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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Monday, January 25, 2008
The comic-book industry has gotten so large that I don't think it's possible for anyone to know all of the comic books out there. Trying to read all the solicitations in Previews would make my head explode and, even then, there are lots of comic books that Diamond Distribution doesn't or won't include in its catalog. It's to the credit of the small publishers and the creators who create the comics they publish continue to buck the odds in a marketplace as chaotic and as tough as the one we now have. Even when I don't care for their comics, I still admire the courage it takes to get in there and fight.
Adrenaline [A Wave Blue World; $2.99] is a comic series I would have never seen if it had not been sent to me in my role as one of this year's Glyph Awards judges. Written by creator Tyler Chin-Tanner with art by James Boyle and Febio Redivo, it's a full-color comic that looks good and reads well. My main problem with it is that the part of the series I liked best has been submerged into a part of the series I'm somewhat cool on.
The first issue "starred" Dr. Saida Bri, a beautiful and tough Nigerian development worker, who crosses swords with Alex Lowder, a spoiled playboy engaging in illegal hunting. Bri is a terrific character, but, after she's abducted by Lowder and whisked to the United States, the story veers away from her.
Lowder is the heir to a media empire who loses control of the empire when his father dies. He plans to win back that control via "Adrenaline," a reality show in which teams led by himself and Bri compete in a death-defying race. Sadly, once the cast gets bigger, the story gets less interesting. It remains entertaining, but it had the chance to be so much more.
Diamond only distributed the first four issues of this eight-issue series. The publisher produced 200 copies of the fifth issue for the MOCCA Art Festival and Comic-Con International in San Diego with plans to collect the entire story in trade paperback once the series in finished. However...
The first five issues are also available for free downloads on Wowie and the remaining three issues will also be available there in the future. For more information, head over to the A Wave Blue World website at:
www.awaveblueworld.com/v02/home
Adrenaline #1-5 earn a perfectly respectable three out of five Tonys. For what it's worth, I'd be very interested in any follow-up that focused on Bri and her work in Africa.
******
BABY AND ME
Shojo Beat is one of my favorite magazines, even though I'm over a year behind it reading it. One of these fine days, when I get current with the mag, I'll do a proper review for you. For today, I just want to talk about one story in one issue.
Marimo Ragawa's "Baby and Me" is the story of Takuya Enoki, a popular student, his widowed father Harumi, and his little brother Minoru. Taking care of Minoru is Takuya's responsibility and it's not always easy. What makes the series one of my favorites is the familial love at its core. Difficulties, even arguments, may come their way, but the Enoki men get through them together.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The "Baby and Me" episode in the September, 2006 issue of the magazine was especially choice. Harumi takes his sons to the ocean at the suggestion of a young woman who works in his office. What Harumi doesn't know is that she has a crush on him and that she and all the other younger employees who work under him are also going to the ocean for the weekend. One of the young men sees Harumi as a romantic rival and there are some uneasy moments during the early part of the weekend. It reaches a boil when Takuya and Minoru are falsely accused of scratching a large angry man's new car. Harumi stands up to the man as his co-workers stand up for him. The truth comes out, violence is adverted, at least "on screen," and the end results are a sincere camaraderie between Harumi and his staff and Takuya's gaining new respect for his father. Complete in 30 pages, the story is a heartwarming delight.
SPOILERS OVER
Ragawa is a fine storyteller. Each chapter of "Baby and Me" flows naturally from panel to panel. The art is notable for its wonderfully expressive faces and body language. As of this column, there have been six collections of the series published in manga-format paperbacks.
As for Shojo Beat, with nearly 300 pages of comics and features, it's a bargain at $5.99 per monthly issue. It's cheaper if you subscribe and I've never had a copy arrive in anything less than excellent condition.
The Baby and Me collections and the Shojo Beat magazine get my highest recommendations.
******
LIGHTNING ROUND REVIEWS
Short. To the point. No floating Tony heads. The lightning round starts right now.
Ghost Rider Volume 3: Apocalypse Soon [Marvel; $10.99] collects the two "World War Hulk" issues of Ghost Rider, an annual, and the Ghost Rider Marvel Spotlight. The two "War" stories are good, the annual story not so much, and the "Spotlight" articles and interviews of interest only to truly avid Ghost Rider fans. Unless you're reading this series in the collections and not the actual comics, I'd give this book a pass.
