Category: Crime

Z-View: The White Suits #2

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The White Suits is a four issue mini-series created by Frank Barbiere & Toby Cypress published by Dark Horse Comics.

Writer: Frank Barbiere

Artist / Colorist: Toby Cypress

The White Suits, scourges of Russia’s underworld, have declared war on New York’s organized crime. But NYC’s crime overlords have their own army of Russian mercenaries hunting the Suits, with FBI agent Sarah Anderson and the former Suit known as Prizrak certain to be caught in the crossfire!

*** Beware – minor spoilers are found below ***

The Good

  • Frank Barbiere’s story requires you to think and Toby Cypress’ art makes you pay attention.
  • The White Suits is a crime comic that encompasses a mystery or two or three but never at the sake of action.
  • Cypress’ art  this issue is not quite as loose but still unique.
  • The black and white art with a splash of color works!
  • The huge Russian merc is a woman!

The Bad:

  • The jumps in time aren’t spelled out.  To those who complain, pay attention to the art, colors, word balloons, etc.].
  • Cypress’ art is loose… and won’t be to everyone’s taste.
  • The position Anderson and Pizrak are in on the last page of the issue.

The Ugly:

  • The big Russian female merc when you insult her… and even when you don’t.

The White Suits is not for all audiences since it contains adult language and violence.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

 

Scott Quick Draw Jack Carter

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One of the things I love about going to comic book conventions is meeting new artists… or at least artists that are new to me.  When I was at MegaCon this year, I met Scott Quick.

Scott does the web strip Camden Bottoms.  I took a look at Scott’s sketchbook and decided to see if he’d be interested in doing a Stallone sketch.  He was.  I ended up getting two.  This is the second.  I’ll post the first next week.  In the mean time check out Scott’s Camden Bottoms!

 

Adventures in Pulp: 3 Free Webcomics

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Adventures in Pulp is a cool site where you can find three free web comics:

Dick Ruby and the Little Green Men:  DETECTIVE NOIR MEETS INVASION SCI-FI in “Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men. It’s New York in the 1940s and private investigator Dick Ruby is on the trail of a missing person. A trail that leads to little green men from outer space.

The Four Horsemen: THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING! A power-hungry Prince kills his father to steal the crown and kingdom. The only thing that can stop him, the Good Witch of the Dead Lands. Hiding in her place of power, she summons four warriors from across time and space.

Hawk and a Handsaw: ENTER A SUPERHERO INSANE ASYLUM in “Hawk and a Handsaw!” You’d have to be a little crazy to put on a brightly colored costume and fight crime, but how exactly would you know who is the real deal and who has simply latched onto the delusion of being a super powered being?

Brett Harris [writer] and Matthew Childers [artist] are the creative team behind all three strips.  I’ve read [and enjoyed] the first chapter of Dick Ruby and the Little Green Men.  I look forward to future chapters and their other creations.  If you like comics, give ’em a look.

Z-View: Dead Letters #1

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Dead Letters #1 is published by BoomStudios.

Writer: Christopher Sebela

Artist: Chris Visions

Colorist: Ruth Redmond

Cover Shown: Chris Visions

Waking up in a fleabag motel with bandaged arms and a revolver on his desk, Sam doesn’t remember a thing – not how he got here, where here is, or who he is. But the armed men knocking on his door do and Sam will have to use every trick from his forgotten repertoire to outrun and outsmart his way through a hardboiled wonderland of gang wars, femme fatales and big secrets.

 

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The Good

  • Chris Visions’ art and Ruth Redmond’s colors.
  • The set-up: Sam wakes up to a ringing phone in a “sketchy hotel room” not knowing who he is or how he got there. The voice on the phone says, “They’re coming Sam.  You’d better start running” and hangs up.  Page one and I’m hooked.
  • The big reveal [for this issue] is saved for the last page.  Well played, Chris Sebela.  I also like the hints dropped throughout the issue.  [Pay attention to backgrounds.]

The Bad:

  • The position Sam is in.  Amnesia. Killers chasing him.  Yeah, that’s bad.

The Ugly:

  • Page 15 panel 3.

Dead Letters #1  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence.  I’m looking forward to issue #2.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

The Crow Pestilence # 1 / Z-View

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The Crow: Pestilence #1 is published by IDW.

