New Beginnings - Darth Vader #1

by Matt Puddy

As part of the new Star Wars revival under the Marvel, we have a new beginning for none other than the galaxy’s best known bad dad, Darth Vader.

Kieron Gillen helms this new title in exploring a slightly different side of the Emperor’s apprentice. Opening after the events of Star Wars, the galaxy is akin to the Wild West. There is no threat from the Death Star after its destruction. so order is in short supply. The Empire’s grip has slipped and something has to be done to rectify this.

Dispatched to Jabba’s palace, Vader makes a strong entrance by "only" killing two guards as he so graciously puts it, whilst on his way to meet the infamous Hutt. The biggest shock is that Vader is speaking to Jabba a day early and regarding on a personal issue to boot. When simply asking fails, and the assembled entourage comes back into the room, he dispatches the threats quickly and enforces his will upon Jabba in true Sith fashion. With “negotiations” over, he returns the following day in the proper formal capacity, but as a reader you won’t find out why until later.

The story reverts back a day to when he was receiving the scorn of the Emperor. The loss of the Death Star was a huge blow and seen ultimately as Vader’s failure. He is warned not to disappoint again, but is this something he can live up to. 

Back on Tatooine we learn what Vader was trying to get Jabba to provide - bounty hunters of the highest order - but there is a twist. Whilst one, the fan-favourite Boba Fett, is aimed directly at finding Luke Skywalker, the other has a slightly darker task. Not wanting to be kept in the dark on certain secrets Vader dents him to find another agent of the Emperor, so that the former Anakin Skywalker can have a discussion with him...

It’s hard for me to not like the artwork in the issue as it’s provided by one of my favourite artists, Salvador Larocca. What I have also liked is that on this occasion the pairing of him with Edgar Delgado on colours has made for some very bold and vibrant images within the issue, which is quite impressive when the lead character is glad head-to-toe in black garb! 

As always the linework is fine and precise meaning that the detail is in huge supply. The new Wookie bounty hunter is an interesting character to meet as a result. Overall it makes for a really good visual presentation to the reader.

Whilst the artwork was strong my overall feeling for the comic was not as much. Although I understand the course of the story and how the plot develops, the titular character feels somewhat clipped or cowed, aside from a few shows of force. There is a certain level of malice that precedes Lord Vader and I just didn’t feel it.

As a first issue it certainly showed a different side that many will not seen of Vader. The subservience came through more than had seen before (aside from the infamous Robot Chicken sketch), but there was also a faint glimmer of the rebellious nature that leads ultimately to the Emperor’s downfall. 

Will it be a strong comic? Well it certainly won’t be weak given the creative team, but I’m hoping future issues hit with a bit more of the dark side of the force.

Matt Puddy is keen to see what Neill Blomkamp does with an Alien movie!

New Beginnings - The Wicked and The Divine #1

by Matt Puddy

On a reasonably regular occurrence the old adage of 'never judge a book by its cover' certainly comes into its own. For me, this week's review is one of those weeks.

The Wicked and The Divine gives absolutely nothing away with its cover. A female figure staring straight ahead with an almost Warhol-esque colouring to it. So far I’m drawing a blank on what it could be.

From the cover I can take some solace in that I know it’s a collaboration between Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. I’ve really liked Gillen’s work on Iron Man and how he built it up, so there’s promise there. Equally McKelvie’s artwork is akin to the styles I prefer to see, so all looking positive.

So what’s it all about? Opening at the close of 1923, a shadowy gathering of individuals and skulls are preparing to part ways. For one of them the road continues, but for everyone else their fate is sealed in a large explosion. Resuming at the dawn of 2014 we are given a hint at what this could all be about with the name dropping of another Shinto godess, Amaterasu, and shortly after Luci(fer). This is all about gods and goddesses walking amongst us.

Taking the form of teenagers, we meet several deities from different cultures all interacting with human society. They’re very restrained though and miracles are kept to a minimum, but because of this there has bred a large degree of scepticism. It’s only the pivotal moment of the scene that changes this and sets up what I believe to be a central moment for the series. When two snipers try to kill the occupants of the room they are in, Lucifer - with the snap of her fingers - makes their heads explode.

