Graphic Novel 1: Masks

Author:  Chris Roberson

Artists:  Alex Ross, Dennis Calero

Publisher:  Dynamite Comics

  I enjoyed this team up of many of the classic pulp characters. Most of my early pulp reading was in the Doc Savage universe but I also read some of the Shadow reprints with the Jim Steranko covers. This series brought back fond memories of those books. The villain was a surprise to me. I am anxious to start reading Roberson's "The Shadow" in that character's regular series. Recommended.

Doctor Who Time Trips: Into the Nowhere

Author:  Jenny T. Colgan

First Publication:  2014

Source:  Netgalley

First off, let me say that I have been a huge fan of Doctor Who since the reboot by Russell T. Davies.  The latest Doctor and his companion Clara have been some of my favorites.  When I had the chance to read and review this title, I could not pass it up.

This is a rare case of the Doctor and the T.A.R.D.I.S. landing on a planet that neither one can identify.  The planet appears to be a giant death trap with large snakes, walking skeletons, and other deadly surprises.  

The author does a great job of capturing the voices of the characters.  When I was reading their lines, it sounded like the actors were saying them.  The Doctor was spot on.  Clara seemed a little more afraid than usual but then I remembered that this was mainly told from her point of view.  Usually we did not see that in the television series.

Unless I missed something at the end, we were never told the answer to one of the big mysteries.  Due to that omission I would not rate this book as high as I thought I would when reading most of it.  It is still highly entertaining and worth the read but this is a case of the journey being better than the resolution.  In typical Doctor Who fashion, the resolution was not scientific but was brought about by human emotion.  We have seen this in the television show so it is a traditional ending in some respects.

Recommended.

State of the Blog Address

As regular followers of this blog can tell, I have been "off the grid".  Due to arthritis in my hands it has been hard to type in the evenings.  Does this mean I quit reading and following other blogs?  No.  It just meant that by the time I was through working, it was difficult spending my evenings on the keyboard.

It now seems like my hands are doing better so I will be back to posting on a regular basis.  In the near future I will be posting reviews of a couple of television shows I have been enjoying ("Orphan Black" and "Continuum") as well as novels ("World Without Stars" by Poul Anderson) and some short stories.  I am looking forward to my return to blogging.

If It's Fall, It Must Be Time for... R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril, VIII

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year.  The temperatures cool off but are not too cold.  Living in Pennsylvania, it means the leaves on the trees turn from green to red, orange and yellow.  Here in Bedford, we even have a two weekend event called Fall Foliage.  Our small town shuts down some of the main streets, all of the hotels fill up, and normally easy to navigate streets are packed with people.  Many people come to shop the craft booths.  As for me, I prefer the food stands.  Walking down the street seems to add on the pounds as you smell the funnel cakes, apple dumplings, cheese steak sandwiches and too many others to name.  

Last Friday was the kickoff of high school football with Bedford celebrating 100 years of football.  In typical small town fashion, our community packed the stands for the opening night.  My sons and I sat with a group of friends around the 40 yard light and cheered as our team of mostly underclassmen pulled out a 13-10 victory.  This weekend also saw the start of college football with the pro teams starting soon.

In addition to all of that, Carl's R.I.P. event has become another reason to look forward to the fall.  I was worried that I would not be able to participate this year.  At the end of July I started having severe pains in both hands.  It was all I could do to make it through the workday.  I have an office job where I am on the computer most of the day.  It turned out that I have arthritis in both hands.  After trying various medicines, my doctor found one that worked for me.  I still have some pain but it is bearable now.  Each week is a little better.

Which perils am I participating in this year?

Peril the Second:  Read two books.
Peril of the Short Story:  Starting next Sunday, i will be reviewing stories on a weekly basis.
Peril of the Screen:  I will probably do a combination of television and movie reviews.

Short Story Sunday: Dinosaurs and Cold Equations

Welcome to the return of Short Story Sundays.  This time around I am reviewing two stories with some similarities (dinosaurs and cold equations).

Title:  Think Like a Dinosaur
Author:  James Patrick Kelly
First Publication:  Asimov's Science Fiction, June 1995
Cover Art:  Todd Lockwood

Check another author off my list.  James Patrick Kelly was first published in 1984.  Somehow I never read any of his fiction before "Think Like a Dinosaur".  I am attempting to read all of the David G. Hartwell "Year's Best SF" and this was the lead story in the first collection.

In many ways this is a modern retelling of Tom Godwin's classic "The Cold Equations".  Kelly took the basic original idea and created his own unique take on the story.  The aliens in this story bare a resemblance to dinosaurs.  They do not understand our customs and question whether or not humanity is ready to travel to other planets.  The dinos finally agree to install the necessary systems to allow us to go to other worlds.  This is the story of what happens when things go wrong.

Kelly does an excellent job with the plot, aliens and characterization.  Highly recommended.

Title:  The Tall Grass
Author:  Steven Utley
First Publication:  Asimov's Science Fiction, June 1989
Cover Art:  Nicholas Jainschigg

Buried in this issue was another great science fiction story by Steven Utley.  With the all star lineup, Utley did not make it on to the cover.

As usual, Utley is a master of the short story form.  It is similar to "Think Like Dinosaurs" in that it features dinosaurs and an uncompromising situation.  Where Kelly's story took place in the future, this takes place in the past.  The dinosaurs in Utley's story are the usual earth bound type we have read about for years.  "The Tall Grass" is the tale of what happens on a journey to the era of the dinosaurs.  To say more than that would ruin the story.

Highly recommended (like Utley's other stories).

