Baltimore / Criminal Macabre

Missed yesterday's review due to technical difficulties with our internet connection. Fortunately, we seem to have solved the problem (by changing providers; bye-bye Verizon!). Here's another selection from Free Comic Book Day 2011.

Title: Avatar: Baltimore / Criminal Macabre
Date: May, 2011
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Steve Niles, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
Artist: Christopher Mitten, Ben Stenbeck
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot, Clem Robins
Colorist: Michelle Madsen, Dave Stewart
Editor: Scott Allie
Cover: Christopher Mitten, Michelle Madsen, Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart

Flip book. First up is Baltimore, a well-executed but somewhat generic alternate history monster-hunter story by Mike Mignola. It's set in 1916 in Germany, where war has given way to a plague of monsters that threatens the land. Two boys observe the arrival in their town of a stranger, a mysterious monster-slayer who just might be exactly what the citizens need to deal with the local vampires. And giant spiders. Decent introduction didn't deliver much in the way of surprises but featured good storytelling from start to finish.

Flip over the book and you get the supernatural noir comedy Criminal Macabre. The plot for this one-shot story involving Frankenstein's monster was resolved a bit too quickly ( a function of the format of this FCBD freebie to some extent), but the dialogue and narration were very entertaining.

Neither book showed much depth, but they were both fun.

Rating: 7/10

30 Day Comic Challenge Day 10

Day 10 - Dream Versus Match.

When I thought about this topic, I realized that I really wasn't interested in who hits harder or who can blow more stuff up. Those types of battles can really be written any way, and so it's pretty much the whim of the writer as far as whether, say Electra could beat the Batman or Galactus would triumph over Darkseid or whatever.

What I was more interested in was a clash of philosophies. I'd like to see who wins in a battle of outlooks on humanity.

Here are the contestants:











Superman represents pretty much the most optimistic view of humanity in comics. Rorschach represents the one of the most pessimistic views of human nature I've encountered in comics. I think there is a ton of potential in the conflict that would result from these opposing views.

From My Creations

I'm also going for a philosophical debate matchup here. I would love to see a confrontation, or even a conversation between my priestess of Death, Kaeli from Kaeli & Rebecca, and Picorna's priestess mentor Talavaria from Perils of Picorna.













These two don't have as good a ready-made conflict as do Superman and Rorschach, but they are both thinkers and religious figures, with Tala leaning more toward practicality and Kaeli taking a more idealistic and possibly unrealistic view. I think they could have a very interesting conversation.

The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.

30 Day Comic Challenge Day 09

Day 09 - Most Touching Comic Book/Comic Book Scene.

Remember yesterday's entry?

One of the reasons I've been so impressed with Jimmy Gownley's work on Amelia Rules! is his ability to create poignant moments amid all the silliness. One of the ones that really touched me was a conversation between Amelia and a friend who is dealing with the emotional strain of a father about to be deployed overseas.



What makes this scene so powerful is everything that is left unsaid. That's a mark of great writing.

From My Creations

I love the interaction between Kaeli and the shapeshifter Carcebe in the first issue of Kaeli & Rebecca. It was fun writing Carcebe as just awakening to awareness of the individuality that she never knew she had. I hope that I was able to create a touching interaction that will win over the reader to a character who was originally introduced as a (literally!) faceless villain.


The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.

Locke & Key: Free Comic Book Day Edition

Title: Locke & Key: Free Comic Book Day Edition
Date: 2011
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colorist: Jay Fotos
Letterer: Robbie Robbins
Editor: Chris Ryall

Three kids have become the guardians of the Keyhouse, whose keys can unlock all manner of powers and secrets. Opposing them is an evil wizard-type named Dodge, who animates the shadows of the house and sends them to attack the kids.

This issue is essentially a single fight scene, but it's a really good one that flows logically and keeps up the intensity. The characters are introduced mostly through their actions and some dialogue and we get a fairly good sense of them. It was enough to interest me in seeing more.

The art by Gabriel Rodriguez is spectacular, especially on the shadow creatures, which come off as very menacing. This was a good sample of the story and a really fun series of scenes that definitely will have me on the lookout for more Locke & Key stories.

Excellent example of what a Free Comic Book Day promo should be.

Rating: 8/10

30 Day Comic Challenge Day 08

Day 08 - Best Series Being Published Right Now.

Easy choice. It's Amelia Rules! by Jimmy Gownley.



Great humor, plenty of nerdy-smart dialogue, complex characters, and wonderfully touching moments (see tomorrow's entry). Gownley tells an amazing story that's fun for all ages. Brilliant stuff.

From My Creations

I don't like to judge the comics I write or co-write against each other, so I'll apply a different standard here. I'm going to choose the best comic series I am currently publishing based on the how well the publication process is going. Still a tough decision, but my choice is Perils of Picorna. We've got two issues finished, and the third script is done. I have a great working relationship with the whole team and I was thrilled with how smoothly the editing process on the most recent script went. This is a fun book to work on.


It's also a really fun comic to read!

The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.

MAMP Vol. 2 #6

Title: MAMP
Issue: Vol. 2 #6
Publisher: Barrington Middle School Comic Book Club

How many comics series have reached fifty issues? A fair number, but a pretty small percentage of the number of ongoing comic series that have been started. Now how about this? How many series produced by middle school kids have an over fifty-issue run?

Meet MAMP, short for Multi-Age Media Presents. Produced by students in grades 5-8 at Barrington Middle School in New Hampshire, the magazine-sized book is sold in the school cafeteria with the proceeds going toward the purchase of art supplies and graphic novels for the school library.

