Mutants! Everybody loves mutants! I don't mean the radioactive horrors of '50s monster movies, but Marvel Universe Meta-Human, costume-wearing mutants. Marvel mutants have long been portrayed as a mistrusted minority, hated and feared by the world for being born "different." In recent years, things had been on a bit of an upswing for Marvel's gene-freaks. Mutants were popping out of the woodwork. There were so many mutants around that they were being accepted by the public as a fact of everyday life. Some mutants were even respected celebrities.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock, or (even worse) just not reading enough comics, you know that Marvel's recent House of M series/event/crossover changed all that. When Wacky Wanda (AKA Scarlet Witch) got ticked off at her dear old pop, Magneto, she altered reality to wipe out 90% of all mutants. In an instant, thousands (or even millions?) of mutants just didn't have powers anymore.
Some mutants are relieved to suddenly find themselves "normal." Other mutants are really annoyed to lose their super-cool powers. And some mutants just happened to be flying hundreds of feet above ground. Ouch. Generation M #1, by Paul Jenkins and Ramon Bachs, is the first issue of a five-part series that takes a hard look at the consequences of the "Decimation."
What makes Generation M particularly interesting is that we get to see the repercussions from a very ordinary point-of-view. Sally Floyd is a reporter who has experienced some really tough breaks. She is just beginning to get her life back together when M-Day hits the Marvel U. Amidst the booming anti-mutant backlash, Sally realizes that thousands of Ex-mutants are hurting. Someone has to bring their tragic stories to the public. Someone has to give them a voice. Sally is just the person for the job, but you know it won't be that easy.
If you are even a casual reader of Marvel's merry mutants, you shouldn't pass up Generation M #1. If you aren't an X-Men fan, you should try this out and see what all the fuss is about. This book is right at the heart of a major, universe-changing, Marvel event. Don't miss out! Run to Four Color Fantasies and try this comic now, while it is the guaranteed Book of the Week!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
A Villainous History: Books of Doom #1
Everybody loves a great villain. Self-sacrificing heroes are all well and good, but we are simultaneously attracted and repelled by the lure of the Dark Side. Would anybody really care about Luke Skywalker if he didn't have Darth Vader to throw down with? I seriously doubt it. They say you can judge a hero by the caliber of his enemies. How did the Fantastic Four get to be "The World's Greatest Comics Magazine?" They had the world's greatest villain! The ruler of Latveria. The man in the iron mask. The one and only, Dr. Victor Von Doom! And I am NOT talking about that lame yuppy Doom from the FF movie.
Books of Doom #1, by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi, is the first issue of a six book series devoted to chronicling the life story of the Marvel Universe's greatest villain. The story is narrated by Doom himself, and he truly begins at the beginning with memories that start in his mother's womb. (Victor was clearly a precocious young fella.) We learn about Victor's earliest days, about the dark path travelled by his mother, and about the events that set him down that same path.
Doom has always been such a compelling character because of the two very different sides of his personality. On one side, he is a noble and honorable man who fiercely defends his people, and who risked the depths of Hell to save his mother's soul. On the other side, he is an arrogant tyrant capable of absolutely heartless and despicable acts of cruelty. A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Brubaker's story in Books of Doom does an excellent job of delving into Doom's character and showing readers his development from all sides. The traumas of Victor's youth clearly and logically shape him into the villainous Dr.Doom who would grow up to terrorize the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Raimondi's beautiful, yet somber, art perfectly captures the harsh Latverian countryside of Victor's youth.
Tempt not the wrath of Doom, feeble readers! With all haste, rush to Four Color Fantasies where you may purchase the stirring tale of Doom's earliest days! It is guaranteed, so you risk nothing. If you choose to ignore the dictates of Doom, and leave this book on the shelf, you risk everything! Do not follow in the footsteps of the accursed Richards and his blasted foursome! Doom does not forget his enemies. (Curse you, Richards.)
Books of Doom #1, by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi, is the first issue of a six book series devoted to chronicling the life story of the Marvel Universe's greatest villain. The story is narrated by Doom himself, and he truly begins at the beginning with memories that start in his mother's womb. (Victor was clearly a precocious young fella.) We learn about Victor's earliest days, about the dark path travelled by his mother, and about the events that set him down that same path.
