By Don M. Ventura
Moon Knight #1
Marvel Comics
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Brian Michael Bendis know what to do with a C-list comic book property. Moon Knight #1 is a testament to the writer’s ability to breathe life into a character who could easily have disappeared into obscurity at this point.
Bendis is joined by long-time collaborator Alex Maleev, whose artwork is less photo-realistic than his current work on Scarlett (also with Bendis). I prefer his work here, sharp defined edges and full of life. Matthew Wilson’s coloring is brilliant as well; I love the pre-modern age comic book textures employed throughout the book.
Bendis sets the action in Los Angeles where Mark Spector has relocated to continue his work as a television producer. The hero is guided by his Avengers teammates, Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-Man, who advise him to take up heroics in the City of Angels. Immediately Moon Knight finds himself knee deep in trouble as he uncovers a plot to obtain an defunct Ultron robot by the immense Mr. Hyde.
The book takes a somewhat surprising twist at the end---that was given away in the early announcements for the series—which is nonetheless effective. This is an exciting beginning for Moon Knight and his Amazing Friends.
Axe Cop #3
Dark Horse Comics
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Have you picked up Axe Cop yet? If you answered “no” then I can only assume you don’t like to smile.
Axe Cop is the most bewilderingly odd book I have ever read, but the damn thing oozes with charm from beginning to end. If you’re one of the uninitiated, the book is (as the cover promises) “written by a six-year old and drawn by his thirty-year old brother!” Though the book needs no disclaimer, one page in and you’ll recognize the free-association form of storytelling that sees enough action take place for a dozen books.
I’m not sure how to describe what happens in this book. Axe Cop fights evil with his partner, Dinosaur Soldier—who becomes a bear when bear blood is spilled on him, becomes a zombie after drinking zombie blood, ascends to President after eating the President’s brain, and becomes a rat after nibbling some cheese. Pretty standard stuff.
Ethan Nicolle brings little brother Malachai Nicolle’s imaginative storytelling to life with great success. My favorite panel—and there are many to pick from—is of a witch sitting atop a gorilla sitting atop a lion. The look on the lion’s face is so dignified, the antithesis of everything going on around him.
Pick up Axe Cop!
Jennifer Blood #3
Dynamite Comics
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I think the covers to Dynamite’s new Garth Ennis series do a disservice to the book. Sure the book does include sex and violence, but the sex is nowhere near as titillating as the covers might imply. I’m not a prude, I just don’t like the idea of a cheap gimmick being used to sell this book.
But I do want people to read it. Jennifer Blood is a fun, dark tale of vengeance in which Ennis has placed a three-dimensional heroine who is as cunning as she is funny. When Jennifer’s neighbor Jack comes onto her in his restroom, Jennifer squeals “MOUSE!!!” and shrieks “It was so little! I’ve never seen anything like it, it couldn’t have been more than three inches! Jack, you saw it, right?”
When Jennifer is not protecting herself from her horny neighbor she continues her killing spree. Until this point, we’ve known that Jennifer has been Jennifer has been going after her Uncles, but in this issue we get our first glimpse into her vendetta.
The story ends with a disembowelment that would make any fan of horror-violence pleased. But this book has much more than nauseating (albeit creative) death scenes. Jennifer Blood has a strong and witty character driving the story along.
Deadpool Annual #1
Marvel Comics
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I blame John Layman for this.
Four stars for a Deadpool book? Yup. I’m not apologizing for it. I’m sorry, I just won’t do it. If you’ve listened to some of our early podcasts you would have heard my condemnation of this character who has never been able to get a hold of my funny bone.
But I laughed out loud during Deadpool Annual #1 by Chew-scribe Layman. I laughed a lot. What made me lol? Deadpool lies in a piñata while his doppelgänger Death Wish socks him, Wilson Fisk dressed up like a pudgy Bane, and Deadpool crossing out the name “Wilson” on the nameplate of a building and spray painting his own name: Wilson. If none of this sounds funny, I understand.
This is the broadest of broad humor, but I am reminded of my favorite comedies, Young Frankenstein and Airplane. There is always a place for goofy, obvious humor in the world and that is what Layman has given us in the second chapter of the “Identity Wars” storyline (which continues in The Incredible Hulks Annual #1).
Juan Doe’s artwork on this issue is sensational. It’s a cross between Humberto Ramos and Ed McGuiness. Doe gets a lot of expression out of Deadpool with slight changes to his mask and cartoonish body language.
Am I a Deadpool convert? I think that might be a stretch at this point, but with the right storyteller, I’m absolutely open to more from the Merc with the Mouth.
Fear Itself #2
Marvel Comics
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As an opener to Marvel’s big event crossover, Fear Itself #1 was met with some dissatisfaction from readers who have grown accustomed to bombastic action in the first issue of said event.
Fear Itself #2 should quell readers thirst for a blockbuster. I enjoyed the way Matt Fraction put all of the players in place in last month’s issue. And boy oh boy does he turn everything on its head in this follow-up. The Serpent’s hammers have landed all around the planet and Marvel’s heaviest heavy-hitters have been deemed worthy of carrying the ancient weapons of mass destruction.
Fear Itself gets big really fast as the Raft is destroyed and Juggernaut becomes the first wielder of a hammer. Titania, Attuma, and (surprisingly) the Hulk all become avatars of evil as they grab hold of the Serpent’s hammers. Fraction has created a truly evil villain in the Serpent, who has had little to do so far, but his immense impact is felt as he calls for an all-out attack on Earth. And Earth is getting pummeled.
Destruction has never looked better thanks to the gorgeous work of artist Stuart Immonen and colorist Laura Martin. The attack on Washington is stunning to say the least. Two issues in and this book is living up to all of the hype that led up to it.
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