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SPEAK OF THE DEVIL #6(of 6)by Gilbert HernandezDark Horse Comics 

 So, finally, we reach the end of the road. Anyone who’s been attentive enough will know i’ve reviewed the previous four issues of this series(Uncle Tel reviewed issue 1), and along the way felt the road we’ve travelled in this series hasn’t entirely been a smooth one.What started as a quirky tale of a teenage voyeur in a devil mask, suddenly veered off course into a much darker story of a trio of serial killers. In my previous reviews i had suggested that the sudden plot shift halfway through the series was seemingly jarring, and felt at odds with the development of the main characters up til that point.I had also felt that the very extreme violence of issues 4 and 5 was somewhat excessive and perhaps gratuitous.Certainly shocking and uncomfortable, and rightly so, but there was another feeling I had that didn’t sit well upon reading the second part of this series.What I was aware of was a certain sense of discomfort gnawing at me regarding Speak of the Devil. I was hoping for answers and a decent conclusion with the final issue.Did I get it ? Well, here’s the answer… 

Firstly, there’s certainly a conclusion to the story plot-wise that ,on the whole makes sense. Our protagonists basically reap what they’ve sowed, and in that respect, Gilbert draws the only real conclusion to such wanton violence and mayhem one can expect.No one escapes the horror that is set in motion halfway through our story.Unfortunately, that’s the final answer I was expecting, and within that is the thing that’s been gnawing away since the end of issue 3. Because the final truth of this series is that at it’s heart is, ultimately, a bleak,nauseous nihilism. Even the only seemingly decent character is implicated, and has to resort to killing(one can argue out of love,and mercy, but the final panel suggests the tedious possibility of the pattern repeated). In the end, there’s nothing redeeming in this series, and it saddens me to think that this is Gilbert’s conclusion here. 

 It’s as if he’d decided to piss inky misery all over the pages for our miserable untertainment,or as his artistic take on the human condition. In that respect, it’s an adolescent conclusion, and what ultimately made me finally sick of this series. Because in the past, he has tackled such themes with a maturity , humanity, and a compassion for his characters and their predicaments. Here there’s maybe perhaps a certain tired contempt going on, or a make it up by numbers-can’t be bothered-it’s for Dark Horse attitude. I don’t know. What I do know is that, read as a whole, this series is bleak, ultimately depressing, cold and heartless.You may say,  well what do you expect? It’s about serial killers.And you have  a point. As does Gilbert maybe.Hence the conclusion reached.  But perhaps I expect more from an artist who has certainly produced in the past two of the greatest stories in the comic strip medium, in my opinion  (Heartbreak  Soup, and Human Diastrophism ). In the end I just felt depressed, sad and sickened. It  almost made me want to read a Superhero comic. 

 Almost.  

 I really shouldn’t expect so much, maybe. 

Disappointed Brown 

Jack London

B&W

144 pages

$11.95 US/$14.50 Can

 

Jack London.  All I really knew about him was that he was a writer and most people would probably say the same.  So it was good to see Graphic Classics produce a book that carries some biographical information as well as adaptions of some of his work.

 

Jim Nelson’s incredible cover based on “The Red One” sets the scene and I must admit that I cannot recall ever having heard of this story.  Then again,my memory and the amount I read I may have read it but not in the last thirty years!

 

The actual adaption of  The Red One is by –oh,what a surprise!- Tom Pomplun and is illustrated by one of my Graphic Classic favourites,Mark A. Nelson.  The almost woodcut style is very atmospheric.

 

Then we have the adaption of London’s “Jan The Unrepentant” by none other than that great British treasure –Hunt Emerson!  Yes,how can you go wrong with Hunt Emerson ?

 

“To Kill A Man” is adapted by Rod Lott and drawn Kostas Aronis.  There is a very nice use of line art and grey tone by Aronis which is quite effective.

 

“Just Meat” is adapted and drawn by Onsmith Jeremi.  I’m sure that I have mentioned Jeremi in an earlier review but me and names!  The art style is unique and works well –and I’ll come back to art styles in a while.

