Sunday, April 25, 2010

A Cracking Start to a new Spirit series: Will Eisner's The Spirit #1


When you think of the great icons of American comics, a small handful of brilliant, influential, geniuses comes to mind: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Jim Steranko, Bob Kane, and a few others. But one name stands above them all. One creator who gave us amazing stories and characters, as well as influencing the way comics are made and read, the way all the stories that came after his are told. The most prestigious award in graphic storytelling is named in his honor. Hopefully, by now you know I'm talking about Will Eisner!

If you know anything about Will Eisner, you probably know his most famous character is the man in the domino mask known as The Spirit. (If you only know the Spirit from the ill-conceived Frank Miller film, please wipe it from your mind immediately.) The Spirit, aka Denny Colt, is one of the founding heroes of comicdom, so it is only appropriate that DC is giving him another chance to shine in their new First Wave imprint. Many creators have been inspired to give readers their take on this iconic hero, with varying levels of success, but the version found in Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 seems set to be one of the best.

Writer Mark Shultz and artist Moritat do a great jump of jumping in running with the Spirit and his world. If you already know the character, you will find a lot of familiar faces and places in this book. Even though the old gang is all in place, Denny and his friends and foes have all been given some subtle updates to make them just a little bit more contemporary. There is an excellent mix of old and new in this version of Central City. Even if you have never picked up a Spirit comic before, this issue gives you everything you need to get started, while wasting no time with reimagined origins or any similar nonsense.

Denny is a former cop, now thought deceased, who does his best to help the people of his city and prevent the nefarious schemes of the Octopus and his eight crime families. When the families decide that they have had enough of the Spirit meddling in their affairs, they call in a big-shot assassin from Europe-a mysterious killer known only as Angel Smerti. The Spirit catches wind of this plot, but isn't too worried about anything this Angel character can throw his way. Unfortunately, Angel Smerti might be a much more dangerous threat than Denny can imagine...

This book is a cracking start to a new Spirit series. The story is intriguing and fast-paced. The art perfectly captures that feeling of classic Eisner storytelling, but isn't afraid to be new and modern at the same time. If you are a Spirit fan, you don't want to miss this book, but if you have never read a Spirit story before, this is a great place to start.

Try this heaping helping of classic adventure now, while Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 is Four Color Fantasies guaranteed Book of the Week. You wouldn't want to miss out on one of the great icons of comic book storytelling, would you? I think not.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The Breast...I mean, Best Cameo in comics: PVP #45


Nerds are awesome. Lets just get that out in the open first thing. If you're reading this, there is a fair to middling chance that you are some sort of nerd or geek. I know I am. We come in many varieties, but all are equally awesome. So, unless you're reading this as some sort of spy sent to infiltrate our community (Admittedly, this seems unlikely.), you are probably right in the heart of the audience who will love PVP #45.

PVP chronicles the lives and adventures of the nerds, geeks, and anthropomorphic animals who work on the fictional magazine Player vs. Player. Any reader can jump right in to these comic strip-style adventures, without needing any familiarity with the characters. Like the best newspaper strips, you can just jump right in and giggle away. Writer/artist Scott Kurtz gives you everything you need from the very first panel.

This issue actually includes several stories featuring the terror of the giant panda invasion, the WWF vs the WWE, the yuletide horror of Kringus ("Born of the Tears of Children."), and the relationship travails of love, marriage, and bromance. All of these stories are funny, but I'll be honest with you here: if you've never read PVP before, the breast, umm, I mean BEST, reason to pick up this comic is a certain unexpected cameo. Allow me to explain.

When Brent goes searching for a missing co-worker, he ends up at the Liberty Meadows Animal Sanctuary and finds himself face to rack with none other than Frank Cho's Brandy. Blinded and bewildered by Brandy's generous "assets," Brent finds himself unable to get through a single sentence without slipping up and dropping in some breast-related spoonerism. I'd share more of them with you here, but that would spoil the fun. I'll just say that for any dedicated Cho fan, this is a guest appearance you won't want to miss.