Doom has always been such a compelling character because of the two very different sides of his personality. On one side, he is a noble and honorable man who fiercely defends his people, and who risked the depths of Hell to save his mother's soul. On the other side, he is an arrogant tyrant capable of absolutely heartless and despicable acts of cruelty. A man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Brubaker's story in Books of Doom does an excellent job of delving into Doom's character and showing readers his development from all sides. The traumas of Victor's youth clearly and logically shape him into the villainous Dr.Doom who would grow up to terrorize the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Raimondi's beautiful, yet somber, art perfectly captures the harsh Latverian countryside of Victor's youth.
Tempt not the wrath of Doom, feeble readers! With all haste, rush to Four Color Fantasies where you may purchase the stirring tale of Doom's earliest days! It is guaranteed, so you risk nothing. If you choose to ignore the dictates of Doom, and leave this book on the shelf, you risk everything! Do not follow in the footsteps of the accursed Richards and his blasted foursome! Doom does not forget his enemies. (Curse you, Richards.)
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Bringing the Old West to Us: Jonah Hex #1
Ahhh, the legendary American Old West. It was a time and a place where, if popular fiction is to be believed, men were REAL men. Tough. Violent. Stubbly. These were men who didn't speak unless they had something important to say. They drank. They smoked. They did a whole lot of killin'. I'm not sure what the women did. I think they mostly wore corsets and served drinks to those tough, ornery men.
Enter Jonah Hex. Hex is one of the meanest and orneriest of this mean and ornery breed. He is a man scarred by life, literally and metaphorically. He knows God must hate him, but he's on a mission to send as many sinners on their way to Hell as he can. And the Old West had a whole mess of sinners, so Hex stays plenty busy.
Jonah Hex is a character who has been around for a long time but, even if you've never read a single one of his stories, don't hesitate to try out this new series. There's nothing you need to know that isn't made perfectly clear in this first issue. Hex finds himself tracking down a kidnapped boy, and when he finds the perpetrators you KNOW it ain't gonna be pretty.
This new series is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. These guys have worked together on quite a few high-profile projects, including some Punisher one-shots. That experience writing tough-as-nails vigilantes has clearly paid off. They perfectly convey Hex's character, and his rather dubious moral code, without overdoing the exposition. If you like watching Frank Castle hand out his brand of creative justice, you'll get a similar kick from Jonah Hex. The art by Luke Ross perfectly illustrates the violent and dirty world Jonah inhabits.
There aren't many western-themed comics out there nowadays, and Jonah Hex is a darn good one. So strap on your spurs and saddle up, ya varmints! Hit the trail to Four Color Fantasies, so you can try out a guaranteed copy of the brand-spankin' new Jonah Hex #1. Just leave your six-shooter at home, cause we don't want no trouble.
Enter Jonah Hex. Hex is one of the meanest and orneriest of this mean and ornery breed. He is a man scarred by life, literally and metaphorically. He knows God must hate him, but he's on a mission to send as many sinners on their way to Hell as he can. And the Old West had a whole mess of sinners, so Hex stays plenty busy.
Jonah Hex is a character who has been around for a long time but, even if you've never read a single one of his stories, don't hesitate to try out this new series. There's nothing you need to know that isn't made perfectly clear in this first issue. Hex finds himself tracking down a kidnapped boy, and when he finds the perpetrators you KNOW it ain't gonna be pretty.
This new series is written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. These guys have worked together on quite a few high-profile projects, including some Punisher one-shots. That experience writing tough-as-nails vigilantes has clearly paid off. They perfectly convey Hex's character, and his rather dubious moral code, without overdoing the exposition. If you like watching Frank Castle hand out his brand of creative justice, you'll get a similar kick from Jonah Hex. The art by Luke Ross perfectly illustrates the violent and dirty world Jonah inhabits.
