Meanwhile

Meanwhile’s opening panels seem fairly underwhelming when you first read them. They show a young boy, Jimmy, buying some ice cream. As beginnings go it’s fair to say this is not particularly dynamic. Things get interesting when you arrive at the fourth panel or, to put it more accurately, when you choose which fourth panel you want to go with.

Meanwhile features branched storylines in the fine tradition of choose-your-own-adventure stories. Panels are linked by lines that send you careening around pages of the book, occasionally deciding which branch of the narrative you wish to pursue next. The first choice you’re given is which flavour ice cream you want. Will you take chocolate or vanilla? As you continue your choices become progressively more intricate with more elaborate ramifications than what Jimmy’s taste buds experience.  

The book’s plot is not something that can be experienced in one reading. Or two. Nor a dozen. Each time you read Meanwhile you will make another discovery about the book’s world. Well, you will if you play along and make different choices. Repetition is a necessary evil that you’ll need to come to terms with early on if you wish to get the most out of the title. If you can manage that you’ll have an entertaining and playful book on your hands.

On the majority of your read-throughs you’ll find Jimmy at the factory of an inventor (who has over 150 patents to his name!) being introduced to three of his inventions. The bulk of the tale will hinge on which item you decide to examine: the Killitron 2000 (which kills every human on the planet with the exception of anyone sealed inside the Killitron), the SQUID (a mind-reading device), and a time travel machine (which… um… travels in time).

As your readings mount up you’ll realise that there’s an intricate tale to be found that requires you to tinker with each available trinket. You’ll discover activation codes for extra settings on the machines, allowing you to open up extra paths of the comic. If that sounds complicated or dull well… it’s not. It makes far more sense once you’ve dabbled in Meanwhile’s brilliant simplicity.

Jason Shiga, the author and artist, has released various iterations of his creation. There’s a free online version available at his website (see this link for that), an iOS app, and a print edition. Shiga has added colour, alternate endings and different codes with each edition released. The physical copy has, we are told, 3,586 possible routes from the start to the finish. That’s an impressive number of options on offer.

Meanwhile’s artwork is not the best. Nor is its writing. To raise either issue as a genuine complaint misses the point of the book entirely. The art and writing suit the style well and are charming in their own way but the joy of the title lies in its ingenuity and the unique way it reveals its plot and history.

Super-Villain Team-Up

Back in the 70s Marvel was happy to unleash experimental titles on the world. Unlike today not everything had to be a continuity heavy crossover providing in-depth analysis of a superhero with a film coming out. The company was happy to have writers write things that were fun.

One such title was Super-Villain Team-Up. Instead of focusing on the latern-jawed do-gooders of the Marvel U it put their iniquitous counterparts centre stage. Bad deeds were the order of the day in SVTU, not world saving. Failed attempts at world domination reigned supreme.

The natural choice for the starring role was Doctor Doom. The arch enemy of the Fantastic Four has been one of Marvel’s most well-rounded ne’er-do-wells since his first appearance, part of the reason he is still used frequently to this day and enjoys such popularity with fans. His over the top personality and access to wide range of gadgets and gizmos meant he was a perfect choice to carry such a title and also keep sales high. He referred to himself in the third person far more back then, another bonus.

The Team-Up part was the downside of the book, at least at the start. Doom is such a great character that having him share pages with the likes of Namor and Kazar feels like a wasted opportunity. Things do improve during the Doom and Namor saga (some of which features them battling rather than teaming up), and they really heat up when Magneto becomes a part of the series, playing the party of the hero to save the world from another of Doom’s plots.

The art by Wally Wood, Gene Colan, Herb Trimpe, Jim Shooter and others is textbook mid-70s Marvel. Everyone makes sure that the running gag of Doom’s mask showing emotions is kept alive and well. The lack of colour in the collected edition doesn’t matter a bit such is the care and attention paid to the pencils and inks.

Red Skull pops up too. He starts off being pitted against Doom and ends up becoming the central character of the final team-up of the series, paired with the equally hateful… erm… Hate-Monger. While they’re not the stars the good guys do make appearances, with the Avengers, the Shroud (a Batman take-off that’s fallen by the wayside in recent years), and the Fantastic Four all cropping up for a spot of thwarting.

Doctor Doom is the undeniable star though. Any fans of his have to read this. Practically every issue contains a classic Doom line, be it “Serve me, woman!”, “Doom will be revenged, cur!”, or “Doom needs no one!”, bellowed as the character is flying through the air. The story’s all over the place, thanks mainly to the large number of writers coming and going over a relatively small number of issues, but ultimately it’s a great read. Good fun a fine example of Marvel at their best.

Tom Strong

Alan Moore titles are not known for their sense of fun. As highly regarded as they may be nobody would describe Watchmen, V For Vendetta, or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as joyful. Generally speaking the closest he comes to fun is a gritty title that has a sense of humour and cracks the occasional joke.

This is not the case with Tom Strong. From its opening issue it’s very clear that this is a far more light-hearted affair than we’re use to from Moore.

We also get a different storytelling approach from the writer. Moore usually works in multi-issue arcs and takes his time with storytelling. Here he focuses on stories contained within a single issue, which adds to the feeling of Tom Strong being a more fun affair than we’re used to. It lessens the reliance on continuity so prominent in comics and shifts the focus to the ideas and stories on display.

And what ideas they are! An empire of technological Aztecs that spans across several alternate universes, Nazis that have access to S.H.I.E.L.D.-esque airships and time travel, a sentient landmass, a race of volcano people, and cowboys from space (sporting third eyes) are among the creations on offer. None of the stories are predictable thanks to Moore’s invention and ability to surprise his audience.

The selection of artists help matters too. It’s not uncommon for a single issue to feature the work of three or four different artists as the plot jumps between past, present and future or flits into a parallel world. Regular pencil man Chris Sprouse is joined by Art Adams, Dave Gibbons, and Gary Frank, among others, who create a sense of carefree fun and give us some wonderful visuals. It lends Tom Strong a varied feel.

The quality doesn’t dip after Moore makes his final regular contribution with issue 22 (he would return to pen the final issue of the original run). He goes out with a bang by giving us a story that ties together many elements of his run on the book, eerily similar to DC’s love of multi-universe tales. Following that we get stories about creatures that are the wind of Millennium City, magical desert cities, space travel, and ghost women.

