NextWave - Agents of H.A.T.E. – Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen

I've already written in these pages of my favorite comic book authors, but sometimes you forget how truly gifted these people are. Sometimes, they write something that throws you for six, makes you question how much of their style you actually know, or takes you by surprise by its cleverness or audacity.

Warren Ellis is one of these people. Up to now, I've read PLANETARY and THE AUTHORITY - both of which take the superhero genre and add something different to it, twisting it in slightly different ways. Neither of these however, plays for comic effect. Whilst looking for other collections of Warren's I came across Heatwave - and I was completely taken aback – this is not just good, it’s sublime!

We all know that Warren has a soft spot for superheroes and super teams, so it’s no surprise that NEXTWAVE is essentially a comic about a superhero team. This time however, Warren takes a different tack by building the team members from the ranks of MARVEL’s B-List line up, so we have the like of Elsa Bloodstone, Monica Rambeau (one of the many Captain Marvels), Tabitha Smith (of X-Force), Aaron Stack (the Machine Man), together with a new original character only known as “The Captain” (actually Captain “XXXX”, a curse word so bad that when he introduced himself once to Captain America, Cap beat 7 shades of crap out of him and left him in a dumpster with a block of soap in his mouth).

NEXTWAVE’s main antagonist is a Nick Fury parody called Dirk Anger, director of H.A.T.E (the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort), who NEXTWAVE used to work for until they found out that the Beyond Corporation (a corporation creating Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the very organization they were trying to take down) was actually funding H.A.T.E!

Yes, in case you hadn’t guessed it yet, this story is being played for laughs. Warren has taken Authority/Stormwatch ideas, stripped everything down to bare metal, added action, satire (mainly at MARVEL’s expense) and lots of humor. It’s a mishmash that shouldn’t work… but it does, and oh so brilliantly! Dirk Anger’s slow descent into madness (and I mean “Monty Python” madness here), combines beautifully with the Beyond Corporation’s purpose of mass mindless slaughter by the hands of the Broccoli Men, Fin Fang Foom, The Beyonders – even Forbush-Man!

Just a quick word about the art - Stuart Immonen, you are the canine cockles sir…

I really thought this was going to be a big pile of poo – oh, was I ever wrong! NEXTWAVE is fast, sassy, plain crazy and funny to the point where I nearly lost my breakfast! It’s also the only comic to have its own theme song – what more could you want?

Pilgrim (by Sebastien Baczkiewicz)

As anyone who reads this blog (yes, thats all two of you) will have noticed, I have a predeliction for graphic novels, and you’d be right in thinking that this blog concerns them, but sometimes something comes along that forces itself into your conciousness enough that you have to give it free reign, and let others know of it’s wonderousness.  Such is PILGRIM.

PILGRIM is the story of one William Palmer, who whilst on the road to Canterbury in 1185, was cursed to walk the Earth from that day to this after unintentionally insulting the King of the Grey Folk, or Faerie himself, by denying the existance of “the Other World”.  He now walks between the worlds of Magic and men, acting as a sort of troubleshooter where the worlds collide.

The Grey Folk are not the tiny, pretty little folk of child lore – oh no.  These are the magical folk of Pan’s kin – proud, haughty, michevious, ruthless and highly magical, who refer to us as “hotbloods” – almost a sub species, whos existance is tolerated, and whom they regard as no more than “sport”.  They value politeness and courtesy above all else – woe betide any who are rude to them – and they have their own drives and ambitions, and it’s when these clash with the world of men that the man they call PILGRIM intervenes – sometimes with great success, sometimes at great cost.  Sort of like a John Constantine for the Fairy world. 

So why am I writing this?  Simply because this show not only needs a wider audience, but it’s one that absolutely craves a TV/Comic adaptation.  The stories are sharp, witty, engrossing and horryfying at the same time.  Palmer is a man, tortured by being unable to die, trying to make sense of it all by making sure that the same fate that befell him doesn’t happen to anyone else, but he is only able to because the curse that he endures has given him much knowledge of the Other World through the centuries.  He longs for death, but knows that if he should die, many more will suffer through the whims and fancies of the Grey Folk.

As these are radio plays, much of the spirit of PLIGRIM comes via wonderful acting – in particular Paul Hilton as Pilgrim, Kate Fleetwood as Mrs. Pleasence, Jamie Foreman as Puck(who listeners may remember from the radio adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and Anna Wing (Lou Beale from EastEnders no less).  There are of course, many well known actors here, but the forementioned are those who I feel stand out from an excellent cast list.

By the way, yes this program has an essentially British feel – and so it should.  Much is made of the fact that Palmer has been around for almost 900 years – that’s not something that could really translate to another location (such as the reletively young USA).  Also Britain’s mythology is the primary source for the back story, so come on BBC, if you can make excellent shows like Doctor Who, you should be able to do this – you did after all, make Merlin…

PILGRIM is a series of radio plays produced by the BBC (4 * 1 hour long episodes per series, 7 series in all) available on CD and at www.audible.co.uk.  It was on Audible that I listened to Series 1-4, and it’s at the point where I’m starting series 5 that I write this.