I met the crew from Barrington at the Free Comic Book Day Festival in Rochester NH and picked up a few issues of MAMP. This particular issue features on story, "Oddtown: Attack of the One-Headed Monster", which had some pretty funny moments and an impressive fanged and tentacled monster.

Fun stuff, and a really great program for the kids at Barrington Middle School.

Rating: 8/10

30 Day Comic Challenge Day 07

Day 07 - Favorite Comic Couple.

I always liked the romance between Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters from the classic early issues of The Fantastic Four.


This is the iconic beauty-and-the-beast story with some clever twists (the blind Alicia likes Ben better as The Thing even as Ben tries to find a way to change back to human form permanently). There were some good complications to the romance as well. Alicia's stepfather was the villainous Puppet Master, and Silver Surfer served as a romantic rival.

The romance was also one of the plots that really defined Ben Grimm's personality, helping make him one of the best characters in comics.

From My Creations

This is an easy choice for me. I'll go with the pair of henchmen who star in my comic Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire.



As Ben Grimm would put it, 'nuff said.

The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.

The Adventures of Superman #510

Some stores and vendors sweeten the Free Comic Book Day pot by adding a few free picks from their stock of "quarter books". It's a good way to add some more choices to the freebies available and it gets rid of some of the low end books that every dealer seems to have boxes and boxes of. This was one such book that I picked up at this year's FCBD.

Title: The Adventures of Superman
Issue: #510
Date: March 1994
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciler: Barry Kitson
Inker: Ray McCarthy
Letterer: Albert DeGuzman
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Editor: Frank Pittarese, Chris Duffy, Mike Carlin

This is part of a reboot of the Bizarro character. Bizarro has abducted Lois Lane and constructed a model of Metropolis out of scrap lumber in a warehouse. Bizarro intends to keep Lois on hand in his Bizarro-world, where he can be her Superman, constantly saving her from peril that he creates himself.

Lois keeps her cool and eventually manages to distract Bizarro (not too difficult) and give herself a chance to escape (a bit more easily said than done).

There's some other stuff going on, including even a brief appearance by Superman, but most of the rest is all setup for ongoing plot points in the continuity. The one other really significant plot point is Cat Grant finally standing up to sexually harassing boss Morgan Edge, which is a pretty well handled scene.

Lois starts out as the hapless-if-feisty victim, having her early attempts to escape pretty handily foiled, but she gets better as this goes on, and I thought most of the handling of her character was quite good. Bizarro is also pretty well handled. He is, well, bizarre, but in a way that plays to his motivation to truly be Superman.

Rating: 7/10

30 Day Comic Challenge Day 06

Day 06 - Most Annoying Character.
I know this guy is popular, but I find him tedious at best, and incredibly annoying at worst.

The Saint of Killers from Preacher.



Yes, I know that the fact that he's a one-dimensional character is part of the point. But that fails to save the Saint from being a heavyhanded plot device that essentially piles on the excessive violence (and yes, I realize that is part of the point too) in the lead-up to delivering the occasional catchphrase ("Not enough gun." Cute. Ha ha.).

There's a lot I like about Preacher. It's got some amazingly good dialogue, it's quite literally irreverent, it's completely over the top, and there's some good dark humor to be had. But the Saint of Killers is supposed to be this terrifying and ultimately tragic force, and he just comes off as a recurring annoyance.

From My Creations

I try not to write characters to be intentionally annoying, but the closest I've come is probably Sister Saren from Perils of Picorna. Saren is one of two villainous minions in the story. And while Jespina is cruel and dangerous, Saren is easily the more annoying of the two. Saren is a conniving and treacherous little witch who doesn't even get along with the other villains.





We hope that Sister Saren becomes the character you love to hate as Picorna's adventures move forward.

The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.

Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1 (New York Comiccon 2008 Edition)

Another leftover promo book that I picked up at Free Comic Book Day 2011. This one is a NYCC promo from 2008.

Title: Iron Man: Legacy of Doom
Issue: #1 (New York Comiccon 2008 Edition)
Date: 2008
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: David Michelinie, Bob Layton
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorist: Moose Baumann
Letterer: Artmonkeys Studios
Editor: Molly Lazer

This is a "lost" adventure of Iron Man, a series of events that Tony Stark discovers was wiped from his memory. The first third of the story is a pretty tedious setup along with a recap of a very silly-sounding previous story that had Stark and Viktor Von Doom doing their take on A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court. I suppose that story needs to be dredged up every so often if only to prove the point that you can't improve on Mark Twain.

Apparently this is a sequel to that story. Stark gets summoned to Latveria with the threat that "millions of lives hang in the balance", which I suppose is a threat that Doom could make pretty much any time he wants. Stark takes the bait, and then has to fight some soldiers who are attacking Doom's castle. This sequence serves no purpose other than as a kind of random encounter of the type you see in poorly plotted D&D adventures.

Once the soldiers are dispatched with no actual casualties, we get down to business. Doom is on to a sinister plot by Mephisto. And Iron Man has "proven adequate against mystic dangers in the past" (Wait. What? That makes no sense at all; Iron Man is like the least mystical hero in the Marvel Universe).

Anyway, there's an amusing bit of counter-trickery involving a device to return Doom and Stark from Mephisto's dimension, which is actually the only good moment in this book.

Then it's off to Hell, which resembles the mine cart roller coaster at Jordan Furniture's "Motion Odyssey Movie (MOM)" ride. With some rather unthreatening-looking blob creatures in what is basically another random encounter. Then the big plot twist is revealed, which is surprising in the sense that I wasn't expecting it because it was way TOO obvious and I figured there had to be something more clever going on.

Nope.

Rating: 3/10