Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
That cover of Nexus #1 brings back a ton of good memories. I picked up the magazine because of the Paul Gulacy cover, but it was the Nexus character and stories created by Mike Baron [writer] and Steve ‘The Dude’ Rude that kept me coming back for more.
A couple of years ago there was a push to get a Nexus animated series going. Below is the promo reel that was used. I think I would have tuned in.
Isn’t that Neal Adams’ Tarzan painting above beautiful? The painting above is just one of ten Neal Adams’ Tarzan paintings that you can see here.
Source: Brian Michael Bendis.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers #1 of 1
Original comic published by Rorschach Entertainment
Free Web Comic published by Christopher Mills at GravediggerComic.com
Script, Tones, Letters: Christopher Mills
Pencils and Inks: Rick Burchett
Cover A (shown): Rick Burchett
In his world, there are only two kinds of men: the Dead and the Deadly.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers is available in two forms: a one shot comic published by Rorschach Entertainment and as an ongoing free web-comic. The paper comic is worth tracking down, but if you can’t get your mitts on a copy, the web-comic contains the original one shot and more. The comic is printed as you see it online in a widescreen format.
Gravedigger McCrae (Digger to his friends) just got out of prison after serving three years of a five-year bit. Digger’s feeling old and looking for that one final score that he can use to coast into retirement. He may have found his golden ticket when a crime associate that he’d worked with one time before brings him in on a $800 thousand caper. All they have to do is hijack a gunrunner’s deal. Digger and the crew can keep all the guns and the cash… of course they’ll have to kill everyone not in their crew to get away clean.
Digger is not sure who he can trust. Bunny was brought in by Digger, so he should be okay, but how good is okay with 800 large on the line? B.T. is good with a gun, but looks more like a punk than a shooter. Goodis is the pilot that’ll fly them out of there, but will he stick around if things go sideways? Red is the one who set things up. He seems a bit jumpy… perhaps because he’s brought Angel, his hot looking wife, in on the deal. That doesn’t sit well with Digger. He knows a sure way to queer a deal is to bring in a dame.
Digger’s worries about Red’s wife screwing things up take a turn when she comes on to Digger. Three years in prison, a hot young babe and opportunity make Digger’s decision easy. Angel offers Digger a plan that will leave the two of them with the cash and a smooth getaway together. Sure, Digger will have to kill Red and maybe a few members of the crew, but isn’t she and $800 k worth it? Digger is in deep. He needs the deal and the money it will bring. He’s enjoying Angel, but knows she can’t be trusted… no one can be trusted. The cards are dealt, so he might as well play out the hand and see who wins.
Chris Mills and Rick Burchett have created a crime comic that is a treat to read. Gravedigger: The Scavengers is like a love letter to fans of Lee Marvin, Richard Stark Parker novels, crime movies, crime novels and crime comics. This is one of the best one-shot comics of any genre that I’ve ever read.
Chris Mills has created a unique character in Gravedigger. Digger’s not a good guy. He knows and accepts this. Mills has a feel for all the characters, a love of the crime genre and a way with words. I hope someday to read a Gravedigger novel or book of short stories by Mills.
Rick Burchett is the perfect artist for this comic. His art compliments Mill’s prose. Burchett is truly amazing in that he knows where to focus the readers eyes for the most impact. Should anyone ever do a Gravedigger: The Scavengers movie, the storyboards are done thanks to Burchett.
I am glad that Mills and Burchett are deep into their second Gravedigger story – Gravedigger: The Predators. My hope is that the two Gravedigger stories will lead to a Kickstarter so that we’ll get a hardcover worthy of showcasing these stories.
Gravedigger: The Scavengers is a comic for mature audiences due to adult language and situations.
Rating: 5 out of 5
After just one issue The Saviors became one of my favorite comics currently published.
The Saviors is a fun story with great art, so why wouldn’t it be?
In case you’re late to this party, let’s catch up. The Saviors is about a slacker who discovers that evil aliens are secretly among us. He doesn’t have the skill set to deal with the situation, doesn’t know who he can trust or who will believe him.