Tom Strong is a tremendously inventive book and one that perfectly captures the spirit of what comic books can be. They should be like this far more often. Too much continuity gets boring very quickly. Moore has his faults, but falling into the trap of meta-reference is not among them.

Preacher

Usually when I read something (a comic, a book, the back of a cereal packet) I’m reading it for the ideas on display. That’s what attracts me to a title. Plots and characters are important but I can cope with bad ones if there’s enough invention on offer elsewhere.

Preacher is an exception to this. That’s not to say there aren’t any worthwhile ideas in the title. It’s that the characters in it are so memorable and well-developed that they are the highlight of the series. The ideas take a back seat.

The general plot of the series is that Jesse Custer, a disgraced, borderline alcoholic reverend, must locate God and find out why he has abandoned his position. Pretty much all of the plot developments are linked to the series’ central cast or its supporting characters, giving it a slightly slower paced feel than some other Vertigo titles.

Custer (same initials as Jesus Christ, you may have noticed) is a compelling enough central figure. As with all good protagonists he has his own set of morals that he sticks to throughout the book and has a nice selection of problems to overcome. He’s also gifted with a pretty impressive power: The Voice of God. It means that anybody will obey any command given to them by Custer. One amusing example of its use is when a man is instructed to count every grain of sand on a beach.

Custer is also a fan of Westerns. At various points in the title a figure looking very much like John Wayne appears as a sort of spirit guide to give Custer advice. To be honest it can feel a little jarring as it never quite fits with the feel of the rest of the book though. It can make sense, but you have to want it to.

Accompanying Jesse on his search are his on-off girlfriend Tulip O’Hare and new pal Cassidy. Tulip’s good with a gun and Cassidy’s a vampire who likes a drink. The dynamic between the three is one of the driving forces of the series.

Opposing Jesses, because he has obtained The Voice, are The Grail, sort of like an FBI for Christianity. The group is led by Herr Starr, one of the greatest comic book creations ever. Starr’s bad luck and misfortune are one of the series’ many running gags. During the course of the 75 issues he has an ear ripped off, receives a rather unfortunate scar on top of his head, and loses his genitals in a particularly unpleasant manner. His zeal and anger make him a wonderfully over the top character and a highlight of Preacher. The one page scenes that see him trying on various hats and wigs are priceless.

In more ambiguous territory is The Saint of Killers. The patron saint of murderers and assassins is tasked with tracking down Custer by the supposed forces of good. He starts out as a walking weapon but it’s slowly revealed that he was once a good man with his own set of principles, much like Jesse.

Garth Ennis borrows liberally from Western films as well as his own Catholic upbringing for much of the book. They’re not things that you’d immediately affiliate with one another but he manages to make them blend very nicely. Steve Dillon’s artwork is a perfect fit for the author’s vision. His strength is facial expressions as opposed to action set pieces, and it’s the art that really helps to make the relationships between all the main players work.

There are plenty of things that I could mention that people who have read Preacher would agree make the title wonderful. Arseface, for example. A character surviving a tank blast is another. There’s a joke about a sexy cake too. They don’t mean that much out of context, sadly, but do give you an idea of the sort of book Preacher is. It’s not the most mature or subtle Vertigo series ever put out but it is an inventive, quirky book packed with memorable characters, snappy dialogue and clever ideas. It’s regarded as one of the Vertigo imprint’s greatest titles for a reason.

New X-Men

The X-Men are generally thought of as a large team. The modern comic book landscape has encouraged this view, with Marvel cashing in on their popular franchise by running half a dozen or more books bearing the X name at any one time (almost all of which feature Wolverine, in a surprisingly varied number of outfits). Some titles are naturally better than others, thanks to the diverse range of authors and artists working on the books and the characters they are permitted to use.

In 2001 Marvel brought lauded writer Grant Morrison on board to revamp their X books. While other titles were still produced during Morrison’s run it was clear that his New X-Men was the “main” one. The one where all the stuff that truly mattered would happen.

Morrison made sweeping changes to the group and the title. He pared the membership of the team right back, presenting us with a six person outfit consisting of Cyclops, Beast, Emma Frost, Jean Grey, Professor Xavier, and, of course, Wolverine. They were joined by debuting peripheral characters Beak, Angel Salvadore, and the Stepford Cuckoos. The first several stories Morrison told concentrated on the existing stars. The newcomers became more prominent over time, allowing readers to get to know them at a natural, unforced pace.

The X-Men were kitted out in new black and yellow outfits, which helped to make them look more like a team and less like a disparate bunch of camp cosplayers, and the book gained itself a snazzy new name and logo. The word New hadn’t been appropriate for an X-Men title for quite a while, and it arguably wasn’t relevant here. Marvel used the name anyway.

Morrison controversially altered the look of Beast, taking him from ape-like to cat-like. Many disliked the change but as Morrison pointed out Hank McCoy had started out as a regular(ish) looking guy with oversized hands and feet. The move to a cat was presented as a progression of the character’s X-gene and formed the basis for Morrison’s final story.

Emma Frost gained a secondary power. In addition to telepathy it was revealed she could turn her body into a diamond-like substance. Useful for a superhero, no?

The book also gave us the first appearances of Fantomex and the ultimately controversial Xorn character. Fantomex has always struck me as a far too powerful character and one created designed to be cool rather than layered or interesting. Most people disagree and cite him as one of Morrison’s greatest achievements while writing New X-Men.

Xorn is another kettle of fish entirely. With him Morrison did manage to create a layered and interesting character, one that fans and critics alike loved. He was vulnerable and different to the rest of the cast. The identity of Xorn is a major event during the run so I shan’t spoil it here, but suffice it to say that when you find out who has been under the mask all along you’ll find yourself checking previous issues. The plan, plot and character reasoning make no sense.

Morrison returned a sense of unpredictability to the X-Men that had been missing for a while. The team had spent much of the 90s being broody in dull, unimaginative stories or retreads of past glories. From early on it’s clear Morrison wants to do things with the team that haven’t been done before, putting them into new situations and surroundings while staying true to their history and maintaining the traits that made them originally appealing.

Chris Claremont was famed for including analogies of racism, gender inequality and various other types of persecution in his X-Men titles. Morrison very much tries to follow suit. For the most part he succeeds.

