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.
Wytches #1
Writer: Scott Synder
Artist: Jock
Publisher: Image
Price: $2.99
It must be October because the horror comics be flowing! I have been eagerly awaiting Wytches #1 by Scott Snyder since I waited in line to meet him and Jock last March at Emerald City Comic Con.
They were just talking about the title and what they were saying was music to my ears. Snyder told us all that it would be the scariest thing he has ever written. Now that I have read issue number one I am going to have to agree with him.
Wytches #1 is an amazing start to a really deep and horror filled world. The opening pages set up the entire story the best way possible. We are shown a woman stuffed into a tree. Her nose is missing and she trying desperately to escape. After she finally gets her head free she screams at her young son to help her.
She screams that she was pledged.
Her son then smashes her over the head with a rock and says “Pledged is pledged”.
It then is revealed to be the year 1919. It was almost creepy and shocking enough to make you stop reading but the magic of Scott Snyder’s writing keeps you hooked.
We fast forward to present day and we meet our main character Sailor Rooks and her father, the writer of what seems to be a mega-popular graphic novel series. Their conversation here is so refreshing and real that it pulls you right out of the horrific scene you saw just pages earlier. It’s her first day of school in a new town after something awful happened back wherever they were from. We get to see that her mother is in a wheelchair due to some kind of accident but she seems to be happy for that type of character. Snyder paints a wonderful loving environment for terror to brew in.
When Sailor gets to school it seems that everyone knows her for whatever it is that she did. She meets a girl in the back of the classroom that semi-befriends her but then asks her if she really did murder that girl back in her hometown.
This is where we get a flashback to a monstrous girl bullying Sailor in one of the most honest and terrifyingly written moments I have read in a long time. The evil this girl represents is unnerving.
Sailor pulls out a knife and then the girl pulls out a gun. She threatens the life of Sailor and her family if she doesn’t do the terrible things she describes. I don’t really feel good about repeating it here. In the middle of this fight something pulls the bully girl inside a tree. We are kind of left to assume that the girl went missing after that and most people thought that Sailor killed her. There are a few other spine-tingling moments in this book that are best left for you to discover yourself.
Jock’s art on this book is taken to the next level. The way he does horror is unlike anything I have seen. His depictions of people are perfect for this type of story. He just understands how to creep us out and make us feel safe at the same time. I don’t know how he does it but damn is he good at it. Scott Snyder does it once again. Is he ever going to fail?
Score: 5 out of 5.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1
Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist: Robert Hack
Publisher: Archie Comics
Price: $3.99
I remembering falling in love with Sabrina the Teenage Witch when she graced my television screen in the 90’s.
I was unfamiliar with Archie Comics at that time, so I had no idea that she was once part of that world until I was much older. My dad exposed me to Josie and Pussycats, so I understood how Archie’s world worked and how “of the time” is really was. I hadn’t even thought about Archie until the comics recently made headlines when they killed off their titular character over a gay-rights issue. I thought “how progressive” and I was impressed that Archie was finally growing up.
Now that I finished reading the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1, I am now aware of how adult Archie is really going.
If you read the old comic or watched the TV show you know the basic story. A powerful warlock married a mortal woman against witch law and had a child. That child, Sabrina, would grow up being pulled between the mortal world and the world of the witches. The older iterations paints a very quaint and safe version of magic that is easy to digest and fun for all ages. Roberto’s version is far from that. This is not your father’s or even your Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The bulk of this book depicts Sabrina growing up in a more Satanist type of witchy world. Her aunts are present and full of evil. The open shows us Sabrina’s father stealing her away from her mother and sticking her into a mental asylum. He bestows Sabrina on the aunts and then is turned into a tree? I mean that’s what was implied.
They move to Greendale and Sabrina goes to public school where she meets Harvey Kinkle and falls in love. Then kind of out of left field Betty and Veronica from Archie try summoning the Devil but instead summon the spirit of Sabrina’s dead mother. It’s kind of hazy at the end.
Being a familiar story it’s easy to find breadcrumbs to keep you going but overall it’s a mashed up tale that’s ultimately hard to swallow. I just don’t know who the audience is for this book. Since it takes place in the 60’s and it’s packed full of references from that era I feel that anyone under the age of 18 is going to be lost. There are a ton of other literary references sprinkled throughout the book but instead of being cheeky like they intended, it just left a bad taste in my mouth. I just didn’t know why I was reading it and how the hell it fits into the Archie world.
With the writing being not great the art doesn’t help either. I think they were trying to go for the old horror poster style perfect for an old Vincent Price movie but it fails all over the place in this book.
It’s just not good enough to feel nostalgic. It just comes off as muddled and unfinished. It the line work was cleaner I could feel better about what I was reading but since it’s told through a rust mesh screen I don’t really know how to feel. This book totally missed the mark for me but if it’s only intended as a Halloween companion piece then it’s just okay. I would have a hard time recommending this book.