 

“The Wit Of Porportuk” is adapted by Pomplun and drawn by Arnold Arre. Now I do know that I have mentioned Arre before and the incredible art in this strip shows why! The faces and expressions are great and Arre is following a long fine  tradition of Philippino artists.

 

And there is a joy in the form of “The Handsome Cabin Boy”,adapted by Trina Robbins and illustrated by Anne Timmons. It’s obviously an old story [duh!] but if you’ve never heard of it or read it I can tell you it is worth reading!

 

Milton Knight adapts and draws “Moon Face” and has a lovely comical style. 

And “The Francis Spaight” is illustrated by John W. Pierard in yet another great style.

 

I’ve said it before and it’s worth saying again so here goes. These books are not just a collection of comic strips there are illustrations,some text and even biographical notes on the contributors.  They are also books that you can read –even just browse through- over and over.  And the quality and price is hard to beat.

So,learn a bit more about Jack London and see some great talents at work!

 

 

Bram Stoker

B&W

144 pages

$11.95

 

Oddly enough I have heard of Bram Stoker!

 

The Mark A.Nelson cover is incredibly stylistic and it sets the tone for the rest of the book.

 

“Dracula” is adapted by Rich Rainey,and that would be a task for any writer but Rainey does a decent job. 

Joe Ollmann illustrates the 40+ page story in a style I was a little unsure of at first –in fact,I’m still not sure what I think.  There is nothing wrong with the art and it works okay and it could just be me as there was a Full Moon recently.  Enjoyable enough,though.

 

Tom Pomplun “freely” adapts an excerpt from Dracula to give us “Vampire Hunter’s Guide”.  Now,when I tell you that the illustrations are provided by one Hunt Emerson you know I’m gonna say this is good!  It’s good.

 

“The Judge’s House” is adapted by one of my favourites,Gerry Alanguilan.  The first page is very striking and stylish and when you see the final page –it will stick in your mind for quite a while!

 

“The Bridal Of Death” is from The Jewel Of Seven Stars –if you are a horror film buff you’ll know that was the premise for the 1970s

UK horror flick “The Mummy’s Hand” starring Valerie Leon.  The stylish art is by J. B. Bonivert –who also provides a nice back cover illo. Nice.

“Torture

Tower” is adapted from “The Squaw” –Onsmith Jeremi does a great job but with 12-14 panels per page!  That’s work!

 

“The Wondrous Child” is a text story,edited by Pomplun.  The illustrations accompanying it are by Evert Geradts and must be grey scale scans of colour work. Real fun.

 

I have a major complaint about “Lair Of The White Worm”,adapted by Pomplun and stylishly drawn by Rico Schacherl.  The complaint?  Where is Amanda Donohoe?!  Or might I have just been too impressed by Ken Russell’s film?  Anyhow,this is enjoyably drawn and quite a yarn.

 

Perhaps this volume will make people realise that Stoker didn’t just write Dracula!

 

 

 

O. Henry

B&w

144 pages

$11.95

U.S.

Heard of him but knew next to nothing about him.  It seems that,like Jack London,Henry [real name William Sydney Porter] lived quite a life! 

Included in this volume are “The Ransom Of Red Chief”,”The Caballero’s Way”,”Gift Of The Magi”,”The Cisco Kid”,”Roads Of Destiny” and more.

 

Esao Andrews drew the neat cover.  Mark A. Nelson,Rick Geary,Rico Schacherl,Gerry Alanguilan and the usual GC stalwarts are all present but there are a few surprises.

 

Tom Neely has a very retro style which he uses to great effect in “A Strange Story”. 

The same might be said of Johnny Ryan’s work on “The Ransom Of Red Chief”. 

But the one I really liked was “The Gift Of The Magi”,adapted by Pomplun and illustrated in the truly unique style of Lisa K. Weber –providing a nice back cover illo to boot.  Weber I must admit I’ve become a fan of through Graphic Classics.

 

Hmm..a Lisa K. Weber CBO interview?

 

Really,I have to admit that it is clear when someone says “Comics are all super heroes or Manga” they just have not looked.  In the UK we have Cinebook and Classical Comics  –both available in the US-  but Graphic Classics is based in the US and provides high quality collections of strips in books that would make a fine library for anyone interested in comics,or,as I’m told they must be called now,graphic illustration!

