Category: Comics

Z-View – Criminal Macabre / The Goon: When Freaks Collide by Niles, Powell and Mitten

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Criminal Macabre / The Goon: When Freaks Collide is a one-shot published by Dark Horse Comics.

Writers: Steve Niles, Eric Powell
Artist: Christopher Mitten
Colorist: Michelle Madsen
Cover Artist: Fiona Staple

Cal McDonald, the drug-fueled paranormal private dick, goes head to head with Lonely Street’s zombie-pulverizing Goon, in a weird in-between world full of monsters, horror, and humor!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

The Good:

  • Nice cover by Fiona Staple.
  • Chris Mitten‘s art is a treat.
  • Having Steve Niles and Eric Powell co-write their creations is a plus.
  • “Talking like that just makes me want to kill you twice.”
  • “Don’t touch me. Seriously.”
  • The guest appearance on the last page.
  • Bonus pinup by Ben Templesmith.

The Bad:

  • When you say, “Hey Mo, Check it, The Little Rascals did steroids like Carrot Top” to the Goon and Frankie.
  • “This is a LOT more than I expected.”  “Yep. Me too.”

The Ugly:

  • Wooden stake to the eye.

Criminal Macabre / The Goon: When Freaks Collide

Rating: 5 out of 5

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #6 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head #6 is part of a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

The final chapter of the critically acclaimed masterpiece arrives this November! All of the violence, mayhem, and carnage of the previous issues come together in an intensely suspenseful and violent issue. Written by Matz and drawn by Colin Wilson (Ed Brubaker’s Point Blank), enjoy the exciting conclusion of the best crime noir masterpiece in today’s comics!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe continue to impress.
  • Carlisle: “You can’t go home Kate…”  Kate: “Until when?”  Jimmy: “Until we kill them all.”  Carlisle: “Don’t worry Kate.  He’s just kidding.”  Kate: “They asked for it.”
  • “I don’t regret a thing.”
  • “Don’t move, Jimmy.”  “I look like I’m going anywhere?”
  • Matz provides a punchline to a running joke and it works.
  • Matz also ties up the mini-series with an ending that not only satisfies but leaves the door open for a sequel.

The Bad:

  • “I’m bleeding out.  I won’t make it.”

The Ugly:

  • Eating your gun as a way out.

Bullet to the Head #6 is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.

Rating:

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #5 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head #5 is part of a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

The penultimate chapter of the critically acclaimed masterpiece arrives with Bullet to the Head #5! All of the violence, mayhem, and carnage of the previous issues come together in its most horrifyingly bloody issue yet! Written by Matz and drawn by Colin Wilson (Ed Brubaker’s Point Blank), Bullet to the Head distinguishes itself as the best crime noir masterpiece in today’s comics!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe continue to impress.
  • Matz creates one of my favorite covers ever.
  • “Who do you think you are? A cop?”  “Don’t insult me.”
  • “Single or double?”  “Double. –” “–Single.”
  • “Be careful.” “It’s too late for that.”
  • “For a guy who can’t sleep, you’re doing okay.”

The Bad:

  • What happens when you don’t tell an angry cop with a gun to his head who killed his partner.

The Ugly:

  • Thinking you’re well hidden in a trash dumpster… when you’re not.

Bullet to the Head #5 is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.

Rating:

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #4 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head #4 is part of a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

The crime noir masterpiece continues, written by Matz and drawn by Colin Wilson (Ed Brubaker’s Point Blank)! The book centers on a pair of assassin buddies and a pair of cop buddies, with a body count that grows as the story progresses and each pair trying to figure out what is happening! In this 4th issue of the award-winning crime saga, the violence intensifies and with a pulse pounding last page!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe continue to impress.
  • The hitman and the cop deciding to join forces.
  • “A killer… and he knows that I know?”  “Yeah.”  “I think I’m going to scream.”
  • “How much do you trust him?”  “As much as I trust you.”

The Bad:

  • Another cover made by enlarging and combining panels from the interior art.
  • “For crying out loud!  They didn’t wait up?!”
  • Picking up a hitchhiker who happens to be a hit man… who isn’t fly at all.

The Ugly:

  • Set up for a hit and taken out with a tire iron.

Bullet to the Head #4 is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.

Rating:

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #3 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head #3 is part of a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz Art by Colin Wilson Colors by Chris Blythe Letters by Colin Wilson

Bullet to the Head, the crime noir masterpiece continues, written by Matz and drawn by Colin Wilson (Ed Brubaker’s Point Blank)! The book centers on a pair of assassin buddies and a pair of cop buddies, with a body count that grows as the story progresses and each pair trying to figure out what is happening! In this third issue of the award-winning crime saga, the pair of assassins strike again! But why?