Nerds, Comedy, booby puns, giant panda violence, killer Christmas trees, and even an explosion--what more could anyone ask for in a single issue? OK, maybe a ninja would have been nice, but you can't have everything. What you can have is a chance to try out PVP #45 for yourself, with the security of Four Color Fantasies' money back guarantee. Don't wait another minute, because this comic will really "enhance" your huge "rack." Your rack of comics, I mean. I assume it's huge, right? (OK, I couldn't resist one more. I promise it won't happen again.)

X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler


Though his code-name doesn't necessarily inspire the sort of awesome heroic qualities that most superheroes go for, Nightcrawler has long been one of the coolest, most interestingly conflicted, X-Men. (I mean, is he supposed to have giant earthworm powers? Is he the perfect mutant to take along on fishing trips?) Name issues aside, Kurt Wagner's true history has been portioned out to readers over time, with some facts only coming to light 20 years or more after Nightcrawler first joined the X-Men. Luckily, the good folks at Marvel have put all the bits and pieces together in X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler.

This completely self-contained one-shot issue tells the tale of young Kurt's abandonment by his true mother, the mutant shape-shifter and trouble-maker Mystique, and his adoption by the kind Margali Szardos. Unfortunately, adopting this blue, demonic-looking baby makes Margali an outcast. Even more unfortunately, she and Kurt (along with Margali's own children) are taken in by Herr Getmann, so Kurt can appear in his freak show and perform in his circus.

Getmann is a cruel man, who wields his power over Margali's family with threats and physical violence. Kurt is kept drugged and locked in a cage like an animal, not daring to even try to escape for fear of the consequences for his mother. When Kurt is finally given no choice but to flee, he finds sanctuary in the church and a father in the priest who takes him in. Of course, Kurt's life is never easy and it isn't long before the terrors of his past catch up with him...

If you are new to the world of the X-Men, this tale, by writers Adam Freeman and Marc Bernardin, sums up everything you might want to know about this dashing mutant hero. If you're an old hand and remember Kurt's first appearance in Giant-Size X-Men #1, this updated version of Kurt's origin adds some new wrinkles to the familiar tale. There is also a handy reprint of that first appearance included here for your perusal, so you're really getting two origins for the price of one!

So, bamf on over to Four Color Fantasies today and try X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler while it is our guaranteed Book of the Week. It is a great read with some nifty art, and you get a complete story with no crossovers or further reading required. Plus, if you're feeling adventurous, you can roll it up, stick it in your pocket, and take it fishing with you. It may not help, but you never know.

Felicia Day sells The Guild

Ever wonder how The Guild of Felica Day’s eponymous web series became the cooperative role-playing team they are? (What you haven't seen The Guild? I insist you pick up the DVDs, or check it out online at http://www.watchtheguild.com/ , right now. Well, after you read this awesome prequel series...) Maybe you're looking for a comic to get your closest gal pal hooked or you're looking for a way to rationalize your own M.M.O.R.G.G. addiction.

Any of these reasons are valid reasons to pick up the Dark Horse limited series The Guild. Felicia Day is responsible for the scripts so the voice of her main character Cyd is spot on and the story tropes, like the opening sequence of her telling us the story through her web cam, are all there. The art by Jim Rugg is believably life-like from Cyds slouched posture to the uncomfortable physical interaction with her boyfriend Trevor. The scenes from The Game are water-color fantasy pretty.

In this first issue, Cyd meets two future members of The Guild -- Bladezz and Vork. The introductions are suitably understated, but fans of the web series will enjoy the subtle selfish behavior of Bladezz and the overt heroic behavior from Vork. Although current fans will love this background story, there's no need to be familiar with the source. As an introductory tale, we are told the story from a fresh perspective. Most readers will connect with Cyd as they watch her work through her awkward social relationships, struggle with finding her identity, and finally escape into a fantasy game world.

As you look for your own escape, check out The Guild. After all, you can't go wrong when it's Four Color Fantasies' Guaranteed Book of the Week.