Alan Moore’s Necronomicon - Alan Moore,Jacen Burrows and William Christensen

Another Alan Moore book I hear you say?  Can’t you review anything else?

Well, I could, but then I’d miss out on another masterful piece of Lovecraftian madness that just begs to be read.  I do read other authors than Alan Moore (look at some of my other posts like Marshall Law or Planetary), but what can I say?  I’m a huge Lovecraft fan, and so is Moore – therefore, I will read more of Moore…

NECRONOMICON is of course, named after the dreaded tome featured in much of Lovecraft’s own writing, and this book takes much inspiration from these tails, but takes an entirely different spin on things.  The story seems simple – two FBI agents investigate a series of grisly occult murders – but that is misleading, as Moore and Christensen take us down a path that which although it seems familiar by association, ends in an outcome which truly suprises us, yet remains faithfull to the spirit of the Cthulhu Mythos.  As the body count starts to rise, we’re thrown a series of twists and turns that may confuse those unfamiliar Lovecraft’s work,but true fans however, will delight in the misdirected references, clever plot points and the overall feel that the two writers have worked hard to create.

Praise too for artist Jacen Burrows – not many people can pull off Mythos work, but Jacen does a superb job.  Starfish shaped entrails anyone? 

All in all, this is a must have for Lovecraftian scholars.  It won’t be for everyone’s taste, and like much of Moore’s work, it’s PG18 – but it’s a cracking read.

Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition HC

I owe Kevin O’Neill & Patt Mills an apology.  A long time ago, I quickly glanced over the first issue of “MARSHALL LAW” ,thought it was just a cheap, “JUDGE DREDD” rip off and didn’t give it another look – until today.  With hindsight I can see why I had that opinion, but with older eyes, more worldy experience and patience, comes a new persepctive, so lets re-address the issue…

Imagine a world where a Vietnam-like war was fought not by regular soldiers, but by superhero soldiers, created in the image of that world’s equivilent of Superman.  Once the war is won, what happens to the soldiers?  They can’t go back to regular life, so they come home, become unlawful gangs and go to war with each other.  Add into this mix a city destroying quake and you have murder, mayhem and madness.  Only one man can stop them, and he HATES superheroes – whilst being one himself.  Welcome to the wonderful world of “MARSHALL LAW” …

This limited series debuted in the Eighties, and has a wonderful “punk” feel to it.  At first glance, it’s like a grown up “JUDGE DREDD” but in reality, nothing is further from the truth.  Mills & O’Neill became the first to parody the Supehero genre to the point where the  publishing giants themselves actually took offence!  Others would come along and mess with the superhero norm (such as Planetary), but “MARSHALL LAW” was the most vicious.  In this world, heroes are twisted psychotics, murderers, mentally disturbed or worse.  The parody hits close to home on certain characters, especially DC regulars such as Batman & Superman.  Marvel characters get a complete story to themselves – in a mental institution!  I just love this weird, wacky take on the whole genre, and of course, it was a good preparation for the LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN where O’Neill was concerned…

On a seperate note, I have to say that this work shows off just how much we owe to O’Neill for the world of LOEG.  Alan Moore is renowned for creating detailed worlds, but it’s Kevin O’Neill that gives us it’s visual representation.  With MARSHALL LAW, O’Neill gives the same kind of detail and in-jokes that we see in LOGR, just in a more raw and primitive form.  The colouring can be a bit inconsistant across the stories, but bear in mind most of it is hand coloured using markers, and not digital – when you think of it like that, you have to take your hat off and acknowledge the artistry…

It’s expensive, but it’s a hardback, and printed on top quality paper.  As with most of the books I review here, it’s not for children – it contains VERY adult themes and lots of blood.  i can’t say too much else without giving away the story, but I certainly recommend this to anyone who likes parody – or general bloodbaths and mayhem!

The Planetary Omnibus – Warren Ellis, John Cassaday

It might be me, but I have a strange like for ideas turned upside down on their heads. I especially like it when authors take well known literary characters and ideas and turn them into something that feels fresh, new and exciting. It’s therefore no surprise that many of my favourite graphic novels do just that. We all know that Alan Moore is the master of this (right Dan?), but it doesn’t mean he’s the only one who can weave such a story. There is another, and his name is Warren Ellis. Ellis is probably best known in the comic book world for “Transmetropoliton”, “The Authority” and “Red”, and in 1999 with John Cassaday as artist and Laura DePuy (nee Martin) as colourist he created the “Planetary” series.