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe continue to impress.
  • Nice cover by Matz.
  • During a meeting with Slide, Steve takes a call on his cell.  While Steve is on his cell, Slide makes a call on his cell.  When they both finish and conclude there meeting, Slide tells Steve he needs to keep his cell phone off when meeting with important people.
  • “Why me?”  “I didn’t shoot them did I?”
  • “So you’re not mad I did this, Slide?”  “At least this way, Johanssen will know we mean business.”
  • “I don’t think I’m going to have a choice, Jimmy.”

The Bad:

  • Telling hitmen who have come to your house that you’re alone when you’re not.
  • “He’s unconscious, but there was a glitch.”
  • “The Governor?  You want to take the Governor out?”
  • “I’m right here, but I don’t like this.”

The Ugly:

  • When your wife and daughter surprise hitmen thinking you were alone in the house.
  • “I sense trouble.”
  • What Jimmy has in his hand in the 2nd panel on the 2nd to last page of the issue.

Bullet to the Head #3 is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.

Rating:

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #2 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head #2 is part of a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

Senator Sterling is dead – his corpse found with that of an underage hooker. But why the cover-up? That’s the question being asked not only by two of New York’s Finest… but by the killers themselves. Bullet to the Head, a crime noir tale of violence and revenge from writer Matz (Killer) and artist Colin Wilson (Ed Brubaker’s Point Blank), continues from Dynamite!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe continue to impress.
  • Matz does a great job of creating dialogue that seems real.
  • “I sense trouble.”

The Bad:

  • The cover doesn’t work at least for me.  Two panels from the comic and not the most dynamic ones at that.
  • Sometimes Matz gets wordy.
  • “I assume you didn’t mention that to the Lieutenant either, did you?”
  • “…We’ve got a leak in here somewhere, and we’re going to have to find it.”
  • The warning, “Frank! Watch out!” comes a second to late.

The Ugly:

  • What Frank finds waiting on him — in more ways than one.
  • “Stop.”  “Why?”  “He’s not going to say anything and we can’t stay here any longer.”  Oh-oh.

Bullet to the Head #2 is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.

Rating:

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #1 by Matz and Wilson

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Bullet to the Head is a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

Two cops. Two killers. A political scandal. One beautiful corpse. And a city gripped with fear. Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents Bullet to the Head – a classic crime noir tale of violence and revenge from writer Matz (Killer) and artist Colin Wilson (Star Wars Invasion)!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe work well together.
  • Nice set up by Matz – a pair of hitmen hired to kill a senator with mob ties and a pair of cops assigned to investigate the Senator’s murder are about to find out that things aren’t what they seem.
  • Page 14 — awesome writing, art and colors.  Excellent page.
  • “This ******** about buying ourselves some time by withholding everything from the press… I don’t like it, so I’m going to do things my way, just in case.”
  • “I sense trouble.”

The Bad:

  • Stepping into dog mess wearing two thousand dollar shoes.
  • Wrong place, wrong time for a young girl.
  • “… They want everything to remain secret.  For now, officially, the Senator had a heart attack, and we have one body in this room.  Is that clear?”

The Ugly:

  • Being the dog that left the mess that a hitman steps in.

is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

Z-View – Batman Catwoman: “Follow the Money” by Chaykin

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Batman Catwoman: Follow the Money is a one shot from DC Comics.

Written by Howard Chaykin
Art by Howard Chaykin
Colors by Jesus Aburto
Letters by John J. Hill

 

The Cavalier – that’s the Z-lister with the swords, right? So how’d he manage to frame Catwoman for a run of burglaries? And how on Earth did he manage the more spectacular crime of cleaning out the Wayne Enterprises pension fund and framing Bruce Wayne for the deed? However impressive he may appear to be, The Cavalier will quickly learn that frame-ups like that cut both ways, as both Batman and Catwoman begin tracking the Gotham City villain in this stand-alone one-shot from comics legend Howard Chaykin!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • I am a huge Howard Chaykin fan and so Chaykin on the writing and art chores is absolutely good enough to get me on board.
  • “I have to say I love what I do.”
  • “…it’s when the movies overlap that the trouble starts.”
  • Catwoman arguing with Batman that he does break the law.  “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”
  • “Good call, Peter… start praying.”

The Bad:

  • Having only a T-square for defense against a swordsman with an electric sword.

The Ugly:

  • Wayne Enterprises’ massive accounting scandal leaving the pension fund broke.

Batman Catwoman: Follow the Money

Rating: 3 out of 5

Z-View – The Black Beetle: “No Way Out” #4 by Francavilla

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The Black Beetle: No Way Out is a four issue mini-series from Dark Horse Comics.

