Garth Ennis y Steve Dillon retoman su fructífera sociedad (véase Predicador) en este arco argumental publicado originalmente en la colección Punisher War Zone (vol. 2 nº 1-6 USA), que Panini nos trae aquí en sus habituales volúmenes “Best of Marvel”, creo (tienen tantos nombres para sus volúmenes recopilatorios que me pierdo).

El caso es que como buen amante de todo lo escrito por este irlandés loco, especialmente de su trabajo con El Castigador (¿se le puede llamar todavía así?), no pude evitar comprar este MAX Punisher: La resurrección de Ma Gnucci en cuanto lo vi en la estantería. Peeeeeero… la primera en la frente, ya que aunque Panini lo haya publicado bajo el sello MAX, o mucho me equivoco, o este arco argumental se publicó en USA en la línea “Marvel Knights” y no en el sello para adultos de la editorial. Esto se traduce, básicamente, en la omisión de palabrotas (el frenesí de sangre y casquería habitual en Ennis sigue casi intacto) y en un argumento mucho menos oscuro y serio que con los que el autor nos deleitaba en la auténtica colección MAX Punisher.

Trampa por parte de Panini, que ha querido aprovechar el tirón de esta colección para colarnos bajo el sello MAX un cómic que, a mi entender, está por debajo de las cuotas de calidad que suelen presentar las cabeceras editadas con este nombre. Y es cierto que el autor y el personaje son el mismo, pero el nivel de la obra es muy inferior. Quizás por que Garth Ennis está menos inspirado, quizás porque tiene cortapisas editoriales que no tenía en la línea MAX, o simplemente porque se lo toma menos en serio.

Por cierto, permitidme una disgresión: hace unos meses se publicó en España Punisher: Valley Forge, Valley Forge como la despedida de Garth Ennis del sello MAX, pero recientemente la distribuidora SD ha anunciado para enero de 2010 un nuevo MAX Punisher firmado por el autor, bajo el título Niñas vestidas de blanco. Así que, al menos para el que suscribe, es toda una alegría, ya que el escritor irlandés ha firmado en esta colección algunas de las mejores historias publicadas en el medio durante la última década: “Madre Rusia”, “Hombre de Piedra”, “Arriba es abajo y negro es blanco”, “Los esclavistas” o el propio “Valley Forge Valley Forge” son auténticas maravillas que, por alguna razón que se me escapa, han pasado bastante desapercibidas para crítica y gran parte del público. De hecho, diría que en los últimos años no ha habido una colección en la que hayan proliferado tantas historias de calidad, ni un guionista que haya mantenido un nivel tan alto durante tanto tiempo, como en MAX Punisher.

Cerrando el paréntesis, y centrándonos en este La resurrección de Ma Gnucci, el cómic nos narra el aparente regreso de la tumba de la matriarca de la familia mafiosa Gnucci, genocidada por Punisher en su perpetua venganza contra el crimen. Esta premisa desencadena una nueva persecución y contra persecución entre Frank Castle y la supuesta familia Gnucci, desarrollada, sin embargo, con más desgana que en anteriores trabajos de Garth Ennis con el personaje. La historia está menos elaborada, los personajes carecen del carisma y la dimensionalidad de los creados por el autor en MAX Punisher y, sí, hay algunos momentos genuinamente Frank Castle, pero son más escasos y menos intensos que los vistos en la mencionada colección.

Para colmo, hay cierto abuso de esa vena gamberra, extravagante, que tiene Garth Ennis y que a veces le pierde. En MAX Punisher esta tendencia está presente pero sin pasarse de rosca, concentrando el autor casi todo ese sentido del humor malsano en el personaje de Barracuda. Aquí, sin embargo, parece haberle dado rienda suelta, y creo que ese gamberrismo argumental, que tan bien funciona en otras colecciones del autor como The Boys, no casa con el personaje de Frank Castle.

Respecto a la ilustración, digamos que Steve Dillon no es santo de mi devoción. Siempre le he visto como un dibujante plano, sin matices, y sin capacidad para darle profundidad y dramatismo a las escenas (espero no herir susceptibilidades). Algo que ya me molestaba en Predicador, y que aquí me sigue molestando, máxime si lo comparamos con otros dibujantes que han acompañado a Ennis en su trabajo con Punisher, como Dougie Braithwaite o el genial Leandro Fernández, totalmente desconocido para mí hasta que lo descubrí en MAX Punisher.

En definitiva, los que como yo habéis disfrutado tremendamente con el trabajo previo de Garth Ennis con el personaje, no os esperéis un cómic de calidad similar, aunque algunos de los rasgos que han convertido a Punisher en la mejor colección del sello MAX se pueden encontrar por aquí. Digamos que puede ser un buen divertimento a la espera de ese Punisher: Niñas vestidas de blanco que está por venir. 6

Un comic de super heroes un poco subidito de tono…

Una prostituta agobiada de la vida a razon de su trabajo una noche recibe a traves de las ondas hertzianas ciertos poderes y pasa a formar parte de la banda de super heros de la ciudad, el resto os lo podeis imaginar, entre jaleos y batallitas…comiditas por aqui comiditas por alla.

Descarga La Profesional

Ritorno a parlare di fumetti e risparmio, e ricado nell’argomento sempre a proposito di collane di volumoni da edicola.

Giobatta is not amused

Il volume dedicato a “Wolverine the end” non mi attirava per niente, del resto supponevo quello che sarebbe stato l’esito di quest’acquisto: trovarmi a leggere una cagata pazzesca.
Volete sapere altro? Ci ho già buttato 9 euro e 99, non ci perdo altro tempo, è una cagata pazzesca.

Però in fondo al volume c’erano anche “Hulk, the end” (media-leggibile) e, più che altro, “Punisher – the end”, gran bella storia, come al solito, di Garth Ennis dedicata a Frank Castle.

Dove voglio arrivare?
Se volete leggere una bellissima storia ma pagandola quella cifra e trovandovi in mano anche un bel po’ di pagine che non sarebbero buone manco per accendere un camino, fatelo.
Sennò aspettate che mi venga la voglia di andarlo a vendere a qualche mercante di fumetti usati, in maniera da pagarlo una cifra più che accettabile.
E non penso di essere l’unico che a metà volume valutava già questa opzione.

Oppure se volete leggere una bella storia del Punisher di Ennis in questo periodo dovrebbero ristampare “Una banda d’idioti”, la mia storia preferita della sua gestione del personaggio, in cui Frank Castle umilia Wolverine, l’Uomo ragno e Devil.

by Jason Aaron (writer), Steve Dillon (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: In a final desperate bid to stay alive, the mob creates a final scheme to kill the Punisher – Operation Kingpin.

What’s Good: How much do you like Garth Ennis?  Your answer will largely determine how much you like Aaron’s approach to Punishermax.

That being said, even for readers unfamiliar with Ennis’ work, this is far, far from a bad comic.  It’s got all the desperate scheming, outrageous gore, torture, and general nastiness that you’d expect from the Max line.  However, for those die-hard Ennis fans like myself, this book is a real treat, one part love-song and two parts nostalgia trip.

This book literally feels like it fell out of a time machine as Jason Aaron channels Ennis so effectively, you’d think it was the man himself.  In fact, Aaron starts the series off right with a scene that is outrageously gory.  So gory is this display that it borders on being slapstick.  Then, in a manner that is straight out of Ennis’ playbook, this grotesque sequence leads to a joke that is both ridiculous and uproarious.   It’s so appalling that it shouldn’t work, and yet it does for that very reason.  This humorous sequence alone shows that Jason Aaron knows how to work this series: it’s all about pushing those boundaries so far past the brink that one can only laugh and gape simultaneously.

The scene also reminds us that Wilson Fisk is a bad, bad man.  When I first heard Aaron’s decision to bring in an alternate-universe Kingpin, I was concerned.  However, I actually found myself enjoying the character.  He’s devious, imposing, and though he speaks little, every word he says counts.  Taking him out of the Marvel Universe also gives Aaron the freedom to explore the character in ways otherwise not possible.  Seeing Fisk fly under the radar or catching a glimpse of him as a family is uniquely enjoyable.

One also can’t downplay the impact of Steve Dillon.  Without him, this comic would not have been the rousing success that it is.  It’s thanks in no small part to his efforts that this book is the callback to the glory days that it is.  The man has not lost a step.  This is clearly the guy behind Preacher and he makes no attempt to disguise that fact.  Dillon’s performance can simply be described as one thing: giving the hardcore Punisher fan what he/she wants.  And of course, Aaron’s gory sight-gag would not be possible without Dillon, who’s probably got a doctorate in that sort of depravity by now.

What’s Not So Good: This book succeeds at establishing its world, but it comes at the cost of Frank Castle’s presence.  The Punisher just isn’t in this book as much as you might expect, what with half the issue being spent on a single conversation between the various mob bosses.  Frankly, you’d expect a first issue to see more Punisher-related awesomeness, but it never really comes outside of an admittedly gruesome torture scene.  Even when the Punisher does get some combat in, he’s relegated to shooting a few baddies in the background while the focus remains on Fisk.  I expected him to be a little more front and center, or get a bit more page-time than he did.

Honestly, I was just hoping for a little more excess and mass murder out of Frank.  Is that too much to ask?

Conclusion: Welcome back, Frank.

Grade: A-

-Alex Evans

Never read a graphic novel before? Haven’t read a comic book in years?

Here’s some brand new stuff that came out the week of October 21 that I think is worth a look-see for someone with little to no history with comics. That means you should be able to pick any of these up cold without having read anything else. So take a look and see if something doesn’t grab your fancy. If so, follow the publisher links or Amazon.com links to buy yourself a copy. Or, head to your local friendly comic book shop.