But in amongst all these changes, new characters, and expanded worlds are there good stories? At the beginning of the run, yes.  Morrison produces some fairly imaginative storylines. An early story sees Professor X seemingly turning evil, for example. That’s a simple idea but one that had never been done before (certainly not in this fashion at any rate).

There’s a problem with the title though. The artists are nowhere near consistent enough. When Frank Quitely is on pencil duty the book is a joy and a triumph. He understands how to put Morrison’s thoughts onto the page better than anybody else. Unfortunately he’s around less and less as Morrison’s creative run goes on, and almost all of the fill-in artists are dreadful. Busy panels, sloppy inking and inconsistent character designs make the book painful on the eye as early as halfway through the first volume (of three).

The series ends on a high with Morrison’s own attempt at a Days of Future Past type plot. It brings together elements, some major, some minor, spanning Morrison’s run. The basic gist is that Beast has gone bad and waged war on the rest of the X-Men, determined to retrieve and revive the Phoenix to rule the world (or something equally nefarious). At points it comes across as an over-the-top apocalypse movie form the 80s but it works well and allows the Morrison era of the book to end on a high. Perhaps Morrison should try an 80s apocalypse movie-style film script at some point?

If you can look past haphazard artwork there’s a lot to enjoy about New X-Men. Sadly that’s far easier said than done.

 

Critical information:

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Various

Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows

What immediately leapt out at me when I first read the third volume of Locke & Key was Gabriel Rodriguez’s great work drawing shadows. A good comic book artist will give extra depth and life to their artwork with a clever use of shadowing. A better one will bring those shadows to life and give them a personality all their own.

That’s exactly what Rodriguez achieves in Crown of Shadows. The eponymous crown, when worn with the key inserted into it, allows the wearer to create and control shadows. The darkness is brought to life, fluid and bursting with character despite being stock foot soldiers for the sinister Dodge. It’s a wonderful idea executed perfectly by one of the greatest creative teams the industry has ever seen.

Elsewhere mopey, psychotic ghost Sam Lesser is revealed to still be hanging around Keyhouse after his demise in the closing pages of Welcome to Lovecraft. While he’s not exactly what you’d describe as balanced he has gained a bit of perspective since having his life ended and makes it clear his goal is to take the body of anybody foolish enough to use the ghost door.

As ever a great deal is packed into the six issues. Kinsey’s blossoming friendship with three of her peers at Lovecraft Academy lead to a tense stay underground and hints at a hidden past.  There’s a wonderfully large scale fight scene to enjoy in chapter five. Plus a mystery is introduced that casts a new light on Dodge’s motives and becomes a central part of the title’s mythology.

Joe Hill continues to prove himself as a first class writer, tackling pseudo-cool teens and drunken, depressed adults struggling with life with equal skill. The epilogue is a particular highlight for Hill’s wonderful characterisation. It’s a character piece centring on Nina Locke’s discovery of a lock and a small cabinet that fixes broken objects. It’s a well told tale that allows you to sympathise with each character in turn.

While the keys introduced aren’t as inventive as the Head Key seen in the previous volume the issues do a great job of adding layers of mystery to the overall plot arc. An excellent entry that asks more questions than it answers and ensures Locke & Key remains one of the most infectiously fun comics you’ll ever read.

 

Critical information:

Writer: Joe Hill

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

ISBN: 9781600109539

The Authority

The make-believe worlds of Marvel and DC all too often take the concept of superheroes for granted. There is little sense of wonder or scale. It's the same group of goodies battling the same group of baddies over and over again, with only mild variations on a theme tossed in to keep long-time fans coming back for more. It's a state that has arisen because the two companies have become so big that they have to worry about things like marketing, meaning they can never kill off a character that’s even remotely popular because there's money to be made.

A criticism can be levied against the inhabitants of these fictional worlds too. If they are all-powerful then why have they never escalated their war against the legions of bad beyond the petty skirmish level? Working together these characters could create a utopia yet they choose not to.

The answer that they don't want to interfere doesn't cut it. Firstly they interfere on a daily basis, they just stop short of doing anything beyond maintaining a precarious status quo. Secondly the world they live in is real to them. It's their home. These people are scientists and heroes and gods, exactly the sort of people who should want change for the better.

The reason this never happens is simply that Marvel and DC are too scared of affecting major changes. They like presenting a world comparable to our own, for marketing reasons and ease of writing. To their credit Marvel have over the last year experimented with creating a more advanced planet in their Ultimate line of titles but you get the feeling that's more because sales had dipped and something needed to be tried to turn the ailing line's fortunes rather than because they thought it would be an interesting way of presenting an alternate Marvel universe.

Someone over at Marvel HQ should have read the original run of The Authority before they started this Ultimate endeavour. Launched in 1999 by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch it is the story of a group of super-powered beings forming a team with no allegiance to any Earth government and a self-imposed mission to save the world by altering it for the better.

The first three arcs see a realistic depiction of the response such a group would receive, with the media, governments, and the general populace all receiving a voice. The plot concepts are, for the most part, impressively large scale. After a relatively low key opening story in which tyrannical dictator Kaizen Gamorra (a character previously seen during Ellis's run on The Authority's spiritual predecessor Stormwatch) launches assaults on major Earth cities we see the gang tackle meatier opponents in the form of a full scale invasion from an alien-controlled parallel Earth and a gigantic alien that is essentially God.

These tales strike a careful balance between character moments and big fight scenes, the latter of which got the title pegged as the world's first "wide-screen comic." Keeping a sense of danger present is particularly impressive when you consider how powerful Ellis made his characters. Apollo and Midnighter are not only pastiches of Superman and Batman but also the world's strongest super-being and a genetically and technologically altered super assassin respectively. They can defeat any opponent in an instant yet Ellis manages to make them relatable and vulnerable.

Jack Hawksmoor is the ‘God of Cities’, needing to stay in metropolitan areas to survive. It's a moniker that has plenty of scope when it comes to powers and Ellis has plenty of fun tinkering with the concept. Swift is a human-bird hybrid who often felt out of place amongst such a powerful unit but is subtly used as a social conscience. The Engineer and the Doctor are a walking super computer with a mouldable body and Earth's great mage respectively, and team leader Jenny Sparks is a woman who looks twenty but was born in 1900 and can control electricity (and is a Century Baby, something that would become very important in one of Ellis's other Wildstorm titles). Each character is well formed and interesting enough to be able to carry a book in their own right. That Ellis has not only tossed them all into one book but manages to write them all equally well is a tremendous accomplishment.

