Nubia & The Justice League Special #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I've become a fan of Nubia since she started getting a push in Infinite Frontier. She's ha a couple of mini-series of her own now, and has appeared frequently in the other books focused on the Amazons since she rose to become the new Queen. And as such I was excited to see her get another book focusing on her. But I don't think this issue is really designed for people who've already been reading the character; and instead it seems to be there to introduce her to those who might not have read her before.

It seems strange to be talking about introducing a character that's been around for 50 years, but she's often been under used and pushed into background roles that you can't really blame people for not having heard of her. But, by putting her alongside the Justice League, people may just discover her now.

The issue sees Nubia visiting the Hall of Justice in order to see Wonder Woman, but getting caught up in a series of adventures as she helps out various members of the League as calls for help come in whist she's waiting for Diana. We get her teaming up with Green Arrow and Black Canary in Gotham, and Martian Manhunter and Black Adam in Metropolis, as well as her bonding with Aquaman, and catching up with Hawgirl (who she came to know well in her previous mini-series).

The book gives the character a chance to bond and work with most of the League, and shows why she'd make a good addition to the team; something that is brought up here. Nubia doesn't give a solid answer as to if she'd join the tea or not; and I can't help but feel like perhaps she's being set up to replace Diana as the team's Amazon with what we know is coming with Wonder Woman next year (something I'm not sure I like if I'm honest as it feels like a rehash of what was just done over the last couple of years).

Outside of this, there's not really too much here. If you've been reading Nubia's various appearances and comics over the last couple of years there won't be anything new or surprising here, but if you've never come across her before it might just impress enough to get you to want to learn more.

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Lair of the Crystal Fang by S. A. Sidor - Book Review

 

'In the swirling sewers beneath Arkham, excavators uncover a crystalline formation that hints at dark events from the city’s past. As the discovery makes headlines, so too does a series of bizarre murders. With no leads, the Arkham police are always one step behind. Acting on a hunch, down-on-his luck former journalist Andy Van Nortwick reunites with adventurer Jake Williams and struggling filmmaker Maude Brion to unearth the truth. The trio know of the supernatural horrors that lurk beyond this world, and the reality haunts them. But time is running out and between them they must face their nightmares before the city of Arkham is lost to blood and chaos.'

Cult of the Spider Queen was one of my favourite books of last year, and it's still on top of the pile as my favourite entry in the Arkham Horror line; so when I saw that several of the characters from the book were going to be reuniting for another adventure I was very excited. Instead of the long and winding waters of the Amazon river and the dense forests that surround it, this book returns readers to Arkham, and takes you beneath the surface into the sewers beneath the city, where a mysterious artefact has been discovered, and a killer has the city on edge.

One of the things that really made Cult of the Spider Queen stand out amongst the other Arkham Horror titles was that it was set in a very different location, and that the book took on the feel of the old pulp adventure films like Creature From The Black Lagoon more than it did it's actual source material. With Sidor shifting the focus back to the streets of Arkham this book needed something to make it feel different. Luckily, by placing the vast majority of the action beneath the city streets it manages to not feel repetitive.

The story focuses on a strange crystal structure that's found beneath Arkham City when work is being done to expand and update the city's sewer systems. The crystal, which resembles a fang, isn't the only thing lurking in the sewers, as a mysterious killer has been using them to get around Arkham, dumping the bodies of their victims. Rex, one of the local reporters, has been looking into the case, but ends up getting arrested as the killer when he's caught underground near the fang.

When Rex is eventually released he runs into Andy Van Nortwick, who used to work at the same paper but was fired after a failed expedition to the Amazon, and a story about giant spider monsters.Andy convinces Rex to let him help, and the two of them set out to try and figure out where the strange crystal structure came from, and why it seems to be connected to the person performing the killings. Along the way they'll end up getting help from explorer Jake Williams, former film star Maude Brion, as well as a couple of smart street kids with a history of running up against the supernatural.

Lair of the Crystal Fang brings together a number of characters, some of whom appeared in Sidor's previous book, others who have appeared in a story in The Devourer Below, as well as some more characters fans of the games will recognise. It's kind of great to get to see these characters again, with most of them being stars in the previous Sidor book. We get to find out what happened to Andy when he got home (thrown out of his job as a laughing stock), what happened to Jake (lost his leg but is still healing), and what happened to Maud (got shut away in an asylum). It doesn't feel like many of them got a happy ending after their last adventure, and as such you don't really feel bad that they're getting drawn into something else, and that they might be in danger once again. Instead, you kind of see this as a second chance for them; one where they might finally come out on top.