Score 1.5 out 5
Teen Dog #2
Writer: Mike Lawrence
Artist: Mike Lawrence
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Since the first issue came out last month I have been selling Teen Dog all over town. I just really loved the book, probably more than I should have, but it just really resonated with me on some kind of cosmic level.
I was way too excited for the release of Teen Dog #2 and to be honest it was better than I even imagined.
The first page of Teen Dog #2 embodies everything I love about this type of comic.
Flushed out in Mike Lawrence’s amazingly fun style with colors that burst off the page, this book is pure genius.
This issue is really just more of the same style of fast paced humor with a small running narrative throughout each short story. This time though we get more than just the zaniness of the last issue, we get a little bit of reality on top of it.
At one point they actually make reference to the fact that he is a dog. It floored me. In the conversation they were talking about him being “boyfriend material” and his reasoning for not being good for it was because he is a dog. It made me laugh and then it made me think harder. I know the joke is that he is a dog that has “human” friends and goes to high school but I was just under the impression that it was normal.
Also if you read my first review there is a character named Thug Pug who is also a dog. These two appear to be the only non-human characters in the universe. I found really clever to touch on the idea and then leave it with a joke. I made me think and for a comic like this, that’s a pretty hard thing to do.
In this issue they also allude to the fact that Teen Dog once had a girlfriend and that they bonded over playing chess. Almost every page is filled with things to make you giggle. If you don’t find this comic humorous, I guess you don’t have a soul… Maybe not that far but I think you get what I am trying to say here.
The web comic style still works wonders here. As I said before Mike Lawrence is a genius and I hope that this comic doesn’t fade away anytime soon. I challenge anyone to go out and pick up this issue or even issue number 1 and not be stunned at how the book looks. The simple fact that Lawrence does it all himself is reason enough to be impressed but when your eyes get the gift that is Teen Dog they will never be able to look at other comics the same way.
I hate that I have to wait another freaking month for issue number #3. Please support comics like this.
Score: 5 out of 5.
Batman #35
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
The Batman creative dream team returns after a month hiatus, confirming writer Scott Snyder’s promise that the month off would make the new Batman arc the best yet, and after reading Batman #35, I am going to have to agree with him.
Batman #35 is the first issue in the new storyline entitled Endgame.
The cover alone is enough to get you hooked on this different side of the new Batman.
Since DC launched The New 52 back in 2011 we have gotten some of the best Batman stories ever told but they have also only been very Gotham City centric.
Up until now, Snyder has kept Batman’s universe very insular without any interaction from the outside DC Universe. Fortunately, fans of Greg Capullo can rejoice as he draws the cast of the Justice League for the first time.
The issue starts off with a bang and a punch right in your face. We get to see Batman go up against Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and of course, Superman. He does it in the only way Batman knows how, by kicking ass. He immediately shuts them all done one by one until Superman explodes on the scene in a spectacularly visualized page. I really want to spoil the end but it’s too good to ruin. Let’s just say it literally gave me goose bumps.
This issue delivers everything comic book fans love and when heroes fight it’s always a thrill. The issue’s cliffhanger is bigger and better than you could have even began to expect. If I were DC I would be throwing money at these two left and right to make sure they stay loyal. They have made Batman greater and that’s hard to do.
The back up story is also really interesting. I can’t really divulge too much information since it’s centered around the cliffhanger but it really gets you excited for the next installment. There is no way this isn’t going to be one of the most epic stories Batman has ever been involved with. Stay tuned folks! It’s going to be a wild ride.
Score: 5 out of 5
Klarion #1
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Trevor McCarthy
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.99
Kalrion #1 is hard to judge because the art of Trevor McCarthy is so good, but I found the writing of Ann Nocenti a chore to read. I’m not sure if she’s to blame or if it’s the result of editorial interference, but if it wasn’t for the art, I don’t know if I would have been able to finish the issue.
Originally created by Jack Kirby, Klarion The Witch Boy is an interesting character full of magic and mischief but in this issue, none of that magic can be conjured and we’re left with a something callow and stale.
The story revolves around Klarion trying to find somewhere to have fun.
He hitches a ride with a demon that drops him off in an atypical big city . It’s not really clear where this story is supposed to take place; in another world full of magic or in our world where magic is hidden. The characters are all kind of strange because they look epic but talk like uneducated street folk. I just don’t really understand who she thinks the audience is here. It’s a story about a magical child who looks like a blue imp. The uninspired action takes place in a techno rock club with Klarion fighting half-mechanical teenagers with bad attitudes.
Also, about halfway through this issue we get a look at a couple of freaky creatures that seem to have no real place within the story but they are forced on us none the less. Nocenti established herself as a writer with runs on Daredevil and various other Marvel titles including Longshot and Marvel Comics Presents and as one of Marvel’s most beloved editors. Yet her work on the New 52 hasn’t been particularly engaging, with Catwoman, Katana and Green Arrow as examples. Hopefully her writing will step up to McCarthy’s art. But until then, it’s just another disappointment.
Score: 1 out 5
