good way.  Not only are stories like 28 Days about the horror of being chased by zombies (or the “infected”), they are about the complete breakdown of human society and seeing what sorts of barbaric systems the less altruistic survivors will make up.  So, much like the really awful things in TWD come via the other humans, we start to see that here in downtown London.  It is a very timely change of gears for this series and I’m interested to see how the creative team will progress this story without making 28 Days into a TWD-clone (assuming that they are very aware of TWD).

28 Days Later #13 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Alejandro Aragorn (art), William Farmer (colors) & Ed Dukeshire (letters)

The Story: Having escaped the US military field compound, our gang continues their quest to reach London to do a journalistic story on the Rage virus.

What’s Good: This story just keeps trucking along, moving our gang from one tight spot to another.  It doesn’t let up for a second and is really compelling and tense to read.  In the last couple issues, we had seen our gang get apprehended by a US military science group that was set up to study the Rage virus and then escape, but not before the young boy traveling with them loses his life.

Now our gang is thrown right back into the frying pan after accidentally getting onto a train that is LOADED with the infected which leads to a classic comic book cliffhanger, “Yes, we can do that, but one of us will have to stay behind” – situation.  When you see a cliff-hanger like that in the X-Men, you just laugh it off and know that before any heroic sacrifices happen in next month’s issue, some other superpowered character will pop out of a time warp to save the day or it will turn out that the whole thing was a training exercise in the Danger Room.  That isn’t going to happen in 28 Days Later, so you know that something grim might happen next month.

28 Days Later #12 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Declan Shalvey (artist), William Farmer (colors) & Ed Dukeshire (letters)

The Story: After getting captured by the U.S. military, our heroes must find a way to escape back into the “sanctuary” of a British countryside that is crawling with infected.

Since this is the first review I’ve done of this series, I would like to say a little more about the series in general.  Basically, if you like The Walking Dead, you’ll enjoy this series from Boom!.  Most comics based on licensed properties just stink, but this is an exception.  This series is set after the events of the movie, 28 Days Later, but you really needn’t have seen the movie to enjoy the comic.  I had never seen the film until I’d read issue #7 and it neither enhanced nor took away from my enjoyment of the comic.  If anything, I think I enjoy the comic more than the film.  It is enough to know that the island of Great Britain has been overrun by a populace infected with this rage virus that turns them into howling banshees (not really zombies, per se).  The comic follows Selina (the heroine of the movie) as she is enlisted by a journalist who wants to get into London to report on the disaster and the crap that happens to them along the way.

What’s Good: One thing that this series has done very well is make sure that you don’t think anyone is safe.  As compared to when you see Spider-Man supposedly killed, even if you can’t figure a way that it didn’t really happen, you have an expectation that the secret will be revealed in the next issue and Spidey will be okay.  Not in this series!  Just about anyone could die at any time and in this issue the creators drive that point home by killing off the youngest member of the band in a pretty ghastly way.  I’ll give them major kudos for being willing to do what is necessary to keep the readers on their toes.

I also like that by the end of this issue, the heroes are out of the military encampment and back out into the wilderness.  I hate to keep comparing this to The Walking Dead, but that series has used very well this bouncing back and forth between safe/not-safe……except that when you’re safe from the infected, you’re now locked up with the humans and that might not be an improvement in your condition.

The art in this series is typically strong and this issue is no exception.  Shalvey does art that is perfect for a series like this: no gaudy double-page spreads, just panel-by-panel effective story-telling.

Pale Horse #1 – Review

By: Andrew Cosby (story), Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Christian Dibari (art), Andres Lozano (colors) & Johnny Lowe (letters)

The Story: In Civil War-era Wyoming, a mad seeks vengeance for the murder of his wife while trying to raise a son.

What’s Good: I’ve always loved good westerns and there really should be a few more western-themed comics.  Pale Horse is much more on the Clint Eastwood side of the genre (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, etc.).  That’s good as I don’t really enjoy the more heroic western where the sheriff runs the bandits out of town.