Writer: Frank Bill

Artist: Drew Moss

Colorist: Oliver Lee Arce

Cover Shown: James O’Barr

Juarez, Mexico. A young boxer, Salvador, refuses to take a fall, but has no problem taking a vicious drug gang’s pay-off. When they take their lethal revenge on the Salvador and his family, he returns as THE CROW, in search of vengeance…and forgiveness.

 

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The Good

  • J. O’Barr‘s cover.
  • This is Frank [Donneybrook] Bill‘s first job as a comic book writer!
  • I’m a Drew Moss fan and am happy to see his art on this series.
  • This incarnation of The Crow has an iconic back story and cool look.

The Bad:

  • Some people will be put off by the violence and profanity.
  • The story jumps between the present and the past and sometimes it wasn’t quickly clear where we were in the timeline.
  • Because of the [many] Crow incarnations some may find the story too formulaic.  I have faith that Bill Frank is going to put a unique spin on things as we progress through the tale.
  • Naming all the bad guys with “dog names” – Raw Dog, Flash Dog, Mange Hound and War Hound.

The Ugly:

  • What happens to Salvador when he crosses the guys who paid him to take a dive.
  • What happens to the guys who paid Salvador to take a dive when he comes back as the Crow.

The Crow: Pestilence #1  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence and language.  

Rating: 3 out of 5

Z-View: “Soylent Green”

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The Pitch: ”Hey, what about Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in a big screen scifi film?”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “What is the secret of Soylent Green?”

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

The year is 2022.  The world is overpopulated and (thanks to climate change and pollution) without resources to house or feed most of the population.  The divide between the haves and have-nots has never been worse.  Most of the poor survive on rations provided by the Soylent corporation.

Charlton Heston plays a cop assigned the murder of a wealthy man with connections to the Soylent corporation and important politicians.  When Heston refuses to stop his investigation he becomes marked for death.

The Good

  • The state of the world without food, water, shelter and resources for any but the wealthiest is well done.
  • Leigh Taylor-Young as Shirl.  Chuck Conners vs Charlton Heston!
  • Edward G, Robinson in his final role.
  • The scene of Robinson and Heston enjoying a real meal of food Heston had confiscated.
  • Heston going to save Robinson and becoming mesmerized at the video playing.
  • The last line of the movie is a classic.

The Bad:

  • The state of the world.
  • The cops are crooked… including Heston.
  • How much people like Soylent Green.
  • The movie has a bit of a 1970’s futuristic vibe to it, but overall still holds up well.

The Ugly:

  • When your best choice is to check out.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

“The Last Stand” / Z-View

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The Pitch: ”Hey, what do you think about having Arnold as the police chief of a small town up against a Mexican cartel? “

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Not in his town.  Not on his watch.”

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

When a Mexican drug cartel kingpin busts out of custody and makes a break for the border surrounded and supported by his hired killers, the only thing standing between him and freedom is a small town sheriff and a couple of green deputies.

The Good

  • I like the premise.
  • It is always great to see Forrest Whitaker, Luis Guzman and Harry Dean Stanton.  Arnold is Arnold!
  • The kingpin’s escape is well done.  The magnet was a nice touch as were the orange suited running men. [I really liked Forrest Whitaker’s interrogation scene with the Dutch soccer fan.]
  • There is plenty of action.

The Bad:

  • Some of the humor felt out of place [Arnold telling the diner people to leave, the “schmuck” line at the beginning and end of the movie, etc.].  Let Johnny Knoxville be the comedy relief and let everyone else play it straight.

The Ugly:

  • What happens when Arnold dives into you knocking you both off a two-story building.  And landing on a car with Arnold on top of you will be the least of your worries.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Upgunned by David J. Schow / Z-View

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Upgunned by David J. Schow

Jacket design and illustration Tim Bradstreet

Elias McCabe is having one hell of a night:  He gets kidnapped at gunpoint by a professional hit man and is forced to shoot blackmail photos of a prominent politician.  Things go wrong with the shoot… very wrong.  When the night is over, Elias is scared to death … and ten thousand dollars richer.

If he keeps his mouth shut.

But he doesn’t — and now the hit man has targeted him for payback.

As a desperate amateur in the games of death, Elias is up against a seasoned pro.  As his entire life slides into the abyss, he has to stay alive by inventing new ways, moment-by-moment, to avoid, misdirect, and finally confront his ever-more-determined murderer as corpses and collateral damage stack up coast-to-coast in their wake.

