Review - Lobster Johnson: The Glass Mantis

Lobster Johnson: The Glass Mantis (One Shot) -

Dark Horse Comics

Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi

Art by Toni Fejzula 

Letters by Clem Robins

Cover by Tonci Zonjic

Fact or fiction can be a tricky thing in the comic book world.  Especially when you're dealing with a character in a comic that is thought to be a fictional comic book legend.  Lobster Johnson is very real, and Dark Horse has given him his own spotlight outside of the world of Hellboy.  His mission can definitely be described as unique.

It's hard to find too many unique storylines these days, but if this book excels at one thing, it's that.  Set in the 1930s, Lobster Johnson finds himself investigating a shooting at an exhibit of a Turkish artist and glass blowers in New York.  There's something I bet you thought you'd never see.  It's after the shooting where things get really interesting.  It gets tot he point where you feel like nobody is who you thought they were, and you end up being right.  Great part is, for a one shot, this comic is full of surprise reveals.  Without spoiling anything, the actual investigation takes a major turn mid-story and leads to a whirlwind action sequence at the end.  It's still a Hellboy story, so what happens at the end may not surprise you, but it was an interesting finish.

Having Mike Mignola writing part of this story really adds credibility and authenticity, since he created "The Lobster" originally.  For a period piece it didn't feel like the character traits were trying to force that issue.  The art by Fejzula had a noir quality that did a fine job of transporting you to a pre-World War II era New York all on it's own.  If this book does have one minor failing, it's that it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.  For a one shot, I expected a bit more of a conclusion.  Good news is...I WANTED that conclusion.  To me that's the mark of a good book that, I hope, revisits this case at some point.  Hellboy fan or not, you'll enjoy this.

RATING:  BUY  

Review - Dreaming Eagles

Dreaming Eagles #1 - 

Aftershock Comics

 

Written by Garth Ennis

Art by Simon Colby

Colors by John Kalisz

Letters by Rob Steen

Cover by Francesco Francavilla 

 

You've heard us talk about the impressive creative teams lined up by Aftershock Comics, but now it's time to see what they've got.  Dreaming Eagles is their fourth new release of the month of December, rounding out their initial round of releases.  This one takes a huge risk, question is, does it pay off?

 

This story is billed by Aftershock as a story of "first African American fighter pilots to join the United States Army Air Force in WWII."  I quote that because, I feel like this first issue was so much more than that.  It dealt with race relations in 1960s America and the different perspectives between the African-American youth and their parents during that time period.  We see the story of former pilot Reggie Atkinson and his son who is very interested in the words being spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr.  We go back and forth between flashbacks of Reggie's days as a pilot and the present day relationship with his family.  The two things intertwine, leading to Reggie eventually deciding to tell his son his story inside and outside of that plane.

 

The tension in this series, especially in the early pages, is so gripping.  Ennis has done wartime aviation stories in the past, but the depth he adds to this particular story may be one of his best yet.  You really feel what's going on with these characters, and you really get a good look at Reggie's mindset.  The art, especially in the flashback scenes, was very solid.  What I love here is that everyone involved wasn't afraid to take a risk on telling a story about race relations and inspired by a true story.  If these are the kinds of comics that Aftershock is going to publish, they will become a major player in the industry over time.

 

RATING:  PULL

Review - Ninjak #10

Ninjak #10 - 
Valiant Entertainment

Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Doug Braithwaite
Colors by Brian Reber (w/ Soto)
Letters by Taylor Esposito

You have heard us praise all aspects of Ninjak before, whether it was in Book of Death or in his ongoing series.  If you were looking for a good place to jump on board, this is it.  Issue 10 begins the Operation: Deadside arc and brings in a different cast of characters.  To me, this does change the mood of the series a little bit.  First, let's dive into the story itself.

A top secret MI-6 facility has been destroyed and led to a prisoner escape.  A mission into a parallel dimension went wrong, and now Ninjak must follow the only agent to make it back home back to the Deadside to find the team.  To say this is a rough go for Ninjak is an understatement.  For someone who is typically such a tough character, he really has a tough time with this journey.  Maybe it's the new suit?  I did love to X-O Manowar joke about that.  After having a rough entry, there is a confrontation with the escaped prisoner.  It's quick and it doesn't go well.  To be more specific, it almost turns into the strangest Uber ride ever that leads them exactly where they wanted to go.  What they see, wasn't necessarily shocking, but definitely strange.