The new characters that they get to team up with and work with compliment them well, with Wendy in particular bringing a lot of great energy into the mix. The new situation also feels like a fun evolution to what the characters went through before. The tightly confined waterways of the Amazon are replaces with the dark tunnels of the Arkham sewers, with them once again travelling along dangerous waters to find a deadly killer; though this time it's sewer water and a much more human killer.

The book also introduces a lot of new mysteries and gives readers some interesting new history for the city, as well as the various cults and supernatural groups that call it home. There are some really interesting moments where the cults, the criminals, and the politics of Arkham get to take centre stage and make it ends up making the city feel more alive and real than in many of the previous books. There's a sense that it isn't just a background for these spooky adventures, but a living, evolving city where all these different stories are happening in their own intersecting circles.

Lair of the Crystal Fang is going to be different to the previous Sidor entry in the series, just as that was different to the first. It gives readers a different perspective on Arkham, a different type of adventure, and different scares. Go into it knowing that you're going to get something new and you're going to have a great time with it.

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Bertie and the Alien Chicken by Jenny Pearson - Book Review

 

'Bertie is NOT looking forward to spending the summer holidays on stinky Long Bottom Farm. But things take an interesting turn when he encounters Nugget, the alien chicken. Nugget's mission is to find the Earth's most valuable resource and transport it back to Nurgle-7, and he needs Bertie's help. But what could the Earth's most valuable resource be, and can they find it in time to stop the Nurgles exterminating the Earth?!'

Bertie and the Alien Chicken is the new release from Barrington Stoke, and is a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, and sets out to just have some silly fun. The story follows Bertie, a young boy who has been told that he's going to have to spend the summer holidays with his uncle Brian, who runs a farm in the middle of the countryside. Bertie's mother is having to travel to America on business, and his father left a few years ago and can't take Bertie in because of his newborn baby. The problem is, Bertie really doesn't want to spend time on his uncles farm.

However, soon after arriving Bertie accidentally discovers that one of the chickens on the farm can talk. Thinking he might be going mad, Bertie is surprised to discover that the chicken is actually an alien called Nugget, and that he's come to Earth to find out what the most valuable resource is. And if he doesn't get it, the planet gets blown up.

Bertie and the Alien Chicken is a book that has a lot of humour to it. From the very first pages it's clear that this is a book where jokes and silliness is high on the list of priorities. And thankfully, it pretty much lands perfect every single time. Yes, this is a children's book and the humour is designed for younger readers, but many of the jokes actually had me chuckling too. Jenny Pearson clearly knows that parents are going to be reading books to their kids, or reading along with them, so the book needs to be funny in a way that isn't going to be getting the adults reading it rolling their eyes. And the book manages to do that. There are some things that are a bit too silly, but kids will love, but for the most part it was enjoyable and amusing to read as an adult.

This is something that I think helps this book a lot too, that it's not treated too seriously or too realistically. There are many Barrington Stoke books that are much more serious in tone and feel quite realistic; this is not one of them. It forgoes the desire to be realistic in order to be fun; and it certainly manages to be that.

The book comes with a number of illustrations, by Aleksei Bitskoff, and the artwork works really well with the tone of the book. Everything is a bit cartoonish, a bit exaggerated, and the artworks puts me in mind of some fun kids shows. The art is used to help kids get a good visual idea for the story and characters, but there are a few times that the art is also used for some visual gags. Much like the written ones, these are fun moments that are sure to make kids laugh aloud, and the adults smile along with it.

Overall Bertie and the Alien Chicken was a lot of fun. It's a nice story about making friends, and about personal introspection at times too, and it's a genuinely entertaining and enjoyable experience. 

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Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Kal-El returning from space and his long adventure on Warworld has been a big story for a while now, and even though his return in Action Comics and Superman: Son of Kal-El is still going on, DC have given us yet another book that explores the characters return to Earth.

There are four short stories in this issue, each one exploring a different aspect of his return. The first (and best) shows him catching up with Batman, coming in to help his friend on a case to take down a Doom Patrol villain. The story is a lot of fun, and really shows the two of them being friends, and finding joy in being around each other, better than a lot of books do. The two of them are strong friends, and they get on, so it's nice to see a comic remember that, rather than putting them at odds with each other for no reason.

