Wednesday, February 22, 2006

That's the American Way (#1)



If you can sell, you can accomplish almost anything. (Just ask Willy Loman!) If you can sell a refrigerator or a car, you can make some pretty good money. If you can sell people things they will never need, you can make even more money. If you can sell people beliefs and ideas, you can go WAY beyond just making money. What about selling super-heroes?

Selling heroes, and the heroic ideal, is the challenge facing Wesley Catham in Wildstorm's The American Way #1. This new series, by John Ridley and Georges Jeanty, takes place in the tumultuous America of 1961. The country is facing the communist threat of the Cold War. Racial strife divides the nation and, of course, there are all of those annoying alien invasions to deal with. OK, so this isn't quite the America of 1961 you'll find in the history books. It's close enough, there are just a lot more super-humans running around.

Wesley works for the marketing department of a failing automobile company. Wes is not just a salesman though. He wants to give people something to believe in, even if it's only a car. On the verge of his big break, Wesley's career takes a sudden nose-dive when an alien invasion interrupts the debut of the new 1961 Icon. Though his career may be ruined, Wes and his wife are saved by the awe-inspiring intervention of the Civil Defense Corps!

The CDC is the government sponsored super-team whose job it is to keep the nation safe for truth, justice, and the American Way! Like the rest of America, Wes is amazed and impressed by these patriotic and selfless heroes. So how could it possibly be a bad thing when he is offered the job of marketing these great heroes to the American public? Of course, when the government is involved, things are rarely what they seem...

This series provides a great twist on the iconic super-team, and gives readers something to think about. How far should leaders go to manipulate the public? Is it bad to bend (or break) the truth if it makes people feel good? And just how much of what we see in the media should we really believe? Where does marketing end and lying begin? In our modern age of spin-doctoring, these are questions we should all be thinking about. See how reading comics can help you think? That is definitely The American Way!

So head over to Four Color Fantasies' today, and we will be happy to sell you this small slice of the American Dream. It's guaranteed, so you have nothing to lose. Unless you are a commie spy, you need to read The American Way! (You do look a little shifty, pal. You better read the comic, or we might get suspicious.)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Ride 'Em Cowboy: She-Hulk #5


Yeeeeeeee-Haaaa!! Reach for the sky, ya no-good varmints!!! The Two-Gun Kid is ridin' inta town in She-Hulk #5!!!!

Okay, no more rustic hollerin'. I'm gonna hurt myself with all those exclamation points, but cowboys are pretty prominent in the heirarchy of coolness. I think the official order is: Ninjas, Zombies, Monkeys, Pirates, COWBOYS. I'll have to check my sources and see if I can verify that. Anyway, Cowboys are pretty cool, so adding a cowboy to the already great cast of Marvel's She-Hulk just can't be a bad thing.

Jen "She-Hulk" Walters, fresh off of her trial by the Time Variance Authority, just barely managed to escape being erased from history. She does not, however; get off completely free for the heinous crime of attempting to alter the past. (Poor old Hawkeye!) The TVA agrees to send Jen back to her time, but she is given the additional responsibility of looking after Matt Hawk, AKA The Two-Gun Kid. The Kid has just seen too much of the future to be trusted back in 1876, so it's Shulkie's job to keep him out of trouble in the Marvel Universe of 2006. How hard could that be?

Two-Gun makes a great first impression on the folks back at Jen's law office: Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzburg and Holliway. Since the Kid was a lawyer in his own time, he quickly accepts the offer to be a law-slinger for the firm. Unfortunately, the legal world has moved on a bit since the 1800s. Of course, there are other possibilities for a man with a super-human quick draw. Especially if he's handy with a lasso....

If you haven't been reading She-Hulk, now is the time to get off your high-horse and give this book a try! Dan Slott is quickly building a rep as one of the best writers in comics today. His She-Hulk is a book that respects continuity without being tied down by it. (Hog-tied, that is!) Even more importantly, this comic is just plain fun! When over-hyped crossovers with "shocking" twists and revelations are all too common, She-Hulk's sweet, fun and funny adventures are just what the Doctor ordered. (Not Doctor Doom though, he has an anti-fun agenda. Latveria is NOT known for its party scene.) Plus, this is the last issue of Juan Bobilla's excellent art, so get it while you can!