James Robinson, the writer of the series says that he wanted The Saviors to have…
… elements from the old “Invaders” TV show and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” but also (had) enough gore and violent horror and scares that it would also feel like John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” As I began to develop the idea, some other aspects came to mind like the idea of it having a large cast. You won’t know who lives or dies
You can learn more about The Saviors in this interview with the series’ creators, James Robinson and J. Bone.
Source: CBR.com.
All Crime Comics #1 published by Art of Fiction.
Writer: The Art of Fiction
Penciler / Inker (Chapters 1 & 3): Ed Laroche
Penciler / Inker (Chapter 2): Marc Sandroni
Colorist: Tony Fleecs (Chapters 1 & 3)
Colorist: Andrew Siegel (Chapter 2)
Cover: Bruce Timm
Cars, murder, revenge. Not recommended for children of any age.
All Crime Comics #1 leads with a beautiful Bruce Timm cover that is sexy, provocative with an undercurrent of bad things to come. The design of the cover makes All Crime Comics #1 look like a beat-up pulp from the 50’s. It definitely sets the tone for things to come.
Chapter One starts: Marko, a big Russian enforcer, beating a group of men to death in an effort to obtain information for his partner, Dodger. Marko and Dodger stop to torture a dopehead before going on to meet up with a Dodger’s associates. Dodger lays out his plan to kill his old partner Louie despite the fact that Louie has become a big time mafia boss and is currently doing time in a federal prison.
In Chapter Two we flashback 23 years. Louie and Dodger are in high school. We learn how they became friends and drifted into a life of crime. They both fell for the high school hotie, Carla Blackman. Carla was out of their league until Louie became a big man in the crime syndicate. Carla then falls for Louie which of course drives a wedge into Louie and Dodger’s friendship.
Chapter Three brings us back to Dodger and his crew as they execute their plan to get into the prison and kill Louie. Unfortunately for them Louie knows they’re coming. A lot of people are going to die and not according to either Dodger or Louie’s plans.
All Crime Comics #1 is a comic for mature audiences due to extreme violence. The story covers a lot of ground and spends about a third of the book with Louie and Dodger in high school. That’s not the crime story that interests me. It was hard to get Dodger’s fascination with Carla. Sure, Carla was the school fox, but she had time for everyone but Dodger. Twentythree years is a long time to carry an obsession and deciding to break in to a federal pen to kill a crime boss is a bit outlandish. With that said, there are a couple of cool twists of plot at that point.
The packaging is great, the cover is awesome. I liked the idea of the story. The art was well done.
With all that said, if you think I didn’t like All Crime Comics #1, you’d be wrong. I did. I just didn’t like All Crime Comics #1 as much as I wanted to.
Rating:
That’s Mitch Gerads’ take on Sly as Barney Ross from the Expendables 2. I got this sketch at last year’s HeroesCon. It was my first time meeting Mitch as well as my first sketch from him. Hopefully it won’t be my last.
– Craig
That’s a preview page for White Suits a new mini-series coming from Frank Barbiere [writer] and Toby Cypress [artist]. Barbiere summarizes the series saying…
The White Suits is an action/crime story about a mysterious group of killers known as, you guessed it, The White Suits. The group has history dating back to the Cold War… they have resurfaced in NYC and are systematically eliminating the city’s gangs. The crime lords of the city have banded together to deal with the problem, while a rogue FBI agent who has a history with the Suits is plotting her own battle. She’s been on the tail of a man she suspects was once a member and finally corners him, only to discover he has amnesia — so the two of them are on a quest for truth (and revenge) against the Suits. The story is fueled by the mystery of exactly who the White Suits are — which will come to light by the end of the mini-series.
You can learn more about White Suits here. If it sounds like something you’d like, you can pre-order through your local comic shop. I did.
Source: CBR.com.
Dead Body Road is a six issue mini-series published by Image.
Writer: Justin Jordan
Penciler / Inker: Matteo Scalera
Colorist: Moreno Dinisio
The men involved in his wife’s death must die. All of them.
Dead Body Road #1 sets the bar high. Great writing, great art and a crime/revenge story that hits all the right marks without being cliché.
