A world of four color magic arrives every Wednesday.
Stories and adventures of heroes and villains, good versus evil.
Tales that entertain and excite by talented writers and artists.
Here are my thoughts Among The Panels.
Teen Dog #1
Writer: Jake Lawrence
Artist: Jake Lawrence
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Teen Dog #1 was, how do we say, “amazeballs”?
That really is the only word that came to mind when I got to the end of issue number one. Jake Lawrence gets me and I’m, now, so happy to know that Teen Dog exists! I feel like me and Jake Lawrence might be kindred spirits.
While reading the first issue you will notice that it feels like a web comic. The reason that is, is because it was birthed in one. The pages are broken up into micro stories with heading names for each one. They are consecutive and there is a narrative but it still very much feels like a web comic. I am not saying this is a bad thing, I actually think it’s a great transition and it works wonderfully in print.
The bulk of the story here revolves around our titular character Teen Dog, whose name is just Teen Dog and everyone is okay with that. He is a high school student who doesn’t really care; he’d rather eat pizza and play video games than study! This guy is my hero. He also carries around a skateboard and wears a sleeveless denim jacket. Jake Lawrence has crafted a character that everyone wishes they could have been in high school.
Don’t let me forget that there is a character called Thug Pug. Man, I love pugs and to see one as a not so smart bully of the high school is just rad. Punk Rock pugs for the win. It made me nostalgic for the 90’s TMNT cartoon.
Lawrence has a particular sense of humor that I don’t think everyone will get but it is very hip; it feels like Adventure Time meets Scott Pilgrim. He hits a market that is not really represented too well in the comic world; the teens that don’t want sex and violence. There are so many one liners that will make you happier to be in this world and he is not afraid of callbacks.
Coming from a web comic has it’s hardships but the coloring and art on this book is really professional. It’s lighthearted and the color pallet fits really well with the pop styling. The difference between the Teen Dog of the internet and the Teen Dog of the comic world is actually pretty diverse. Lawrence really upped his artistic talent to bring Teen Dog to print and it looks great.
I can tell that Jake Lawrence has a pretty solid future ahead of him as long as he keeps on this track. He has won me over and I will be a fan for a long time to come. I have already spent over 2 hours reading his blog where Teen Dog was born and I will not stop any time soon.
Score: 5, slices of pizza, out of 5
Wild’s End #1
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: I.N.J. Culbard
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Wild’s End #1 is a mash up of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and The Fantastic Mr. Fox with a little dash of Edgar Wrights’ The Worlds End. It plays out exactly as it sounds. A falling star hits the hills just outside of a 1930’s village, somewhere in England, full of anthropomorphized animals.
Sounds fun right? It really, really is.
The writing of Dan Abnett is stellar to say the least.
He is a really great author that has been all over the comic book industry for years. He knows science fiction and it shows with every word he writes.
This feels like a classic tale without bashing you over the head with it.
The fact that all the characters are talking animals has no bearing on the story at all. There are a few animal puns sprinkled throughout the book but they really don’t feel awkward. His writing brings this comic to a new level and because of it, I think this book will do really well. I love finding comics that understand that their audience isn’t all just adolescent boys.
Culbard’s art is something of a wonder as well.
The way he sculpted the world this story lives in is really awesome. Transforming animals into believable people is hard, but he makes it look easy. The opening sequence of the book, where the star falls, is masterfully crafted to the point that you are instantly hooked. The page layouts and paneling are really solid and well balanced. There are a ton of pages that could be turned into prints and hung on my wall. His style is just really pleasing to look at and with a book like this that is really word heavy, he does a great job not letting it bore you.
Having said that; there are a few pacing issues but I understand that this type of story needs a lot of build and I know the next issue will be even better.
Is this the perfect comic?
No. Will is raise your expectations of what comic book can be? Yes. We need more writing and art like this in the comic book industry.
I think this book will have a hard time finding an audience in the modern world of comics but I hope to hell that people give it a chance. It is worth picking up and falling into. We, as comic book fans, have to bring our passion to what we read and if we keep getting exploding cars and overexposed heroines we will never escape our cage of shame. If that is something that speaks to who you are, pick up Wilds End #1.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Copperhead #1
Writer: Jay Faerber
Artist: Scott Godlewski
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.50
I am big fan of the space western. I was in love with shows like, Star Trek, Cowboy Bebop, and of course the epic that is known as Star Wars.
All of these fit into the category of space western and Copperhead #1 does too.
On a desolate planet somewhere, lays the town of Copperhead. Our opening sequence, in true western style, happens on a train. Our main character, Clara Bronson, is a single mother looking to escape something from her past. Jay Faerber bangs out a few killer pages to depict his female lead as a no nonsense badass. After roughing up a few guys on the train we learn that she is the new Sheriff of the town of Copperhead.
With a little bit of exposition we find out that this planet they are on has gone through some kind of major war and the native people are still struggling to find their footing in the new order. We find most of this out from the mouth of Clara’s alien deputy, Budroxifinicus or as I’m guess we will know him “Boo”. We don’t know what his race is called yet but I am excited to know what their past is.