“Planetary” gives us the tale of the Planetary Organization, a group intent on discovering the world’s secret history (which mirrors many elements from our own literary, comic and pop culture genres). Planetary’ s primary investigative field team comprises of 3 meta-humans: Jakita Wagner (strong, fast and almost invulnerable), The Drummer (who can detect and manipulate any information stream) and the recently recruited Elijah Snow (who can extract heat / create intense cold). This field team travel the world investigating strange phenomena, such as monsters, aliens and other super humans.

What Ellis does with this premise is give us a world where recognized fictional characters are turned on their heads. Superman as a child molesting genetic mutant? Doc Savage, The Shadow, Tarzan and Fu-Manchu as members of the world’s first justice league? A Marilyn Monroe clone as a radioactive woman with a 50 year half-life? A psycho killer from a fictional universe who comes back from a Quatermass style mission? It’s all here… All these wonderful elements and more are held together by a tight story arc across 27 issues, taking characters from the worlds of DC, Marvel, the silver screen and classic literary fiction. It’s a marvellous tour-de-force of modern storytelling, and John Cassaday’ s art is more than up to the task, giving us characters that are at once individual to this fictional world, yet instantly recognizable as their “our-world” counterparts. Not just characters, but even props get this treatment – I dare you not to recognize Mjolnir for instance! I will also mention Laura DuPey’s mighty colouring skills here – they are exceptional!

“Planetary” was the first comic series that I HAD to own. I came into it at volume 2, proceeded to get volumes 1 and 3, and then built up volume 4 comic by comic as it was published. This is the omnibus edition, which contains the complete “Planetary” saga. I cannot recommend this enough – only Moore’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” series is better in my opinion, and this is different enough to stand out on its own.

You’re a muppet if don’t treat yourself to it… J

The Dark Knight Strikes Again: Frank Miller

 

Let’s be honest, Frank Miller is one of the comic book greats. “Batman: Year One”, the “Sin City” series and “The Dark Knight Returns” all prove his mastery of art and storytelling that so personifies his work. So everything that he does is great – right?

Erm….

Well frankly (no pun intended), no. There is the odd clunker in his work, and I’m afraid that I now have to review one of them, and just to add insult to injury it follows probably his best. I refer of course to the sequel to his seminal Batman classic “The Dark Knight Returns”, called “The Dark Knight Strikes Again”, or “DK2”.

I read this straight after I read DK1, an obvious move that had the unfortunate effect of highlighting all of the problems this book displays. Miller’s story is OK, but it lacks depth, and sometimes feels like it began life as a convoluted script device to bring as many DC characters into it as possible. In DK1 there is a sense of the future decaying, and we feel empathy with Bruce Wayne as he sees his city brought low by crime and events, but in DK2 there is no sense of this, or anything else for that matter. In truth the story seems a bit chaotic, probably because of the sheer number of characters that have to be managed by the unwieldy events that ensue. It’s entertaining, but it doesn’t grab you in the same way DK1 does.

That would be forgivable, if the artwork made up for it, but it doesn’t. I usually love Miller’s graphic art style, but here it seems lost and out of place. I think primarily the problem is Lyn Varley’s colouring – as I’ve said before Miller has a very “graphic” kind of style which suits flat colours, but Varley’s 3d gradient style just doesn’t mesh well with it, creating a pseudo psychedelic mush which grates on the visual cortex. I really believe that DC should give this book another colour job – it would improve it no end.

The end result then is an OK story, encased in a multi-coloured garish soup. Sadly, ultimately unsatisfying.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Frank Miller & Klaus Janson.

In the world of graphic novels and comics, there are stories that for their respective characters, don’t just become canon, but completely change how that character is perceived and portrayed by both comic book creators and the general public. Such was the impact of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”.
Before this series was published in 1986, DC’s “Batman” was in deep trouble. Despite sterling efforts from the DC creative team at the time, sales were dropping, and talks of cancellation were being circulated. Like many of the DC characters of the time, Batman needed re-energizing and quickly, before the character vanished forever. Frank Miller’s vision of Batman not only gave the character the necessary impetus to survive, but secured Batman’s future, and arguably the future of the entire DC universe for the following decades to come.
Without “The Dark Knights Returns” there would be no Batman films, possibly no DC films or TV at all – yes, it’s THAT important. Frank Miller’s wonderful storytelling is complemented by Klaus Janson’s impressive artwork, which was so good that almost all the modern versions of Batman take something from it.
Miller’s story starts 10 years after Batman’s retirement from crime fighting, and follows Bruce Wayne as he takes up the mantle of the Bat once again to save his city once more from the doom that threatens it. I won’t say any more, as I wouldn’t want to spoil the story for you, but I’ll just say this - there are 3 Batman books that every fan should read. “The Dark Knight Returns” is the first of them.
Do yourself a favour and get a copy. Then sit back, and wallow in its gloriousness.