While I do love the character, I think they went a little outside of what Ninjak normally presents.  This badass assassin really doesn't have an easy time in the other dimension.  I don't know if it's unfamiliar surroundings or what, but Ninjak is quiet pedestrian in this issue.  His counterpart (which I won't spoil should you read the issue) definitely looks like the stronger of the two.  Braithwaite's art is stunning, as always, giving such great attention to every detail.  I'll also give a nod to Reber's colors, which made all the mystical and action scenes pop.  I guess I am just trying to get past how weak Ninjak seemed in this issue.  There was also a case file narration in the issue that I found a bit distracting.  We'll see what happens in Issue 11, but I'm not giving up on this one.

RATING:  PICK-UP 

Review - Batman/TMNT #1

Batman/TMNT #1

DC Comics/IDW Publishing

Written by James Tynion IV

Art by Freddie Williams II

Colors by Jeremy Colwell

Letter by Tom Napolitano

 

If you would've told me a few years ago we would get a comic with Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles together, I would have laughed in your face.  Now here we are with the Turtles in Gotham!  This was the series I was looking most forward to after it was announced at SDCC this past year.  Question is, would it live up to the hype?

 

We definitely get a good amount of time with both the Turtles and Batman, with each of them crossing paths with a villain from the other's mythos.  In classic Batman fashion, he isn't sure if the Turtles are friends or foes as he goes about his investigation.  Major components are being stolen from Gotham research facilities, and it's not clear why.  While that's going on, we're trying to find out why the Turtles are in Gotham in the first place.  That wasn't made clear, but it becomes somewhat secondary once you get caught up in the story.

 

 I thought the challenge here would be the ability of Tynion IV to take on all of these iconic characters.  We've seen how well he's written Batman in the past, and I must say, he captured the personality of each Turtle very well.  The mix of humor and grit was perfectly melded together throughout the story, with the action elements falling perfectly throughout the story.  The art from Williams II is solid and STRONG.  Each major character was really given a chance to be larger than life on the page, including the villains (who I won't spoil for you, so you can see for yourself.)  You really get a sense that great care was taken to make sure each of these fan favorites were allowed to share pages together, without feeling like one was out shining the other.  I can't wait to read more!

 

RATING:  PULL 

Review - Garfield's Cheesy Holiday Special (One Shot)

Garfield's Cheesy Holiday Special (One Shot) -

KaBOOM!

Part One

Written by Mark Evanier     Art by Andy Hirsch

Part Two

Written by Scott Nickel     Art by David DeGrand

Colors by Lisa Moore

Letters by Steve Wands

Cover by Andy Hirsch

Holiday specials are one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.  It takes you back to your childhood, and for that short amount of time, makes you feel like a kid again at Christmas.  Being a big Garfield fan, I jumped at the chance to read this Cheesy Holiday Special!  You get two different stories in the issue, along with a few classic comic strips at the end.

The first story really felt like an episode of the Garfield & Friends animated series.  Jon gets a job as Santa at a store, and as it usually does, it takes Garfield and Odie on a wild adventure.  For a moment in this story there's moment that will leave you saying, "REALLY GARFIELD!?"  I won't spoil what happens in the next panel, just keep going.  The story does take an oddly serious tone near the end, but the message is a pretty good one.

The second story, for me, just didn't hold my interest.  The art was vastly different from the first story, as well.  Having an evil lasagna plotting against Garfield is a good idea in theory, but just didn't play off well to me.  They even try to break the 4th wall a couple of times, and it fell a little flat.  I get that this isn't really geared towards adults, but as a long time fan of Garfield, this story just seemed out of place.

The classic strips speak for themselves, and serve as a reminder of the joys the Sunday paper used to bring.  This book as a whole definitely had it's ups and downs, but was definitely able to bring some holiday spirit.  Evanier definitely captures the Jim Davis spirit of Garfield, and the colors by Moore are solid throughout.  If you don't mind a slight misstep in the middle, I think there's a chance you'll enjoy this with your kids.

RATING:  PICK UP