We get a glimpse at another character that feels like he fell out of a New Orleans crime story; pure white suit and everything. We also get a little bit of racism with this character since he pals around with a couple of purple faced dudes that Clara derogatorily calls “Arties”. We get a quick explanation that they were once artificial beings used to fight in the war that just ended. Jay manages to entice you on almost every level of this story.
The side story with Clara’s son Zeke spins into a really cool cliffhanger for the last page and I was sincerely bummed that it ended there.
The story unfolds pretty quickly and there is not a lot of explaining what is really going on but for some reason it works. The art lends itself really well to this type of storytelling. Scott Godlewski kills it when it comes to drawing desolate landscapes á la Tatooine. His character designs will keep you wanting to see more of what exists in this world. He has a really unique vision of this world and he and Jay have really created something special. I’m just waiting to see some of these designs on a shirt so I can sport the hell out of it. The art style reminds me of the old Johnny Quest TV show and I have no idea why.
Copperhead #1 is shaping up to be an epic space western mystery that everyone can enjoy. I only have high hopes for this title.
Score: 5 out of 5
Annihilator #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frazer Irving
Publisher: Legendary Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Before a year ago I didn’t know that much about Grant Morrison. I had been reading his stuff for years and falling in love with some of his absurd ideas but I knew very little about his life.
I then listened to his interview with Kevin Smith on “Fatman on Batman” and my eyes were opened to the type of person Grant Morrison really was. If you are in the same boat I was in a year ago I suggest you look it up and have your mind altered.
Just to fill you in; he was straight laced for years and then he went on a drug induced mind altering trip around the world and came back strange and full of ideas about ghosts, demons, and real magic.
He even tried to summon a demon in his own house…
His streak of weird ideas doesn’t stop with Annihilator #1.
It feels like it comes directly out of Grant’s stream of consciousness and it’s stranger than ever. There are two stories being told within this book and they are both interesting. One is about a writer, Ray, as in light, Spass as in outer, who moves into a haunted house in Hollywood because of the horrors it has seen. In the other story written by our writer is about a man named Nomax who is sentenced to die in a complex that orbits the black star known as Annihilator. It’s actually hard to say if the story is really great or just another Morrison tale with new faces wearing the same old masks.
The two stories mirror each other and are both kind of hard to follow. After all these years of reading Grant Morrison you would think I would be used to it, but I’m really not. It’s not that the story is mind-bending to the point that it is hard to keep up, it’s just kind of unnerving. In the middle of the issue there is a giant drug fueled orgy that doesn’t seem to do anything really for the story. It’s just there to titillate I guess and to show that our main character has no morals. The same kind of story happens to Nomax but instead of an orgy he just kills a bunch of people with genetically modified flower.
Despite the useless orgy there is really cool story brewing in this issue. When you reach the last page you will most likely be hooked. If the story doesn’t rope you in the art will. Frazer Irving’s art style is unlike most conventional comic styles. His style is kind of liking watching a movie in Rotoscope, except that you know he drew it. He nails panel after panel with stunning detail and colors. The splash page of the orgy, even though I felt it unnecessary, it was rendered perfectly. The way he depicts each event in this book actually surpasses Morrison’s story and that is hard to do.
Another awkward feeling story from Grant Morrison and if you like him you will like this but I think it will scare non-Morrison fans off.
Score: 3 out of 5
Death of Wolverine #2
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steve McNiven
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Since the first issue was so good I was worried that the second one would fall in quality and I happy to say that I was wrong. Death of Wolverine #2 is just as good if not better than the first.
It starts off in a shady bar in Madripoor where we find Logan doing his best Tony Stark impression and it really works. His giant beard works stunningly to hide the face we all know and love. I think it was supposed to make him look sleazier but for some reason I found him more appealing. I think that says a lot more about me than it does about the comic.
Anyway… Once again we see a lot of familiar faces and we get a short but sweet Wolverine vs. Sabertooth fight.
There is a really nice two page layout depicting a few other fights they have had over the years and highlights the way they always heal and live to fight again. Right after this we see Logan get hurt. After so many years of watching him come back from as little as a single cell I expected to not be shocked when it was hurt but I honestly was. I let out a gasp when it happened and that is very much unlike me!
The story unfolds only a smidgen but what we get is gold. Someone is rounding up all the Weapon X mutants for some reason but none of them are aware that Logan can no longer heal. Even though it’s not much it’s still really exciting. I want more…now…right now.
Charles Soule and Steve McNiven rock the hell out of the pages once again. This title is shaping up to go down in history as one of the must read Wolverine stories. It just feels so natural to have these two commemorate such a high profile character. Marvel has done well here and I hope to see more stories like this in the future. They might bring me back to the dark side of the comic book universe.
This issue felt intensely short. I wish this mini-event was over already so I could just devour it all at once. At least I only have to wait another week to feed my hunger. If I were you I would wait until all four issues are out and spend an evening enjoying a well crafted story about one of the greatest characters in the Marvel universe.
Score: 5 out of 5