The original creative team only produced twelve issues before moving on to other projects. They were replaced by Frank Quitely and a pre-Millarworld Mark Millar. They too produced storylines unlike those seen elsewhere in superhero comics, opening with a race between The Authority and a an outfit sponsored by a rogue megalomaniac scientist to find a baby born to be 'The Spirit of the 21^st Century' with a story in which the Authority are dispatched by the world's various governments, replaced by more agreeable members. Millar keeps the plotting as tight as Ellis did and services his cast just as well, while Quitely proves a one of the few men capable of not being overshadowed by Hitch. Unfortunately Quitely didn’t stick around for Millar’s entire run (although it should be noted he doesn't stick around until the end of the run like Millar does).

Disappointing sales and concern at DC’s head offices over the title’s direction caused The Authority to be cancelled at the conclusion of Millar's third arc. Subsequent resurrections of the book have not reached the heady heights of those first 29 issues. The Ellis, Hitch, Millar, and Quitely run is well worth tracking down because of its inventiveness and dedication to shaking up superhero comics. It is a fine example of creative comic book ideas done right.

Critical information:
Writers: Warren Ellis and Mark Millar
Artists: Bryan Hitch and Frank Quitely
ISBNS: 9781840231946, 9781840232796, 9781840233711, 9781840234909

The Sandman

Neil Gaiman's Sandman is often held up as an example of how good DC's Vertigo line, and comic books in general, can be. It’s not without good reason. Although the title starts out a little bland and directionless it develops during the course of the run into a story about the nature of dreams, myths and stories themselves, introducing a memorable cast (Delirious, Jack Pumpkinhead, Lucien, Matthew the Raven, and Lucifer, amongst many others) and providing some excellent storytelling along the way.

The first story arc, collected as the trade paperback Preludes and Nocturnes, is far from special. It deals with Dream, the Sandman of the title, being imprisoned for decades and the journey he must make to regain his power upon being freed. The use and portrayal of Christianity, while important later, feels cumbersome and uninteresting during a first read. The very clear links to the DC Universe (most obviously the appearance of John Constatine and Arkham Asylum) limit the sense of scope. At this point it feels like “just another” comic book.

But wade through that first collection and things improve. The final issue of Preludes and Nocturnes features a drastic change of tone. Gone is the quest, the blood, gore and angst of the first seven issues, replaced by a conversation between Dream and his sister Death. It is the first indication that Gaiman has realised the opportunity writing the series represents. This relationship is revisited multiple times during the series and becomes one of its highlights.

The Doll’s House, the second collected volume, is where the series begins to hit its stride. We learn more about the nature of the book’s powerful and emotional protagonist and Gaiman seizes upon the potential the book presents. Things just get better and better as the story progresses.

What’s nice is that Gaiman will often present one-shot issues where his regular cast are in the background, sometimes not even appearing at all. It allows him to construct a larger world while at the same time conjuring an air of mystery for the central characters. Considering their nature (which I shan’t spoil here as discovering it is one of the joys of reading the series) it’s a smart move.

These collections of one-shots are often highlights of the series and never feel out of place. It’s perfectly natural that a series about dreams and stories should go off on tangents focusing on such things, placing importance on the tales over the characters. This isn’t to say that the regular issues are not good. The central tale is difficult to surmise but it is essentially a story about Dream coming to understand his responsibility and place within the universe. The various arcs of the series cover different periods in his life and decisions he makes, all contributing to the title’s closing issues.

A personal highlight is the use of mythology. He borrows liberally from Egyptian, Norse and Christian mythology as well as fairy tales, making the characters his own while never contradicting the spirit and feel of his source material. The idea that these gods and monsters all fall within the dominion of ‘The Dream King’ is an interesting one, and makes you consider the nature of religion and belief.

Gaiman also takes much inspiration from Shakespeare. The man himself appears a handful of times throughout the series and is given his own story arc. It’s surprisingly intricate considering Shakespeare is essentially a bit part character in the series. The concept of ‘The Bard’ being gifted his great writing ability by Dream may seem passé now but it was original and innovative when the title was first printed.

Gaiman also looks at the nature of names. Dream is revealed to be a collector of titles, epithets and designations. Dozens of names for our central character are revealed throughout the course of the series and Gaiman also looks into the origins of some of his mythological cast. It makes for an interesting side note (or perhaps sub-plot).

Of course, the author did not create The Sandman alone. While most of the famous titles from Vertigo feature a regular writer and artist combo from start to finish The Sandman features a revolving door on the visual side of things. The only artistic constant for the series are the issue covers of Dave McKean. These evoke a wondrous sense of unknowable magic and really help to create the right tone for each instalment.

The internal art is handled by somebody different on practically every arc. Naturally this means some issues receive better artwork than others, although views on that are naturally subjective. I personally love the style of Marc Hempel on The Kindly Ones but I know of several people who feel it’s some of the weakest work of the series. These changes in art reflect the changing nature of dreams, something which is never really emphasised within the series or by the author himself but fits nicely with one of the book’s chief themes.

On the subject of the artwork it should be mentioned that over the last two years DC have reissued the ten volume run with recoloured pages. Naturally some portions of the series benefit from this more than others. A Game of You feels almost like a new story for example, while the changes made to the already vibrant pallet of World’s End don’t strike me as such a big deal. Ultimately it’s a change for the better and a good move on the part of DC (even if they did only do it for the dosh).

While it may not get the credit of Watchmen for bringing large scale changes to the comic book industry I’d say that, over the course of time, The Sandman has proven to be the more influential series. Looked back on it is a truly epic series both in terms of scope and achievement. It’s one of the first comic series I ever read and it remains one of the best.

Critical information:

Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Various, including Sam Kieth, Charles Vess, Malcolm Jones III and Marc Hempel (and covers by Dave McKean)

100 Bullets

100 Bullets starts off by indirectly presenting its audience with a question: if you were offered a gun with one hundred untraceable bullets and absolute proof that one person was responsible for everything wrong in your life, what would you do?

For the first several arcs of the series this question appears to be the title’s focus, as we see different characters from different walks of life offered the chance to write wrongs. Some take it, some don’t. We follow their stories regardless. Some of those we meet, such as Dizzy who appears in the first three issues, return to the series and become important later. Others never appear again. It’s almost like they’re red herrings introduced to mislead us as to the series’ overall direction.

That opening question becomes the backdrop to the series but it gradually becomes clear that it is not the sole focus. The title introduces mysteries and factions and conspiracies, which all flesh out to become the true plot. By the end of the second collected volume you’ll be wondering who the next Minuteman will be revealed as, as well as who that group answers to. You’ll be wondering about the significance of Ms Dietrich’s golden badge, the true nature of the man with the attaches, and what exactly happened in Atlantic City. Answers are a long time coming in 100 Bullets but when they arrive they always prove well worth the wait.

The level of plotting and planning that has gone into the series is astonishing. Writer Brian Azzarello did a phenomenal job crafting the densely layered history of his characters and their fictitious world and does a great job of transferring his thoughts to the page in a compelling and entertaining way. 100 Bullets has a huge cast coming from a wide variety of backgrounds, and all of them are written believably. The central characters all have their own distinctive voices. It’s all perfectly judged form beginning to end.

Artist Eduardo Risso does a wonderful job of bringing this cast and their world to life. Each main character is instantly recognisable, with the Minutemen in particular being a wonderful collection of different looks that don’t look out of place as a unit. Whether it’s Lono in his Hawaiian shirts, the swaddled-in-bandages detective from The Counterfifth Detective, or the short and stumpy Mr Branch everyone is instantly recognisable and allows the artist to create a shorthand of silhouetted figures that are used sparingly but effectively throughout the series.

The arc titles and covers are worthy of praise too. Each cover is a sumptuous collection of images that bear a relevance to the story that occurs within. Fans of Marvel and DC superhero titles will be aware of how rarely that happens these days. The titles are all puns of one sort or another, with the collected volumes getting the treatment too. It’s something that helps to set the series apart, adding to its feeling of being special.

Interesting names aren’t just saved for titles. Many of the characters have a name that reflects their persona, grants them an equally intriguing nickname, or just sounds cool. Wylie Times, Cole Burns and Victor Ray are my personal favourites. I’ll always like the way Agent Graves’ name reflects his sombre personality too.

The end result of 100 Bullets is part crime noir, part conspiracy thriller, and part Reservoir Dogs. In fact it’s easy to imagine the series as a TV series directed by Tarantino. Whether that’s your cup of tea or not 100 Bullets is one of the most stylishly executed comic books ever. It’s a title that revels in its own creativity and ingenuity, examining the nature of secrets and the true nature of The American Way. Anybody, comics fan or not, will enjoy reading it.

 

Critical information:

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Eduardo Risso

Locke & Key: Head Games

One of the central aspects of Locke & Key's second volumes is so brilliant that other creative teams would milk it and force it to last far longer than six issues. In Head Games Bode Locke tinkers with the key he fished from the pond of Keyhouse at the end of volume one, eventually discovering that it grants access to people's minds. Memories can be looked at or removed completely, and gaining knowledge becomes as easy as stuffing a book into your head.

The concept is approached in a fun manner that makes use of the visual aspects a comic book provides. Every person’s mind is depicted as an assortment of miniature people living inside their minds, acting out the memories they represent. It gives artist Gabriel Rodriguez the chance to give us some memorable splash pages and have some fun. Young Bode’s mind is a colourful and eclectic mix of superheroes, dinosaurs, and monsters, while Tyler’s is a sombre grey landscape of guilt, angst and teenage lust.
 
Easy to imagine a 70 issue Vertigo series centred on this concept isn't it?
 
Joe Hill shows great restraint, refusing to wear the idea out. Instead he focuses his attention on his cast. Bode is as infectiously carefree as he was in Welcome to Lovecraft, behaving just as we'd all want to if we discovered the magic of Keyhouse for ourselves. Tyler remains stoic, but we get a little of his playful side too. It's a welcome change and keeps the book feeling fresh.
 
It’s Kinsey that gets the most to do of the three Locke children. She is the most affected by the key gimmick and grows the most as a character. We can identify with all the players, but her most of all. Her decision in issue three when it’s realised that things can be taken out of the mind is a pivotal moment for the series.
 
Rodriguez remains as reliable as he was during the title’s first volume but is given more moments to shine thanks to the more fantastical nature of the new key. In addition to the splash pages mentioned above we also get a brief glimpse of a stage play that turns out to be very important in a later volume, some worryingly cute evil memories and emotions, and a highly inventive way of crediting those who worked on the book at the start of issue four. The quiet moments are handled delicately, with the mostly black-and-white epilogue issue being a moving affair.

Head Games showed that Hill and Rodriguez hadn’t been lucky first time round and that Locke & Key was a consistently enjoyable title. More to the point it showed that the series was going somewhere. This is a second outing that doesn’t disappoint.

Batman: The Long Halloween

I'll begin by saying that I'm not a fan of Jeph Loeb. He relies too heavily on continuity references and crowbarring in as many characters as possible. Perhaps his most infuriating trait is the constant attempts to introduce mysteries into his writing. More often than not you'll be left without a definitive answer, unable to decipher one for yourself because Loeb's plotting is so haphazard.
 
Unfortunately Batman: The Long Halloween epitomises all of the above points.
 
The story unfolds over the period of a year in Gotham City. It concerns the corrupt Falcone family's stranglehold on the city and a pact formed by police captain Jim Gordon, Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent, and Batman to bring them to justice. It’s gangster intrigue DC Universe style.
 
The first hint that this title is full of nonsense comes from just flicking through its pages. Loeb has gone out of his way to cram in as many members of Batman's rogues gallery as possible. You'll see the usual suspects such as Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Two Face, who actually receives a revamped origin story. It all feels too busy. There's no need for the majority of these villains to be included, leaving you with the feeling that they're present because Loeb gets a thrill from it and falsely believes it lends the book credibility as a Batman title.
 
Another part of the trouble is that Loeb expects everyone to be as well versed in the character's history as he (thinks he) is. Why should a casual reader care who Calendar Man is, for example? Loeb has plucked elements from history to appease fans, overlooking anyone who may be picking up a Batman title, or even a comic in general, for the first time. The Batman mythos is placed front and centre but so much is made of it that it actually detracts from the comic.
 
The Long Halloween's biggest crime has to be its laboured mysteries. Without wishing to give too much away one of the book’s sub-plots sees one of the Falcones murdered. Nobody is revealed as the killer in the pages of the comic though Loeb insists that all the clues are there if you look for them. If they do exist then they are skilfully hidden because nobody ever seems entirely clear on who did it. It’s easy for Mr Loeb to say people should be able to work it out, he wrote the blasted book!
 
While it’s not recommended reading Long Halloween still has its merits. Loeb writes the Batman character very well, acknowledging that he's a detective as well as a superhero and Gotham's conscience. Anyone who's seen Bale and Nolan's The Dark Knight should also enjoy seeing part of the film's inspiration and source material.
 
It’s Tim Sale is what gives this title its greatest selling point. His dark, brooding art is the perfect fit for a Batman tale. The deep shadows suit 'The Caped Crusader' as well as they do the film noir attempt of a plot. Sale gives us an interesting take on each character, with the Joker standing out alongside Batman as warranting particularly high praise.
 
It's the non-superheroes that really show how good the artist is. While most people could draw something approaching a recognisable Batman thanks to the character's distinctive costume Sale creates a cast of people in suits that have their own instantly recognisable looks and personalities.
 
Visually pleasant it may be, but Batman: The Long Halloween is an utter disappointment for anyone who values a logical plot.

The Ultimates

You wouldn't think it to look at the imprint now but when Marvel first launched its Ultimate line it was considered one of the greatest things the company had done in years. Ultimate Spider-Man launched the line in 2000 and was followed by Ultimate X-Men in 2001. Both titles reimagined their titular characters in a more contemporary, (slightly) more realistic world than the regular Marvel Universe, allowing for origin stories updated to suit the 21^st century.
 
As successful as both books were both pale in comparison to The Ultimates. To this day the original 28 issue (26 regular issues and two annuals) run by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch remains one of the line's greatest hits. It’s a stylish, exciting comic that helped Ultimate Marvel to flourish.
 
The first thirteen issue series opens with a first instalment flashing back to World War Two to detail the origin of Captain America, after which we're gradually introduced to the rest of the team. Hank and Janet Pym are biologists working on the advancement of superpowers. Tony Stark is the billionaire playboy we've seen emerge in the films.

There are hints of Bruce Banner’s famous alter ego having already made his presence known to the world (specifically New York). Nick Fury is famously redesigned to look like Samuel L Jackson, hence his casting as the S.H.I.E.L.D. boss is Marvel's films, and is written as a more shadowy, slightly sinister individual than his mainstream counterpart.
 
The greatest recreation is Thor. As the story begins he is either the genuine God of Thunder or an environmentalist lunatic with some very special powers. The way this is introduced is superb and answers that are teased across multiple arcs is incredibly rewarding.
 
What makes the series work is Millar's understanding of the characters at his disposal. He knows what tweaks to make and never goes overboard, meaning the cast remains recognisable but still capable of surprising us. The pacing is quick and the balance between action and plot is perfect. Hitch handles everything required of him perfectly.
 
The first twelve issues are split into two stories. The first details the recruitment and formation of the team and a rampaging rogue troubling New York. The second arc shows the Ultimates' clash with the Chitari, an alien race that had been allied with Hitler during the war.
 
The action, pacing and characterisation are all perfect and there's not a bad line of dialogue throughout the entire run. It’s an essential read for anyone who wants a modern take on superheroes done correctly. Millar and Hitch introduce a sense of wonder that mainstream comics, generally speaking, lack today. Very impressive when you consider how well known the characters at their disposal are.

Ignition City

 

Ignore the “Volume 1” slapped onto the cover and spine of this book. Volume two is not coming. These five issues are a complete tale in and of themselves and Warren Ellis has no plans for more. Although the world that’s constructed is so rich that it’s easy to imagine this becoming an ongoing series.

In a way that is Ignition City’s greatest downfall. There are so many hints at a wider world and an unseen history between the characters we meet and it’s a great shame these won’t be taken further. It feels very much like the first half of a TV series cancelled before its time by 20^th Century Fox: there’s lots of invention but everything’s over before you can fully appreciate it all. It’s sort of a comic book equivalent of Firefly.

As ever with Warren Ellis one of the central motifs of the title is technology. Whereas Ellis usually enjoys writing about the future of technology here he plays around with its past, imaging a world that’s a mixture of steampunk, early rocket science and space exploration.

The story takes place in the eponymous Ignition City, Earth’s last remaining spaceport. There’s a sassy, foul-mouthed, empowered female lead on hand (another Ellis trope) to guide us through this world, acting as a cross between an exposition device and a vehicle for Ellis’s femdom fantasies.

Mary Raven is fleshed out a little with a backstory concerning her father being a famous space pilot and wanting to follow in his footsteps. It’s not the most touching story you’ll ever come across in a comic, nor is Raven the most empathetic character, but you find yourself warming to her anyway.

The real strength of the title is in its cast of supporting characters and Ignition City itself. As comic book locales go Ignition City seems very real, and its various cast of characters never feel too ridiculous. That’s pretty impressive when you consider that the list includes giant green alien crabs and a man who was once “Russia’s greatest cosmonaut.” Gianluca Pagliarani does a great job making a grimy town built on mud seem varied and interesting and gives us a surprisingly wide range of facial expressions.

The plot is centred on the tried and tested murder mystery formula. It’s not especially inventive but doesn’t need to be. The real joy of this book is discovering its secrets, not following a complex story. If you’re looking for something you can breeze through in a day then this is for you. It will leave you wanting more though.

 

Critical information:

Writer: Warren Ellis

Artist: Gianluca Pagliarani

ISBN: 9781592910878

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft

Welcome to Lovecraft, the first volume of Locke & Key is an astonishingly good piece of work on so many different levels. In just six issues a vivid world ripe with possibility is introduced to us. It never feels contrived or forced, and there's a genuine feeling of magic as you stumble across the book's many secrets.

After the grisly death of their father the Locke children, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode, relocate with their mother from the sunny west coast to Lovecraft, Massachusetts. There they find themselves living in Keyhouse, an eerie mansion that has a door that lets people leave their bodies when opened with a certain key and a well house that nobody must go near.