 The Astounding Ganjaman no.1

Numb Skull Comix

Black & White & Colour

 36pp

£3.00

Yes,Alan Grant [writer] and Jim Stewart [artist] bring you a Ganjaman story titled “Tar Wars”.  Accompanying the weedy one areEinstein and Devinchi,his rat side-kicks,and special guests M-Girl and H-Man.

Flesh-eating zombies and an evil plot by Dr Bong -are they connected? Is there a link with Tarrymore Cigarettes? If anyone can find out the weedster can!

Alexander provides a fantastic Ganjaman pin-up page which I may make into a t-shirt eventually!  It’s that good.  That said,Jon Haward also provides a Ganjaman pin-up!!

And the Z-Men star in a colour two-pager!

This is great fun and..hang on -this isn’t anything to do with Collie Herb?  Nah.  Silly me.

Read this with Black Slate or Steel Pulse blasting away over your headphones!

And if you’d like to see more from Big Jim Stewart get over to his ComicSpace site -until the Ganjaman web page goes up -let’s see Ganjaman or Dr Bong go up on The International Hero site!

http://www.comicspace.com/jimstewart/

If you can’t find a copy of this or Northern Lightz try writing to:

Northern Lightz

PO Box 25059

Glasgow G3 6WE

Scotland

And PLEASE enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope for a reply!

 

SHRIEK!

Moonface Press

One-shot

Black & White

40pp

£2.00/$3.99

Well,Andy Winter writes all four stories in this comic and I did wonder what to expect and the titles had me thinking for a while!

“Tim Skinner:Total W*****” is pencilled by Natalie Sandells and inked by Adrian Bamforth.  Obviously I’ll not give away any plots beyond what I have to but stepping into a magic collection of comic strips can have consequences!  Very nice.

“Bummed” was drawn by Duane Leslie and I think says everything about the You Tube generation and some of the morons who get ideas that sadly,unlike in this tale,do not back-fire.  The art works really well with this story.

“Apocalypse? No!” is drawn by Mikey Ball -the Horsemen Of The Apocalypse will never be the same!!!

“Brimstone Bitch” is the longest strip in the book and drawn by Tim Twelves.  It’s probably the weakest strip art-wise,though I’m assuming Twelves is a young [new] artist so considering its length it is not that bad.

I have to wonder whether Andy writes these scripts as he goes or whether he has a backlist of scripts/ideas?  I worry that I’ll wake one morning to find he’s writing CBO!

Well worth buying but remember:this is for mature readers only!

Recommended.

No.2

Black & White

24pp

£3.00

contact:15 Wedmore Vale

Bedminster

Bristol BS3 5HQ

or:paulashleybrown@googlemail.com

When I first saw the cover I thought Mr Brown had commissioned another artist.  Hmm. Maybe people won’t realise that’s a joke?  Won’t put it into the review -oops!

Seriously,the cover illo is very eye-catching and looks like a still-frame from a b&w 1950s/1960s film.  Probably one of the best illoes I’ve seen from  this doyenne of the Bristol Art World.

Music to read this publication to:”I Started A Joke” by the BeeGees;”Fool On The Hill”,the Beatles or,by the time I got to the last page:”Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks!

Not actually that depressing but the lad needs to sit down with The Jack Kirby Collection for an hour or two!

There are the nice figure studies,drawn in and around Bristol and if you are a resident of South Bristol then you’ll probably recognise the “Oddfellow Local”!  You might even notice the fellow from “So The Wind Won’t Blow It All Away”

“Fine Day”,well,been there.  Done that! There are some fine pieces here and “Short Stories”,”Sept. 27th” and “Stardust” stand out.  Of course,it would not be Browner Knowle without the “Pretty Vagrants!” back cover.  This issue it’s No.4:”Dylan”.

If you missed the South Bristol Arts Trail which starred Mr Brown,and if you were unlucky enough not to get a copy of Browner Knowle No.1 [there are a very few copies left-check] then you must get a copy of this!