The first issue does a good job of establishing the central character of Cole.  He really kinda has the deck stacked against him.  For one thing, being a black man in the 1860’s wasn’t that easy and the comic plays up the redneck, racist crap in the early pages.  For another, he is avenging the death of his wife who was Native American.  Now….I don’t know what things were really like in the Old West, but from watching the movies, it is pretty clear that the authorities back then didn’t care if Native Americans were murdered.  And…..for a third thing, he is trying to take care of his young son.  So, dude really has some problems!  Not to mention how screwed up the kid is going to be going bounty hunting with daddy from birth.

But, the good thing is that Cole appears to be a complete bad ass.  He’s big, mean and good with his guns.  He’s a black Josey Wales!  It’s always a good start for a comic when the main character is a bad ass!

Robert E. Howard’s Hawks of Outremer #1 – Advance Review

By: Robert E. Howard (original story), Michael Alan Nelson (adaptation), Damian Couciero (art), Juan Manuel Tumburus (colors) & Johnny Lowe (letters)

The Story: Legendary warrior Cormac Fitzgeoffrey seeks vengeance and honor during the Crusades-era in the Middle East.

What’s Good: Without going into plot developments (since this is an advance review), this comic was a lot of fun.  I was prepared not to love it since I’m generally not a huge fan of comic adaptations, but it turns out well.  Our hero, Cormac, is a tremendously powerful warrior, but is interested in being bound to no King or Lord.  He is following his own path and happens to be enough of a badass with his sword and axe that he can get away with it.

The source material for this comic seems to be out of print, and the comic is written wholly as if the reader has no prior knowledge of the original works.  This first issue does a good job of introducing Cormac, his ethos and some of the confusing politics of the Crusades.  The comic is set in Antioch in 1190, so this is towards the end of the Crusades and definitely set among the downfall of the Christian city-states of the era.  Any history buff of this era is libel to enjoy this comic somewhat as is any fan of Assassin’s Creed I.

The art is quite effective at handling the action and over-the-top bravado of the writing.  From the way that he is drawn, you can really believe that Cormac would have been the baddest man on the field of battle

Swordsmith Assassin #1 – Advanced Review

By Andrew Cosby (story), Michael Alan Nelson (Script), Ayhan Hayrula (artist), Andres Lozano (colorist)

The Story: This is a new 4-issue limited series by BOOM! Studios. We start in a Prussian army camp in 1870, where Toshiro Ono has traveled from Japan to retrieve a sword he made. As payment, he tells his story to the Prussian general who owns it. Ono’s story begins in his youth as an apprentice to his father, a Swordsmith. Ono learns his father’s craft, but neglects one small part of the honor of the elder Swordsmith. That flaw has terrible consequences for him as it sets him on a quest to re-balance his life and retrieve all the swords he made for less honorable men.

What’s Good: This is a fine piece of historical fiction. Historical fiction is not done well often, but I really like the setting choices of Prussia and Japan. They’re underused settings, so even though they are historical, to the reader they seem alien and real. Moreover, they’ve found an effective character in Ono, one who is justifiably motivated to atone for his mistakes. He is compelling and we understand his quest for the balance that he refused to learn from his father.

Also, the colors throughout the book are forceful. The Prussian army camp is grounded in browns and grays and muddy tones. The youthful views of Japan are warmed by orange, except for the blue and sterile gray tones around the telling of the core of his hubris. The scene of his confrontation with the villain are set in red. These coloring choices are not realistic, but stylistic, and they are effective at communicating each moment’s mood.

What’s Not So Good: Unfortunately, this very compelling story and script didn’t get the art to really meet the book’s potential. This was for three reasons. Firstly, I felt that Hayrula’s art had some proportion problems. Sometimes the body parts didn’t seem to be properly sized, like the Prussian general’s legs as he emerged from his tent. I felt the same thing looking at the grave of his father, which seemed tilted. Secondly, there is a stiffness to the poses, such as when the general passes Ono a glass of water. The general has already been established as a warm, confident character, but his body language here erases the good will, warmth and humor he’d been showing until now. Thirdly, the shadowing is also a bit heavy. Both the Prussian general and Toshiro Ono in different panels appear to have no left eyes at all, when in fact, both do and the apparent lighting we see in the rest of the panels don’t seem to be so poor that shadows should completely blot out one eye each.

