This week we're reviewing three
new comic books that represent different genres
but all have action/adventure as a common theme:
Star-Spangled
War Stories #1 (One-Shot)
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Billy Tucci: Writer
Justiniano and Tom Derenick: Pencillers
Andrew Mangum: Inker
Tom Chu: Colors
DC Comics is in the midst of releasing a series
of one-shot comics both reviving and honoring
DC's series of Silver Age war comics titles.
I've recently reviewed the one-shot return of
both Our Army At War starring Sgt. Rock and
Weird War Tales. This week, I'm taking a review
look at the Star-Spangled War Stories one-shot,
starring Mademoiselle Marie, the World War II
French Resistance Fighter. The comic book is
written by Billy Tucci, creator of last year's
acclaimed Sgt. Rock mini-series, with pencils
by Justiniano and Tom Derenick, inks by Andrew
Mangum and colors by Tom Chu.
The story in this comic is entitled "Vivre Libre
Ou Mourir!" and begins with Marie parachuting
into the German-occupied French countryside
in the Spring of 1944. Trouble begins when she
teams-up with a group of resistance fighters.
The story features several plot threads of conflict,
both among the group members and between the
group and Marie, including disagreement on their
assigned mission, problems trusting each other
and fear of a traitor in their midst. The group's
fears become real when they actually are betrayed
by one of their own members and almost completely
wiped-out by attacking German soldiers. In the
second half of the issue, its up to Marie to
track-down the traitor, avenge the massacred
freedom fighters and complete her original mission.
In the previous two issues reviewed in DC's
new series of one-shot war comics, the creative
teams managed to provide a quality balance between
honoring the Silver Age heritage of the title's
characters while providing a story that entertains
modern-day readers. Writer Tucci and the art
team successfully complete the trifecta of success
here with this latest installment in the series.
The plot gives us a traditional comic book action-adventure
war story, with Tucci layering the narrative
and story action with several modern themes,
including duty and responsibility to the war
mission, honor and trust among strangers and
revenge against those who have caused betrayal.
Its both ironic and moving that after being
in serious conflict throughout the tale with
the local freedom fighters, to the point where
her life was in danger from disagreeing with
them regarding mission issues, Marie dedicates
herself to avenging their wrongful deaths.
So a positive review recommendation for this
high quality war story comic book which offers
the reader an entertaining wartime tale with
a plot that also provides some quality life
lessons about duty, honor and decency.
Stargate:
Vala Mal Doran #3
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Brandon Jerwa: Writer
Cezar Razek: Art
Salvatore Aiala: Colors
Dynamite Entertainment is up to issue #3 of
one of its Stargate titles, Stargate: Vala Mal
Doran. The series is based on the popular syndicated
science fiction television series Stargate SG-1,
in which a team of American military folk and
scientists use alien Stargate teleportation
technology to jump around the universe and have
adventures fighting good and evil with alien
races. For the uninitiated, the character of
Vala Mal Doran was added to the television series
during the eighth season, as a new member of
the Stargate team and love interest of team
member Dr. Daniel Jackson. This comic book title
is scripted by Brandon Jerwa with art by Cezar
Razek and colors Salvatore Aiala.
The untitled issue #3 gives us the latest installment
in a multi-issue story arc. The first two-thirds
of the plot focus on Vala conducting an elaborate
sting operation; after deliberately being imprisoned
in an alien jail, Vala and her alien and robot
sidekicks manage to steal from the jail a form
of alien plant life that supposedly holds a
very dangerous power that could destroy the
universe. The plot shifts in the final third
of the tale, revealing that the sting operation
is actually a flashback to several years earlier.
Now in the present, the plant is in danger of
being stolen from the safe planet where Vala
and her team hid it. So its up to the Stargate
team to jump to the planet and avoid the abduction.
The issue ends with the team in full battle
against aliens on the planet as they try to
reach the plant in time to avoid the disaster.
I was a fan of the first few seasons of the
Stargate television show, so before reading
this comic book I wasn't aware of the additon
of the character Vala Mal Doran in later years
to the Stargate fictional universe. So it was
both fresh and interesting to read of a new
major character in this science fiction franchise.
Writer Brandon Jerwa succeeds in two main ways
in creating the issue #3 story segment. First,
the extended flashback segment adds a wider
dimension to the tale, as it gets the story
away from solely focusing on Stargate teleportation
issues, adding an element of basic science fiction
action and adventure. Secondly, Jerwa does a
nice job in the last third of the story of balancing
the plot focus equally among Vala and the other
members of the Stargate team that the show was
originally based on. The art team also does
a very credible job of visually presenting the
well-known t.v. show characters in graphic form,
avoiding the woodenness trap that so many comic
book adaptations of t.v. shows unfortunately
fall into.
So a positive recommendation to read this interesting
spin-off of the well-known Stargate SG-1 science
fiction televisions series, which gives us a
nice mix of faithful adaptation of the t.v.
show's basic elements with a fresh and entertaining
new tale in comic book reading format.