Written and Directed by Francesco Francavilla

The epic conclusion to Black Beetle’s first series! Colt City’s caped crusader goes head to head with the mysterious villain Labyrinto! Can Black Beetle make it out of this maze of matched wits and matched blows alive?!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • Francavilla has set up the Black Beetle to look and feel like an old pulp magazine or movie serial.
  • Another great cover by Francavilla.
  • Last panel page 5.
  • Is that Steranko??
  • The reason Labyrinto chose his name.
  • Bonus art – Albert Hulm and more!
  • Francavilla’s coloring throughout the series has been spot on.

The Bad:

  • “All right Fierro… time’s up.”  “You got that right.”  Poor Fierro.
  • “I’m afraid I’ve been you to the punch once again, my mysterious friend.”
  • The way Jimmy Galazzo’s dad treated him.

The Ugly:

  • Poor Fierro.

Black Beetle: No Way Out

Rating: 5 out of 5

Z-View – The Black Beetle: “No Way Out” #3 by Francavilla

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The Black Beetle: No Way Out is a four issue mini-series from Dark Horse Comics.

Written and Directed by Francesco Francavilla

While investigating a mysterious mass murder that leveled Colt City’s mob bosses, Black Beetle gets wrapped up in a puzzling maze of clues. Could the appearance of a costumed criminal named Labyrinto be related to the destruction of the powerful organized-crime racket?

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • Francavilla has set up the Black Beetle to look and feel like an old pulp magazine or movie serial.
  • Every month I sing the praises of Francavilla’s Black Beetle covers.  This is my favorite so far.
  • Shadows fall over the Black Beetle’s face while in disguise but out of costume — could they be a nod to Will Eisner’s The Spirit?
  • “Having me outnumbered makes them confident… but it also makes them predictable.”
  • Page before “Intermezzo” — who is that mystery man watching from above in the shadows.  Oh-oh.  I thought it was him.
  • “Tonight the madness ends.”
  • More bonus art from Francavilla!

The Bad:

  • “You were asking too many questions.  We don’t like snoops around here.”
  • Yikes!  There’s a mystery man watching from the shadows above.
  • “Guess I’ll have to check the body myself… Sometimes I hate my job.”

The Ugly:

  • “Not much left of the face.”

Black Beetle: No Way Out

Rating: 5 out of 5

38 Things We Learned from the “John Wick” Commentary

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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 38 Things We Learned from the John Wick  Commentary.

Here are my top five…

3. Their first “director’s cut” was two hours and twenty minutes. That’s thirty nine minutes longer than the film’s theatrical cut.

4. They acknowledge that in the real world a retired assassin probably would have changed his name, but they like they idea of this world being similar to that of a comic book.

13. They were heavily influenced by the style of graphic novels and attempted to capture some of that in the colors, framing and angles.

20. They love seeing people’s reactions to the gold coins, the cop (Thomas Sadoski) at the front door and other unexplained sequences. “A lot of people don’t give their audiences credit,” says Leitch. “You can leave it a little mysterious. They can think about it.”

18. They credit Reeves’ dedication and talent with their ability to do long takes during the fight scenes. “I think we really only cut for impact,” says Stahelski. “We didn’t really cut to get around moves, we didn’t cut to speed things up. We wanted you to see what happens before, during and after.” “You’re not using long lenses to hide bad action,” adds Leitch.

Z-View – The Black Beetle: No Way Out #2 by Francavilla

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The Black Beetle: No Way Out is a four issue mini-series from Dark Horse Comics.

Written and Directed by Francesco Francavilla

While investigating a mysterious mass murder that leveled Colt City’s mob bosses, Black Beetle gets wrapped up in a puzzling maze of clues. Could the appearance of a costumed criminal named Labyrinto be related to the destruction of the powerful organized-crime racket?

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • Francavilla has set up the Black Beetle to look and feel like an old pulp magazine or movie serial.
  • Another great cover by Francavilla.
  • Love the double-page splash on pages 2 and 3.
  • “But luckily no one gets hurt.”
  • “Thankfully I never leave for an ocean trip without a respirator…”
  • “I’ve learned that, in my case, ‘unlikely to happen’ is often likely to happen.”
  • Big panel on page 11.
  • “The moment I hear him… it’s a second too late.”
  • Page 14
  • “Oh, C’mon now!”
  • Darwyn Cooke Black Beetle bonus sketch!
  • More bonus art from Francavilla!

The Bad:

  • “But even with the helipack, I arrived too late.
  • “Take care of the Black Beetle once and for all.”  Yikes!
  • Who is the person lurking in the shadows behind the Black Beetle on page 9 and coming up behind him on page 10?

The Ugly:

  • “It’s a short fall… but long enough to see all those tiny hungry red eyes… waiting for me to hit the water.  They’re all over me in a second. And they keep coming.  And coming.”
  • Water rising quickly and the escape hatch is barred from the outside!

Black Beetle: No Way Out

Rating: 5 out of 5