Disclaimer: For the most part, I have not read these yet, so I can’t vouch for their quality. But, from what I’ve heard and seen, odds are good they just might appeal to you.

Dread & Superficiality: Woody Allen as Comic Strip – $35.00
By Stuart Hample
240 pages; published by Abrams ComicArts; available at Amazon.com

Woody Allen’s classic neurosis, humorous life philosophy, and complex relationships, are embodied in the classic comic strip “Inside Woody Allen,” syndicated daily by King Features from 1976 to 1984, illustrated by Stuart Hample. Dread & Superficiality: Woody Allen as Comic Strip is a compilation of 220 of the best of the comic’s comics, all reproduced from the original art, along with sketches, photographs, and development work.

An all-new preface by Hample provides a rare glimpse into the creation of this material, revealing a long-overlooked facet of Allen’s career that is smart and funny and as timeless as the man who has inspired a generation with his unique vision.

For all of those Woody Allen fans out there. I didn’t even know this comic strip existed until now. There are samples at both the publisher and Amazon links above, although the images aren’t really big enough to read, which is kind of lame.

Sugarshock – $3.50
By Joss Whedon & Fabio Moon
40 pages; published by Dark Horse Comics

Originally presented in the first online issues of MySpace Dark Horse Presents, for which it won the Eisner Award for Best Web Comic, Sugarshock tells the story of a rock band led by charismatic but crazy Dandelion Naizen, a hyperactive singer/songwriter possessed of a mean hatred of Vikings (don’t ask) and a mission for a secret government agency that may only exist in her head. But when her band, which includes a robot bass player, is enlisted in an intergalactic battle of the bands — emphasis on battle — Dandelion gets to prove herself as both singer and soldier.

This is Joss Whedon at his funniest and most hyperactive, with writing that bursts off the page in a way seldom seen in comics. Multiple Eisner Award winner Fábio Moon delivers the outrageous story with equal energy, as well as providing a fourteen-page look at his process, with never-before-seen character designs, page layouts, and promotional images.

For all of those Joss Whedon fans out there. If you thought Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was silly, this is downright zany. The comic may not have a soundtrack (as of this writing, you never know), but it’s still entertaining. Here’s a 3-page preview. Or you can check out the story here on MySpace Dark Horse Presents.

Battlefields Volume One – $29.99
By Garth Ennis, Russ Braun, Peter Snejbjerg & Carlos Ezquerra
268 pages published by Dynamite Entertainment; available at Amazon.com

All three acclaimed Ennis Battlefields books in one massive hardcover collected edition!

BATTLEFIELDS: THE NIGHT WITCHES
By Garth Ennis, Russ Braun and Tony Avina!
Late summer, 1942. As the German army smashes deep into Soviet Russia and the defenders of the Motherland retreat in disarray, a new bomber squadron arrives at a Russian forward airbase. Its crews will fly flimsy wooden biplanes on lethal night missions over German lines, risking fiery death as they fling themselves against the invader- but for these pilots, the consequences of capture will be even worse. For the pilots of the 599th Night Bomber Regiment are women. In the deadly skies of the Eastern front, they will become a legend- known, to friend and foe alike, as the Night Witches.

BATTLEFIELDS: DEAR BILLY
By Garth Ennis, Peter Snejbjerg and Rob Steen!
1942: In the tropical splendour of the South China sea, as the Second World War spreads across the far east, a young woman finds herself in paradise… and then in hell. Nurse Carrie Sutton is caught up in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, suffering horrors beyond her wildest nightmares- and survives. Now she attempts to start her life anew, buoyed up by a growing friendship with a wounded pilot- only for fate to deliver up the last thing she ever expected. Carrie at last has a chance for revenge… but should she take it? In the midst of a world torn apart by war, you can fight and you can win- but you still might not get the things you truly want.

GARTH ENNIS’ BATTLEFIELDS: THE TANKIES #1
By Garth Ennis, Carlos Ezquerra and Tony Avina!
After D-Day came the battle for Normandy, when largely untried Allied soldiers met the seasoned veterans of the German army. As Panzer units and SS troops turn the French countryside into a killing ground, a lone British tank crew struggle to rejoin their squadron. Cut off behind enemy lines, their only hope lies in their fearsome commander, Corporal Stiles- but no one in the crew can stand him, and Stiles isn’t too fond of them either. And there are Tigers lurking in the undergrowth…

This massive 200+ Page Hardcover Edition also features bonus materials such as sketches and commentary from Ennis along with a complete cover gallery by series cover artists John Cassaday and Garry Leach! Recommended for Mature Readers.

Here’s some war comics for you. Yay war! Not really, but some compelling stories can come of it. Garth Ennis is a well-read writer who seems genetically hardwired for this genre. There’s a great big 12-page preview at the publisher’s link above.

Detectives Inc. – $24.99
By Don McGregor, Marshall Rogers & Gene Colan
160 pages; published by IDW Publishing; available at Amazon.com

Detectives Inc. is the groundbreaking story of two New York private detectives, Ted Denning and Bob Rainier. It is as provocative and relevant today as when it was first released nearly 30 years ago. Detectives Inc. was one of the first graphic novels to deal realistically with homosexuality, bisexuality, abortion, race relations, and domestic violence. Featuring stunning art by comic greats Marshall Rogers and Gene Colan.

This reprints two graphic novels, one from 1980 and one from 1985. To be honest, this is the first I recall hearing about them but they were historically significant early steps of comics reaching out to the book market in graphic novel form and reaching beyond the superhero genre in a mass market outlet. And it helps that it was, by most accounts, very well-done.

The Waiting Place: The Definitive Edition – $29.99
By Sean McKeever & Mike Norton
456 pages; published by IDW Publishing; available at Amazon.com

Collected for the first time in a single volume, this highly-acclaimed teen drama of spinning wheels and racing hearts helped make Eisner Award-winning writer Sean McKeever (Spider-Man Love Mary Jane, Teen Titans) and fan-favorite artist Mike Norton (Green Arrow/Black Canary, Runaways) into mainstream comic-book mainstays. This edition also includes a brand-new story by McKeever and Norton, making it a must-have for long-time fans and new readers alike.

These comics first came out in 1997, and have since won a lot of praise. There’s a good article/interview with McKeever that gives a 3-page preview of the new story right here.

Cowboy Ninja Viking #1 – $3.50
By A.J. Lieberman & Riley Rossmo
32 pages; published by Image Comics

It started with Dr. Sebastian Ghislain: rogue psychotherapist/covert op/DJ. Tasked with creating a counter-intelligence unit, he turned to those long thought useless to society… patients with Multiple Personality Disorder. These agents became known simply as Triplets. Misguided? Yeah. Impractical? Sure. But did it work? Absolutely not. Now someone has located each Triplet and created a band of ridiculously disturbed, but highly effective assassins. Our only hope? A Triplet known as Cowboy Ninja Viking!

OK enough of all of that somber realistic stuff. Here’s some weird action/adventure for you. 9-page preview right here. I think this actually came out the week before but it’s on my list, so you get to hear about it now.

Lenore: Noogies – $17.95
By Roman Dirge
128 pages; published by Titan Publishing; available at Amazon.com

Take a trip into the dark, surreal world of a little dead girl with a knack for (often) unintentional mayhem in this gothic classic, now remastered and colored up by creator Roman Dirge for the very first time!

Lenore might only be small, but her talent for mischief — and occasional wanton destruction — is anything but. Featuring stories about limbless cannibals, clock monsters, cursed vampire dolls, taxidermied friends, an obsessed would-be lover and more fuzzy animal mutilations than should be legal, never has the term ‘something for everyone’ seemed more sinister and bizarre.

A massive cult hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Lenore is one of the funniest, darkest, cutest, creepiest characters on the marketplace today, and this collector’s edition hardcover is a must.

If were doing these lists in a more timely fashion, you would’ve heard about this in time for Halloween. But I ruined everything. Still, this is worth checking out any time of the year.

Comic Diorama – $5.00
By Grant Reynolds
48 pages; published by Top Shelf Productions

Nautical and astronomical themes abound in this collection of five short tales: the long lost journals of famed explorer/adventurer Chance Oxblood; the most significant year in the life of the personified former-planet Pluto; strange happenings in the Black Forest; mermaid dreams and sacrificial rites to a Grendel; and the tribulations of a recovering alcoholic gone model-building novice.

I flipped through a friend’s copy of this and it looks fantastic, at times bizarre and crazy. In fact, here, you can take a look too.

In a recent interview with io9 John Cusack got chatting about a film based on a comic that he wanted to be involved with.

“It’s a vampire and a killer, and they’re on the road, and it’s this really strange story,” said Cusack.

Now Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon features Jesse Custer (who would be the priest) and Cassidy (an Irish Vampire) along with Tulip, Arse-Face, John Wayne (Bruce Campbell should play him in the film), Herr Starr and too many other twisted characters to mention.

If you’ve read the comics you will know how good they are. However, I never really picture Cusack as either JC or Cassidy.

Asked whether it Preacher he was thinking of, Cusack said, “I think it might have been ‘Preacher,’” and added that he was “trying to” get involved with the long-in-development project.

The actor, who’s appearing in theaters next weekend in the disaster flick “2012,” said he’s most interested one of the two leads, “either the vampire or the priest.”

“One of those two guys,” he said.

Last I heard about the Preacher film was that Sam Mendes was down to direct it but they were waiting for a workable script – like many others I wish it would be a series on HBO to get the full story.

Mind you maybe he is thinking of Priest which also involves priests and vampires, but that’s already started filming with Paul Bettany in the lead.

Do you think John Cusack was talking about Preacher? Would he be good in either of the roles? If not him then who would?

Now if they could get Clint Eastwood involved as the Saint of Killers.