This leads to a court case that  creates a surreal situation. The court is asked to find Luci guilty, but with no weapon and only the snap of her fingers presumed as the cause, what could really be done? It’s only when the judge's head somehow also spreads itself all over the courtroom that things go awry for a multitude of reasons. The obvious one is that Luci says she didn’t do it, but it does point an exceedingly large amount of guilt on her. The bigger question is if it wasn’t her, then who did it? There is dissent amongst the godly ranks.

I want to say that this is a completely original idea, but regardless of how impressed with the story I was, I always had a nagging memory of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods in my head which has a similar 'they walk among us' theme. That said this is still a great idea - although we are not alone they aren’t omnipotent and fall foul of human emotions, as well as the restrictions inherent in possessing a human body, for though they are immortal, they are not invincible. They are also fallible giving a different side to them as well. Even the personalities of the individual gods, born from their respective mythologies, come through to add to their appearance and demeanour, which I liked.

The artwork plays a large part in expressing these characters. This isn’t a cluttered or heavy comic to read, thanks to McKelvie’s strong, clean pencils. I did have to chuckle when Sakhmet, a highly animalistic and sexual god from Egyptian mythology, looked a lot like Rihanna...

Matt Wilsons' colouring is light meaning although it has a simplistic look to it the comic is actually full of information for the reader to absorb.

On the whole I found this a very interesting little comic to add to the Image stable and one I would be interested to see where it goes and how it develops as it runs the risk of slipping into precarious territory. I feel there is a lot more to see and have develop and if Gillen’s current run is anything to go by there will be good things to come.

Matt Puddy is a rock and roll legend in these parts.

New Beginnings - Iron Man #23.NOW

by Matt Puddy

For fans of Kieron Gillen’s run on Iron Man this may seem like an odd choice for a New Beginning article, since Gillen started on the title last year, and is rumoured to be continuing well into 2015. The Iron Metropolitan story arc has just finished and this issue is the first part of Rings Of The Mandarin, which by virtue of the title may give a hint as to why we are re-visiting this fan favourite.

Although this is a continuation of the work Gillen has been doing, it’s fair to say that it’s been written in a way that new readers or lapsed fans jumping back on at this point are brought up to speed with recent events. Essentially Stark’s vision of making a new city in the remains of Mandarin City is brought to a grinding halt when terrorists attack. The difference that makes the impact though is that each terrorist has been sought out and emotionally manipulated by some of the ten rings of the late Mandarin, now working as autonomous individuals with a common goal. All they needed was an animosity towards Tony Stark and the drive to carry out what was necessary. Unfortunately these first three agents went on to not only be beaten, but to have their rings removed - occasionally in a bloody fashion - by none other than Malekith the Accursed.

Malekith is well known at the moment after having starred as the villain (played by Christopher Eccleston) in the most recent Thor movie, but a little more depth of character is expressed here, especially his willpower and presence of mind. When Influence tries to bring Malkieth into the fold as Mandarin Four, he is strong enough to realise what is happening and alter the situation to his preference as well. This all happens in the shadows, with Iron Man none the wiser as to who is behind the scenes.

Tony on the other hand is trying to move forward. His life is forever in the spotlight, but the commercial applications of this seem endless, including a stage show depicting his life that is currently in production. This in itself is a vehicle for further predicament. The original - and now spurned director - has found a new partner in becoming Mandarin Eight, and a fight is inevitable. However it’s not Stark who prevails as Malekith steps in to relieve our newborn villain of his ring... and finger.

In order to combat this Tony has to turn to a specialist. Not Thor as some may imagine (whom Tony is trying to keep out of this due to potential political ramifications) but Dark Angel, a former Marvel UK character who is knowledgeable in mystical and technological combination. With new associate and guidance, combined with an adjusted suit, Tony steps forward through a magical door and into the fray. From the frying pan and into the fire for sure.

Luke Ross is the artist for issue and has taken over from Bennett and Larocca – as previous examples- with a style that is very similar. Whereas it is not as clean lined as the aforementioned artists it is still really good to read. It is a little softer on the eye and smoother in texture but some of that will have also been provided by Guru eFX who has provided the colouring for quite some time. (It is also a leap forward from the horrific art by Greg Land that launched this title last year and so enraged my fanboy mind. BF)

The cover is quite a striking, as well as foreboding, piece as well from Michael Del Mundo which I felt really set off the comic to begin with.