I mean,£3! Get something other than X-Men and if you are an artist try something similar but based where you live! There are many thousands of you out there so you must have taste!

And if you want to see more Paul Brown art -in colour- then try Osnap were he is the featured artist. The link is:

http://www.osnap.co.uk/profile_pb.htm

 

 

Eleventh Hour

Graphic Novel 1

Trade Paperback 80 Pages

Black and WhiteRelease Date:Thursday, June 05, 2008 Price: £5.95 $9.99 

Well,this is the first volume of Orang Utan Comics anthology series published by Markosia. 

 

Now when I reviewed the comic a while back I was a little critical.  So,when I met artist Simon Wyatt and [oh please let my memory work!] Peter Rogers,at the Comic Expo I was pleased that they took it all in their stride.  In fact,they handed me a copy of this book!

 

This book is great.  I can’t really criticise any of the art because there are no real problems.  “Black and White” is a bit of a fib that doesn’t tell you that grey tones have been used.  Normally I get a little critical about grey tones because a lot of artists use it either badly or to hide problems in their artwork.  Not the case here.  The grey tones are used to great effect and add a lot to the art –the strip “Mamluk” was in fact colour work that was grey-toned.

 

“Eye Of The Storm” written by Peter Rogers and drawn by Azim Akberali was in the comic I reviewed and is included in this book due to someone letting the editor down at the,uh,eleventh hour. Still a good strip.

 

The same team produce “Seniors” which is interesting.  Two old men meet in a retirement home and immediately the sparks fly.  In their younger days they were deadly enemies –Doomhawk and Captain Courage!  Can’t wait for part 2!

 

“Daughters Of Lilith” is written by Ian Sharman and art is by Diego Simone –a nice stylish piece.

 

Some very nice art on “The Sweetest Thing” by Cherie Donovan and art by Dhonnie “Dagger” Punzalan.

 

“Rise And Shine” by,again,Sharman is drawn by Eric M. Smith.  This is my favourite. There is a great villain and the art is slick.  Remember the name Eric M. Smith because if he does not have a future at Marvel,DC or some other big comic company then there is no justice. Excellent.

 

“Danick and the Dragon” is written and pencilled by Ian Sharman and inked by Simon Wyatt.  I’m hoping to spotlight some of Simon’s work on CBO soon.

 

“The Mist” by Cherie Donovan is pencilled by Scott Larson and inked and toned by Sharman  and a nice piece.  “Innocence” is again by Donovan with some great looking art by John Charles who,like Eric M. Smith should have a bright future ahead of him.

 

Sharman writes “Ghost Boy” which is drawn by Donna Stewart and is definitely there for the Manga fans who might complain there is nothing in the book for them!  Nice work.

 

“The Last Days Of Cydonia” is another Sharman piece with  pencils by Riccardo Latina,inked by  Slamet Mujiono and toned by

Carolina bertacchi.  Nice piece of sci fi with a little twist at the end.

 

“Mamluk” should also make the sci fi buffs happy.  Written by Trey Wickwire,pencilled by Steven Yarbrough,inked by Dylan Johnson and toned by Melissa Kaercher and lettered by Richard Nelson.  Veeeery slick.

 

“Just Married” by Peter Rogers is drawn by Edson Alves and toned by Walter Porto. Now come on –an out-of-the-way bar;who stops at those?

 

I have to say that this book was far better than I expected and I’d recommend it.  Great talent and great book.

 

 

If you want to see what else is available from Markosia you can go to:

www.markosia.com

 

 

 

“WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALL THE HEROES ?”

 

HERO KILLERS

Moonface Press One-Shot

by Andy Winter(writer)& Declan Shalvey(Artist)

36 pages B&W Comic £2.50/$3.99

 

 

 Okay, this is something Mister Hooper got a hold of at the Bristol Expo, and graciously passed onto me to review as punishment no doubt for not reviewing Septic Isle as I said I would around a month ago. Firstly, I don’t know how available this is as it would seem that it was originally published in Spring 2006(well. I’ve got this copy, so obviously, you can still get hold of it).