Sul nuovo Nocturno – il numero di settembre, che trovate ancora in poche ma felici edicole o librerie specializzate – c’è un lungo dossier su Quentin Tarantino. Oltre a una disamina di tutti i suoi lavori come regista e sceneggiatore, ci sono vari interventi di scrittori di genere che riflettono sul suo impatto su un certo tipo di letteratura. In soldoni la domanda è la seguente: “È possibile parlare ancora di gangsters senza fare i conti con quello che Quentin ha significato per il genere?“. Dal 1994 ad oggi, gli schermi cinematografici e le pagine dei libri, si sono riempite di scene di ultraviolenza, citazionismi vari, killer dalla favella sciolta e via dicendo. Un bene? Un male? Dipende dai casi. Se è vero che c’è un prima e dopo Pulp Fiction, in questo mondo c’è qualcuno che ha colto nel segno e qualcuno invece che si inserisce nel filone ma che spesso toppa. Se no, sai… è troppo facile. Uno prende, copia e “voilà, il nuovo capolavoro!“. Back To Brooklyn è il nuovo volume a firma Garth Ennis e Jimmy Palmiotti e disegnato dall’esordiente Mihailov Vukelic. Certo, il nome di Ennis per molti di noi è sinonimo di garanzia, ma – come si diceva – non sempre le cose vanno per il verso giusto. E forse – la sparo – è lecito chiedersi: lo stile Ennis, senza Tarantino, sarebbe istituzione come oggi – data astrale 2009 – effettivamente è?
Bob e il sicario della famiglia Saetta. Uno con cui è meglio non scherzare. Se lo incroci a fine serata in un vicolo buio, molto probabilmente hai fatto qualche cazzata di troppo e la tua carriera, dispiace dirlo, è finita. Una macchina da guerra. Un killer. Ma come sappiamo, anche i killer peggiori hanno una storia alle spalle. Dei valori e, ogni tanto, anche una morale. Adesso… Non vi posso dire perché, ma Bob Saetta ha cantato. Lo conosciamo mentre si trova in una stazione di polizia mentre sta vuotando il sacco e sta consegnando su un piatto d’argento la più potente gang di Brooklyn ai tutori dell’ordine. C’è solo un’ultima cosa da fare, prima di chiudere iconti con la Via di Carlito. Salvare la propria famiglia (nel senso di mogli e figlio) dalle grinfie proprio di quelli che Bob sta tradendo (la sua altra famiglia…). Per cui c’è ancora tempo per comprare un biglietto solo andata per Brooklyn, “liberare per un’ultima volta l’animale“e “regolare definitivamente i conti“. (Frasi fatte che probabilmente nel fumetto vengono pronunciate. O forse no… Comunque sono frasi fatte che in queste occasione funzionano sempre)

Una storia semplice semplice, one shot, di quelle che leggi d’un fiato. Il cattivone redento che si immola nel salvifico bagno di sangue finale. C’è tutto quello che è lecito attendersi anche solo dopo una rapida occhiata alla cover. Italoamericani dai nomi bizzarri, una donzella in pericolo per cui vale la pena lottare, drammi familiari e tanto sangue. Qual è quindi il problema?

"Ti mando il mio amico Tony Macello sotto casa"

Perché qui mi sembra che tutto vada nella direzione giusta… Beh, semplicemente: niente di nuovo. A un soggetto non particolarmente fantasioso (la cui presentazione si esaurisce nella vignetta undici…) si vanno a sommare una serie di altri problemi. Togliamoci subito il problema disegni. Mihailov Vukelic è di una staticità disarmante. Il suo realismo è mortificato da una freddezza e da un immobilismo che sinceramente lascia molto freddi. In più c’è come la voglia di uscire da quello che è il filone di cui si parlava prima – la tarantinata – per fare “un bel fumetto di una volta“. Cercate simpatia e strizzatine d’occhio? Niente da fare: qui non si scherza. Zero simpatia, zero strizzatine d’occhio (niente “scatta scatta. gomitino, gomitino!“) ma roba con le palle! Yeah! E invece – sfortunatamente – tutto già visto, regaz. Dopo le prime tre pagine tutto diventa piuttosto scontato. Di buona fattura, ma da alcuni nomi ci si aspetta di più.
Però che gran faccia Jimmy Palmiotti…

Nel caso non abbiate cliccato tutto il cliccabile…. BONUS!

Total y absolutamente decepcionado. Cuatro palabras que definen a la perfección lo que sentía cuando terminé la lectura de este cómic.

El primer vuelo del Águila Fantasma

Guión: Garth Ennis
Dibujo: Howard Chaykin
Color: Brian Reber

Correspondencia Original: War Is Hell: The First Flight Of The Phantom Eagle 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Tomo, 17×26cms, tapa blanda con solapas, 144 páginas a color

¡Garth Ennis vuelve al campo de batalla con la mejor de las compañías posibles: la del mítico artista Howard Chaykin! Retrocedemos hasta la Primera Guerra Mundial, para descubrir quién es el misterioso aviador Karl Kaufmann. Confiado y lleno de ideales románticos, ahora tendrá que luchar y matar, conocer la violencia en estado puro como nunca antes había imaginado. En el proceso descubrirá la verdad sobre el conflicto: la guerra es un infierno. Muerte, acción, humor negro y miseria en la más brutal cita de este mes.

Precio: 10.75 €

El primer vuelo del Águila Fantasma: una lectura que se me hizo pesadísima y que me costó muchísimo terminar. Y lo más chungo es que actualmente son dos de mis autores favoritos, probablemente esa es una de las razones de mi decepción, esperaba demasiado de su labor conjunta. Le reconozco a Ennis que consigue que el protagonista caiga mal desde el primer momento, y no se puede decir que mejore con el paso de los números, simplemente es el que permanece más tiempo, el resto de personajes se van muriendo y saliendo de la historia. Kaufmann es un novato recién llegado que se ha colado en la fuerza aérea y que cree que la guerra debería ser una lucha caballeresca y que, poco a poco, va aprendiendo por las duras que no hay nada de eso. Kauffmann pasa de ser un novato totalmente inútil a convertirse en el piloto con mayor experiencia del escuadrón.
Howard Chaykin no dibuja magistralmente, realiza un trabajo normalillo tirado a muy flojo, no sé, no me acaba de convencer su trabajo en esta serie. Mucho mejores las portadas de Cassaday, dónde va a parar.

“Non volevo essere duro, è che questa superfollia inizia a esasperarmi. Sprechiamo le nostre vite fingendo di poter cambiare il mondo!
Sto solo cercando di farci tornere in noi, tutto qui: e se mi sbaglio, se non siamo fuori di testa e siamo invece veri supereroi, allora come mai siamo otto adulti in costume seduti a un tavolo in una fogna, circondati da un lago di merda?”

Con queste parole rischia di chiudersi la leggenda della Sezione otto, non un semplice gruppo di eroi, e neanche un semplice gruppo di babbei, semplicemente il mio supergruppo preferito.

La Sezione otto appare per due volte al completo in quello che io considero il miglior fumetto seriale mai pubblicato: Hitman di Garth Ennis e John McCrea (e sul perché lo ritengo tale magari un giorno mi dilungherò su queste pagine, adesso non centra).
Ci tengo a precisare che si tratta si di una banda di perfetti idioti, ma non abbiamo assolutamente a che fare con l’accozzaglia di esseri inutili proposta finora in questa rubrica, per due motivi:
1- La sezione Otto fa riderissimo.
2- Diciamo che c’è della gloria di mezzo.

Ma vediamo i singoli membri che ne fanno parte.

Sixpack

Un omarello alcolizzato cronico che si presenta con una maglietta arancione, un passamontagna con un 6 appiccicato sopra, un mantello rosso e un minuscolo cappellino. È il leader della Sezione Otto.
Sixpack vomita un sacco, attacca i nemici con bottiglie rotte, e basta. Però ha più coraggio di tanti, tantissimi che si marchiano del nome di eroe.

Saldacani

Saldacani non dice mai una parola, questo perché il suo è un compito scomodo, allo stesso modo tiene sempre il suo volto celato da una maschera da saldatore.
Saldacani cattura dei cani, li uccide e li salda ai suoi nemici con una saldatrice. Come fa? Boh, è un potere no?

Con il suo aspetto enigmatico è sicuramente il membro che prediligo nel gruppo.

Il defenestratore

Il defenestratore è un energumeno silenzioso come Saldacani, diventato noto per aver gettato uno sbirro fuori da una finestra quattordici volte di seguito. Scendeva, lo riprendeva, lo riportava su e lo ributtava fuori.
Da allora si veste da motociclista e si porta sempre dietro una finestra per combattere il male e gli sbirri.

Bueno Eccellente

Altro energumeno, molto più laido però del Defenestratore, quando c’è l’azione Bueno si lecca i baffi, questo perché combatte il male con il potere della perversione, ossia violentando i suoi nemici.
Devo dirvi altro per farvelo apprezzare tantissimo?

Fuoco Facile

Fuoco facile (friendly fire in originale) è un po’ la coscienza della Sezione otto, infatti la citazione che apre questo annual è sua. È un omone vestito di rosso che lancia scariche di fuoco dalle mani.
Gran potere, se non fosse che colpisce sempre i suoi amici o se stesso.

Scatarr

Un tizio magrolino vestito di verde che tira dei gran sputazzi.

Tremor

Un vecchietto rincoglionito con un parkinson devastante il cui potere consiste nel confondere gli avversari col suo andamento.

Jean de Baton-Baton

Il classico stereotipo del francesino. Combatte il male col suo francesismo tirando colpi di baguette e collane di aglio.

Questi gli eroi. Questi i loro fantastici poteri.
Niente seghe mentali sull’uomo comune che decide di combattere il male (ricorda qualche – bellissimo- fumetto questa frase?), niente menate, la sezione otto è semplicemente un gruppo di perfetti idioti con tanto pelo sullo stomaco.
E grazie a questo si scontrano per due volte al fianco di Tommy Monaghan, il protagonista della serie, con entità demoniache. A differenza delle puntate precedenti del babbeo del giorno non vi dirò come finisce la storia di questa massa di deficenti, questo perché dovete leggervelo, gustarvelo, amarlo. Ok, prendere tutto Hitman (3 volumi da 600 pagine da 25 euro ognuno ristampati da poco per la Planeta de Agostini) non costa poco, ma fidatevi, merita ogni centesimo, perché di storie così divertenti e allo stesso tempo coinvolgenti dal punto di vista emotivo (sono pazzo? No, fidatevi) non ne trovate in giro.

Detto questo tutta la trippa di questo articolo, descrizione degli eroi compresa, era per dirvi che fra poco è Halloween, e quale migliore idea se non vestirsi da Tommy Monaghan e Sixpack come questi due geni qua sotto?
Probabilmente capiranno in due (se va bene) il travestimento, ma quei due vi rispetteranno tantissimo.

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Well, there had to be a downside to this great week of comics — that being the fact I’ll start writing now and finish in four hours if I’m lucky.

Darick Robertson has apparently been found and chained back to his desk, and hopefully they won’t let him have the key this time. His art, which on its usual level is superior to Carlos Ezquerra’s and John McCrea’s, in this issue is simply stellar. And ironically, this episode barely has any action — it’s basically a long piece about Mother’s Milk’s life, which explains why he’s called Mother’s Milk.

To be honest, I had figured it out way back, on the issue that shows him getting on a cab after meeting his mother, and needing to stop so he could vomit. And Ennis, wisely, does not go for the gross-out factor here. The revelation of Mother’s Milk’s problem is sober and actually makes a lot of sense (aside from giving the character a potentially bad future — or, to put it better, no future at all).

But what really makes this issue stand out is that part of it is very compelling courtroom drama — in twenty-two pages, Ennis manages to introduce several characters, have them leave a strong impression (I particularly liked Milk’s father) and then end their participation in the story. Even though this arc will be continued next issue, Ennis covers a lot of Milk’s life here, and does so brilliantly, with his tipically excellent dialogue — one line that is especially great is said by Mother’s Milk himself: “Fuckin’ war cry of every goddamn corporation on the planet: you’re right, we’re wrong, so sue us.” Ennis’ ability with dialogue is vital for the story, considering it’s mostly just that — balloons and more balloons of dialogue. Fortunately, very good dialogue.

But Mother’s Milk is not narrating his life story to Hughie just for the sake of it: his life’s events clearly interlace with Vought American’s to incriminating degrees, which is important considering Hughie has been losing faith in The Boys and needs a reminder of what they’re up against. At the same time, Mother’s Milk and Billy Butcher, intelligence men through and through, refuse to let Hughie know everything right away, saving the information for when it’ll be most useful. Which is why Hughie’s question about Mallory is practically ignored.

Completing Ennis’ writing to the point of perfection, Darick Robertson delivers beautiful art I’m not sure he’ll manage to keep up. His work has always been at the very least good, but very inconsistent and especially problematic when other artists came to join a hand — which will always be a problem considering I’m so used to Robertson’s art at this point. I still think he would do very well to partner up with Rodney Ramos, who makes his work shine even more — as two or three Ramos-inked pages of issue 11 (if I’m not mistaken) proved.

Regardless of the future, Robertson’s art in “The Boys #35″ is not only brilliant from a visual storytelling standpoint — and really, Robertson is always good at that — but it’s especially exceptional at depicting facial expressions. The fact Milk wears sunglasses does not diminish his visual displays of emotion, and his shocked face after he punches someone in a flashback is pitch-perfect. And although the scenery in Robertson’s art is always sketchier than characters, the initial page of this issue, depicting the bridge being re-built, is breathtaking in a strangely serene way.

Color artist Tony Avina matches Robertson’s work with his competent coloring — the only complaint I have is how Hughie’s hair rarely differs too much from his shaven skin. Okay, Hughie is almost bald, but he’s not completely bald and this should be adressed but oh fuck it the colors are so pretty regardless. Avina doesn’t even go for the typical cliche of changing the color palette in flashback scenes because he knows Ennis’ neat narrative eliminates the need for that.

And finally, letterer Simon Bowland deals with the large number of balloons in this story without a single problem, doing a decent job of changing font sizes and not interfering with Robertson’s art, although it must be said Robertson is extremely mindful of balloon placement and, without sacrificing the visual composition, always leaves some dead space on his panels to make the letterer’s job possible.

At this point I’m not sure I can even call “The Boys” a superhero story. It grew out of it and it’s become a drama about corporate power with a touch of dark humor that happens to have superheroes in it.

And oh God I’m 770 words in and I’ve still got five books to review –

The main group is now being actively pursued by a gang of Crossed whose leader, called Horsecock because that’s his choice of weaponry, has harbored a grudge against them. This particular gang is not as aimless as the others and are capable of using their intelligence within their own uncontrollable urges to be as brutal and evil as they possibly can. Which makes them particularly threatening: throughout the series, the Crossed have been an extremely dangerous enemy — and now, they’re an organized enemy with a grudge.

“Crossed” has been a very straightforward series, which is one of its many strengths. A considerable amount of time passes between every issue, something reflected by the seasons and the visual of the main characters, especially Stan, the series’ protagonist and narrator. The fact so much time has passed since issue one only augments the power of the scene when the main characters finally go on the offensive instead of the defensive, and revel in the cathartic slaughter.

However, this comes at an incredibly expensive price. What happens in this issue was far from unpredictable, but the way Ennis writes the scene hits an excellent balance — he avoids gratuitous gruesomeness while not sparing the reader from the brutality of the moment. A scene which once again shows the impressive consistency of the characters — especially the one who is affected the most by the event that takes place in this episode.

All characters are coherent within their personalities, but never unidimensional. I was particularly pleased at the way Brett is a prick when talking to Stan, but mostly reasonable when talking to everyone else. Kitrick also steals the scene on the latter half of the issue, and it’s very believable, how Stan and Cindy are practically reading each other’s minds at this point.

The art by Jacen Burrows is — pretty much the same from all previous issues. Which is to say magnificent. It’s interesting how all three of the Ennis’ books I’m reviewing this week are not only beautifully-drawn, but especially good at facial expressions. And the look on the face of a character as they do what is no doubt the most painful thing they’ve ever done is nothing short of superb: it manages to express pain and disgust in a single, heartbreaking look. Burrows’ ability at drawing scenery remains absolutely impressive, and I could care less about the fact he rarely uses shadows — his style doesn’t need it. Juanmar’s colours are, however, no more than passable, and the way night-time scenes are colored is dull to say the least. There’s also a mistake: on a panel, Stan’s half-open mouth is colored in a brown tone instead of teeth-white.

Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” is a clear influence for Garth Ennis (who is a fan of McCarthy, after all), and he’s putting it to good use. “Crossed” is a beautifully bleak tale so far, one that, like everything Ennis writes somehow, I’m always looking forward to the next issue.

1270 words, another four books, keep it up, Andre, keep it up…

Ah, this is good.

This might be exceedingly obvious to anyone who reads my reviews regularly (which is to say no-one, and I think I should be grateful for that), but I loved “Chronicles of Wormwood”, and I liked the sequel “The Last Enemy” despite Rob Steen’s artwork, which was so, so horrendous he probably made it by sticking the butt of the pencil in his eyeball and moving it around the paper.

But “The Last Battle” not only keeps up the excellent writing standards of the series, it also brings in the very talented Oscar Jimenez, whose art could use LESS details, but he’s far from being a Juan Jose “let’s draw five tons of debris flying out from a punch on someone’s face” Ryp. His visual storytelling, scenery and (you guessed it) facial expressions are impeccable, especially the moment Wormwood receives some shocking news — the look on his face is perfect to the point of causing laughter, and I love the angle Jimenez chooses to depict it (the same angle he chooses for the person who delivers said news, which is a great narrative rhyme). And strangely, in this comic, Juanmar’s colours are fucking excellent, especially the just-mentioned scene about Wormwood receiving the news — while the person who delivers the news is covered in bright sunlight, Wormwood is covered in shadows, which perfectly symbolizes the very distinct meanings those news have for each of them.

As for Ennis, well, this is Ennis on his adorable “dark humor” mode, which prioritizes comedy and succeeds. The talking bunny is as great as it’s always been, and the dialogue is priceless (the talk show with Carnovitz’s wife is absolutely hilarious). And I love how Wormwood, during a particularly difficult moment, uses his typical introduction “I am Danny Wormwood, blah blah blah” to convey just how fucked he is, although here the lettering screws up by not joining caption and balloon properly (I rarely mention lettering in Avatar books since it’s usually decent and consistent, plus it’s an uncredited group effort, but this was too noticeable a mistake not to notice).

I can’t really say more because I am just blatantly sucking Ennis’ cock at this point. I think you get it. Three very, very good books. Buy them.

Aaaaaah 1660 words aaaaaaah still three books left aaaaAAAAAAAAAH–

– Aaaaabsolution #02. Haha, see what I did there? Why, yes, I AM very tired.

This series started off promising, despite being a double cliche (cop with mental issues, also a superhero). I’m happy to say it has raised its quality standard in this issue, already starting with a brilliant splash page, drawn magnificently well by Roberto Viacava (who has improved immensely too). The story intelligently makes it difficult to agree or disagree with the protagonist’s methods — he’s turning into a monster, but to put down other monsters the law can’t touch, and Christos Gage is portraying his mental downfall very well by not having him completely realize what he’s doing. It’s disturbing how easily he lies about it, and his increasingly cruel methods of execution.