There aren't many western-themed comics out there nowadays, and Jonah Hex is a darn good one. So strap on your spurs and saddle up, ya varmints! Hit the trail to Four Color Fantasies, so you can try out a guaranteed copy of the brand-spankin' new Jonah Hex #1. Just leave your six-shooter at home, cause we don't want no trouble.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
The Book of Lost Souls
Everybody loves a mystery. From Sherlock Holmes to the X-Files to Wolverine's real name, mysterious and unknowable goings-on keep people interested and on the edge of their seats. We love to hunt for clues and put together the pieces, working out the real story one bit of evidence at a time.
The Book of Lost Souls, by J. Michael Straczynski and Colleen Doran, has more than enough mystery to go around. The story revolves around a Byronic, sensitive, and outcast fellow named Jonathan. At a not quite specified time in the past, Jonathan was having a pretty crummy life. He didn't quite fit in with polite society. He didn't have the money or the connections to get a university education. He couldn't get a job. Worst of all, he was rejected by the woman he loved more than life itself.
So, when Jonathan finds himself standing on a nice, high bridge one night, it comes as no real surprise that he decides to jump off. What is a little unusual though, is the old man who wanders up just before he jumps and offers Jonathan a nice heavy book to help weigh him down. No sense jumping if you aren't going to sink, right? The book turns out to be the key to Jonathan's new "life after death." He is torn between the powers of dark and light. He has a job to do, but the job description is pretty unclear. Who is the Dark Man? What is Jonathan actually supposed to do with the book? And what does the talking cat named Mystery have to do with anything?
This book is published through Marvel's creator-owned Icon imprint, so JMS really has the freedom to take this story wherever he wants it to go. Fans of his comics work, as well as Babylon 5 and other TV shows, know JMS is a master planner when it comes to building story arcs. I'm sure he knows where this is all headed. The fun for the readers will be putting together the pieces of the mystery before we get there. Colleen Doran's art fits the sombre tone of this story perfectly. Plus, that sexy hunk of beefcake Jonathan looks like he just walked off the cover of a bodice-ripping romance novel.
This book will appeal to all lovers of the mysterious and fans of supernatural fiction. If you like your comics to be about more than guys in tights punching each other, you will like The Book of Lost Souls. Head out to Four Color Fantasies today, and try this comic without fear. It's guaranteed! It's the Book of the Week! Just don't try to use it as ballast for jumping off of anything! Comics aren't really very heavy, ya know.
The Book of Lost Souls, by J. Michael Straczynski and Colleen Doran, has more than enough mystery to go around. The story revolves around a Byronic, sensitive, and outcast fellow named Jonathan. At a not quite specified time in the past, Jonathan was having a pretty crummy life. He didn't quite fit in with polite society. He didn't have the money or the connections to get a university education. He couldn't get a job. Worst of all, he was rejected by the woman he loved more than life itself.
So, when Jonathan finds himself standing on a nice, high bridge one night, it comes as no real surprise that he decides to jump off. What is a little unusual though, is the old man who wanders up just before he jumps and offers Jonathan a nice heavy book to help weigh him down. No sense jumping if you aren't going to sink, right? The book turns out to be the key to Jonathan's new "life after death." He is torn between the powers of dark and light. He has a job to do, but the job description is pretty unclear. Who is the Dark Man? What is Jonathan actually supposed to do with the book? And what does the talking cat named Mystery have to do with anything?
This book is published through Marvel's creator-owned Icon imprint, so JMS really has the freedom to take this story wherever he wants it to go. Fans of his comics work, as well as Babylon 5 and other TV shows, know JMS is a master planner when it comes to building story arcs. I'm sure he knows where this is all headed. The fun for the readers will be putting together the pieces of the mystery before we get there. Colleen Doran's art fits the sombre tone of this story perfectly. Plus, that sexy hunk of beefcake Jonathan looks like he just walked off the cover of a bodice-ripping romance novel.
This book will appeal to all lovers of the mysterious and fans of supernatural fiction. If you like your comics to be about more than guys in tights punching each other, you will like The Book of Lost Souls. Head out to Four Color Fantasies today, and try this comic without fear. It's guaranteed! It's the Book of the Week! Just don't try to use it as ballast for jumping off of anything! Comics aren't really very heavy, ya know.
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