As a jump on point, story wise it’s great and artistically it’s good, but I would go back through the last year for better examples, especially the Secret Origin Of Tony Stark storyline. Anyone looking to pick it up wouldn’t go wrong with this one but the back catalogue is also worth grabbing if you can.

Matt Puddy is getting back into Madden gaming.

This issue of Iron Man is just £2 at Proud Lion, with a free Skottie Young lithograph while stock last. First come, first served.

New Beginnings - Origin II

For a long time, Wolverine's s history was a mystery obfuscated by time, memory loss and narrative conceit. Then came the X-Men movie franchise and the possibility that if Marvel didn't make some revelations soon, Bryan Singer and his cohorts were likely to just make something up. As a result, we were treated to the Origin miniseries from Paul Jenkins and Adam Kubert, running from late 2001 into 2002.

Since then Logan - aka James Howlett - has one of the most tinkered with and revisited backstories in the entire Marvel Universe. It’s had many additions and revisions, especially in the fallout of House Of M with the Weapon-X survivor remembering the events of Origin, leading to the Wolverine Origins comic.

Now Keiron Gillen steps up to the plate, with returning artist Kubert to present us with Origin II. Gillen of course spent a few years writing Uncanny X-Men, so he's no stranger to the Children of the Atom. The news that Sinister will be playing a part in this new Origin miniseries should entice anyone who enjoyed that aforementioned run on Uncanny X-Men.

The first thing of note is the production of this comic. When you see it on the shelf with its glossy and enticing cover, you'll quickly discover there is a lovely little surprise. The clawed hand on the cover in the forefront of a pack of wolves is actually a thin clear acetate sheet, which in part hides extra detail on both the front and back. It’s a simple little thing but works very nicely for a first issue gimmick. As well as looking great, it adds a depth to the covers that a reader can get into and creates an instant collector's item.

Moving to 1907 we are reintroduced to a far more feral Logan. This could well be considered his wilderness years. He has chosen to remove himself from civilisation and the people who would bother him, now running with a pack of wolves. He’s been taken in as one of them, part of the family and part of the life cycle. There is an unspoken understanding and belonging.

Unspoken is also a very apt word in fact. Throughout the entire comic there is no written dialogue at all and the story is guided by image and narration instead. This doesn’t detract from it in any way and strangely the completely detached narrator also keeps things focussed. It's very reminiscent of a classic issue of GI Joe or indeed Marvel's wonderful 'Nuff Said month back in 2001. 

Hunting and living together means that with rewards and opportunities also comes the threats. On one hand there is the lone wolf. Calculated, cruel and patient, he is a serene threat in waiting. One that is ready to strike when the right moment presents itself. In true opportunistic fashion this does happen, but only after the main threat of a great white bear has torn his lupine family apart.

Wolverine, whether man or wolf, only knows a few ways to deal with something like this and reacts with all his force and beserker rage, leaving only bodies and carnage behind. A body that also carries the marker of Weapon 11.

It’s hard to read the comic without trying to divine some greater narrative meaning behind it all. There are several analogies that can be or should be applied to the story. So the economy of words Gillen has used helps to open it up for potential personal interpretation. A multilayered story inside and out.

The artwork is nothing less than you would expect from the house of Kubert. It sits extremely well with me as I am a fan of fine artwork; the definition in Logan’s muscles and the fur on the wolves and bear in particular. Some of the detail is lost in the bigger pieces but you come to expect that. Still, visually it is very good and adds a lot of details to what is essentially a barren wasteland.

Wolverine fans will lap this up. It’s a well produced and presented comic with a good story between the covers. For those who haven’t been following as well it’s a standalone book that can also be read as part of the richer tapestry. Part two comes out in January and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gained some new followers.

Matt Puddy is ready for the next challenge, bring on 2014!

Out today - Origin II #1

There are five new comics out today, including Avengers, Forever Evil, Justice League and the beautiful first issue of Origin II, with the stunning acetate cover you see above!

There's also a limited amount of blank covers and Skottie Young baby variants for Origin II, plus Avengers has a set of ten variants, all homages to classic Avengers and X-Men covers from the past 75 or so years:

If you'd like any of these reserved for you, drop me a line ASAP. The shop is open until at least 3pm today, and then we're closed until Friday. If you're doing last minute Christmas shopping today, best of luck!

Ben Fardon is looking forward to Christmas ham and eggs for dinner tonight!

New Beginnings - Young Avengers #1

"Young Avengers in its first incarnation was about being sixteen. This Young Avengers is about being eighteen." Kieron Gillen

I was struggling to review Young Avengers #1. Why? The simple answer is it's very, very good. The story, the characterisation, the art, the dialogue - it aligns to make one of the best comics I've seen from Marvel in years (second only to Matt Fraction's Hawkeye).

So unless I devoted 500+ words as to why Kate Bishop clearly has the Midas Touch, I was stuck. Reviews that gush are often dull, sycophantic nonsense. Similarly though, reviews that cynically trawl for a flaw in an otherwise stunning piece of work tend to reveal the underlying bitterness of the reviewer - a failed author swiping at the more fortunate.

Then I read Gillen's editorial piece in the back, in lieu of a letter column, and the quote above helped it all click into place.

I loved Young Avengers. Introduced in the wake of Avengers Disassembled, Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung brought us a book about motivated individuals who aspired to be heroes. Rooted in Avengers lore - but not confined by it - the kids were first and foremost characters rather than components of an ensemble team.

Sadly, it was dogged by delays and concluded after twelve issues and a special. After that Marvel dabbled with a few miniseries, all with different writers, agendas and decidedly mixed results, culminating in the recent Children's Crusade - featuring the return of Heinberg and Cheung, and frustratingly delayed releases.

Enter Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, the creators behind the wonderful Phonogram. Picking up the best remnants of the old team, Gillen is adding the new Miss America; his own reimagined Kid Loki from Journey Into Mystery; and Noh-Varr - who is quickly shorn of his ridiculous Protector identity and neatly ditches all the nonsense he was saddled with during AvX.

The story contains sex, confusion, defiance, magic, conflict, science fiction, heroics, horror and a loving relationship. Plus the age old struggle between adolescents who are becoming adults and parents who refuse to accept that.

The art work is deceptively simple, with clean pencil lines and neat panel layouts, coupled with a perfect use of colour akin to cel shading in my eyes. The characters are recognisable and yet completely McKelvie, which seems to be so rare in franchised comics these days. Too often a stylised artist distorts a character's look away form what makes them identifiable - particularly Ramos and Allred - or we get an identikit in-house approach to the art that reflects none of the artists' personalities.

This is a 21st Century comic book, with style and substance despite the issue's bold title. It's diverse without feeling like it wants to be a banner pole for diversity.

Bryan Lee O'Malley variant cover!

It's about being 18 and all the wonder, pain and intensity that brought with it. There's a passion for music within, but moreover there's a passion for the Marvel Universe and these young characters within. There's no clumsy exposition here to artificially pull them together; in time you can trust their lives will force them together.

That and Loki's machinations no doubt.

And above all it's very, very good. ;)

 Ben Fardon is tired but glad that a few things have clicked into place.

Marvel Now Iron Man - SPECIAL OFFER!

After being gravely disappointed with the first issue of the new Iron Man series, I have to say issues #2 and #3 were a mild improvement for me, but still left me pining for ol' Shellhead's better days.

Thankfully, I'm pleased to discover that with issue #4, Kieron Gillen may have finally found his feet! It's a wonderful issue, one that feels fresh and compelling, rather than trading on past glories. The story also plays to Greg Land's strengths too, and leaves an interesting thread for future storytelling.

To celebrate, here's a special offer for all the blog readers. Buy Iron Man #4 at full price, and get any or all of the previous issues for only £1.50 per issue. That's a saving of over 50% on the back issues!

Offer available whilst stock last. Merry Christmas Tony Stark!

New Beginnings - Iron Man #1 (MARVEL NOW)

Let's start with a confession that won't be news to long term readers. Iron Man was my first American superhero, occasionally tucked in the back of weekly Transformers comics. Years later I renewed my connection with the Golden Avenger and found I loved his stories.

When they were good.

Some damn shiny Iron Man stories!