The second story has Clark catching up with Jimmy Olsen, who wants to snap the perfect picture of Superman to show that he's back. Despite taking a load of photos with him Jimmy starts to have something of a crisis as there's nothing there that's new or exciting. This story is kind of fine, and is mostly let down by really ugly looking art that makes the characters look ridiculous most of the time. It makes it hard to take most of the worry that Jimmy has seriously, and the resolution felt a bit flat and bland.

The third story didn't really feel like one that was about Clark at all, as he mostly hung round in the background as Jon had some dealings with Lex. Lex is clearly up to something, but is using misdirection to mess with Jon. Come the end though Jon has figured out how to push Lex's buttons, and get inside his head. It's a fine story, and one that goes well with the various things that have been happening in Superman: Son of Kal-El, but as Clark is hardly part of it it feels slightly out of place in this issue.

The final story sees Superman heading to the Hall of Justice to see his friends, where he ends up having lunch with J'onn, Wally, and Naomi. Naomi, who is a serving member of the League, spends most of the story acting like she's a teen fan meeting a movie star whenever she interacts with Superman, and the whole vibe seems to be him showing her 'no, we're just regular people too you know' type stuff. Considering the relationship they already have, the adventures they've been on, and Naomi being on the League, this doesn't feel right at all. I've struggled to really like Naomi, and this story does not help.

The four stories on offer here vary in quality pretty wildly from great, to fine, to feeling quite bad. If you're a huge Superman fan and are loving this story line and want to see everything that's connected to it then this issue is for you, but if you're looking for some cool short Superman stories put the book down after the first one.

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Plainer Jane #7 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The independently produced comic series Plainer Jane, which follows a student nurse turned contract killer, comes to a close this month as its final issue receives its release and Jane’s story comes to an end. But how does the end stack up, and will this be the last that we get to see of Jane?

It’s been almost two years since the first issue of Plainer Jane was released, and in that time we’ve seen the series go through a number of changes. At the start Jane was a schoolgirl unsure about what to do with her future, harbouring dark thoughts about murder and killing. She wanted a way to indulge those compulsions, to channel her desire to kill into something useful, and decided that contract killing would be the way to go. But her first kills were pretty poorly executed, and pathetic things like being hired to kill a dog.

Over the course of the series, however, Jane has grown as a person. She’s out of school and working as a student nurse, and we’ve seen her kill several people. She’s gone from being unsure how to commit the crime to scoping out locations, figuring out routines, and striking from the shadows with brutal efficiency. She’s changed a lot, and has become a legitimately dangerous person. But that kind of life is hard to sustain, and it has to end at some point. Especially when you’ve pissed off the local crime lords and ended up on their radar.

In the penultimate issue Jane’s identity was revealed to the criminals, her contact was killed, and she’d come under attack from a nasty crime boss who came close to killing her. It seems like her life is falling apart, and this final issue very much focuses on that. We see Jane trying to grasp at whatever pieces that she thinks that she might be able to control, hoping against hope that she might be able to salvage her life; but it’s a pretty vain hope, and come the end she realises that her only option is to run.

Whilst this makes sense, I couldn’t help but feel like it made the ending feel a bit deflated. The big final confrontation for Jane doesn’t come this issue, it was in the last issue, and this final part effectively spends its time wrapping things up. The police learn who she is and she loses her home life, the criminals are coming for her and she can’t stop them, and she loses her one friend. Things do end and get wrapped up in a way, but it also feels like there could be more to come. I like that there’s a possibility of more, that Jane’s story could continue on again later, but it does kind of feel like it comes at the expense of a real emotional resolution.

Another part of the book that gave me pause – and if you don’t want spoilers jump to the next paragraph – was Kat. Jane knows that the villains are watching her, that they’re out to get her, and so she seems to rope Kat in to help her out by going to the storage locker and getting her money for her. The problem is, the killers are waiting for her there, and it gets Kat killed. And for a moment I thought that this was her plan, that she wanted Kat to get killed in her place so that the bad guys think that she’s off the board and free to do whatever she wants. But she seems genuinely sad about her friend’s death, and even swears revenge (a set up for the next series perhaps?). I was left wondering if perhaps I’d interpreted it wrong, that Jane never intended for something bad to happen to Kat. I’d have liked the idea that she led her one friend to her death for her own gains, but perhaps that’s a bit too dark.