The Good

  • Upgunned sucks you in from the first sentence and never let’s up.
  • The lead characters:  Initially I was having a tough time deciding whether I was pulling for Elias [the photographer forced to become an accessory to blackmail and murder] or Chambers [the hitman “forced” to kill everyone involved in the blackmail gone bad including his partners].
  • The supporting characters, especially “Cap” Weatherwax and the freaks at Salon [midgets, a spidergirl, a crocman, and others.]
  • Schow does his research — you’ll learn a lot about guns, Hollywood movie-making and more, but never at the expense of the action.
  • Tim Bradstreet’s jacket design and illustration and yes, that is Thomas Jane on the cover!
  • Ken Mitchrooney [a comic book buddy from way back] is thanked in the Acknowledgements.

The Bad:

  • Chambers – I was pulling for the hitman despite him killing so many people until he did something even worse.
  • What happens to Chambers that prevents him from killing Elias straight away.

The Ugly:

  • What happens to Chambers’ partners.
  • Walking in a dark room with your eyes wide open.

Upgunned is for mature audiences due to excessive violence and sexual situations. 

Rating: 3 out of 5

10 Serial Killers That are Still on the Run

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Listverse posted a piece called 10 More Evil Serial Killers That are Still on the Run.

I thought the Vending Machine Killer was creepy…

At least 10 people were killed by the strange series of murders… The killer poisoned dozens of bottles of juice and soda and hid them in vending machines… dispensing chute(s). When someone bought a drink they would end up with two bottles and accept the unexpected drink as a stroke of luck. After a few mouthfuls, nausea would set in. After a day or two, breathing would stop. On top of the 10 dead, at least 35 people were poisoned but survived. Media coverage of the crimes was accused of inspiring copycats, one of whom left poisoned milk in schools…

Then I read about the Daytona Beach Killer.  An uncaught serial killer in my hometown trumps an uncaught serial killer anywhere else.

Jonathan Maberry and his Action/Horror Novels

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If you’re not a fan of Jonathan Maberry, it just means you haven’t read any of his action/horror novels.

The Big Thrill has a nice interview with Jonathan Maberry.  My guess is if you’re already a Maberry fan, you’ll really enjoy it.  If you’re not a fan, there’s a good chance that once you read the interview, you will be.

Z-View: Dead Body Road #4

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Dead Body Road is a six issue mini-series published by Image.

Writer: Justin Jordan

Penciler / Inker: Matteo Scalera

Colorist: Moreno Dinisio

Gage has taken one of his wife’s murderers captive in the back of his van. In pursuit is a fleet of bikers and other murderous ********.  Are you ready for an interrogation at 100 MPH?!

 

Dead Body Road #4  Last month I said “Great writing, great art and a crime/revenge story that moves.”  This was never more true than in this issue!  Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera continue to be a team to watch.

The Good

  • Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera continue to impress.  How do you create a comic book issue that consists entirely of a car chase [Ok. A van being chased by a motorcycle gang] without it becoming boring or repetitive?  Read this issue and you’ll know.
  • This is the first comic I want to read each time it comes out.
  • “Is he snoring?”

The Bad:

  • Some people are going to be put off by the violence and profanity.
  • Last month I asked: “Quint.  Is anyone badder?”  This month we learn the answer.

The Ugly:

  • There is a large panel that truly gross but appropriate to the story.

Dead Body Road #4  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence and language.  If you’re a fan of crime/revenge stories then this is for you.  

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Z-View: Dead Body Road #3

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Dead Body Road is a six issue mini-series published by Image.

Writer: Justin Jordan

Penciler / Inker: Matteo Scalera

Colorist: Moreno Dinisio

Will a standoff in a diner lead Gage one dead body closer to his revenge? Or is it just a pit stop on the highway to Hell?

 

Dead Body Road #3  Great writing, great art and a crime/revenge story that moves.  Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera are a team to watch.

The Good

  • Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera have created a crime classic — and we’re just halfway into the story.
  • The comic feels real… or at least movie real.  It is full of violence, profane language, and takes us into a world where tough ex-cops seek revenge against thieves, murderers and motorcycle gangs.  I love it.

The Bad:

  • Some people are going to be put off by the violence and profanity.
  • Quint.  Is anyone badder?

The Ugly:

  • Not a single panel.

Dead Body Road #3  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence and language.  If you’re a fan of crime/revenge stories then this is for you.  

Rating: 5 out of 5