So saddle-up, cowpokes! Put the spurs to old Thunder and do a little high plains driftin' over to Four Color Fantasies right away. Belly up to the counter and tell 'em ta lay a little She-Hulk action on ya. This here Book of the Week is guaranteed, so ya ain't got nothin' ta lose, ya yella-bellied sidewinder!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

One-Shot to the Heart: Punisher, Bloody Valentine


Ahh, Valentine's Day. That special day when everyone's thoughts turn to love, romance, roses, candy, and ....the Punisher? Hey, Frank Castle has a pretty stressful life, doing all that punishing and killing day after day. Doesn't he deserve a little love and romance from time to time? (He did ask Electra out once, so Punisher has the moves!) Just don't expect him to hand out flowers or imported chocolates.

Frank meets his new sweetie in The Punisher: Bloody Valentine One-Shot from Marvel Comics. This heart-warming tale of vigilante love is written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with pencils by Paul Gulacy. Palmiotti and Gray have had a few run-ins with Frank before, including 2004's Red X-Mas One-shot. In Red X-Mas, the Punisher found himself the target of assassin-for-hire (and all-around hot chick) Suspiria. Not one to take death threats lightly, Frank gave his would-be killer a smooch and then threw her off a roof to her apparent death. What a sweet first date!

One year of painful physical therapy later, Suspiria finds Mr. Castle crossing her path once again. He is on the trail of a weapons dealer providing high-end equipment to thugs on his turf. She is looking for a kidnapper and blackmailer who took a couple of the wrong kids. Lucky for them, they just happen to be after the same guy. Love is in the air!

Palmiotti and Gray both know a thing or two about tough guys. (If you don't believe me, check out their recent work on Jonah Hex for DC!) Even though this is a Valentine's Day special, they don't let Frank Castle get all sensitive and touchy-feely. The writers have actually found the perfect woman for the Punisher, because Suspiria is every bit as cold and merciless as he is when it comes to punishing the guilty. This book offers readers a great self-contained story, with loads of action, some dark humor and excellent art by Gulacy.

Put on your cleanest t-shirt, grab a dozen roses and a box of those nasty heart-candies, and celebrate Valentine's Day Punisher-style! If you are feelin' the love, stop by Four Color Fantasies and try out this guaranteed Book of the Week. Just don't try throwing that special someone off a roof, that move only works for little Frankie Castle.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

100% more Fury: Peacemaker #1


You know, you can really tell quite a bit about someone by their name. This is true for both real people and fictional characters. If a guy is named Eugene Q. Tiddlywinks, he's probably not the most fearsome and intimidating dude on the block. (Kids, don't judge people with funny names. Don't take candy from them, either.) If, on the other hand, your name is something like Nick Fury, you MUST be a tough as nails, bad to the bone, anger management problem, kind of guy.

Fury: Peacemaker #1, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, takes readers right to the source of Nick's permanent bad mood. If you've been paying attention to recent events in the Marvel Universe, you know that Fury has been in full-on spying and manipulation mode. He started a Secret War, mind-wiped a few heroes, got Spider-Woman in all kinds of trouble, and even shot the Hulk out into space. This new limited series goes way back to 1943 to take a look at Sgt. Nick Fury in simpler, but even more violent, days.

Young Sgt. Fury (with 50% fewer permanent scowl lines and a full complement of eyes) finds himself facing German troops in Tunisia, desperately trying to keep his men alive when an incompetent Lieutenant lets them down. Unfortunately for Nick and his inexperienced squad, they are out-gunned, out-manned, and out-of-luck. This story very cleverly contrasts the way war is supposed to work on paper with the unpredictable reality of combat. Of course, even when the chips are down, you know a guy named Fury ain't about to give up....

Admittedly, I don't know squat about being in combat, but Ennis sure seems to know a thing or two. He's written War Stories, 303, and a tank-load of other stories about war, combat, and weaponry. He knows his stuff, and it shows in this book. This is no lightweight, fantasy war story. Fury: Peacemaker is a grim and gritty look at the awful reality of war. Nobody knows gritty better than Garth Ennis, the guy who brought us Preacher and some of the best Punisher stories ever to see print! Ennis' story is ably accompanied by Darick Robertson's dark and detailed pencils. You can literally see the blood, sweat and tears of Fury and his men. Robertson also draws some mighty ferocious scowls for our man Nick!

Grab yourself a heapin' handful of testosterone and read Fury: Peacemaker #1. It's guaranteed now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' Book of the Week! You got nothin' to lose, and, if you don't try it, Ma Fury's little boy may just have to come around and kick the livin' daylights out of ya!