As with previous issues, the bulk of the art is provided by Samir Simao, and the artwork is the lovely black and white style that we’ve come to know. However, there are a few pages in the issue that have a completely different style, and come in colour. Drawn by Ralf Singh, these pages are used when the book starts taking us to places that don’t exist within the narrative, times when we’re being told stories. It not only breaks up the bulk of the book being black and white, but also helps to illustrate (no pun intended) that these segments are something a little different. The book looks great, and I can’t complain about the art at all. All of the characters are clear and distinct, and the action and moments of violence are clear and easy to understand.

On the whole this was a decent conclusion to the series. I went into it wanting certain things, wanting it to end with Jane going up against the villains in a big, violent sequence where she wins the day or goes down swinging. But that’s not really what the story is about. It’s about this girl; this damaged, disturbed young woman who is really no more than a serial killer. Her story wouldn’t be best served that way, and it needed an issue like this to end on. For those who’ve been reading since the start, it’s great to finally see it concluded; and we can always hope that there could be more to come some day.

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Justice Society of America #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The Justice Society haven't gotten much love over the last few years. Between being erased from the main DC universe and relegated to another world where they got younger 'edgier' versions of themselves, and just not really appearing much when they are returned to the way they're supposed to be, they've not had a good ride of things lately. Hopefully, this new series by Geoff Johns, who made them fantastic when he worked on them decades ago, will be able to give them the love that they need.

That being said, those expecting the JSA they know might be a bit thrown off with this first issue, especially if they didn't read the book building up to this; as we begin in the future, where the Justice Society looks very different. 

Set in a future where Batman has been killed, and his daughter Helena Wayne, the new Huntress, is searching for the killer, the book features an almost completely different version of the team. Huntress is a new version of this character, but a reinvention of one fans know, and the team does still have Power Girl; but after that it's quite different. Helena has filled the team with reformed, and reforming, villains, and its lineup features the Gentleman Ghost, Solomon Grundy, Icicle, the Harlequin's Son, The Mist, and the daughter of Red Lantern, Ruby Sokov.

I'm sure that there'll be people who hate this team, and the entire concept of villains making up a JSA team; but I kind of like it. We've seen villains reform into heroes in the past; Black Adam has been on the JSA before and is currently in the Justice League for example. It makes sense that this is a trend that would continue over the years; and if Helena is looking to find the person who killed her father, and might be targeting JSA members, she'd maybe want some people who don't mind going a bit further than a pure hero would. It also doesn't hurt that they're characters who have a strong history with the team.

But, if you do hate it you don't have to worry as they don't stick around very long as the time travelling villain Per Degaton kills them all. Thankfully, Catwoman arrives in time to save her daughter, and Helena is thrown backwards through time, arriving at the JSA headquarters in 1940. WE knew that some time travel was going to be involved in this series, but I was assuming Helena would come back to the present straight away; guess there's going to be more to it than that.

This issue is very much a set-up issue, with Helena's story being laid out for those that didn't read The New Golden Age comic. The book gives us a clear understanding about her mission, and insight into the kind of person she is. With her being the focus, and the rest of her team being killed before the issue is done, it makes a lot of sense that she's the only character who really gets built up here, and that everyone else feels less fleshed out.

There's certainly a good sense of mystery set up already, and the added complications of her being sent back to the very early years of the team makes for an interesting situation going forward. It seems like the book isn't just going to be about making the JSA relevant and interesting again (they've always been that to those that love them), but looks like its going to be a celebration of the entire history of the group. If that's true, I'm incredibly excited to see what comes next.

The artwork on the book looks really good throughout, and I loved the way each of the main characters looked distinct amongst the others. There was never a moment where you were left wondering who people were. Who's that silhouette in the background? Well that's clearly Catwoman. Who's Helena talking to here? That must be Power Girl even though I've not see the costume yet. The book is giving us versions of characters ever so slightly different to the ones we're used to, but not only are they instantly recognisable, but they're believable as future versions of themselves too.

Overall this was a strong start to this new series. It's clear that Johns has a lot of love for the JSA and the characters that make it up, and that he wants to make them an important part of DC again. But he's not just doing what he did the firs time he wrote them; he's trying something new and different, and that's really exciting.

