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

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

Uncanny X-Men #497 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Choi (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

Since the X-Men have been divided, this title has been on a slump. The whole time warping plot in San Francisco (where everyone’s reverted to hippies) has dragged its feet for two months now, and the boys in Russia have done nothing but get into mindless brawl after brawl.

In this issue, we get more of the same, but this time the dressing’s more refined. Logan, Colossus, and Nightcrawler get into yet another fight, but this time it’s more epic in scale. Mike Choi renders this scene beautifully; he pulls the camera back and lets the action play out from afar. The end result is a more cohesive, and better flowing fight. Ed Brubaker refrains from muddling up this scene with dialog. Instead he lets Choi’s pencils do the talking.

Eventually, we get back to Emma and Scott’s investigation in San Francisco. This time, the plot advances at a much quicker pace, with a “by the numbers” obstacle thrown into their path to slow them down. This “woman” who’s altering reality, if I didn’t know better, is just another take on Scarlet Witch and what she did with House of M. The thing here is it’s on a much smaller scale and she’s completely aware of what she’s doing (i.e. not as insane, well then again…). I’m not sure where this is going or why we’re being treated by a storyline that’s so similar in nature, but if there’s no connection to Scarlet Witch and this is all just “coincidence”, I’m going to be severely disappointed. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

Like last issue, this issue focuses on two main storylines, that of the “hippified” San Francisco and that of the “road trip” of Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. And, like last issue, the latter story is definitely the more enjoyable of the two. Once again, these three get into a fight, but this time it is a much more desperate one (and therefore more fun to read). Of course, a large part of what makes this scene so entertaining is Choi’s beautiful pencils, which are not only pleasing to the eye, but also convey the action clearly.

The second thread is not nearly as interesting as the first. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really care all that much that San Francisco has become Hippyville. I mean seriously, when was the last time that you met a hippy that seemed threatening? Aren’t hippies all about being mellow? A “mellow threat” seems a bit contradictory to me. That said, when we do meet the “Goddess,” things finally turn interesting. Her ambiguous discussion with Eli, as well as his older reflection in the mirror and other mysterious elements present finally engaged my curiosity. So while I may not be a huge fan of the hippies, I definitely want to know more about this Goddess and the reasoning behind her actions. Knowing Brubaker, I’m sure he has some elaborate scheme cooked up, and I’m eager to see what it is.

So in conclusion, this issue wasn’t too bad, and the story finally did progress to something really interesting, but I would have enjoyed it more if the larger portion was devoted to the Russia storyline instead of the hippy storyline. Although, the hippy story does deserve this defense: call me crazy, but seems like something that would have happened in the 90s X-Men cartoon, so it does earn a few bonus points for nostalgia. (Grade: B)

– M. Staples

The Punisher: Force of Nature #1 (One-Shot) – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (writer), Michel Lacomb (art), Stephane Peru (colors)

When I first glanced at the cover I thought this was going to be some weird Punisher versus Moby Dick tale. As beautiful as the cover is, my interest immediately waned.

Thankfully, I was wrong. Set in Garth Ennis’ insane Marvel Max corner of the universe, this one-shot features the cold, ruthless, and gratuitous version of the Punisher that we all love. Clocking in at 35 pages, this story features Frank Castle toying with a trio of two-bit criminals as he tries to get to foil the plans of the bigger fish in the game – the Russians. What’s funny about these lowlifes is one of them is so cocky that he actually names his own yacht after himself!

The Punisher sinks their new yacht and puts some of his own goodies in with their life raft. What follows is a slow, sad series of events as the three criminals struggle to survive aboard their life raft. As hours and days pass, the criminals’ begin to lose any hope of being rescued. Then, paranoia and despair set in. The Punisher watches this all unfold from afar, taking pleasure in their misery.

Interestingly enough, the Punisher takes a secondary role in this book. Sure, he facilitates all the mayhem, but this story is really about the criminals’ struggle to survive out at sea. It’s obvious that these criminals will die, that’s just the Punisher’s way, but how they arrive at their demise is what makes this such a well crafted story. Great artwork by Michel Lacomb compliments this story. My only complaint is the $4.99 price tag – ouch. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes