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by Robert Kirkman (writer), Jason Howard (pencils & inks), FCO & Ivan Plascencia (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Father and daughter make up, father and daughter team up, and father goes undercover.

What’s Good: Yes! I can finally start liking Chloe again! For many issues now, Chloe, has been a poorly written character. She hasn’t sounded her age and almost every line was too painful to hear. I sincerely wanted her to die a painful death.  To me she felt power-hungry, ignorant, and generally nasty, which isn’t good considering that Kirkman was aiming for her to be a sympathy-garnering character lost in emotional pain. Yet, despite all of my Chloe hatred, I couldn’t help but give a little “awww” when she finally spoke to her father this month. While she still isn’t the best written character, she’s not gratingly off this issue.

Meanwhile, Kursk’s broken English is always fun. I loved the dude in Invincible, so it was great seeing him here. What was daring though was Kirkman’s portrayal of him and Thrill Kill as possible rapists. A possible hint of Walking Dead in Wolf-Man? Shocking.

I also enjoyed the depiction of Cecil in this comic, though I’ll admit that Wolf-Man readers may not fully appreciate it if they’re not familiar with the Invincible. This issue again shows a nicer, more human Cecil, a Cecil that Invincible readers have probably forgotten about by now; but through Wolf-Man, Kirkman shows how multi-faceted a character Cecil really is. I also liked that Mecha Maid looks poised to become a major player in the comic; I’ve always thought she was a great character with a lot of potential.

Jason Howard’s art continues to be an enthralling visual treat, as he delivers another faultless issue here.  As is the case over on Invincible, Plascencia’s colouring has taken the art to a whole new level.

What’s Not-So-Good: There’s nothing particularly wrong with Wolf-Man, though I’m still not certain I buy “Chloe, Vampire Girl superhero.” Somehow it just doesn’t feel as substantial as it should.

Perhaps it’s due to how fast and fleeting Chloe and Gary’s reunion was. I suppose that was the point, but given the build-up, it’s still disappointing. Their quick, “barely there” interaction just feels like a missed opportunity that ends up feeling a little vague, and at times cliche. Kirkman finds time to throw in the old “I’m grown up now” line.

The problem is that this was by far the biggest development/moment of the issue and it should’ve been one of the best of the whole series. The rest of the book, while not bad, is really just a case of Kirkman moving the plot along, or moving the pieces across the board in necessary but expected fashion.

Conclusion: Wolf-Man #17 is by no means a bad book, but it could’ve been better. It just does’t feel as important as it should be.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

I’m excited to have my work appear in the book anthology We All Live Downstream alongside work by:

• Earl Hamner (creator of the Waltons)
• Ashley Judd
• Robert Kennedy Jr.
• Wendell Berry
• Bobbie Ann Mason
• Ann Pancake
• Jean Ritchie
• Silas House
• Hal Crowther
• Jeff Biggers
• Denise Giardina
• Pamela Duncan
• Many other fine writers and performers.

We All Live Downstream is a multi-genre anthology of noted authors and young writers speaking out against mountaintop removal coal mining. There is the fifth-grader who vows to fight the destruction until he’s “laid in the ground,” the college student who recalls her shock and heartbreak at first seeing a mountaintop removal site, the best-selling novelist who believes that “to destroy mountains is to spit in the face of God.” This startling collection includes writers from 17 states and features material from celebrated artists and activists such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Wendell Berry, Earl Hamner, Ashley Judd, Silas House, Denise Giardina, Erik Reece, Bobbie Ann Mason, Bob Edwards, Penny Loeb, Hal Crowther, Jean Ritchie, Terry Tempest Williams, Jeff Biggers, Ann Pancake, George Ella Lyon, Ben Sollee and many more. Edited by journalist & activist Jason Howard (coauthor of Something’s Rising), this book presents a rallying chorus of dissent against a reckless industry and drives home the point that energy (particularly domestic coal) is everyone’s issue … not only at the source but all the way “downstream.”

AWM

I know, I know, I have a giant boner for books that touch base with supernatural realms. But this is definitely one of the best of the bunch. Published under Image Comics, it’s a story of rich man who’s life suddenly changes after becoming a werewolf. He decides to take control of his powers and become a superhero. Robert Kirkman shines as the creator and scribe of the comic and the art, much like the title, is astounding coming from Jason Howard. It’s similar to the art in Invincible and, again, Kirkman pulls some magic making the art and story flow together almost perfectly. It’s beyond fun to read, a mixture of super-heroics and mysticism, and only just reached double digits. If you hurry you can catch up quite easily. Full of humor, blood-gushing action, twists and suspense, this is the epitome of horror-fantasy at it’s best.

