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Review
Date: 10/17/2008
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ENDER'S
GAME: BATTLE SCHOOL #1
COVER BY: PASQUAL FERRY
WRITER: CHRISTOPHER YOST
ORSON SCOTT CARD
PENCILS: PASQUAL FERRY
INKS: PASQUAL FERRY
COLORED BY: FRANK D'ARMATA |
Marvel
Comics has just released issue #1 of a 5-issue
mini-series comic book version of acclaimed science
fiction writer Orson Scott Card's landmark novel "Ender's
Game." Published in 1985, the novel became an
instant classic, winning the Nebula and Hugo awards
for best science fiction novel of the year and spawning
several sequel novels by Card.
Issue #1 is scripted by Christopher
Yost with art by Pasqual Ferry and Frank D'Armata.
The comic faithfully summarizes in graphic format
the early chapters of the novel.
Mankind has barely beat-back
two alien invasions by the insect-like Formics, and
is faring poorly in a third war. Earth's military
is testing and training young children for entrance
into the elite Battle School, where the kids train
in interstellar battle simulations, honing their video
game abilities to eventually battle the
invaders.
6-year-old Andrew "Ender"
Wiggin is identified in early testing as having the
potential for being the skilled battle leader that
mankind needs to find. Issue #1 introduces us
to the basic characters and their personalities: Ender
himself, his loving older sister Valentine, his jealous
and violent older brother Peter, his emotionally distant
parents, and his competitor schoolmates who jealously
see Ender as a threat for the rare tactical qualities which
he posseses and they don't.
Violent confrontations with
these characters are the norm of Ender's young life.
Ender is forced to justify his own severe violent
actions against a schoolmate to protect himself; his
explanation of his defensive violence against a dangerous
bully turns out to be the tactical answer that Earth's
leadership is seeking in a child battle leader trainee.
As such, by the end of issue #1 Ender is heading off
for Interstellar Battle School for elite training
with other hopeful child warriors.
"Ender's Game" is a very
dense, complex novel. In issue #1, the comic
book creative team does a fine job of translating
the story's key plot elements to the graphic format.
Just as importantly, they have captured the much-acclaimed
atmosphere of the novel. Author Card gave the
reader a very violent, desperate, yet extremely credible story
of mankind turning to its young children as its last
hope against extinction. The novel had a "Lord
Of The Flies" end-of-days feel to it, with Card masterfully
convincing the reader that little kids could actually
assume realistic adult roles and face the necessity
of trying to save the world.
While issue #1 succeeds
in translating these elements of the novel into comic
book format, my one concern is whether or not
the full necessary elements of the lengthy novel can
be condensed into a brief, five-issue mini-series.
If so, hats-off to Marvel Comics, but I have a feeling
that a 12-issue series run would do the novel, and
the reader, more of the justice that the story
deserves. But its worth going along for the
ride and seeing how this comic book tribute turns-out.
So far the effort is off to an excellent start, so
my recommendation is a definite thumbs-up if you're
looking for a science fiction comic classic to enjoy.
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CHECKMATE
#29
Written by Bruce Jones
Art and cover by Manuel Garcia
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I wasn't familiar with this comic series, but it caught
my eye on the That's Entertainment new issues wall,
so I thought I'd give it a read and a review.
Fellow comic reviewer Dave LeBlanc was kind enough
to fill me in on DC's Checkmate universe, telling
me that Checkmate is a covert operations agency that
includes superheros, and operatives named after
chess pieces (i.e. King, Queen, Knight, etc.)
Issue #29 is written
by Bruce Jones with art by Manuel Garcia. The
plot concerns the Checkmate operatives confronting
the phenomenon of dangerous mythological creatures
spontaneously appearing and attacking in various cultures
around the world.
The superhero Chimera
parachutes into Venezuela to join a Checkmate superhero
team battling a huge mythological monster, with tension
quickly developing due to Chimera's lone wolf personality
and battle tactics. In an accompanying sub-plot,
Chimera's girlfriend Chloe Roberts confronts the Checkmate
bureaucracy to try to find out how they are using
him and whats become of this violent loner of an operative.
The world of Checkmate
is an interesting corner of the DC Universe that I
wasn't familiar with. As a newcomer to it, I
enjoyed reading the comic; the art is good, and the
action-heavy plot was interesting, with the Checkmate
battle scenes against the creatures both well-done
and creative.
My one criticism is
that there really needs to be a brief blurb at the
beginning of the issue just briefing the reader as
to what the Checkmate covert organization is all about.
The comic doesn't enlighten the reader about the group
at all, with the uninitiated reader puzzled as to
why people are referring to each other as Pawn #6,
Black Knight, and other chess pieces.
But armed with that
knowledge, its an average comic done well. I've
learned that DC plans on only two more issues of Checkmate,
ending with Issue #31, so my advice is either get
some back issues to catch-up with the basic Checkmate
concept, or wait for the inevitable graphic
collection reprint and enjoy this D.C. covert operations
world from the beginning.
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Superman
#680
Written by: James Robinson
Art by: Renato Guedes
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I stick
to doing two comic issue reviews a week, but can't resist
giving a short third recommendation for the good D.C.
reader to run out and grab a copy of this week's Superman
#680. Written by James Robinson and penciled by
Renato Guedes, it's sub-titled "Dog Of Steel" and features
a very rare starring role by Superman's Dog, Krypto.
It's an excellent story, with the creative team mixing
very nicely Krypto's super abilities with a dog's personality
and behavior, particularly his loyalty for his master,
Superman. So a quick, enthusistic thumbs-up, don't
miss this one. Good boy, Krypto, good boy! |
New
Contest Announcement!
O.K., we've run contests asking you for your most-favorite-
this, or least-favorite-that among existing comics and
superheros. It's time for you to get creative, but
in a couch potato way.
This contest challenges you to
create and submit to us a new superhero that you create,
whose power would be to make lives easier in a small, ordinary
way. No big powers that save the world, here!
Instead, basically a hero whose abilities help the
average lazy couch potato in some mundane, everyday way.
For example, I personally wish
there was a superhero known as Nectarine Lad, who would
have the mundane but useful power to make that delicious
fruit not too soft, not too hard, but just perfectly ripe
for eating. Mock if you wish, but he'd be the most
popular hero during the summer fresh fruit season.
So give us your Everyday Item
Savior, that hero who has the uncanny power to find the
one missing sock in a load of laundry, who has the ability
to make flossing fun, who...well, you get the picture.
Send all entries to Gordon_A@msn.com,
now!
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