And execution is the strength of “Absolution”. As I said, no matter how many spins you apply, this story isn’t original by any stretch, but it is, so far, well-told. A particularly excellent scene is when Gage and Viacava illustrate how many super-powered beings could be responsible for the “bullet-less hole” method of execution the protagonist has been using. And while religious subplots tipically annoy me, here it’s introduced as a half-assed excuse he uses to justify his own actions.

The dialogue and the characters are believable, if not original or even too interesting — but there’s still plenty of room for that in future issues.

Viacava’s art, as I already mentioned, has gone from “decent” to “just short of spectacular”. For most of the issue, it’s excellent. On splash pages, it’s fantastic. There is a double page spread that is simply flawless: dynamic, intense and detailed without using action lines or any other cheap techniques. Viacava also shows great ability for visual storytelling, and an even greater ability for action scenes. He should make sure that regardless of where “Absolution” goes, it’ll be a pretty book. The colours by Juanm — er, Digikore Studios are efficient, but not impressive.

“Absolution” is well on its way to explore its full potential, even if it’s limited by an unoriginal premise.

2000 words, two books to go, bed has developed a voice and is calling me incessantly –

It’s interesting, how this week has showed Warren Ellis at his worst and at his absolute best. Let’s start by the former. “Astonishing X-Men 31″ has the typical Ellis problem I mentioned in previous issues of this series — overly clever dialogue that sounds way more concerned about entertaining the reader than actually being coherent. There’s several examples: Abigail Brand wisecrackingly talking to herself, Henry McCoy making a very trivial comment about the possibility of losing his girlfriend (while she’s still in danger), Emma Frost dropping one-liners –it’s just Ellis talking. He’s not worried about making each character sound like themselves and this is a serious problem.

Another problem is that this whole issue is pretty much a prologue for the actual story, since it deals entirely with the X-Men trying to rescue Brand as she enters the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled vehicle. And that wouldn’t be a problem if the rescue was believable, which it isn’t, even for a superhero book. I do not think Storm can fly at Mach Fucking-Hell alongside a falling spaceship with no trouble at all, and Wolverine’s and Armor’s high-altitude acrobatics aren’t less exaggerated.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s an entertaining issue. But the writing is shallow at best and not what I expect from Ellis.

Phil Jimenez’s art, on the other hand, is beautiful and inventive, and richly inked by Andy Lanning. In fact, if it wasn’t for the great artwork, this issue would probably be very dull. Frank D’Armata’s colouring manages to be as good as Jimenez and Lanning, making for a visually fantastic issue, at least. Joe Caramagna’s lettering is decent, despite having one instance of confusing balloon placement (the one after “She says it’s not enough…”, although you can’t tell which one comes after it at first — hence the bad balloon placement).

Dull writing, great art, acceptable issue, but instantly forgettable.

My fingers might be going numb, but fuck it — the next book is a book I’ve been wanting to read and review for a long time, so I won’t even lower the image size much:

Fuck. Yes.

“Planetary” is Warren Ellis at his best. It’s a series very close to my heart. It’s superbly written, drawn and colored. Issue #25 — read while listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In The Sky” — sparked the mental image that inspired the novel I’m currently writing. And issue #18 is one of the best single issues of any comic I’ve ever read, a beautiful, nostalgic piece.

Shame issue #27 is such a disappointment.

…

I’m fucking joking, you idiot. It’s magnificent.

It concerns the last loose end in the story — Ambrose, the Planetary operative with physics-bending powers who seemingly froze time around himself when he was about to die from gunshot wounds. In order to set up his rescue, Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and The Drummer must get around the complicated theories regarding time travel and find a way to bring him back from the frozen time bubble — which will resume time and bleed him out from the wounds if he’s not treated immediately.

Said theories are presented by Ellis in a way that is easy to understand without insulting our intelligence, and they’re fascinating. I especially love how The Drummer mentions a time machine can only go back to the past until the point it was switched on — because before then, the time machine didn’t exist (this being a time machine that does not teleport itself with the person inside it, but only the person inside it). But Ellis does not introduce all those theories only to show off — they all play a part in building up to the superb ending, which is so well-written and epic I could practically hear a Howard Shore-esque score in my head.

It’s science-gasm, and very well-written science-gasm. But Ellis doesn’t overlook his characters, and gives Jakita Wagner a brief moment of insecurity regarding her future. And the discussions between Elijah and Drums regarding the dangerous activation of a time machine (to put it simplistically, every time traveler from the future coming to take a look and collapsing all dimensional realities) not only are vital for the story, but are written in a way that show the respect they’ve grown for one another over time.

John Cassaday works so well with Ellis that saying he’s practically an extension of Ellis’ brain would be… terribly unfair. Cassaday shines by his own. The beauty of his composition, shadowing, his unique style — all of that is unparalleled. He’s a genius with subtleties, especially, something particularly noticeable by the panels showing reactions from Elijah, Jakita and Drummer simultaneously — while Jakita and Drummer are visibly shocked or impressed, Elijah is quieter, like he knows something they don’t. This is very clear on the panel after they finally manage to get a visual on the bubble Ambrose is inside of — Elijah’s face expresses not only concern, but quiet awe at what he’s seeing.

And the splash pages, well — Cassaday’s unbelievable talent for them is pretty well established at this point, and he doesn’t come even close to disappointing here. Laura Martin, this series’ wonderful colorist, delivers a brilliant palette of golden tones that are both beautiful and evocative. The splash page showing someone walking out of the light is a clear example of How To Fucking Colour A Comic — and it’s ironic that the colours on that page are simple — which is the reason it works so well.

It’s over. And what an ending. I take my hat off to Warren Ellis, John Cassaday and Laura Martin, and thank them for one of the most well-plotted, beautiful-looking and downright clever series I’ve had the pleasure of reading. “Planetary” utterly captures that feeling of awe and wonder I like so much.

It’s a strange world indeed.

And now, time for me to pass out bfore i cam no long er typ oh sht ho sht fukc dmnit

¿Habéis leído “Wormwood”?  Si no lo habéis hecho, y os apetece algo ácido, retorcido y macarra, ya tenéis lectura para el puente. A alguno le sonará el nombre de Garth Ennis por comics como “Predicador”. Pues esto es de lo último que ha escrito.

De un tipo como Garth Ennis te puedes esperar cualquier cosa, y no falla. En este caso, rememorando algunos esbozos que ya se marcaron precisamente por su obra, entramos de lleno en el tema “catolicismo”. Algunos pensarán que es muy fácil poder meterse contra la iglesia. Y bien, creo que esto se va a descubrir pronto. Ya hemos pasado el “boom vampírico”, o casi. ¿Lo próximo? El tema “iglesia”, “cristianismo”… Va tocando.

El protagonista es el mismísimo hijo de Satanás. “El anticristo”.  Se trata de una versión que podría ser como otra cualquiera sobre tratados y profecías ya escritas en la Biblia (y dadas la vuelta en esta ocasión). Me ha gustado especialmente la caracterización de Jesucristo como hombre de raza negra, algo que todavía está por probar y de lo que se especula con muchísimas posibilidades.

Si os sentís identificados con esta ola de negatividad en la que el ser humano es el culpable de todos los males que asolan la Tierra, y que estamos destinados a pudrirnos por lo que somos, os va  a gustar especialmente.

Tirando de la oportuna frase: “Lo que Dios ha unido, que no lo separe el hombre”, me quito el sombrero ante la colaboración con Jace Burrows. Brutal dibujo a color. Esperemos que ningún productor meta la pata. La unión de ambos artistas cuaja en “303”, otro comic algo más soso, que no me atreveré a tachar de mancha en ningún historial. Ambos han seguido juntos este matrimonio por “Wormwood” y posteriormente por “Crossed” del que ya hablaremos otro día.

Me quedo con la frase: “La Biblia es un libro escrito por hombres, como el Corán, o El León, la Bruja y el Armario. Solo son conjeturas, a las que la Iglesia y la Monarquía han echado un poco de chicha para aterrorizar a los campesinos”.

Y cuantos campesinos hay…

I realized that I’ve gotten 4 posts up in as many days, so with Matt off in the woods converting to Judaism and worshiping a giant owl, I’m going to see if I can make it through an entire week of posts.  I don’t really think I can do it, but I’ll give it a shot.

I fear I’m filling out the Grumpy Old Man Pants a little too well recently, so I’d like to go a little more positive and talk about some of the things I’m digging lately.

HITMAN – I’m only about 15 years late to this party, but I just read through the first year (-ish) of Hitman and am happy to agree with every other person who’s read it: it is an excellent book. Let me get my prejudices out of the way first: I don’t have much interest in killers. There’s enough brutality in real life. Therefore, it’s the mark of a very good writer who can overcome that initial bias (think Dexter, Leon, or Garth Ennis’ Punisher). Ennis’ disdain for superheroes and the DCU is on full display here: Batman is vomited on in the first issue and Green Lantern is a well-meaning (if dim) bumbler.

Despite all of this, Ennis writes an incredibly engaging story. He goes supernatural as Hell tries to recruit Tommy. He does wonders with a Blackest Night crossover just telling the story of guys waiting for the end of the world. He shows the heartbreak of losing a best friend. And lest this get too serious (this is Garth Ennis, after all), Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium (issues 13-14) is downright hilarious.

Hitman is a book definitely better read late than never. It holds up incredibly well when DCU “current events” that pop up from time to time, and even our main character dismisses the Bloodlines event that kicked it off. Best of all, these back issues can be found on the cheap, a definite plus when you’re suffering from Cover Price Burnout.

All-Select Comics  70th Anniversary Special – I’m about a month late reading through this one, but it’s a real treat. I will pick up anything by Michael Kupperman and Marvex the Super-Robot (who just seems to stop random crimes he stumbles upon and takes off his clothes a lot) seems right up his alley. After reading it, though…It seems a bit random and sparse even for Mr. Kupperman. Fortunately, Marvel included a couple Marvex stories from Daring Comics and…Kupperman’s story is spot on! The original Marvex stories appear to be a cross between Fletcher Hanks’ Stardust and, well…A Michael Kupperman robot story. Sure, I’d rather see more Snake N Bacon or Tales Designed to Thrizzle, but as long as we’re seeing Kupperman comics somewhere, there’s still good news for the medium. (I also feel like I should point out Fletcher Hanks Redux, a project by Savannah College of Art and Design students working with Hanks’ characters.)

I’m feeling much better now, thanks. Matt, you can have your pants back. At least until next week.

In Herogasm #05, Garth Ennis provides insight into the motivations of three separate characters: Hughie, the Homelander and the Man From Vought-American. Hughie is growing tired of not fitting in with the rest of the team, a feeling augmented by the humiliation of his encounter with Black Noir on issue three. The Homelander is quickly realizing how powerful he and his peers are, and how, together, they can do anything they want. And the Man From Vought-American is keeping Homelander on a leash. Ennis tackles all that with impressive fluidity (and his typical sense of humor, especially during an hilarious awards ceremony), aided by John McCrea’s and Keith Burns’ hugely improved artwork.

Hughie, as ever, continues to be an intriguing character — he’s an important part of the team, but the reader never feels he’s truly a part of it — a feeling he obviously shares. The series has been intelligent in implying this not only narratively, but visually as well — even while wearing the black trenchcoat that is The Boys’ trademark, he’s always wearing the green sweater beneath it, creating a contrast that brilliantly emphasizes how out of place he is. It’s become the pink elephant in the room. Less talented writers would have needed a character to just mention it, but Ennis is more than capable of making something clear without that. Hughie is growing impatient and tired, and my impression is that Butcher is not only noticing it, but sharing a similar feeling towards him.

However, this is nothing new — what truly made this issue for me was the silent confrontation between the Homelander and the Man From Vought-American. You might recall that on issue two, the former destroyed a plane, leaving no survivors, and did so for no apparent reason. Issue five reveals that’s just it — he did it for no reason. Because he felt like it. The Homelander knows he’s the most powerful superhuman in the planet and yet, he’s being kept on a leash by a little corporate shit with a need-to-know-basis attitude. This same little shit, though, is much smarter than the Homelander, and Ennis makes the climax of this issue a simple exchange of looks that means much more than it could be put into words. Before that, though, there is a brilliant dialogue scene between the Man From Vought-American and a woman, which further emphasizes his constantly alert, calculating mind.

When this spin-off mini-series started, John McCrea’s and Keith Burns’ artwork was overly cartoonish, but here they seem to have found a balance. It’s nowhere near the magic McCrea’s capable of when his work is being inked by Garry Leach, but it’s not bad art either. The storytelling is clear and straightforward, and no matter what style he chooses, McCrea’s always great at shadowing. The facials expressions are much more restrained than in previous issues, where McCrea and Burns portrayed surprise or shock by drawing eyes so huge they were almost circles. In this issue, they are more consistent, almost on “Hitman” level (McCrea’s magnum opus as an artist, although Garry Leach is due a lot of credit for his superb inking). But some pages still lack detail, especially the one with this story’s title, which has the characters talking in front of a white background instead of a floor. Tony Avina’s coloring, as always, gives no reason for complaints and can be very subtle — with the awards ceremony being colored in bright, vivid tones while the bar where the Man From Vought-American drinks in receives sober tones that evoke an atmosphere of calm and silence. Finally, Simon Bowland’s lettering, as consistent as Avina’s work, is intense when necessary, nicely organized and pretty.

This spin-off series is proving just as important (and good) as the main series, and is receiving the same amount of care and attention.

As for “Unknown Soldier #12″, I’m happy to say that, while Alberto Ponticelli and Oscar Celestini deliver the same amateur artwork (although Ponticelli has an important highlights, which I’ll talk about later on), writer Joshua Dysart has outdone himself — and considering the quality of this book, that is saying a lot. The conclusion of the “Easy Kill” arc is incredibly clever and displays what, for me, is Dysart’s greatest talent as a writer: no matter what the issue is about, he never forgets to develop the characters — and in this issue, with the plot coming to a close, he had every excuse to neglect that, and he didn’t. This book already starts with the Soldier himself having an internal monologue that implies how he’s starting to fully become the monster that took him over and leaving every trace of Lwanga Moses behind — which rhymes beautifully with this issue’s last panel.

Jack Lee Howl, the CIA guy, is shaping up to be a great character — initially, I didn’t think that much of him, but his chemistry with the Soldier is enriching both characters to an impressive degree, and the way they work together in this issue is almost casual, like they’ve been doing so for years. “Unknown Soldier” is a book full of subtleties, from Sera’s confusion regarding her “late” husband to the Soldier’s methods of interrogation (sticking his thumb under the guy’s upper lip and a finger on each of his lower eyelids, ready to claw his face off). Dysart doesn’t hold back on the action scenes either, with the characters doing everything in their power to survive — even if, for that, they have to resort to a knife in the testicles or, in T’anay’s case, sexual appeal. There’s only one inconsistency that nagged at me — the way a character is shot and falls from a great height. Problem is, this character was lying on his stomach and didn’t seem close enough to the edge to fall that way, so I have to wonder whether Dysart allowed for some suspension of disbelief here or Ponticelli’s visual storytelling simply failed — and one of his artwork’s few strong traits is that his visual storytelling is clear and competent.

In fact, for all his flaws, Ponticelli delivers this time, at least when it comes to the storytelling. If he devoted more practice to everything else (his atrocious faces, bad expressions, sketchy shadowing, sketchy lines, lack of detail, dodgy perspective) he could be a truly great artist. There’s only one panel that is overdone, which is the one where the Soldier cuts someone’s throat as he storms into a room. Aside from that, the action scenes are surprisingly clear, and one of them happens inside a small hotel room that could very easily become confusing — yet, I could understand what was going on without having to backtrack to the previous panels. A lot of the credit goes to Dysart’s writing (especially when he adds a layer of irony to one of the scenes, which happens during a speech against violence), but Ponticelli’s art deserves applause for how clear it is even when staging complicated fights.

And this is true for the whole series, I must add: despite all the many, many, many flaws, Ponticelli’s art has never been unclear and has, ultimately, told the story — it could have done it far, far better, but it told the story anyway. I only wish he’d polish his style. There’s a couple of moments, for example, when the Soldier’s bandages are partially undone by a strong impact, but on the next panel they’re neatly in place again. On the other hand, Ponticelli does not use action lines to portray movement OR impact, which I consider a good thing.

Celestini’s coloring, though, is simply bad. I can’t find anything to like on it. He colors within the lines but I’d expect that from ANY so-called “professional” color artist. His shading is horrendous — not only he doesn’t soften it, he usually colors a character with no more than two tones — and these tones tend to be either a much darker tone or a much lighter tone, with no subtlety at all. This is especially noticeable on the scene where Sera introduces Rachel to Margaret.

Fortunately, there’s Clem Robins’ lettering, which contributes to the action scenes thanks to its intensity, which always suits whatever’s happening. Robins is a master in choosing the right sizes for the font, and shifts between them frequently but not gratuitously. When a character screams, they really SCREAM (I feel I’ve already said this before, but it’s still true), and in order to show someone whispering, Robins decreases the font size. This might seem like the obvious thing to do, but I’ve seen letterers trying to show the same thing by making the font transparent, for fuck’s sake. Robins’ also places the sound effects in a way that doesn’t interfere with the art but instead completes it, and the font he uses for those is strong, but never overdone. “Intense”, however, is not the only adjective to refer to Robins’ work. While it certainly is very intense on action scenes, it’s remarkably subtle most of the time, like on the scene we see a reporter adressing a camera — Robins lowers her font size, emphasizing the atmosphere of the scene rather than what she’s saying — which helps build up the tension for the climax of the story.

I’m glad this series has never lost its initial brilliance and, in fact, sets a new high standard every month. The next two issues will have a new artist, Pat Masioni. Let’s see what he brings to the table. Whether his artwork is wonderful or shitty, Dysart’s writing is so good I’d read it even if it was drawn by Rob Liefeld. With his feet.

Un dibujo muy malo con una historia bastante flojilla.

Streets of Glory

Tomo 17×26cms, tapa blanda, 160 páginas a color

Guión: Garth Ennis
Dibujo: Mike Wolfer
Color: Greg Waller, Andrew Dalhouse
Correspondencia Original: Streets Of Glory TPB

El retrato de una era que se negaba a desaparecer sin presentar batalla. Garth Ennis redefine el western con una brutal historia de violencia.
El interés de Garth Ennis por el Oeste Americano ya se hizo patente en su obra maestra Predicador.Ahora, con Streets of Glory, nos ofrece un apasionate relato que se desarrolla en ese entorno realista y despiadado que recreó a la perfección la serie de la HBO Deadwood y cuyo protagonista recuerda al inolvidable y atormentado pistolero de Sin Perdón. Corre el año 1899, las praderas están llenas de vallas. Los villanos están entre rejas o enterrados. El salvaje oeste ha llegado a su fin. Pero a alguien se le olvidó comentárselo a Joseph R. Dunn.
Soldado, procurador, pistolero y cazarrecompensas, Dunn ha visto crecer América de un territorio salvaje, a lo que él ha contribuido en gran medida matandoa unos cuantos hombres. Ahora se reencuentra con viejos amigos y hace otros nuevos, tropieza con un antiguo amor, en cuyos brazos espera acabar sus días. Pero lo peor de la frontera aún no ha desaparecido. El pasado de Dunn le persigue en la figura de Cuervo Rojo, un renegado apache sediento de sangre. Darle caza resultará más difícil de lo previsto, pues hay fuerzas superiores a las de las balas, yenemigos ocultos en la sombra que no se pueden abatir con un revolver Colt o un rifle Henry.

