The Warriors #1

From the Random Stack of Unread Comics.

Title: The Warriors
Issue: 1
Date: 2009
Publisher: Dabel Brothers
Writer: David Atchison, David Shaber, Walter Hill, Sol Yurick
Artist: Chris Dibari
Colorist: Kieran Oats
Letterer: Bill Tortolini
Cover: Chris Dibari, Kieran Oats
Editor: Rich Young, Eric Ruiz

This is the Diamond Exclusive cover.

Adaptation of the 1979 film. The Warriors is one of those iconic films I remember from my childhood ("Warriors... Come out and play!"), and writer David Atchison is clearly sticking very close to the script of the film. The story has a Coney Island street gang framed for the murder of a leader who was trying to unite New York's gangs at a meeting clear across town from the Warriors' turf. Hunted by every gang in the city, the Warriors make a desperate late-night journey home.

there is a one-page bit that sets the story up with an ancient tale that was a parallel and inspiration, from the Persian War of Ancient Greece. But from there, it launches right into the plot of the film.

While it might have been nice to see some expansion of characters and background that could be provided in a comic, I appreciate the faithfulness to the source material that is evident here. The pace is fast right from the start, with the minimal dialogue needed to convey the story.

Artist Chris Dibari did a nice job of highlighting the tension between characters through expressions and body language.

This was an enjoyable bit of nostalgia, and still a solid story.

Rating: 8/10

Dabel Brothers & Del Rey 2008 Preview

From the random stack of unread comics by way of Free Comic Book Day 2008. After this review I have 17 comics left in the stack, which is convenient because we have 17 days until departure! A few bonus reviews are also on the docket. I've got one last graphic novel checked out from the school library and the final date for library returns is Friday, so that will be coming soon. I've also got 3 more graphic novels on the to-read bookshelf. These are lower priority compared to finishing up the stack of unread comics, but it would be nice to get them read in the next two weeks and start this blog with a clean slate when I get to the US. I'm looking forward to reading some current releases for a change!

Title: Dabel Brothers & Del Rey 2008 Preview
Date: 2008
Publisher: Dabel Brothers
Writer: Jim Butcher, Daniel Abraham, Dean Koontz, Chuck Dixon, Queenie Chan
Artist: Adrian Syaf, Eric Battle, Brett Booth, Queenie Chan
Editor:Mike Raicht, Brian Smith

Dabel Brothers specializes in comic adaptations of popular SF/fantasy prose. This collection previews four of their adaptations, featuring popular authors George R.R. Martin, Dean Koontz, and Jim Butcher.

Butcher is the only author who is actually writing completely original material for his comic series, and the only one of the authors who is doing the writing solo. Based on his Dresden Files series, the story involves a murder at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Butcher does a nice job referencing Upton Sinclair's writing, which adds a nice bit of literary fun to a fairly standard crime/horror opening sequence.

Daniel Abraham scripts The Hard Call, set in the Wild Cards shared universe created by George R. R. Martin. In the world of mutant "jokers" and super-powered "aces" is a man who awakens with different powers and a different appearance every time he sleeps. The character is an interesting concept, and nicely introduced here. The apparent murder of his love interest as the story's inciting incident was something of a disappointing cliche. I did snicker a bit when the McGuffin (remember, this was written in 2008) turned out to be something called the "Trump Virus".

The last two stories are co-scripted by Dean Koontz, based on his novels. His modern Frankenstein story had some good dialogue, but not much in terms of plot here. And I liked Queenie Chan's manga art style for the adaptation of Koontz's Odd Thomas quite a bit.

Everything here was slickly produced. In terms of my interest to read further, the Jim Butcher story was the only one that really intrigued me, although everything here at least felt like it had potential.

Rating: 6.5/10

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures #1 2007 Convention Exclusive

This was another piece of my 2011 Free Comic Book Day haul. It's another leftover, a convention promo freebie from 2007.

Title: Anita Blake Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures
Issue: #1 (2007 Convention Exclusive)
Date: 2007
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Dabel Brothers
Writer: Laurell K. Hamilton, Stacie M. Ritchie
Artist: Brett Booth
Colorist: Arif Priyanto
Letterer: Bill Tortolini
Editor: Sean J. Jordan

Writer Stacie M. Ritchie adapts Laurell K. Hamilton's first Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel, Guilty Pleasures. This particular edition was a convention freebie with a sketch cover.

Adaptations are always tough. I thought that artist Brett Booth did a great job with the look of Anita. The artwork depicts a dynamic mix of strength and vulnerability that matches what comes across in the writing. This first issue does a decent job of introducing the world of Anita Blake, a world where vampires and other supernatural creatures are a known part of life in America. The comic is heavy on dialogue and narration, as might be expected from an adaptation of a novel. Sometimes it works well, but it breaks down a bit when it gets into the mental/telepathic struggles for domination that occur between Anita and the various vampires she encounters. Hamilton places a very heavy emphasis on this aspect of the vampire myth, and it's the type of thing that is just more suited to prose that really gets inside the character's head in detail rather than abbreviated captions on top of visuals.

I like the fact that the vampires are a threat to be taken very seriously, and I enjoyed the portrayal of Anita herself. This was better than I went in expecting, but it still feels like it was forced into the comic format.

Rating: 6.5/10