Jughead and Friends Digest #26 [Archie Comics; $2.49] is 100 pages of new and reprinted stories featuring Jughead, other Archie cast members, and "That Wilkin Boy," who is now considered Jughead's cousin. The stories are all pleasantly entertaining, but the only stand-out tale is "Birthday Girl," wherein Jug makes sure a special lady has a special day at Riverdale High. I'd praise the writer and the artist, but, alas, the Archie digests don't include credits on their reprinted stories.
"Welcome to the end of the future!" is the come-on above the cover logos of the first two issues of The Overman [Image; $3.50 each] by writer Scott Reed and artist Shane White. If you go to the book's website...
www.theovermancomic.com
...you'll find a synopsis that presents important information in a better and more concise manner than the actual comics present it. However, I read the synopsis after I read these comics and had already formed my "not my cup of tea" opinion of them. The issues struck me as grotesque for the sake of being grotesque, muddled in execution, and a little too pleased with themselves. Your mileage may vary. Which is okay. This is a review, not a commandment. I carve commandments on stone tablets.
Pax Romana #1 [Image; $3.50] has a fine irreverent premise: the Catholic Church, having funded time travel research, is sending its agents back in time to make the history of the world unfold more to its liking than it unfolded in its current reality. Unfortunately, writer/illustrator Jonathan Hickman's telling of his story is ponderously tedious. For me, it'll be worth the effort to read another issue to see if things pick up now that the set-up to the overall story has been presented. For you, well, that's your call to make.
Sabrina #90 [Archie Comics; $2.25] features the first chapter of a three-issue serial - "The Turning" - by writer/artist Tania Del Rio and inker Jim Amash. Del Rio's overall storyline is so vast and with so many characters that most issues seem to have as much exposition as actual plot developments. That storyline is intriguing, but the traditional American comic book isn't the right format for it. Del Rio's Sabrina issues would be better served by being collected - from start to present - in manga-style paperbacks like those in which Spider-Girl is reprinted. Marvel Comics has had great success with those books; so could Archie. Del Rio's work looks like it was made for that format.
Shark-Man #1 [Image; $3.50] sometimes seems to explode off its painted pages to hit the reader smack in the eyes. Steve Pugh scripts and provides exceptionally exciting art, but his debut issues shows the effect of a story-by-committee. More often than not, just like in Hollywood, the more writers on the project, the less cohesive and entertaining the result. I'd call this issue a pretty good start to the series, but I'd rather see a more singular vision in future issues.
Veronica #186 [Archie; $2.25] has a "romance paperback" cover by Dan Parent. It's a fun image and ties in with "Isn't It Romantic?," a story written and penciled by Parent with inks by Jim Amash. The story concept - one of the Riverdale High facility is moonlighting as a romance novelist - is a good one, but the tale's revelation is predictable. This somewhat above-average issue also features a second Veronica story, a two-page fashion spread, and a fan art page. Parent has definitely given Veronica its own visual identity, but the stories are often weak. This title needs some new writers and some new ideas.
That's it for this lightning round. Look for more of the same in future editions of TOT.
******
BLOGGY BITS
Over the past several days, nearly every part of my life has exploded in an incredibly annoying clustercluck of problems large and small. Don't panic. I still have all my limbs and most of my mental capacity, but I'm gonna be running against the wind all week long. No columns will be skipped, but everything I'm working will be delayed. Maybe it's just as well that I'm so underemployed and underpaid.
I'll answer e-mails as fast as I can, but that won't be real fast. I'm screening my phone calls and only picking up on the ones that begin with someone saying "I have money for you" followed by the caller's name and ID.
Because I'm easy, but not that easy.
Repeat. There's no need to panic.
I've got that covered.
******
TONY POLLS
Every Tuesday, I post new Tony Polls questions for your voting entertainment. This Tuesday won't be any exception, but, as I haven't written the new questions yet, I can't tell you exactly what they are. I do know that one of them will ask you to vote for your favorite member of the Justice League of America and that the others will also involve DC characters and titles. Whatever they end up being, you can vote on them here:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 01/25/2008 | 01/28/2008 | 01/29/2008 >>
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
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Medina, OH 44256
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