They don’t get to enjoy their new surroundings for too long though. The social misfit that killed their father escapes from the juvenile detention centre he was being held in. He doesn’t necessarily want revenge on the already traumatised family for his incarceration, but he does want a black key.
 
What makes this a particularly impressive read is that it is the first comics work writer Joe Hill has produced. He is the son of Stephen King (he wisely took a pen name to avoid daunting comparisons) and has clearly picked up his dad's knack for success.
 
Aiding and abetting Hill is artist Gabriel Rodriguez, whose quirky and innovative artwork is a perfect fit for the series. He captures moments of tenderness just as well as moments of maniacal bloodletting (and there are plenty of both). It's surprising, given how good he is, that we haven't seen him drawing the Avengers latest clash with the X Men or contributing to DC's Watchmen prequels. The guy doesn’t draw a single bad panel throughout the whole volume.
 
Unlike most comics Locke & Key has not been published monthly since its first issue, instead finding itself separated into various miniseries. There will be thirty-six issues in total, spread across six volumes. There are currently five trades available, with the sixth series due to begin later in the year.

This approach has given each volume its own self-contained plot arc while also allowing it to contribute to the larger story that has unfolded across the first thirty issues (and will conclude in the last six). It's a nice approach that has benefited the title, the gaps in production leaving fans eager for answers and allowing intrigue to build regarding series’ mythos.
 
While volume one is very much an opening act that sets the scene for the tale to come it can still be enjoyed in its own right. As a mysterious person who lives in a well points out in issue six "You can’t understand because you’re reading the last chapter of something, without having read the first chapters."

There are answers here. You’ll just have to read more to fully comprehend them all. Considering the quality of the work that’s no bad thing.

 

Critical information:

Writer: Joe Hill

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

ISBN: thing.

The Dandy

When I was young I would buy The Beano every week. I don’t have many memories of the content but I remember enjoying the comic and many of the characters. I would receive The Beano Annual every Christmas and skim through it reading the stories involving characters I liked.

Dennis the Menace was a favourite, partly thanks to Gnasher. I was less interested in Minnie the Minx, whose particular brand of anarchic tomfoolery seemed identical to Dennis’s. I branded her a rip-off and avoided her.

I was never a regular reader of The Dandy. I owned some annuals picked up from car boot sales and passed down to me second hand, but I found the characters less appealing than those appearing in The Beano. It didn’t really appeal to me. I distinctly remember thinking that it wasn’t as funny.

On Tuesday 14^th August The Dandy was trending on Twitter for a while, as was #saveTheDandy. It had been revealed that there was a very real possibility of The Dandy ceasing publication because its readership has become so poor in recent years.

I had a look through some of the comments that were being made and quickly realised one of The Dandy’s key problems: it’s priced at £1.99. It also became apparent that the same cast of characters were being trotted out as when I would read annuals as a child, which struck me as odd as well. I had expected a few names that I didn’t recognise to appear.

I decided that it would be unfair to write the title off without actually looking at it though, so I decided to buy the latest issue to read through. This revealed another problem the publication is facing: I visited nine shops before I found somewhere that had it in stock. If it’s hard to track down it’s going to be hard to buy.

As it’s essentially an anthology The Dandy is a mixed bag in terms of quality. I was surprised to find that Desperate Dan, the title’s most recognisable character, appeared in only one strip on the back cover. Meanwhile Korky the Cat, a similarly recognisable face, was reduced to a brief appearance on a page encouraging readers to submit jokes.

While I fall a little outside of the target age range I still found things to enjoy. In addition to Desperate Dan I enjoyed the two Grrrls! strips, My Dad’s a Doofus, Bananaman, Olympikids, and Mega-Lo Maniacs. Anyone familiar with The Dandy will possibly have noticed that three of those strips are by one man: Jamie Smart. His thick line work and expressive faces were a wonderful discovery. He’s someone I’d like to see more work from in the future.

Being a former Beano reader it was also a joy to see the artwork of Nigel Parkinson again. His one page Banana Bunch strip featured some of the most detailed art of the entire issue, each panel packed with movement and personality. Even something as simple as a panel drawn in silhouette stood out, simply because I hadn’t expected to find that level of quality given to a children’s magazine.

Sadly, and predictably, there was some pretty ropey material too. The Bogies (featuring Bogie Won) was a barely veiled Star Wars pastiche starring lumps of green snot and a golden robot. I appreciate it’s a kids title but that doesn’t necessitate the inclusion of disgusting subject matter. And surely there must be something more recent that could be homaged ahead of a franchise that first saw life in 1977.

Professor Cheese’s Olympic Wheezes, Spotted Dick and Silly Moo were all fairly humdrum and unimaginative, while a three panel strip featuring Wolverine (yes, that Wolverine) performing magic was just confusing.

While I did find enjoyment in issue 3594 of The Dandy I don’t believe there was enough to warrant the relatively high price tag. If The Dandy is to remain aimed primarily at children then a lot of work needs to be done to compete with the dozens of TV channels and hundreds of computer games available to them.

Children of today have so much choice that spending two pounds on something that will only last them an hour is unappealing. Right now The Dandy either needs to be reinvented with fresh characters relevant to today’s kids. Lazy gags about mobile phones don’t cut it in 2012 because most kids are unaware that they used to be carried in briefcases.

My suggestion would be keeping the same tone but trying to attract a greater range of aspiring comic book writers and-or authors in an attempt to see if a new character catches on or the title can gain a reputation for being somewhere young talent can be seen (which would make it more appealing to adult comic fans). It’s a lofty goal but there’s no reason The Dandy couldn’t strive to be a U rated 2000 AD.

It would be sad to see such a well-established title cease publication but having read an issue I’d understand if it did.

All-Star Superman

We all know the Superman origin story. He is the last survivor of a dying race of superbeings, sent to Earth and raised on a farm before growing up to become the morally righteous world protector with a penchant for red underwear and capes. The character has been rebooted, adapted and updated so many times over the last decade or three that a nauseating number of stories recounting this simple tale now exist.

Thankfully when Grant Morrison wrote the twelve issue All-Star Superman he boiled down the thirty years or so of Superman’s life to eight words split across four panels. That was the first of many things he got right with the series.