Conclusion: Great idea for a story and well-written, although the art doesn’t meet the same standard. Worth a try. I’ll take a look at the next one.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

Dead Run #1 – Review

By Andrew Cosby (Story), Michael Alan Nelson (Script), Francesco Biagini (Art), and Matthew Wilson (Colors)

The Story: In a post-apocalyptic future, Nick Masters is a courier that risks life and limb to travel from town to town, delivering packages (whatever they may be). With his kidnapped sister’s life on the line, Nick has 72 hours to get a package through the “Dead Run” to San Francisco for a powerful drug lord. But before leaving, Nick makes a visit to Waylon Biggs, the only man to ever travel the “Dead Run” and live to tell about it…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: If your thinking that the story sounds like a cross between Transporter and Mad Max…You’ve got the right idea. Though unoriginal, the concept of Dead Run is decent enough to base a comic around (fortress cities for the win). The problem however, is that the latest Boom! release doesn’t have a whole lot going for it beyond concept.

While the story by Andrew Cosby is solid enough, the script by Michael Alan Nelson is incredibly weak. There isn’t a single memorable character that Dead Run #1 introduces. Everyone comes across as generic and cliché. You’ve got the rough, cocky, serious hero that needs to do what’s right. You’ve got the older, wiser cautionary veteran. Hell, you even got the spunky female sidekick looking for a bit of adventure… It makes the whole comic feel rather boring because the characters have been seen many times before.

The artwork by Francesco Biagini and Matthew Wilson, thankfully, is much stronger than either the script or the story. While Biagini’s style is rather simplistic, everything looks quite cinematic and keeps Dead Run #1 from being a total waste of time. In addition, Wilson’s stylish color work is surprisingly distinct and compliments Biagini’s art rather well.

Conclusion: Dead Run #1 looks nice, and that’s really the best thing I can say about it. Now that I think about it, my opinion is that the issue should have been used as a template for the opening moments of a Mad Max re-imagining starring Jason Statham rather than released as the debut of a new comic series…

Grade: D+

-Kyle Posluszny

Hexed #4 – Review

Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Emma Rios (artist), Cris Peter (colors)

Before the Review :
If you haven’t been reading Hexed, you might want to. It’s about Lucy, a.k.a. Lucifer, a quick-on-her-feet cat burglar with a special trade. She only goes for things of supernatural interest, such as feathers of angel wings, or as the story goes, the Carasinth; a mystical artifact with deadly powers. Unfortunately, the squeeze is on, and her past has caught up to her.

The Story:
It’s the end of the road for Lucifer. Her employer and close friend are being held at gunpoint, and that son-of-a-gun Dietrich is looking to use the Carasinth to raise his standing in the world. She’s got to think fast, and outwit him before she and Val run out of time.

The Good :
Michael Alan Nelson puts together a nice, tight storyline and resolution for Hexed, which works by itself and within the larger story of Boom’s Cthulu Tales – the twists, turns, and pacing are present and solid. Emma Rios’ art has a wonderful motion and fluidity, and really brings the characters to life. The coloring, done by Cris Peter (is that his real name? If not, that’s fantastic!) brings a kind of tension to counteract the motion, helping make Hexed one of my favorite comics to look at.

The Bad:
Mostly, the fault lies with Michael Alan Nelson. The dialogue is fun and snappy, but can be just awkward enough to distract the reader from what’s going on. It’s simultaneously a strong and weak suit for him. Thankfully, the rest of his writing is pretty spot-on and fun, but that’s a glaring blemish that’s holding him back. As it stands, it’s keeping a good writer from being a great writer.

Grade : B+

-Brian Lynch

NEWS: “HEXED” FREE on MYSPACE.COM/COMICBOOKS

VIDEO: MARK WAID – “HEXED” FREE ON MYSPACE.COM/COMICBOOKS

HEXED #1 Goes Live On MYSPACE.COM/COMICBOOKS
At 11:00 AM PST, Jan. 7th 2009

BOOM! Studios Launches “HEXED” Series on MYSPACE.COM/COMICBOOKS w/ “5 FOR 500″ PROMOTION

5 Extra Copies Sent To The Top 500 Retailers
New Comic Series To Be Simultaneously Released In Stores And Online