Great storylines like Armor Wars and Demon In A Bottle; in fact most of the Micheline/Layton run. Or Kurt Busiek's Heroes Return run and Joe Quesada's The Mask in the Iron Man storyline. Sadly after Joe Q moved on the comic had a long slump in quality, similar to the sad days of The Crossing and teen Tony. It wasn't until Warren Ellis and Adi Granov came along with Extremis that Iron Man regained it's spark. The Civil War that came soon after was spellbinding, followed by the intricate and compelling work from the Knaufs on Iron Man, Director Of SHIELD.

Then came Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, with the run that finished last month. Superb work that ranks alongside the Micheline/Layton stories for pace and characterisation. So going into Marvel Now, I knew I'd be one of the harshest critics for Kieron Gillen and Greg Land's new beginning with ol' Shellhead.

That said, I have enjoyed the majority of Gillen's computer games journalism and comic work thus far (from the sublime Phonogram, to his run on Uncanny X-Men and the much missed SWORD series, right through to his truly excellent  work with Kid Loki) and I'd say his Young Avengers is one of the Marvel Now titles I'm most looking forward to.

Sadly, Iron Man #1 is closer to his muddled work on Generation Hope (which now seems to have been consigned to obscurity by Avengers Vs X-Men).

It's a slow start, with Stark suited up and flying over a modern urban sprawl, beautifully lit up at night by the sunset and the city lights. The visual certainly reflects the technological beauty of our protagonist  but it's juxtaposed with a maudlin voiceover from Tony himself. As a solo title, Tony's monologues have always been his stock in trade and should be the perfect place to establish the writer's own characterisation on the hero. Instead it's revealed to be a clumsy effort by Tony to talk to a pretty blonde at his table, as we cut to a bar in New York.

In the same transition, we push from two pages of satisfying work from Greg Land, to four pages of frankly horrible line art. The thing that really stands out is how plastic and wooden the people look, like disturbing real dolls. The amount of top front row teeth on display is laughably distracting and does little to convey a wealthy playboy. Instead the result is terrifyingly creepy. Land's work isn't bad when he's drawing Tony in the armour, but the rest of the time it's serviceable at best and unsettling at it's worst.

I just couldn't bring myself to show you the awful wooden faces and plastic teeth!

Staying in the bar, things slip further into shambolic dialogue as Tony briefly addresses his status as a recovering alcoholic before lurching into verbal sparring with Pepper and a bunch of exposition reestablishing Tony's current business status with regards to Resilient, the company he established during Fraction's run.

It's here that Pepper brands Tony as a man having a midlife crisis, and that's certainly how this book feels. After a high of seven years of mostly great storytelling, this is sadly pedestrian. The meat of the story comes from a brief reappearance by Maya Hansen before seemingly being unceremoniously killed by what I assume is an Extremis-enhanced AIM agent. Hopefully Hansen herself was also similarly upgraded and will survive to return at a later date, otherwise it's a disgraceful quick exit for a pivotal character.

Please let issue #2 be better!

The rest of the story is shamelessly built on the Extremis storyline. In the past Gillen's writing has always including a hook to bring you back for more with some exciting foreshadowing of what's to come. Sadly here, all we get here is the lead that there are four more people using Extremis enhanciles in the world. It adds little to Ellis and Granov's work - trading entirely on past glories - with Tony even obliquely referencing the Armor Wars and Demon In A Bottle as he vows to liberate Hansen's work from the hands of these madmen.

It's pains me to say, but this comic is disappointing and it's the first comic I've read from Kieron Gillen that doesn't leave me wanting more. It reads like a filler issue, rather than a bold launch of a new ongoing title that in turn is part of a larger brand relaunch. Hopefully issue #2 (out in just two weeks time), wil start to fulfil Gillen's promise of depicting Tony as a technological visionary bright knight rather than the introspective midlife crisis on display here.

Ben Fardon reluctantly refers to the classic storyline as Armor Wars and not Armour Wars, in deference to it's American authors.

Five By Five - Comics, week 3: Phonogram

Last weekend, because I am both rock and roll and hardcore, I went to a nightclub with the express intention of losing myself in the music. (Eminem references: I’m still totally down with the kids).

I know what you’re thinking: Me and several hundred thousand other people right? Pubbing and clubbing on a Saturday night is pretty much a great British pass time; so much so that it has its own associated mini-rituals (even if they do primarily involve a donner kebab and a friend willing to hold your hair back for you as you weep into the gutter about the sheer existentialist absurdity of your own right shoe. Or is that just me?)