 

Anyway, this as stated in the introduction, is a complete one-off, self-contained story. It’s about a group of super-criminals who seem to have set themselves up as a kind of Assasination Bureau for criminals who need the local super- do-gooder hindering their activities taken out of the equation. Imagine  some costumed villians set themselves up on the Enterprize Allowance Scheme or Prince’s Trust- they’ve got a van, a nice line in Powerpoint Presentations PR to Villain Conferences, and some nifty Logo and costumes. Like a bad-guy A-Team really. I actually really like Andy Winter’s premise here, it’s quite funny, although I don’t think he’s being tongue in cheek, but it’s a neat little idea. Indeed, it’s certainly one with a degree of mileage beyond this one-shot issue. One could imagine a Nasty A-Team-cum Marshall Law type plot developing here, with them having to eliminate an annoying Super-goody each issue. I’m all for that. As it is, in this story our Anti-heroes are hired to take down the best costumed hero in

Sulphur City, Bronze Eagle, who seems the archetypical tiresome super bore.

 

 Story-wise, the whole thing glides along well, with some nice, simple flashbacks that hint at the relationship between our two main characters, a neat introduction with a somewhat absurd hero, that also has some significance in the ending, and some good dialogue exchanges throughout that keep the pace of the story ticking over nicely. My only real problem is that the one-off nature of the story hinders its resolution, which, (without giving anything away) I felt was slightly abrupt, and didn’t allow for an explanation of something that happens to a character at the end. Also, because this has potential, there are certainly ideas and characters here that definitely lend themselves to further exploration beyond this one-shot.

 

Added to Andy Winter’s neat story ideas, Declan Shalvey does a very good job of the artwork here. All the characters are well delinated and considered, he has a sure, confident clear line, and some very well designed and balanced page layouts that move the story along at a good pace. If anything, his artwork would certainly benefit from the addition of colour, but he handles and balances his black and white contrasts very effectively, and has very strong compositional skills throughout his panels. It’s also good to see some of Declan’s preliminary character and page design/layouts reprinted at the back of the comic(something I always enjoy seeing, an artists working process revealed). I will certainly be interested in seeing his work develop, an artist who definitely has the potential to go places, in my humble opinion.

 

So, in conclusion, a comic I was pleasantly suprised by, and definitely one that if Moonface were looking for a potential ongoing title, is well worth considering(despite the obvious problem due to the story ending).My one minor quibble is a rather weak cover that doesn’t do justice to the evident talent of Declan’s interior work. Mind you, that makes a change-a comic with a bad cover and good interior artwork, as opposed to what I feel is the usual reverse equation.Yes, I am that hard to please. I’d better go and listen to Bone Machine again…a very good idea you guys !

 

Paul “Superhero-Hater” Brown

       

 

 

And you can visit the publisher’s site at: http://www.moonfacepress.com/

 

 

 

 

 

ALTER EGO #77

 

Ahh,you can only compliment a superb magazine so many times.  Ah! My copy has a crease in the top right hand corner. There –a complaint!

 

So here are the details.

 

May 2008 - 100 pages

 

ALTER EGO 77 tells the Comic Book Gospel According to St. John, featuring a fabulous Golden Age Tor cover by JOE KUBERT (who else?)! Inside, KEN QUATTRO relates the full legend of St. John Publishing and the man behind it, ARCHER ST. JOHN—with art by KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, MATT BAKER, LILY RENEE, BOB LUBBERS, RUBEN MOREIRA, RALPH MAYO, AL FAGO, ENRICO BAGNOLI—and the very special reminiscences of ARNOLD DRAKE! Plus, JIM AMASH interviews Golden Age artist TOM SAWYER. There’s also other features on the Golden and Silver Ages of Comics, including P.C. Hamerlinck’s FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) section with Marc Swayze, C.C. Beck, and others, Michael T. Gilbert and Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more! Edited by Roy Thomas. 

 

And equally good and slick,as well as a bargain read,is Back Issue.