-Ryanscribbles

(***1/2)

Kirkman is only writing three books right now. They’re all ongoing and they’re always enjoyable. Astounding Wolf-Man is the worst of the three, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Although, it still seems like another version of Invincible to me. Different characters and premise, but it definitely has the same feel and it’s written in a similar way. Heck, they’re even in the same universe. They have the same colorist (Who’s awesome). So if you want some extra Invincible every month, this is definitely the place to be.

The book’s lack of originality is its biggest fault, but I have hope that someday Astounding Wolf-Man will have its own charm. Jason Howard continues to grow as an artist. The book will always look good because of the colorist, FCO. Howard’s main problem right now is his lack of consistency. His Wolf-Men look great. His people look a bit awkward at times.

As for the writing, it’s the usual Kirkman goodness. Kirkman writes in such a way that the quality is rarely the problem, it’s always the quantity. Did enough happen in this issue? I feel that this one was fairy packed. New villains were established, a problem occurs with Gary’s teacher, a future story is hinted at, and we get the traditional Kirkman finale.

Invincible #57 (***1/2)

Invincible Super Fun Happy Team-Up Go! So Mark investigates that camera thing that spied on him last issue. He checks on Cecil because who else would spy on him? Maybe the person you think is dead, Mark? This is comics, kid. Get used to this nonsense. Anyway, Cecil has a job for him. Go check on Wolfie. “Okey doke” says Mark. He fights a big giant with Wolf-Man and then is all “I’m here to get you, bitch”. And Gary’s all, “Dude I was OJ’d”. So they fly to Cecil’s pad and violence ensues. Next issue (Was that a spoilers review? Oh well, sue me).

Things resolve. That’s the end of my summary, now the “real” review. This was a decent team-up, but far from great. I think it was more Kirkman trying to get his Invincible readers on Wolf-Man. Or maybe for his Invincible readers to stop reading just the trades. There are a few cool things though. So usually the heroes start as enemies and then unite to fight a common foe, right? But here, there’s only one punch. They’re pretty much on the same side the whole time which leads to the other cool thing. Gary and Mark have a lot in common. They both got screwed by their “friends”. It’s humorous of course when we start to realize this. Don’t worry, this stuff isn’t bad, but it does seem to be a dip in quality for both books. But hey, I can’t complain much. Both issues came out in the same week and we already had an issue of Invincible and Wolf-Man this month. Yay Kirkman!

By Robert Kirkman (writer) Ryan Ottley (pencils) Jason Howard (pencils) Cliff Rathburn (inks) FCO Plascencia (Colors)

The Story: After learning that he and his family are being spied on, Invincible erroneously believes his old boss Cecil Sredman to be behind the spying, and confronts him at the Global Defense Agency headquaters.  Cecil declares his innocence and asks Invincible for a favor: apprehend the Astounding Wolf-Man who is wanted for the murder of his own wife. Invincible refuses until he learns that one of his old foes is on a deadly rampage in the same area as the Wolf-Man. Eventually, Invincible apprehends the Wolf-Man, but upon hearing his side of the story Invincible is convinced of the Wolf-Man’s innocence and decides to help him clear his name.

What’s Good: First of all, it is extremely satisfying to experience a complete crossover event in one sitting.  The fact that both of these issues were released on the same day is a great gesture to fans of these two series. I can’t recall ever seeing a crossover like this before. In any case, I can only hope that other creators and companies will follow suit.

The over all story is  told pretty well. Kirkman does a nice job of focusing on each character’s plight during their respective title, while the other hero plays a nice secondary role. For example, the first issue deals with Invincible’s and Cecil’s relationship, while the second issue focuses on the Wolf-Man’s relationship with his daughter and quest for redemption. However, the best part of the story comes when Invincible shuts up the Immortal in mid rant.

It was a great decision to bring Cliff Rathburn to do inks on the Astounding Wolf-Man this month. The transition between titles was smooth. It also seemed like Jason Howard was doing his best to mimic some of Ryan Otttley’s pencils, whic can never be a bad thing.

What’s Not So Good: Seeing these two titles side-by-side like this doesn’t bode well for the Astounding Wolf-Man, which comes off looking like Invincible’s ugly step-sister. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Astounding Wolf-Man, but it doesn’t compare to Invincible in any regard.

Also, some of Jason Howard’s pencils are just odd. There are a couple of panels where it looks like the heroes (specifically Invincible) are wearing diapers as their torso’s are out of proportion compared to their mid-sections.

Conclussion: As far as a self-contained story, this is a good showing by Kirkman’s creations. I especially enjoy the idea of Cecil entering into the Astounding Wolf-Man’s narrative and the over-all sound logic and motivations of the characters. However, if you are looking for some substantial  momentum for either of these series, you will be left unsatisfied.

Grade: B+

-Rob G

Astounding Wolf-Man #10 (****)

This book works. If it was written a different way or the art was worse, it probably wouldn’t. But this book is assembled well. It’s actually monthly now, sweet. There are a lot less words than a normal Kirkman comic, but that’s ok. The art team, Jason Howard and the Plascenia’s, really make things beautiful. Beautiful in that violent monster world kind of way. We’re also treated to some Zachariah backstory. Oh and that last page is kind of sad. I’m finally starting to care about these characters. Please keep the book on time, Kirkman!

New Avengers #47 (***1/2)

This has nothing to do with Secret Invasion. There are only two pages that reference the invasion and it’s basically a reprint of those Secret Invasion #8 pages. Why did Billy Tan even draw those new pages? Why didn’t they just insert the images from the main event? It would have looked better at least. Ok, my negativity is out of the way. This was a good issue. It’s about Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. We get the story of how they fell in love. Their interactions are written well and their affection is genuine. Having said that, I’m sure I won’t remember this issue in six months and I doubt I’ll ever read it again. If you’re looking for a Secret Invasion tie-in, look elsewhere. If you want a heartfelt tale about a married couple with a baby, pick this up.

Justice Society of America #21 (****)

The penultimate chapter at long last. This is our big action payoff. If you felt JSA has been too talky lately, you should enjoy this. I wish there was a little more to Gog’s confrontation than the standard hero-villain-smackdown, but oh well. We know who all the characters are now, right? We care about them now, right? They were all challenged emotionally, right? This is classic storytelling at its finest. The only problem is that we’ve all kind of seen it before. Alex Ross is a co-writer. But hey, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. That could even mean it’s great, I have to wait until the end of course. This is really only the second JSA story of this series. I guess we need to give Johns some time to set everything up. The Black Adam story is next and how can that not be fantastic? Last thing, did everyone enjoy getting JSA books five weeks in a row? That was kind of nice after some of the lateness this year.

By Robert Kirkman (writer), Jason Howard (pencils, inks, colors), FCO and Ivan Plascenia (colors).

The Story: The main part of this issue revolves around the origin of Zecharia, the Astounding Wolf-Man’s one-time mentor turned arch nemesis. Through the tale of Zecharia’s genesis of becoming a vampire, we learn about the vampire nation and Zecharia’s ultimate plans for it.  We are also treated to some werewolf secrets as Gary, the Astounding Wolf-Man, goes through a dangerous training session with the werewolf who created him.

What’s Good: Zechariah’s origin story may be nicely spun, but its real strength lies in who Zecharia is retelling it to over the course of the issue. This unforeseen relationship adds a nice dynamic to Zecharia’s personality.

Jason Howard’s art is solid as usual in his unique cartoonesque presentation. His drawing of Gary’s daughter on the last page is especially memorable, as he does a better job than the text in capturing the emotion of the scene.  He has become a smoother storyteller and has shed off some of the clunkyness that weighed down some of the beginning issues of this series.

What’s Not So Good: Although this is a a non-Gary/Astounding Wolf-Man story, the training session that he and his new mentor go through doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and seems like a waste of time. The idea was to teach Gary how to escape while injured, but instead Gary just does some lame Lamaze-like breathing exercise.  After the cliffhanger last issue involving this very scene, this was a big let down.

Additionally, I feel that the main characters in this series all have confusing motivations. This is most evident in Zechariah, who Kirkman casts as an overall decent individual who struggles with his curse and who is repentant for his past deeds. We’ve seen many examples to support this portrayal throughout the series. But then Kirkman will supply us with information that Zecharia is really an evil, wanna-be despot. And then we have this issue where both these takes on this character are displayed simultaneously.  I understand that characters, like real people, are dynamic and hard to define. I got it. But too much of this wish-washy character study is drowning any plot tension and making this whole endeavor seem boring. The reader needs to know which side to root for– at least for a little while.

This overall inherent ambivalence that permeates many of the characters’ motivations is what makes the last scene, involving Gary’s daughter’s request to Zechariah, so anti-climatic and uninteresting.

Conclusion: The problems that I discuss above can be easily remedied in the coming issues. Also, it is likely that Kirkman, in typical fashion, is using these dynamics to set up something spectacular. But with a crossover with Invincible next issue, the progression of this story will have to be put on hold for a while– and with it my overall interest in the Astounding Wolf-Man. After such a promising start (see my review for the TPB of this series here: http://weeklycomicbookreview.com/2008/11/09/the-astounding-wolf-man-vol1-tpb-review/), it’s surprising to see such a down-turn in the momentum of this potentially great series.

Grade: C-

-Rob G.

By Robert Kirkman (story) and Jason Howard (art)

The Story: Meet Gary Hampton-millionaire, family man, all around nice guy, who is bitten by a werewolf and thus becomes one, while vacationing with his family in Montana.  Gary has issues adapting to his new powers until he is taken under the wing of Zecharia, a vampire with a mysterious past and seemingly ambiguous intentions.

Under Zecharia’s mentorship, Gary learns to control the beast within and takes on the role of superhero. However, the curse of the werewolf slowly surfaces and seeps into Gary’s life, gradually destroying all he holds dear in shocking, twisted and dramatic ways.

The Good: The story arch featured in this volume ascends swiftly to engage the reader into anxiously awaiting what is to come, while simultaneously making some of the cliché back story retroactively relevant and compelling. Robert Kirkman delivers unexpected valuables with the supporting cast made up in part by a superhero group, werewolf gang, and estranged daughter. These players make Gary’s plight far more interesting than would be on its own. Additionally, Jason Howard’s art is solid and at times, well, astounding. The cartoonish feel to the colors and inks serve to make the more dramatic and mature scenes that much more remarkable.

The Not-So-Good: This story is fast paced and at times almost feels like a daily-serialized strip. Plot developments happen so quickly that they are often unnoticed, or worse, unable to resonate with the reader.  This pacing also caused many of the characters to seem flat. Gary, for example, is defined as a werewolf, then superhero, then emotionally unstable individual rather then being revealed to become these things. Basically, there is a lot of telling and not enough showing in the beginning issues.

Conclusion: This arch is ramped up and excellent by the final issue, but the first few installments are not nearly as good. The problem is without these back-stories the end wouldn’t resonate or be very interesting at all. Many things are left open for Kirkman to play with and Gary’s wife is set up to possibly play a haunting and gripping role down the line. Overall, this is a good trade to pick up, especially if you’re a Kirkman fan.

Grade: B+

- Rob. G

Ah, Halloween. A time when comic fans reread Batman: The Long Halloween. Or maybe the entire trilogy! Read my reviews for those books here, here and here. No I’m not Jeph Loeb, but I am going as Jeph Loeb for Halloween. Hey, his writing is terrifying. Terrifyingly terrible! See, I praise them and then I make fun of them. That’s how I role. Anyway, instead of going out and being social at parties (Who wants to do that?), why don’t you kick back and get your scare on comics style!

“EEEK! Red Lanterns!” Final Crisis: Rage Of The Red Lanterns (*****)

So many awesome covers this week! But I don’t think this one is my favorite (More on that in another post. Stay Tuned!). Yes, the art is a big part of this issue. I was originally going to praise Shane Davis, but I don’t think he’s the artistic star. Sure his character designs for the RL’s (Including one of the funniest most awesome lanterns ever!) are amazing and he does help make this comic epic, but I think his inker (Sandra Hope, the sexiest inker in the biz) and his colorist (Nei Ruffing) save his ass. Davis’ art is just a bit too inconsistent. The awkward faces don’t help either. Still, due to the aforementioned ass savers, this book still looks fantastic. Johns brings the goods as expected, but I have to criticize (as I must in all of Johns’ Final Crisis tie-ins) him for this issues’ lack of relevance to Final Crisis. But besides that, this comic is creepy, funny, bloody (So much red!) and entertaining!

“What The Hell Is That!?” Hellboy: In The Chapel Of Moloch (****1/2)

Ah, the good old days. A Done-In-One Hellboy story written and drawn by Mike Mignola. Yeah, I said “drawn by Mike Mignola”. What’s it been? Three years since he’s done interiors? I’d pretty much love this just for that even if the writing was terrible, but it’s not. I’m talking 24 pages of advertisement-free Hellboy awesomeness. All the classic Hellboy elements are present. This means it’s not quite as unique as this years Hellboy: The Crooked Man, but it’s just as fun. Throw the Mignola art into the mix and you definitely have a winner.

“AAAHHH! Wolf-Man!” Astounding Wolf-Man #9 (****)

This comic isn’t usually scary and…I guess this issue isn’t any different, but it’s definitely shocking! I’ve written about it a lot in my recent Invincible reviews, but I don’t think I’ve covered it in my Wolf-Man posts. FCO Plascencia is the man! Sure, Jason Howard does do a great job, but FCO makes it magic with his spectacular colors. I’ve noticed lately that Invincible has been more violent and FCO achieves that here as well. Kirkman is great at reveals, but never before have the reveals been so devastating or plentiful. There are like 4 times in here when I yelled “Whoa!” or “Jebus!” or whatever popped into my shocked brain. After the slow pace in last issue, things seem to be moving at lightning speed. This book is worth reading!

“Oh My God! It’s The…” Joker (*****)

To hell with Scarecrow! The Joker is Batman’s scariest villain. This is the highly anticipated graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. Most people are excited about this because of the new Batman movie and because this Joker looks so similar to Heath Ledger’s version. Take a look.

Just in case you haven’t heard it elsewhere, THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO THE DARK KNIGHT! Azzarello and Bermejo have been working on this for years. Bermejo talks about it here. Apparently, Bermejo has been working on this for two years (Wow!) which was before Ledger was even cast. The similarities are purely coincidental which is perfect for this book. Everyone will be thinking of Ledger and hear his voice when they read this. It sort of adds an element of madness, eh?

Madness is the name of the game here. This is a character study of the Joker and a new henchman, Johnny Frost. This graphic novel is heavily influenced by noir and everything is more realistic, or is it? What is reality when you deal with the Joker? But what I meant was there are very few costumes in here. Sure Harley, Croc, Penguin and Two-Face are included, but they have a different look. This isn’t what’s most unique about the comic though. I’ll get to that later.

I haven’t seen much of Bermejo’s art, but it’s very impressive in these pages. Especially considering the two years he put into this, if you’re a Bermejo fan, you need to pick this up because of the art alone. Besides looking pretty, the book’s look serves another purpose. There are two different styles in here. One is when Bermejo inks himself that adds a painted look in addition to being featured in the “important” scenes. The second look is when Mike Gray inks. This has a much more traditional feel to it. The original reason was to speed up the artistic process (Two years wasn’t enough) and to supposedly control the speed of the reader’s eyes. The idea was to have people slow down and look at the glorious Bermejo inked pages. Whatever the reason, this worked in favor of Joker. It adds another level of insanity and obscurity.

My main criticism of Bermejo’s art and probably of the entire book is the inability or choice to censor certain things while pushing almost too far in other areas. I’m sure you can guess what I’m referring too. The violence is very hard core and the language, nudity and even a damn middle finger is played down. Bermejo, in that aforementioned interview, takes the blame for it, but it could have very easily been DC’s decision. Though this ”decision” isn’t too off-putting, nor does it detract from the overall quality of the book, it’s still annoying. If I didn’t see it all the time in comics (I just brought this up in a recent Daredevil review) I probably wouldn’t be as bothered.

Anyway, what impressed me the most about this book was its tone and dialogue. It’s so incredibly intriguing. This is one of those stories you can read over and over again. You’ll notice new things or react differently making each read something special. I hate to make assumptions, but I think the people who will dislike this story will be those who don’t absorb the subtleties. This isn’t a straightforward book. It’s bizarre, it’s realistic, it’s disturbingly humorous and disturbingly violent. I knew there was a reason why this book was called Joker.

Whew! That was exhausting! Oh well, it only comes once a year. I hope you all enjoyed reading this stuff and I’m sure you’re all scared now. I’m off to continue my horror movie marathon, up next? The Shinning!

Yeah it’s not comic related, so what? You enjoy your Blade while I enjoy my favorite horror film. Happy Halloween!