Hilden’s Comic Grab Bag: 8.16.2008
I’m a big fan of comics. Have been for years. Ever since I found my uncles stash of Silver Age Marvel books in my grandmothers attic, they’ve been a mainstay of life. I have a regular routine these days, consisting of a few regular reads and the latest issue of some rediculous summer story arc that John suckered me into reading ( see Secret Invasion). Yet every now and then I stray from the beaten path. I simply walk into my local comic shop and start grabbing things that look interesting. Sometimes I win, often times I loose but it’s always an interesting experiment. So, instead of keeping this shit all to myself, I figure I’ll drag you all along for the ride.
This week, we have three new books to check out.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man (Issue 2/3)
Okay, so this one is kind of a stretch. I’m not a regular reader of Hellboy but I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t grab this book whenever I remember to look. Thing is, Mike Magnolia (the creator of Hellboy) seems to run on a rather irregular schedule. As such, it drops off my radar pretty frequently and it’s hard to call me a regular reader. I hear tell his other book, B.P.R.D. is also fantastic but I’ve never bitten on it. Okay, enough prolouge.
One of the things I love about the Hellboy books is how they’re broken up into mini story arcs. Rather than getting Hellboy Issue 98 or something, the books are broken out by story chapters. I like this system as it makes the Hellboy comic feel more like chapters in a much larger story. Which it is. In this particular three issue series, the story is called The Crooked Man.
This Crooked Man arc has the Hellboy universe steeped in a more southern style mythology. Witches, southern workers down and out, preachers who live in churches in the middle of an evil infested forest. The list goes on. While Hellboy has always been focused on the myths and legends of various areas of the world, this one is particularly cool as it sits in a more familiar Americana setting.
It’s out there, it’s Hellboy and I love all those things but I was stupid and stepped into the arc in issue 2 of 3. So…the story is already well underway, the new characters have already been explained and Mike Magnolia doesn’t seem to give a shit if you’ve read the other book or not. As such, I can’t recommend this one without telling you to go get the first issue. I think the story and setting has me hooked enough to go find the first issue, so I’ll call this one a success.
Kick-Ass: Issue 1
Okay, so I see a comic with the name Kick-Ass and I HAVE to pick the damn thing up. I mean, seriously, the fucking NAME of the book is Kick-Ass. Anyway.
This book has two additional things going for it. One, the book is written by Mark Millar, who is the author of the Civil War event that Marvel put out last summer. Now, love it or hate it, the Civil War was a pretty interesting shake up of the Marvel Universe and the ramifications have been pretty cool. As such, I’m willing to give the guy’s other stuff a shot. Second, the artist is John Romita Jr. and he really DOES kick ass.
The book starts off with a narrator wondering why no one in the world, despite all the movies and comics, hasn’t tried to actually become a super-hero themselves. If you’re thinking that this is beginning to sound like it’s been influenced by The Watchmen, I think you wouldn’t be alone. What kicks ass however, is how the story moves on from there. The first shot of the hero, David, in this book shows him with his testicles strapped to a car battery being tortured by thugs. From there it flashes back to the story of a high school kid who decides to live out his fantasy by dressing up in a costume and attempting to fight crime. And that’s where this comic goes it’s own way. As David goes to stop his first band of vandals..well…he gets his ass kicked. Terribly.
I really dug this book for not being afraid to take the idea of a more realistic/real world story and actually give it real world consequences. A high school kid tries to take on crime and almost gets killed. Very realistic as far as comics go and I’m REALLY intrigued to see where this goes from here. The art, I should mention, is fantastic and even for Romita Jr., it’s stellar. I guess the series is up to issue 3 at this point, so you better believe I’ll be going tomorrow and picking up the other two. Another success!
Atomic Robo: Dogs of War-Part 1
Okay, so it’s got a robot on the cover. Check. It’s got the word Atomic in the title and it’s ATTACHED to the word Robot. Check. Already, you KNOW I’m buying this thing. I don’t have to go any further.
Atomic Robo has been going on for some time, I guess and even has a trade paperback of the last story arc that you can go get. This particular story arc has the hero, Atomic Robo, battling the Nazi’s on the side of the Allies in WWII. The comic starts out with a Saving Private Ryan style intro with soldiers on Higgins boats heading toward an enemy infested shore. We learn that Robo has a mission to destroy some Nazi walking battle tanks and he has to parachute in behind enemy lines.
Right away, the story reminds me of Metal Gear, it’s drenched in old pulp comic touches and the art is fantastic. This comic is almost pure action with just a few pieces of story to hold it all together but it’s a perfect first issue. It really got me going in the same way a good action movie does and I can’t wait to see what happens next. This one is really worth a read and I’m hooked for the entire five issue run. And it’s got a robot with a gun standing next to a tank. COME ON!!
So, there you have it! 3 for 3 this time out! Quite the successful Grab Bag, which is a relief because I’ve bought some shitty comics over the years. So, do you have any comics you’ve picked up on a whim? Any successes? Any failures? Share them with me by emailing me at hilden@robotpanic.com.
Cheers and happy comic reading!
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Tags: atomic robo, hellboy, john romita jr., kick-ass, mark millar
August 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I’ve heard some good things about Kick-Ass, but I’m not totally sold on Mark Millar. I know a few people that hate him, and I couldn’t really get that into Wanted. Still, I might end up checking this one out anyway.
August 18th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
ive heard that Atomic Robo is awesome, but i can never find issue 1 at my store and i dont want to start at issue 2. so i will have to wait until the trade is released.
by the way, i just saw the thread about The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, so has anyone read the Man With No Name series yet?
its eerie at how much it is like a Leone movie but in comic form.
Written by Christos Gage, and i forget the artist, but ANYTHING by Christos Gage is worth buying. He is very much gonna get some recognition around the world of comics very soon. Highly recommended writer.