 

 

 

  

 

 

Back Issue #28 

 

100 pages - May 2008

 

BACK ISSUE 28 shakes down the dirty laundry of men in tights in our “Heroes Behaving Badly” issue! The Hulk and the Thing—why can’t they get along? Heavy-hitting interview subjects HERB TRIMPE and RON WILSON share their thoughts. We reopen the “Trial of the Flash,” blow the lid off JOHN BYRNE’s heroes who cross the line, and duck for cover as Teen Titan Terra, Kid Miracleman, and Mark Shaw Manhunter go bad! Also: the B&W Ramgaging Hulk magazine, the Hulk’s

U.K. comic, and a new chapter in BOB ROZAKIS’ fantasy history of AA Comics! With contributions by MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PĖREZ, CARMINE INFANTINO, JIM SHOOTER, DAVID LLOYD, PHIL JIMENEZ, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JUSTIN GRAY, and others. And Iron Man hits the bottle in an all-new, utterly intoxicating cover by DARWYN COOKE! Edited by MICHAEL EURY. 

We’re also selling the complete PDF for $2.95.

 

 

And if you can’t find Back Issue,Alter Ego or any of the Twomorrow Publications check out the web site for bargain pdf details.  The link is: http://twomorrows.com/

 

Why don’t we have great magazines like this in the

UK?

 

The King Of Fighters Art Book

Hung Wing Yan & Choy King Tung 

I’ve already given details of this book but you can check out more details at the company web site; www.DrMasterbooks.com

 

 

Hung Wing Yan was an art assistant for three years before making his debut as a Manga artist in 1983. Choy King Tung,on the other hand,worked as an assistant for eight years before his solo debut in 1994.  In March,1999,the two men set up King Lion Publishing –in 2002 the team got the licence for King Of Fighters. A legend was born!

 

 

What you get in this high quality,90+pp full colour book are King Of Fighters illustrations from 2001-2003.

 

 

These illustrations vary from dramatic action poses to group character illoes.  The quality is,as usual with Dr Master,the best.  The quality of the illustrations go to show how good this creative team is –and why I rave about their books!  If you like making your own T-shirts using comic art [oh,come on –I know you are out there] this is a great book.  If you are a big King Of Fighters fan you’ll love this book.

 

 

At $21.95 US/$11.99 Can [Canada is cheaper?!] this book will –WILL- be a great collectors piece for your bookshelf!

 

 

Remember that,if you cannot get this or any Dr Master books where you are,you can order via the web site.

 

 

 

 

The Art Of Yasushi Suzuki

84pp

Black & White/Colour

Shrink wrapped and in slip cover

$26.95 US/$32.50 Can

 

My copy came with a DVD featuring Dr Master books so I’m assuming that’s in all the copies.

 

 

I’ve already declared myself a fan of Suzuki’s Purgatory Kabuki.  The usual high standard Dr Master publication does one thing –it shows the incredible art of this great artist.

 

 

The book opens with the almost Goth-like colour painting “HGM”.  The series of cover illoes for Kazma Sinjow’s “The Geste of Ithberh” novels are beautifully rendered.  The same can be said for cover illustrations to the “A Storm Of Swords” series –these along with the “Artificial Hands” illo have a veryu strange feel to them. The same can be said of the illustrations from Suzuki’s comic “Phantoms:The Soul In The Cage”.  “Study” [p.38] and “Untitled” [p.39] are two of my favourites.

 

 

This book shows a Master of the Comic Book in full flow,though this is not all you get!

 

 

There is a brief biography followed by thumbnail illoed List Of Works.

And a short interview with Suzuki!

 

 

This is a major treat for any art lover let alone Manga fan.  And since Suzuki “turned” me into a Manga reader I suspect him to be a grand wizard of art!

 

 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough –BUY!

 

 

Dark Edge 1-7

Yu Aikawa 

195pp each

Black & White

$9.95 US

13 years +

 

 

The story begins after Kurou Takagi’s mother’s death and his transfer toYotsuji Private

High School,owned by his father.  There is a rule “No Student On Campus After Dark” –a rule Kurou accidentally breaks.  Result?  A zombie attack! And it’s all go from there.

 

 

This dark action/comedy goes from the zombie attack to vampirism [vol.2] and much,much more!  And I really enjoyed the way the story evolves from book to book and Yu’s art style can be very atmospheric –something you need in a horror book.

 

 

But are only Manga fans going to enjoy these books?