43. X-O Manowar Vol. 1: By the Sword by Robert Venditti & Cary Nord

Writer:  Robert Venditti

Pencils:  Cary Nord

Inks:  Stefan Gaudiano

First Publication:  2012

Challenge:  Graphic Novel Challenge (#20)

Publisher:  Valiant Entertainment

From Amazon:
 The beginning of the all-new Valiant Universe starts here! Aric of Dacia is a brash warrior and heir to the throne of the Visigoth people. He has lived his life under the heel of the Roman Empire, but now a far more terrible enemy has come to subjugate him. Taken from his home and family, Aric is enslaved aboard a starship belonging to a brutal race of alien colonizers known as The Vine. If he is to have any hope of escaping and returning to Earth, he will have to steal the Vine's most powerful weapon - a sentient suit of indestructible armor - and become X-O Manowar! This volume collects the first four issues of the acclaimed, breakout series by New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti (The Surrogates, The Homeland Directive) and Eisner Award-winning artist Cary Nord (Conan)!

A Short History of Valiant Comics

Many years ago, I remember being excited by the start of a new comics company that featured a mix of new and old characters.  Valiant Comics was the brain child of legendary creator Jim Shooter.  Shooter was always one of my favorite writers.  He started writing for DC Comics (Superman, Legion of Super-Heroes, and others) at the age of 13.  When he graduated from high school, he retired to focus on college.  At this time he was 18 years old.  Legends grew about what ever happened to Shooter in those days before the internet.  Finally, a writer for a large fanzine tracked him down.  This led to his return to writing for DC.  Later he moved to Marvel and eventually became editor in chief.  Some creators disliked his structured style of management.  Others liked it.  Financially, Marvel rebounded.  Eventually he was shown the door.  Not ready to retire, he found backing for a new company.  Shooter got the rights to publish new comics featuring the old Gold Key characters (Magnus Robot Fighter, Doctor Solar, Turok).  Shooter brought some creators from Marvel and added new ones to form his core group.  Among those were David Michelinie, Barry Windsor Smith, Steve Englehart, Bob Layton, Don Perlin, and many others.  The new characters they added were X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Rai and the Future Force, Bloodshot, Eternal Warrior, Archer and Armstrong and more.  The company was a success but things fell apart behind the scenes.  Shooter was kicked out.  The company continued for a few more years but eventually shut its doors.

Shooter managed to get back the rights to the Gold Key characters and made another effort that was published by Dark Horse.  Although the stories were interesting, they could not find enough of an audience to make it.

Eventually, a new group bought the rights to the non-Gold Key characters and started Valiant Entertainment.  They started publishing in 2012.  I viewed their efforts with trepidation.  I liked Valiant when Shooter was writing many of the books and had my doubts about the new group.  This weekend I started reading the first collections from the new Valiant.

“By the Sword”

This title alone calmed my fears.  The first title to be re-imagined was a hit.  Writer Robert Venditti (who is now writing “Green Lantern” for DC Comics) kept the basic concepts from the original and added his own ideas.  Although we don’t see our hero in the X-O suit in the first chapter, he makes up for it in chapters two through four.  Venditti does an excellent job of keeping Aric in character.  You can easily tell that he is a warrior out of time.  He only wants to return to his family and win freedom from the Roman empire.  Unfortunately for him, he is kidnapped and imprisoned on an alien spaceship.  Fate opens the door for him to get his freedom.  It is an exciting tale that is complete in this collection but Aric’s story will continue in Vol. 2 when he returns to Earth.

The art by Cary Nord and Stefano Gaurdino is very good.  At times it reminds me of a classic painted look.  The whole art team deserves credit for the look of this book.  The art team shows that Valiant is willing to pay the money to get great art.  It is on a par with the best art being published at any company today.

Based on this collection, I will put Valiant near the top of the list of current publishers.  Being a newer company, a reader does not have the massive back log of material to read.  It is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a new superhero universe to jump in to.


Highly recommended.

42. Deathmatch Vol. 1 by Paul Jenkins & Carlos Magno

Writer:  Paul Jenkins

Artist:  Carlos Magno

First Publication:  2013

Challenge:  Graphic Novels Challenge (#19)

Publisher:  Boom Studios

From the publisher (Boom Studios) website: 

The superhero battle royale you can’t get from Marvel or DC!

A powerful and mysterious super villain has imprisoned the world’s greatest superheroes, forcing them to fight to the death until there is but one victor. It’s kill or be killed as we settle the score on all those hypothetical superhero match-ups in the ultimate DEATHMATCH. The mystery of who their captor is, what his ultimate motivations are, and why these heroes keep agreeing to the matches will drive readers from volume to volume! Written by industry legend Paul Jenkins (SENTRY, INHUMANS) and drawn by comics superstar Carlos Magno (PLANET OF THE APES, TRANSFORMERS), 

DEATHMATCH is a dark, psychological deconstruction of the superhero genre that can’t be missed. This hard-hitting, emotional first volume collects the first four issues of the smash hit comic series that introduces the audience to brand new superhero universe they won’t be able to get enough of!

Not too long ago, Paul Jenkins wrote a “declaration of independence” from the big 2 publishers.  He was tired of all the last minute editorial interference at the big companies.  From now on he will be writing just for Boom Studios.  If this is what we can expect from this change, I am all for it.  Jenkins is doing what might be the best work of his career.  In a short period of time he makes the reader connect with the numerous characters.  Similar to what Kurt Busiek has done in “Astro City”, Jenkins creates his own version of classic Marvel and DC characters.  But do not get too attached to the players in this deadly game.  Each issue sees the death of at least 1 more participant.  It’s a fascinating story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The art by Carlos Magno is amazing.  The best way to describe to older comic book fans is a cross between the best of Dave Cockrum and Jerry Ordway.  His work on this series puts him very high o]ay. 

Highly recommended.  One of the best titles being published.  The team up of Jenkins and Magno is a classic one.