Action
Comics #893
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Paul Cornell: Writer
Sean Chen: Pencils
Wayne Faucher: Inks
Brad Anderson: Colors
DC's flagship Action Comics title is up to issue
#893 this month (just 7 months away from the
#900 anniversary issue!) with a story starring
Lex Luthor and our favorite super-intelligent
bad guy gorilla, Gorilla Grodd. The issue is
written by Paul Cornell with pencils by Sean
Chen, inks by Wayne Faucher and colors by Brad
Anderson. The comic book also includes a second
story starring Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, scripted
by Nick Spencer with pencils by R.B. Silva and
colors by Dave McCaig.
The main story in this current issue is part
four of a multi-issue story arc entitled "The
Black Ring." The setting is a wildlife refuge
in Uganda, where Lex Luthor and his team have
arrived to infiltrate the high tech lair of
Grodd and his gorilla sidekicks to obtain the
power of the black ring. Most of the tale unfolds
as a very elaborate strategy on the part of
Luthor involving himself, Lois Lane and several
other team members utilizing android replicas
of themselves to ultimately get Grodd to let
his guard down so that the group obtains their
objective. The story takes a very unusual twist
toward the end, as the fleeing group are attacked
by Grodd; in a cliffhanger ending, Luthor unexpectedly
comes face-to-face with a well-known comic book
character from the Sandman comic book world
of esteemed writer Neil Gaimen.
The second story is entitled "Jimmy Olsen's
Big Week," and follows the trials and tribulations
of Jimmy dealing with his break-up with girlfriend
Chloe Sullivan, a local internet news reporter.
Jimmy has a lengthy and awkward confrontation
in a nightclub with Chloe after finding her
out on the town with an obnoxious executive
who works for Lex Luthor. After focusing on
relationship soap opera drama for the length
of the story, the tale ends on a cliffhanger
as aliens arrive to invade Metropolis in next
month's issue.
There's a lot to like in this latest Action
Comics issue. Most of all, I enjoyed the format
of the comic book, which is a throwback to DC's
silver and bronze age policy of using Action,
Adventure and other old school titles as books
to feature two stories that star the secondary
characters from the main superhero universe
of DC. Its a lot of fun to see Lex Luthor, Lois
Lane and Jimmy Olsen starring on their own in
the variety of comic book situations featured
in this issue. While I'm not a fan of how bloodthirsty
and nuts DC characterizes Gorilla Grodd these
days, the Lex Luthor story was extremely clever
in featuring a very complicated and fascinating
scheme involving unexpected role-switching among
androids and humans. And the surprise Neil Gaimen-themed
end-of-story cliffhanger is not to be missed!
So not only a positive thumbs-up for this issue,
but also a heads-up for all good DC readers
to look forward to next month's issue #894 of
Action Comics, which will continue the Neil
Gaimen surprise cliffhanger into the next segment
of this multi-issue story arc, along with the
alien invasion of Metropolis in the second story
starring Jimmy Olson and his crumbling love-life.
Contest
Winner Announcement!!!
Our latest contest challenge was
for you to "Cast A Comic Movie," e-mailing us
with your suggestions for which real-life actors
and actresses should be cast in a movie version
of your suggested comic book. And our contest
winner is (drumroll, please)...Christian Mock.
Christian writes "I am going to go with the
Alan Davis, 1980's Batman-less Outsiders (specifically
looking at the cover for Adventures Of The Outsiders
#36). Here are my choices, which, I admit, suffer
from age or physical stature issues:
Geo-Force: Kenneth Branagh
Black Lightning: Donald Glover
Looker: Jessica Biel
Katana: Jamie Chung
Halo: Anna Sophia Robb
Metamorpho: Vin Diesel
A very interesting entry from
Christian, reflecting a lot of effort and thought.
The Bongo Congo panel of contest judges are
particularly impressed with the Metamorpho/Vin
Diesel casting; just picture Vin Diesel in the
Neil Gaimen-scripted Metamorpho adventure in
last year's Wednesday Comics! Congratulations
to Christian, who wins our first prize $10.00
gift certificate to That's Entertainment. And
do yourself a favor and check-out Christian's
excellent posting of the comic characters side-by-side
with his casting choices, at his blog address
listed above.
New
Contest Announcement!!!
Heres an easy trivia challenge
for a rainy week: e-mail us at Gordon_A@msn.com
with your answer identifying the author of the
following quote: "If the Golden Age Green Lantern's
weakness is wood, and the Silver Age Green Lantern's
weakness is the color yellow, then I could take
the both of them out with a number two pencil!"
As a clue to the answer, I made passing reference
to this quote in one of my columns a few years
ago. In the event of our receiving more than
one correct answer, the winner of the first
prize $10.00 gift certificate to That's Entertainment
will be chosen by a roll of the dice.
That's all for now, so have
a great comic book reading week and see you
again next week Here In Bongo Congo!