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Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II – Throwback 30

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the fifth film in the Heisei series of Godzilla films, was envisioned to be its last, and the creators knew that they wanted to make something special because of this. Whilst their initial plan was to remake Godzilla vs King Kong, they were unable to secure the rights to Kong, and had to come up with something else. This was when the decision was made to have Godzilla fight against one of his most iconic monster foes, Mechagodzilla. The previous films in the series had brought back iconic monsters like King Ghidorah and Mothra, so now it was time for his mechanical nemesis to make a return.

Unlike many of the Godzilla films in previous eras, the Heisei era followed a pretty decent chronology, and events from one film would directly influence and track into another. As such, elements from the previous movies would make small appearances here, in part to continue the continuity, but also in the expectation that this would be the final film in the series.

Following the events of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the United Nations have established the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (the UNGCC) to combat any further incidents involving the kaiju. The military branch of the UNGCC, called G-Force, travel to the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah and their scientists reverse engineer the technology to create two powerful weapons: a flying gunship called Garuda, and a giant robot modelled after Godzilla himself, Mechagodzilla.

Years later, a team of scientists on a remote island come across what appears to be a giant Pteranodon egg. The egg is giving off strange telepathic signals which brings both Godzilla and Rodan to the island, where the two creatures end up fighting. Whilst the monsters battle, the scientists make away with the egg. Godzilla defeats Rodan, but finds the egg has gone. The scientists bring the egg to Kyoto, where it hatches to reveal that it was actually a baby Godzilla creature inside. The adult Godzilla is heading towards the facility, drawn by the baby’s psychic call.

Mechagodzilla intercepts the monster en route and the two of them battle; a fight in which Godzilla emerges victorious. Despite this, the scientists have been given enough time to figure out that the baby Godzilla has a secondary brain, and are able to use this knowledge to come up with a new battle strategy that they believe can be used to finally kill Godzilla once and for all.

And this was the plan for a while. Godzilla was going to die at the end of this film. There was a version of the script in which Godzilla overcomes the flying weapon Garuda, but is ultimately killed by Mechagodzilla. Another draft saw Mechagodzilla killing the monster, and his escaping life force energy travelling to the baby and mutating it into an adult monster (something that was later used in Godzilla vs. Destroyah). But Godzilla had lost the final two battles in the last two films that he’d been in, and if this was to be his last film then surely he should come out on top? The decision was made to have Godzilla emerge victorious, and the result was the first film in a while where Godzilla wasn’t portrayed as the antagonist, with the previous four films having done so.

Whilst the plan for this to be the final film didn’t stick, the decisions made here did have something of an effect, and the way Godzilla was portrayed here would go on to influence the films that would come next, with many considering this to be the ‘gold standard’ of the Heisei era.

When the film was released, it was marketed as being the final one, and a big push was made to hammer that fact home. It was also announced that this would be the final time that Akira Ifukube, the original Godzilla composer, would work on the series; a fact that would be proven wrong as he would return another half dozen times. The film was marketed with a children’s programme called Adventure Godzilla-land, which had the two rival monsters as news anchors, as well as dance routines. Toho also opened a Godzilla-themed simulation ride called Monster Planet Godzilla.

With its change in formula to make Godzilla into the hero, the return of iconic monsters, and new power-ups and transformations for the monsters, Godzilla vs. Mechadozilla II became an instant hit. Thanks to that, and the delays in the US made Godzilla movie, the franchise was guaranteed to continue on.

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Tank Girl: King Tank Girl – Graphic Novel Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Tank Girl is one of those characters that can be used for pretty much anything, where any kind of story works with her. Want to tell a weird story where she goes to space and fights alien bug creatures? Sure, that’ll work. Want her to stop a robot uprising that’s using pop music to infiltrate society? I can see that. Want her to travel to England in search of a rare action figure and accidentally become king? Well, that you can actually read right now.

The latest Tank Girl graphic novel release from Titan Comics begins with that whacky premise, as Tank Girl laments her inability to finish her Rangers of the Universe (a nice Masters of the Universe knock off) range of toys because the rare Groil Seeker figure was recalled and destroyed after just a single day of sales when the spring loaded head caused injuries to children. Luckily for her, Booga used to have one, having bought it on holiday in Cornwall years ago, burying it in the garden of the house he was staying at. Determined to complete her collection, Tank Girl and her crew head off to England.

However, when she arrives in town she finds a tourist spot showing off the fabled Sword in the Stone (misnamed Excalibur in this book when they’re actually two different swords). Using her skills with a tank, she manages to free it from the stone by blowing the stone apart. This loophole technically makes her the King of England, and she ends up on the throne. But it turns out that running the country is a lot of work, and Tank Girl ends up having to deal with peasant revolts, as well as a rival for the throne.

The book doesn’t just contain this story though, as there are also some shorts, and a couple of other stories scattered throughout. Readers also get an adventure where Tank Girl and her friends are being chased by a hitman and his team, and use a magical talisman to escape him by wishing themselves to 1960s Califormia surfer territory. There’s also a story about how Tank Girl, Sub Girl, and Jet Girl met, and got their nickname of Third Day Commandos.

As you’d expect from a Tank Girl graphic novel the stories here are silly and weird, and the book never once really takes itself too seriously. One of the things that isn’t so good about it though is the fact that the humour in the book just doesn’t feel as good as the original stories. The recently released Tank Girl: Colour Classics Trilogy showed the series at its best, with some twisted and weirdly surreal humour. Whilst this book tries to continue that tradition, and certainly throws the characters into some odd situations, it just doesn’t seem to land as well. There’s a heavy reliance on pun names and silly one-liners that start to grate after a while.

It also doesn’t help that the multiple stories in the book are split apart. It looks like the graphic novel collects the individual comics how they were originally printed, with the stores in parts spread throughout the book, rather than presenting each story all together. One part of the King Tank Girl story is followed by a silly couple of pages, with the part of the time travel story, then another King Tank Girl chapter, and so on. It makes the book a bit more of a slog to read, as you’re jumping from story to story, rather than just enjoying it tale by tale. Presenting the stories together, with the small interludes between them would have helped the book flow a lot better, and would have increased the overall enjoyment a lot.

The artwork on the book is by Brett Parson, and it might be some of the better artwork on a Tank Girl comic that I’ve seen. I found his art style really enjoyable and very pretty to look at. Everything was clear and concise, and even though they were able to capture the dirtiness of the characters, Tank Girl, Barney, Sub Girl, and Jet Girl all looked really cute, and there were moments when they’re acting like kids that the art style really makes them seem more adorable than anything else, and you kind of want to let them get away with their wild shit.

Tank Girl: King Tank Girl is an enjoyable series of adventures that take our titular star and her friends across time, around the world, and to some bizarre places. Whilst the format of the book does lessen the enjoyment somewhat it’s still a fun read, and one that I’m sure Tank Girl fans will love.

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Shock Shop #4 – Comic Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

The latest issue of the Dark Horse horror anthology series Shock Shop not only brings the two stories contained within the pages to a close, but the series as a whole. With two different stories left to wrap up, the book has to not only make sure it ends on a satisfying note, but that it does so twice.

The first story in the book, ‘Something In The Woods, In The Dark’ returns us to our group of friends out on a camping trip, who’ve found their weekend getaway turned into a nightmare as two horrific monsters slowly stalk and kill them from the shadows. After learning that the monsters are out there, the group have been trying to escape the woods and make it back to reality; but the monsters keep on coming, and they’re not just down to three.

This issue opens with our three lone survivors trapped between both of the hulking beasts, with the two monsters ready to tear them apart. Willa and Clark, the two leads of the story, are the focus this issue, and Willa seems to come to a realisation about the monsters, claiming that she and her husband somehow made them, and that they’re some kind of manifestations of their issues. We got hints that something was wrong with their relationship in an earlier issue, but learn here that whilst Clark was in prison Willa slept with someone else. The resentment, anger, and guilt between them has turned into these creatures, and are killing the people they care about. According to Willa anyway.

And this is perhaps my biggest problem with this chapter of this story, and why this conclusion doesn’t really land well for me. We’ve only gotten hints at their issues until now, and the sudden revelation as to what went on in their past at the last moment doesn’t really land well. There’s not enough time to think about it, not enough time to reflect on how this has made them act with each other throughout the series. It feels like a last-minute revelation, rather than the basis for their entire story here. Especially if it is the reason for the monsters existing.

And it is a big part of that. This is presented purely as a hypothetical. It’s one possibility. I’m not against writers keeping some mysteries, or allowing their audiences to come to their own decisions and make their own interpretations, but knowing where these things come from, why they’re doing what they’re doing, and if they are in fact a part of the relationship breakdown between the two leads feels like important information. Not learning the answers to that does leave the story feeling unfinished for me, and leads to a somewhat deflated ending.