Gage is an ex-cop. His wife Anna (also a cop) was killed in what looks like a robbery gone bad. Everybody in the building was murdered and the bad guys got away… just not together. When the robbery turned into the OK Corral, one of the thieves (the one with the item being stolen) high-tailed it.
Now he has Gage, and the other crooks hot on his trail. It won’t be good for him no matter who catches him first. And how bad would it be if the crooks and Gage get to him at the same time?
Justin Jordan has created a crime story that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. There’s a lot going on and each scene propels us deeper into something that is much more than your typical ex-cop seeks revenge against those who killed his family tale. This could have been a simple story of revenge, but Jordan has layered in much more.
Matteo Scalera creates visuals that have the maximum impact for each scene. Car chases are usually boring — especially in comics. Scalera pulls off a four page sequence that not only advances the story, but makes you feel the speed and danger of the chase. His characters have character.
Dead Body Road #1 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. Dead Body Road #1 gets my highest recommendation.
Rating:
The Saviors is an on-going series created by James Robinson & J. Bone published by Image.
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: J. Bone
When Tomas Ramirez stumbles upon an extraterrestrial conspiracy to take over the world, his life is changed forever. He must now seek out those few souls who share this terrible knowledge. But even united, how can they hope to defeat a shadowy alien cabal that is both indestructible and eager to kill anyone who threatens it?
Tomas Ramirez is a slacker content living in a small town where he works at the local gas station. When Tomas isn’t working [and sometimes when he is] he spends his free time getting high, hanging with a few friends and enjoying life.
All is good.
All is good that is until Tomas accidentally discovers that there are lizard-looking, shape-shifting aliens living among them!
Who will believe a pot smoking loser like Tomas? More importantly, how will a slacker like Tomas find a way to stay alive long enough to get the word out, now that the aliens know that he knows?
James Robinson lulls us into the story at a small town pace — we meet Tomas and learn about the town and the people living there through Tomas’ eyes. While most of his friends wanted to break out of the small town and get into the big world outside the town’s borders, Tomas wants nothing more than a few friends, a cold beer, cable tv and a his weed. It’s a leisurely life and the pace of the story reflects that.
Everything changes once Tomas sees the aliens and they see him. The action moves at a breakneck pace and death can come in an instant. Is there anyone that Tomas can trust? And who is the mysterious stranger that happens to show up at just the right/wrong time?
J. Bone’s art is amazing. He was the perfect choice for this series. I love Bone’s use of double page spreads not as pinups, but to expand the horizon to tell the story.
The Saviors is a comic for mature audiences due to drug references and language. If you’re a fan of 50’s alien invasion movies [“I Married a Monster from Outer Space,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” etc.], ,or well written, well drawn comics, then The Saviors is for you.
Rating: 4 out of 5
We have some news, some big news, for fans of Frank Miller’s Sin City.
On July 8, 2014, Dark Horse will release Frank Miller’s Big Damn Sin City. This baby will come as a hardcover edition and clock in with over 1300 pages — and contain every one of Miller’s seven Sin City yarns!
On July 8, 2014, fans will also be able to pick up Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City which will appear for the first time in a trade paperback edition. I have a copy of the hardback edition, and give Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City my highest recommendation.
To round out the trifecta, on July 8, 2014, Dark Horse will re-release in hardcover, Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
These books will be a great lead-in for the movie adaptation of A Dame to Kill For which will be released on August 22, 2014.
If you like interviews, you might want to check out this interview with comic artist Mitch Gerads. Gerads is best known for his work on The Activity and will soon been seen on The Punisher.
Source: CBR.com.
Saviors #1 by James Robinson and J. Bone dropped this week. If like great comics and 1950’s monster movies I hope you pre-ordered a copy because Saviors #1 is awesome.
I’ll post a full review soon, but in the meantime feel free to check out J. Bone Unveils “The Saviors” at Image.
Source: CBR.com.
Francesco Francavilla says, “Merry Christmas” with his “Blood on Christmas” tale of a little girl, a serial killer Santa and The Shadow!