The truth is, fast food, projectile vomiting and girls who think that layers of fake tan are an acceptable alternative to clothes too often define nights out. We all want that transcendental moment when the DJ really does save your life, but it’s rare, and dependent on a magical alignment of people and place and beat.

It’s possible though, which is why we return to these sticky floored churches week after week in the hope that God will eventually show up.

The idea of it is endlessly compelling, and this week’s graphic novel series Phonogram takes it even further, as an entire pantheon shimmer and echo around the festivals, nightclubs and other music venues of the UK.

Phonogram takes place in a universe very much like our own; except that music really is magic here, and it chooses its own acolytes, sometimes without a great deal of discrimination. It might seem like an odd thing to say, but barely pages into ‘Rue Britannia’, the first offering in the series, I was as sure that I loved the story as I was that I hated the protagonist; pretentious, chain smoking David Kohl.

Of course, hate can be a complex emotion, and Kohl is a character with self-knowledge if nothing else, combined with an acute awareness of the powerful and ambivalent responses he can elicit. In possession of a strange mix of angst-ridden self-loathing and a misogynist’s swagger he declares himself a ‘white man in clitoris palace’ at the start of the story...

Before a well-timed and satisfying ass-kicking from a goddess.

Deities abound here and the metaphors are thick, fast and not always subtle. They don’t feel clumsy or forced though, because so many of the ideas they give form to have a ring of truth about them. From the fallen goddess of Brit Pop (once great, now best left buried), to the ‘memory palaces’ built from our collective impressions of a time, a place, a musical zeitgeist, Phonogram works because music is so close to metaphor anyway. A bunch of carefully arranged vibrations shouldn’t be able to make us laugh or cry or want to get laid. But they totally do. It’s only a hop, skip and a jump from here to giving these vibrations form and personality. And of course, we’re all slaves to the music sometimes. It’s just that here, there are phonomancers, touched by this sound magic, to make the influence explicit.

Phonogram's other obsession - very much in evidence in the collection of short stories in its second offering ‘The Singles Club’ (see what they did there?) - is identity, and the ways in which music allows us to belong, to rebel or to reinvent ourselves. It’s a whistle stop tour through one random indie night during which a host of phonomancers swirl past each other, each living out their own personal dramas. The interesting thing about it is the extent to which this is ‘inside out’ writing. In every single scene we’re allotted a protagonist  guide who invites us inside their head (and in one rather splendid case tells us to get the hell out again). There’s nowhere for them (or us) to hide from the insecurities, the jealousy or the spite that abound in every human heart and yet there’s something undeniably attractive about it all. We’re invited into the conversation and inevitably we wind up colluding with it.

It’s a dichotomy expressed perfectly in the recurrent character of Emily, a phonomancer of considerably greater power than David, who glides through the pages like some pierced medusa. You know you shouldn’t look but you do anyway. She’s undeniably a bitch, but she’s clever and insightful and just, well, *cool* as well. And as readers we’re granted a strange intimacy; the chance to see the old self she has abandoned to reinvent herself through sheer force of will.

For those interested in that sort of thing, it’s also worth noting that it all looks pretty damn sexy too. Where ‘Rue Britannia’ is noirey and printed entirely in black and white, ‘The Singles Club’ embraces a new palate; reds and oranges for that point in the evening when the air itself seems to sweat; moody blues and greys for more contemplative moments.  Jamie McKelvie draws human faces with a great deal of attention and even love, but the background detail is pared right down - it’s the *characters* that matter here. And the look of it isn’t the only additional dimension breathing life into Phonogram; there’s a sort of silent soundtrack that accompanies each scene, and for music lovers it offers dual opportunities for geeking out. (Kieron Gillen really knows his stuff and there are extensive notes on the music behind it all at the end of each book).

Perhaps the heart of it is that Phonogram celebrates the sheer, breathless, hedonistic, nihilistic thrill of sex and music and youth; of dark corners and wild parties and the exhilaration of existing in a perpetual state of not giving a fuck. It makes for a strangely unsettling read, but also an appropriately spell-binding one.

Because if magic exists anywhere, this is where it would be...

This week Kate is experiencing her annual bout of spring restlessness.