 

 

I run a Yahoo group –britcomicseerietales- and I think these books would appeal to its members or anyone into horror books.  Unless you are rigidly into US style horror comics you should enjoy this –and I’ve avoided the obvious reference to this being like Buffy set in Japan!

It is a very good series and the cliff-hanger ending to vol.7 ,thankfully,gives the reader time to relax and catch their breath.

 

Very enjoyable but why is it so hard to find these books in the

UK?!

Lunar Legend Tsukihime vol.1-3

Sasakishonen

226pp

Black & White

$9.95 US

15 years+

I did review vol.4 [?] of this series and mentioned that the story was well paced,turning up little twists in the tale as the main character tries to recall his hidden/forgotten past.

In fact,the action in vol.2 is well done and,as with Dark Edge,I think this series will really appeal to horror fans.  And that action continues in vol.3 as the storyline twists and turns.

I really do think Dr Master needs to raise its profile in the

UK because their books tend to be a lot better art-wise than some of the Manga you see in comic shops. This series should be one pushed out to stores and perhaps Dr Master could appear at 2009s Comic Expo?

Another series I’d recommend. 

 

HYBRID BASTARDS 1 & 2 

Archaia Studios

Writer Tom Pinchuk

Artist Kate Glasheen

$3.50 US

 

 

Having interviewed Kate and Tom here at CBO,I hope everyone knows the story? No? Oh well.

 

 

In a nut-shell:the God Zeus is known as a womaniser –having his “way” with any mortal woman he takes a fancy to.  However,18 years ago,Hera ,being really ticked off by all this,cast a spell so that the big guy could only fall in love with..inanimate objects [I think there’s a web site for that type of thing somewhere!].  Now,of course, these titular “hyrbid bastards” have all reached adulthood and are collected together by Panos,apparently sired by Zeus to get revenge upon Zeus. The group is made up of,and please do not check your prescription drugs here: a half-car, a half-apple, a half-brick wall and a half-pile of dirty laundry. 

 

The rest you’ll have to buy the books to find out about!

 

I was very surprised to have read Brian Cronin over at CBR being rather enthusiastic about the plot to HB and Tom’s “high concept” but slating Kate Glasheen’s artwork and writes:

 

“Glasheen’s artwork, while decent enough for most of the book, falls apart quite a bit when the actual hybrid bastards themselves are introduced!

Her art it is definitely interesting to look at, there’s no doubt about that. As strictly an artist, she is great, but the sequential art falls down for me. Especially as her watercolor style quite often causes objects in the foreground to bleed together with objects in the background, which is deathly when you’re dealing with characters as bizarre as these…”

 

 

Ahh,the problems with critics!  I wonder whether Cronin is an artist himself or just a reviewer?  I really did not have or see the problem Cronin describes.  I’m wondering whether in his haste to be critical he just scanned through the book?  Initially,my thought was “what’s this?” when I saw the artwork but having an artist’s eye [rather than Van Gogh’s Ear] I could appreciate the unique look of the art and its stylistic use of colour.

 

In fact,in issue 2 to art seems to have developed more and rather than a two minute Marvel or DC comics read,HB,through Kate’s art,makes you read the story and then study the images and it is when you do this that you can appreciate things more.

 

 

 

I’ll hold my hands up here –I have two original pieces of Glasheen artwork and they look even better than the printed pieces!

 

 

There was only one thing I think distracted from the art –the word balloons.  However,looking at the books again as I write this,I’m not sure why I originally thought this!

 

 

According to Kate all three issues will be going into a collected edition this Summer and re-scanning should make the art crisper and,whereas Croning could not recommend Hybrid Bastards,I fully recommend it!

 

 

Don’t have the closed eyes of the Mainstream comic geek –look at how other styles are being used to revitalise the look of comics.  There are many great artists out there like Kate who do not “draw the Marvel way” and if it were not for them the industry would be just pap.  Samey.  Boring.

 

I say this never having received a bribe.  Image Comics,Graphic Classics and a few others are opening up to new and innovative creators.  You don’t like it then stick with the X-Men or Batman.  There are those of us out there who appreciate style.

 

Highly recommended.