Precio: 15.00 €

Streets of Glory: Joseph R. Dunn es uno de los últimos grandes pistoleros del siglo XIX llega hasta Gladback, Montana y se encuentra con un viejo conocido del ejército (que ahora lleva un bar) y una vieja amiga, la doctora del pueblo, viuda dos años atrás y que se casó ya embarazada.
Asi que Dunn llega a un pueblo en el que se encuentra a su mejor amigo, a la mujer que ama y a una hija que desconocía… ¿habrá encontrado el lugar en el que quedarse? El problema es que un viejo enemigo, un indio salvaje llamado Cuervo Rojo, parece haber llegado siguiendo su rastro… o quizás esté allí por otras razones. Unas razones relacionadas con un hombre rico recién llegado al pueblo…

A ver, la historia no es mala, pero es muy tópica y lo peor es el dibujo, un dibujo que no me gustó en ningún momento y que, incluso más que eso, me resultó sumamente desagradable. Y eso provoca que su lectura se haga tan pesada. Quizás me parecería mejor si hubiese tenido un buen dibujante…

Após o anuncio de reestruturação da editora DC Comics (que passa a se chamar DC Entertainment e a ter mais autonomia em relação à Warner), foram divulgados algumas novidades relacionadas às adaptações para o cinema de personagens da empresa. A primeira – e melhor – delas é o filme do Lobo dirigido por Guy Ritchie.

O produtor Joel Silver finalmente tirou do papel a produtção do longa do Maioral. Esse filme, inclusive, já teve seu roteiro reescrito várias vezes, sendo a última delas por Don Payne. Se essa versão será usado ou não, ainda é um mistério.

A idéia, segundo a Variety, é fazer um filme com censura 13 anos. Isso deve descaracterizar um pouco um dos personagem mais violentos e desbocados da DC, mas nada que Guy Ritchie não consiga contornar. O ator Jeffrey Dean Morgan, que fez o Comediante em “Watchmen”, se interessou pelo papel, mas nada foi divulgado oficialmente.

Lobo, o Maioral

A segunda boa notícia é a adaptação de Preacher, clássico da Vertigo – divisão adulta da DC Comics – criada por Garth Ennis. Pouca coisa foi divulgada, mas parece que esse é mais um caso de filme que demorou a sair do papel. O diretor Sam Mendes contou a revista Empire que teve acessa a um novo roteiro, gostou do que viu e disse que a produção está mais avançada do que nunca.

Pra quem não sabe, Preacher conta a história do pastor texano Jesse Custer que tem seu corpo possuído por uma entidade sobrenatural, uma mistura de anjo com demônio, e viaja pelos EUA para encontrar Deus, que abandonou o paraíso. Pura blasfêmia, humor negro e violência.

Jesse Custer, protagonista de Preacher

A última – e péssima – notícia diz respeito ao maior icone da editora americana. A nova presidente da DC Entertainment, Diane Nelson, afirmou que o próximo filme do Superman vai demorar bastante para sair. Isso por causa das batalhas judiciais intermináveis em relação aos direitos do personagem e ao fato da última incursão do Azulão no cinema não ter ido tão bem assim.

Hace un mes, más o menos, planteé aquí y en Pues A Mí Me Ha Gustado la posibilidad de elaborar una lista que recogiera “los mejores cómics del siglo XXI”. Con tan modesto objetivo, se pidió opinión a la Comunidad para que dejara en este blog y en dicho foro su Top 10 de cómics publicados en los últimos diez años (algunos no han podido ceñirse a diez, pero como aquí no hay normas estrictas, pues también vale). El objetivo de todo esto es, principalmente, conocer los cómics publicados en lo que va de década que más han gustado, y así poder hacernos una idea de los “imprescindibles” que nos faltan por leer.

Si no te has leído estos tres, tus amigos te retirarán la palabra.

Se ve que a alguno más el tema le ha parecido interesante y la participación ha sido mucho mejor de lo que esperaba, así que he podido recabar un buen puñado de opiniones y votos que, tras un estricto escrutinio, arroja la siguiente lista de must haves. Por estricto orden de votos conseguidos (redoble de tambores):

• 1º Daredevil (de Brian Michael Bendis)
• 2º The Ultimates (Mark Millar)
• 3º Los Muertos Vivientes (Walking Dead) (Robert Kirkman)
• 4º Sleeper (Ed Brubaker)
• 5º Fábulas (Bill Willingham)
• 6º Invencible (Robert Kirkman)
• 7º Alias (Brian Michael Bendis)
• 8º All Star Superman (Grant Morrison)
• 9º Y, el último hombre (Brian K. Vaughan)
• 10º Planetary (Warren Ellis)

Analizando un poquillo la lista, uno se da cuenta de que estamos absolutamente colonizados por el cómic USA (pasa también con el cine), algo obvio si se tiene en cuenta que son los mayores productores de la industria. Y que hay dos autores que consiguen colar dos obras cada uno: Brian Michael Bendis y Robert Kirkman. Habría que destacar que los tres primeros han recibido un número muy similar de votos, por lo que parece que las opiniones son bastante coincidentes con estos cómics.

¿Qué os parece? ¿interesados? ¿sorprendidos? ¿estáis de acuerdo? ¿indignados? Personalmente me sorprende ver fuera de la lista obras como el Capitán América de Ed Brubaker, The Autohority o el Spiderman de Strackzinsky, no porque sean mejores que los que figuran, sino porque, a priori, me parecían más populares y con más seguidores potenciales.

Cómo curiosidad os diré que sólo hay tres que estaban en mi lista. Así que muchos de los cómics que componen este “top 10″ no los he leído (por ejemplo el que encabeza la lista). Otros sí, pero no los pondría entre mis diez favoritos (en especial uno). Por lo que a mí respecta, esta iniciativa me ha sido bastante útil: ya sé cuáles son mis próximas lecturas obligatorias.

Por último, enumero una serie de cómics que no han entrado en estos “Diez Mandamientos”, pero que han obtenido un número muy significativo de votos, por lo que se deben mencionar como muy recomendables:

Ultimate Spiderman (Brian Michael Bendis). The Punisher, línea MAX (Gath Ennis). Persépolis (Marjane Satrapi). Superman: Identidad Secreta (Kurt Busiek). New X-Men (Grant Morrison). Runaways (Brian K. Vaughan). The New Frontier (Darwyn Cooke). The Autohority (Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Brubaker…). Fuerza X/X-Static (Peter Milligan). 100 Balas (Brian Azzarello). Predicador (Garth Ennis). Amazing Spiderman (etapa de J. Michael Strackzinsky). Supreme Power (J. Michael Strackzinsky). Monster (Naoki Urasawa). La Liga de los Hombres Extraordinarios (Alan Moore).

PD: Podéis seguir opinando sobre el tema, y editaré la lista en un futuro en función de las posibles nuevas votaciones.

Jun 2009 | Avatar

Writing: Garth Ennis
Art: Jacen Burrows
Colour: Juanmar

The group continues their planning and learn some shocking things about one of their group mates.

Another wonderful issue. That scene where Geoff comes out and tells his story was totally hilarious and wonderful. I could totally picture that timid old man doing something like that. Damn, that was good.

And I still have only good things to say about this series, it’s wonderful dark and disturbing tone, and the beautiful violence. Their troubles just continue being a downward spiral and I’m always anxious what wonderful things await in the next issue. I will be sorry to see this end. There’s really not enough stuff like this out there.

Read it.

With Darick Robertson to return only on the next issue (although his covers have been excellent as usual), “The Boys” continues to be a very well-written, but visually problematic ongoing. The two artists chosen to be Robertson’s replacement, John McCrea and Carlos Ezquerra, are both competent in their respective fields, but unsuited for this story. And in this issue, Ezquerra — and his inker Hector Ezquerra — do a especially underwhelming job.

Garth Ennis, though, is in complete control of the story he’s telling, and I like the way Billy Butcher uses a “World War II” strategy to fight Stormfront. The reinforcements they had called on the previous issue are not a new character, like I had thought, but an old one I quite like and was happy to see again. And now, apparently, “the man from Vought-American” seems to be in charge of Vought-American, which puts things under a whole new light.

As usual, it’s Hughie that’s given the most attention, as he grows more and more uncomfortable with his job — something he says to the bed-ridden, comatose female for lack of any other ear. And the way Ennis ends this confession is intelligent and hilarious in its irony. The dialogue, as usual, comes off very natural without losing its cleverness, and Ennis leaves little unanswered bits for the next issues, as he usually does.

But Ezquerra’s artwork diminishes his efforts. His Billy Butcher looks nowhere near the “knowing smile” version Darick Robertson and, to an extent, John McCrea can do. In fact, his Billy Butcher looks an awful lot like Kev, from “The Authority”, another (excellent) Ennis character. But it’s not just character likeness and facial expressions that Ezquerra gets wrong (the latter by drawing eyes almost completely shut at any given time, making it look like all the characters are squinting for no reason), but also, and especially, one of his strengths — visual storytelling. Ezquerra doesn’t even bother to divide action scenes in panels, drawing the characters in several poses across the page in a sloppy, lazy way that represents a problem for letterer Simon Bowland — especially on the panel where a dialogue balloon comes from off-panel, but, with no panel divisions, Bowland is forced to make the balloon’s tail go off the right of the page, on the complete opposite direction the voice is supposed to be coming from — since the proper direction doesn’t have a line to indicate the end of the panel. Or, more accurately, there are no fucking panels. In fact, Ezquerra completely forgets to add bruises and wounds to The Boys after the fight (except for bandages, and if he forgot THAT I’d think he’d hit his head somewhere), forcing colorist Tony Avina to do everything himself.