All-Star Superman celebrates the character’s sixty-plus years of canon and history without ever becoming beholden to it. If something works Morrison includes it. If something is best left forgotten then it is. Numerous aspects of Superman and his world are reworked all in order to give us the best story possible, often things you wouldn’t expect to appear in such a relatively short series. That’s exactly how comics should be written.

Jimmy Olsen is transformed from irritating sidekick to brilliant scientist. The Fortress of Solitude is accessed using a key that weighs half a billion tonnes. The high intellect of the character, so often forgotten or downplayed over the decades, is highlighted at various points and there are dozens of examples of Superman truly being the strongest man on Earth, again something his regular appearances often downplay in order to heighten drama.

The premise of the series is setup in the very first issue. After Superman thwarts the latest diabolical plan of Lex Luthor it is revealed that ‘The Man of Steel’ has become oversaturated with solar radiation and is given a limited amount of time to live.

This development not only makes Supes fallible but it gives him something he so rarely has in modern comics: a purpose. Knowing he is going to die Superman focuses on tying up loose ends and ensuring that the world will be safe in his absence. There are some beautifully touching moments between the character (both as Superman and Clark Kent) and his father and Lois Lane.  

It all naturally comes down to a final showdown with Luthor, but it is far from the by-the-numbers Kryptonite-filled encounter most fans would (rightfully) expect. The climactic confrontation is just one of many instances in which Morrison defies expectations and surprises everyone from long term fans to those just picking up their first comic.

Morrison’s script truly does Superman justice. Fun, exciting adventures are woven with believable characters. Frank Quitely’s artwork is the perfect fit for the title, with Superman being all lantern jaw, boyish cowlick and kindly smile. Morrison has provided an excellent script but it’s Quitely who expertly brings it to life and imbues it with a warmth and sense of wonder rarely associated with famous Metropolis resident.

Whether you’re a fan of the character or not you will enjoy this book.

Critical information:

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
ISBN: 9780857688170

Dial H

At time of writing only the first four issues of revived DC title Dial H (previously referred to as Dial H for Hero during publication runs in the 1960s and 1980s) have been released and the central storyline is still in the process of being revealed. That in itself is a reason to read it in my opinion, as it's rare these days for mainstream comics to give us a storyline that hasn’t been crowbarred into a three or four issue arc. That gradual process of revealing what’s going on is rewarding and means you’re always left wanting a little more.

The general premise is simple. Pudgy, out-of-work everyman Nelson Jent is set upon by hoodlums when making his way home from visiting a sick friend in hospital. Seeking help he dives into a phone booth and attempts to dial H-E-L-P but accidentally (but conveniently as far as the plot is concerned) dials H-E-R-O instead.

Emerging from the phone box in his place is Boy Chimney. He makes short work of the thugs that troubled Jent and then goes for a night-time jaunt through the city. Sometime later our tubby protagonist finds himself back in his apartment, remembering what happened.

The obligatory “learning how the phone box works” scene, which so easily could have been an infodump, is instead used as a fun way of giving us a selection of fleeting superhero appearances.

The main plot itself has so far introduced a toad-like antagonist whose mode of speech flits between East End tough and educated mastermind and Ex Nihilo, a woman with mastery over nothing who is very interested in the magical phone dials. Joining him and protagonist Jent is a mysterious superheroine with access to a portable phone dial of her own.

The big attraction with the Dial H title is obviously China Miéville. His hefty reputation is what will initially draw a lot of people to the book. It’s what made me pick up issue one, along with Brian Bolland’s perfectly judged cover art. But readers will find themselves staying for the neat premise and Mateus Santolouco’s interior art, which is not only great but also an excellent fit with Miéville’s writing and the feel of the book.

The New 52 project has had many surprise hits and misses. Dial H is very much in the former camp. I hope we see the creative team, and Nelson Jent, stick around for a long time to come.

Critical information:
Writer: China Miéville
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
ISBN: Yet to be collected

Watchmen

Watchmen is often cited as the title that completely changed the comics industry. It routinely makes it into Best Ever lists and has been referred to as the greatest comic ever written so many times that the accolade has lost all meaning. Frankly I think it’s overrated.

Don’t get me wrong, Watchmen is a superior comic, but the amount of praise heaped on it is ludicrous. No, I wasn’t around when it was first released in the 80s (well, technically I was but I was around three at the time) and so I don’t know what sort of impact it had on the industry. Having looked at comics that were around at the same time it is clear that it did have a strong influence but after a quarter of a decade that’s largely irrelevant. Watchmen should be able to stand as a series in its own right, without a constant reminder that it was revolutionary when it first saw print. Bringing changes does not necessarily make something worth reading.

My main problem is the book’s ending. The revelation of why artists, writers and other creative types have been disappearing is massively disappointing and provides an unexpected science fiction twist that jars with the world writer Alan Moore has created. When we live in a world where terrorism is all too real this fabricated menace from the mind of poet-junkies seems laughable by comparison.

The plot that leads up to the twist is basic, following the murder investigation of a dead costumed vigilante (no “superheroes” here). That’s not such a problem. Its simplicity allows the characters chance to breathe, brought to life by Moore’s excellent characterisation and Dave Gibbons’ incredibly detailed artwork. Characterisation is the book’s greatest strength, boasting a pantheon of memorable capes that all have their own quirks, habits and foibles.

The art on display is far more consistent than the writing. Gibbons doesn’t draw a single bad panel throughout the entire book and rewards eagle-eyed readers and those enjoying a second or third read-through with little nods and pieces of foreshadowing. I’d argue that this is Gibbons’ greatest ever work.

If only Moore had been on as good a form. Instead his great work creating characters and building a believable world is overshadowed by the self-indulgent Black Freighter vignettes (a comic within a comic, telling the story of a pirate becoming shipwrecked), an ill-plotted final act, and a tiger with antlers. If only the inventiveness he ploughs into the additional work at the end of every issue could have made it into the story proper, as opposed to being relegated to world-enhancing background material, then maybe some of the negatives could have been overcome.

This is generally regarded as the greatest example of work by either of its creators. While that may be true for Gibbons it is not for Moore. Watchmen may hold historic significance but ultimately it’s overrated.

Critical information:

Writer: Alan Moore

Artist: Dave Gibbons

Colourist: John Higgins

ISBN: 9781852860240