The artwork on this particular story, by Danny Luckert is still wonderful to look at. The monsters are genuinely horrific, and the level of twisted detail and attention that’s been given to them makes them the standout visual pieces of the entire book. The monsters make you feel uncomfortable whenever they’re on the page, not because of what they are and what they do, but because of how Luckert has brought them to life.

The second story, ‘Familiars’, fares a little better than the first when it comes to wrap-up. Readers very quickly get given answers as to what the mysterious invisible creatures have been, and why they’ve been doing what they’re doing. They’re not the focus of this chapter, with the relationship that Trevor has with his children and ex-wife being the centre of the story.

Out of the two stories in this series this has always been the one that’s more character focused, and that’s true here at the end too. Everything that happens, happens around Trevor, because of Trevor, and the final part of the story really pushes that theme. It’s because of his actions, even unknowingly, that people have died, and that his family are fighting for their lives against invisible monsters. The book doesn’t forget this, and keeps the theme going, with Trevor’s decisions dictating who will live or die come the end.

In previous issue this has been the half of the book that I’ve been least excited to read, but in this final issue it definitely sticks the landing better than its counterpart, and the result is that it ends up being the more satisfactory story out of the two. As with previous issues, the art is decent, and looks good, and Leila Lez and Bill Crabtree have done a good job, even if there are no moments that jump out as being spectacular or that will stick in my memory.

Shock Shop is a decent idea for a series, an anthology collection of horror tales introduced by a notable icon of the series. It’s a format that works, and has been done before multiple times with franchises like Tale From The Crypt and characters like Elvira. And it absolutely works in comic form. However, with this being the end of the series, with the book ending with both of its premier stories, it feels like a wasted format. I’d have liked to have seen it go on a bit more, with at least another story or two. It’s a shame that it ends up feeling like a series that was only given four issues instead of eight, so the stories were stripped down and thrown in together, rather than a true anthology title. Hopefully the series will return at some point in the future, and we’ll get more stories from it.

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Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

Dark Crisis is almost wrapped up, so it feels like an odd time for another one-shot comic to come out, but as we wait for the final issues of the event to come out we get to see what Damian Wayne has been up to during the final battle, as he sneaks off with a specialist team on a secret mission.

Damian, along with Doctor Light, Power Girl, Sideways, and Red Canary, head off into the multiverse looking for clues and insight that will give them the chance to destroy the Dark Army, hoping to break the chains that are enslaving people to Pariah's will. Damian wanted a bigger team, but gets told to take the bare minimum, picking out those he thinks will get the job done. He also accidentally brings Red Canary along with him when he saves her; giving readers the first real chance to get to know her.

Red Canary has been built up for months now, and now that we get to see her for real, there's not really much about her that's too impressive. She sees to be a fairly normal vigilante hero, with no powers or abilities, and other than a couple of fancy sticks she grabbed during the battle, she doesn't even seem to have much training or skills. Whilst this isn't a bad thing, and there's always room to improve and build, there's nothing to her that sets her apart from dozens of other vigilantes; other than her inexperience. She feels like a bit of a strange character, especially included here.

Over the course of this one shot the team will travel to different worlds, with a different writer and art team handling each one, and ultimately end up freeing the Justice League Incarnate from Pariah's control, giving them some powerful new allies. They also manage to power-up Doctor Light, giving her a cool new outfit and the ability to destroy the dark chains. I'm guessing her now power will be coming into play in the final issue of the event, probably to stop Deathstroke in some way, but if not this does feel kind of pointless.

One of the biggest problems with the issue is the different creative teams working together. Damian Wayne is a great character, and when given to a writer who knows what t do with him he's fantastic (his recent solo title shows this in spades), but there are writers who don't seem to understand him, who only see him as arrogant ass-hole; and we get some of those writers here. The result is a Damian that's thoroughly unlikable, rude, and condescending. It doesn't fit with any of the other current depictions of him, and feels like people who don't care about the character were writing him. The art style also changes dramatically too, and in one part of the book he's the short, lithe Damian who looks to be in his mid teens, and the next page he's a 6ft tall muscled adult. If he looked that way through the entire book it'd be bad, but the fact that there's no consistency in the same issue is laughable and insulting. Please put people who care about the characters they're working on on these books DC.

How the main title ends, and if anything that happens here really matters, will determine how this book goes. It could end up being an important, yet flawed, issue of the event; but it might also be pointless nonsense that added nothing. Time will tell I guess.

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