Fortunately, on the next issue, Robertson is returning from his vacation in Hawaii to this ongoing and should get it back to its high visual standards. Fortunately, the writing standards continue to be as high as they always were, with Billy Butcher having a quick conversation with Mother’s Milk that opens up a very good question.

And, by the way, next issue is M. M.’s origin. I’ve been looking forward to that one.

“Dark Entries” is a graphic novel — or, as the cover says, a graphic mystery, which could perhaps refer to the artwork, but Dell’edera’s visual narrative isn’t that bad — by Ian Rankin. In it, John Constantine is tasked with finding out why a “haunted house reality show” called Dark Entries is scaring its participants not with special effects, but, apparently, by accident — the house itself seems to have gotten a mind of its own. And eventually, Constantine participates in the show himself.

That right there is one of the novel’s main, and many, problems. Constantine accepts this far too easily. And very stupidly. A man with his experience would never go so far into an investigation, essentially putting himself into a potential trap, without knowing what’s wrong. And yet he does, and the novel starts going crazier and crazier and relying too heavily on its own distorted mythology (like a broken chain of events that doesn’t allow some characters to go through a TV — yeah, if this sounds out-of-context to you now, sorry, but it still sounds ridiculous after hundreds of pages building up to it).

The twists in the story are hardly original — which in itself is not a problem if they’re well-executed and coherent. They aren’t. In fact, they weaken the novel, giving it a “camp” feel. Rankin’s depiction of Hell is especially ridiculous, and so is the addition of a villain in the third act of the story.

John’s relationship with the reality show participants is equally problematic, going from hostile to easy to hostile again, and then John bangs one of them, they casually enter their bedroom and act like nothing’s wrong despite them being half-naked on the bed. Simply put, it’s sloppy, unconvincing writing. Rankin is more interested in unveiling the story’s internal mythology rather than giving his characters coherence — despite John being just one of them in their eyes, they still bend over to whatever he has to say far too easily without dissenting actions or opinions.

Werther Dell’edera’s art is as bureaucratic as the writing. The visual storytelling is uninspired and even unclear at times, and his characters don’t have a lot for us to tell them apart. It’s such boring, simple artwork I find myself at a loss for anything else to say about it. So I won’t. At least, Clem Robins’ lettering is as efficient as it always is — fortunately, the letterer doesn’t try to create a different kind of caption for every character (a narrative resource Rankin overuses), since this could be even more confusing, so he keeps everything simple and with his typically beautiful font.

Overdone and extremely camp on its third act and ending underwhelmingly, “Dark Entries” is a story that portrays John Constantine’s world as being far lighter and easier than it really is, and the aforementioned “camp” feel is unsuited to the character, to use an euphemism. It reads like the first draft of a potentially good tale that should have been more haunting and well-planned.

My reviews of “Unknown Soldier” are, yes, getting a little repetitive. The writing is exceptional, the lettering is brilliant, the artwork is poor, the colouring is amateur. In fact, artist Alberto Ponticelli seems to be unable to draw faces now, as well. The guy Jack Lee Howl calls has a face that — well, more accurately, he doesn’t have a face, just a bunch of poorly-arranged lines that would make Rob Liefeld proud. And now that I’ve gotten to the point of comparing Ponticelli’s art to Liefeld, I think continuing to bash it is useless. Suffice to say, it’s bad, and colorist Oscar Celestini doesn’t help — in fact, he makes it worse. Now. To the good bits.

The “Easy Kill” arc is dealing with a complicated moral choice that is even harder for someone like Lwanga Moses, a killer with a split personality, to face (get it? “Face”? Moses “facing” a oh forget it). On the previous issue, Moses was convinced not to kill Margaret Wells. Thanks to a beautifully-written speech by his wife Sera, he realized whatever good the death of Wells could bring would still be temporary, cheap and extremely bad PR (“Look! We kill famous actresses here! Help us out!”). However, Moses’ employers do not share this opinion, and he decides to team-up with CIA agent and professional loser Jack Lee Howl to prevent the assassination of Wells.

The relationship between Howl and Moses is one of this issue’s highlights. Both men know perfectly well they’re using each other to achieve their own ends, and when Howl tries to help Moses pull himself together, he does so clearly with his own interests in mind. In fact, this is one of the several moments where Clem Robins’ lettering shines. On the panel where Moses says “I’ve done some very bad things”, Ponticelli’s art goes for an awkward pose and an overly sad expression comparable to this one:

Robins compensates for this exaggeration by decreasing the font’s size, making it look like Moses is not only speaking in a low tone of voice, but also more to himself than to anyone. Hard to tell whether this decrease in font size was Robins’ call or Dysart’s, but it’s still very well-done nonetheless, and the lettering on the rest of the issue is typically very good.

Dysart also dedicates several pages to Sera and her difficulty in dealing with the discovery that Moses had an ex-fiancée, and that she and her father want to attend the Lwanga benefit dinner. Dysart’s writing is sensitive and develops her character immensely in a single issue — which, as usual, ends with an elegant sequence of panels and the title of the arc on the final page. And I must be fair — the first panel of the final page is a rare example of Ponticelli doing a decent job.

“Herogasm #04″, which at first seemed to be just Ennis sitting back and taking the piss out of superheroes for the sake of laughs, reveals a deeper storyline about what happened in nine-eleven in this book’s universe. And Ennis narrates it with his typical skill and excellent dialogue. The flashback that happens inside a brothel and that puts Agent Lucero in an awkward situation (to say the least) is priceless, and the whole sequence inside the situation room is very well-written.

The surprise here is John McCrea and Keith Burns, whose artwork got miles better all of a sudden. Achieving a good balance between cartoonish and realistic, they get the narrative right and especially, they get president Dakota Bob perfectly, nailing his confident face and iron will. I also like the shadowing, something McCrea, no matter what style he uses, has always been very talented with. Tony Avina’s coloring is also very inspired and detailed, going above “efficient”, which is the adjective I commonly use to describe it, and Simon Bowland’s lettering has shown equal improvement — it was already competent, and now it has moments of brilliance here and there, like in the moment Agent Lucero says something with several pauses, or a pilot begs Norad to let him carry out an order.

And finally… “Batman And Robin #3″. I will stop reviewing this book. Because, really, I don’t know why I’m still doing it. I hate Morrison’s take on Batman, and this issue has a villain called Pyg that goes “oink oink oink”. Enough. I’ll simply never like this book and my reviews will be biased because I hate the “Batman” run that bred this book in the first place. So, I stop.

(Quitely’s art is notably far from its usual quality, though)

(and the coloring AAAGH STOP REVIEWING)

Con todos ustedes una obra que, de haber contado con un mejor dibujante podría haber sido francamente buena…

El Soldado Desconocido

Guión: Garth Ennis
Dibujo: Kilian Plunkett
Color: James Sinclair

Correspondencia Original: Unknown Soldier 1, 2, 3, 4

Serie limitada de 2 tomos.
56 y 48 pág.

El agente William Clyde ha tropezado con una sangrienta trama de corrupción y asesinato de la política exterior americana.
Todas las pistas giran en torno al misterioso soldado desconocido.
No importa lo que cueste: hay que encontrarle.

Precio: 5.50 €

La historia se centra en el agente Clyde de la Agencia, encargado de una investigación de un banco en la que comienzan a aparecer nombres en la lista de individuos a investigar… Esos nombres no están relacionados con dicha investigación si no que son los últimos soldados supervivientes de batallas en las que había hecho su aparición un soldado muy particular, cubierto de vendas y maestro del disfraz, el Soldado Desconocido al que la CIA enviaba a los lugares problemáticos a resolver esos… problemas. De la forma que hiciese falta. Una agente secreta, a la que llaman Chiflada, es enviada a eliminar a los miembros de esa lista, cuando descubre a Clyde con ellos le ordenan matarle también pero acaban aliándose para poder sobrevivir al ataque de otros agentes… Clyde y Chiflada siguen con la investigación y la búsqueda del Soldado pero… es él quien les encuentra, después de eliminar a Chiflada, el Soldado le explica a Clyde qué es lo que quiere de él… que le sustituya como el Soldado Desconocido.

Pero claro, no podía tenerlo todo y se tiene que conformar con un gran guión en el que Garth Ennis no se corta un pelo y pone a caer de un burro a los jafazos del ejército estadounidense y sus actuaciones en las diversas guerras en las que han participado los USA. Ni siquiera el personaje que da nombre al título, el Soldado Desconocido es tratado de una manera positiva por el guionista al insistir tanto en ese “Soy un soldado americano” y que todo lo que hizo lo hizo por América… asesinatos individuales, masacres de inocentes… lo justifica todo en que “lo hizo por América”. La verdad es que Ennis se queda muy a gusto y critica todo lo que se le pasa por la cabeza. Al igual que en el Destellos de Gloria de la Marvel, Ennis realiza la que debería ser la historia de despedida del Soldado Desconocido… pero claro, ahora que está maldito… ¿cómo podría no haber otra?

Lo peor de esta miniserie es con diferencia el dibujo, Killian Plunkett (que tiene un blog, por si queréis cotillear) está al nivel de los peores dibujantes que pasaron por Hellblazer pero, por lo visto, además de esta serie se ha dedicado a dibujar cómics de Star Wars…

En fin, una obra bastante interesante y pasada de vueltas, como la gran mayoría de los trabajos de Ennis, como revisión de un personaje clásico no está nada mal, le da nuevas fuerzas y puede atraer el interés del público sobre el personaje, pero claro… una verdadera pena que le pusiesen un dibujante tan flojo. Podrían haber hecho algo muy grande. Siempre y cuando les hubiesen dado total libertad para hacerlo, claro. Así que… casi mejor que se quedara en esto, ¿no?