Category: Comic Reviews

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #5 (Hamilton Comics)

From this point on in Hamilton’s run, each Power Rangers comic comes with TWO stories. And as such, we have two creative teams telling different stories. Both are returning artists and probably the two best artists on the book in my opinion, which is good because both stories have good art.

The first story is “Grounded”, which sees the Rangers facing off against a goofy three-handed cowboy looking fellow who can only be defeated with an arrow from the Pink Ranger’s Power Bow… because you know, cowboys and indians and all that jazz… Alas, Kimberly is grounded by her parents for overspending… which is something that I’m surprised hasn’t happened on the show because you’d think someone who likes to shop as much as she does would eventually get to that point. The story isn’t much and the smaller page count as a result of the new format doesn’t do it much favors, but again, this is a fairly basic idea that would have fit in nicely as a possible episode idea for the show. John Heebink’s art compliments the piece quite nicely.

On the other end of the proverbial Power Coin, we’ve got “Stranger In A Strange Land,” which depicts the teens practicing their skydiving moves for the upcoming movie (er, not really, but work with me here), only for Aisha to be whooshed off to what looks like Angel Grove, but somehow really isn’t. And when she encounters someone who looks like her, things get a bit weird. There’s actually an intriguing element behind this one, but the short page count hurts this one more than anything and the end result is something that is rushed through and not given enough time to breathe. As such, it’s just a thing that happened, complimented with Sparky Moore’s solid illustrations.

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #4 (Hamilton Comics)

So here we are; the very first MMPR comic book I ever picked up and one of the few comics I still possess in my small-ish collection to this day. And coincidentally enough, it’s the first issue in the series to feature the White Ranger. We’re four issues in and we’ve only seen Tommy in two of these damn things, it’s really shocking.

Unfortunately, Tommy the White Ranger is written like Tommy the Green Ranger; someone who feels like a sixth wheel on this well-oiled five wheel machine. Even more unfortunate is that even though we have new Rangers, there’s no explanation as to how we’ve got this change in cast. Even worse, the new Rangers are written so that they act much like the old Rangers. So Aisha’s translating Billy’s technobabble and Rocky’s the defacto leader of the group. Amazingly, at no point during these early issues is Adam depicted as a master of hip hop kido; something that would’ve been a sight to behold.

Fortunately, the stories in this miniseries are so basic and barebones that it really doesn’t matter who’s filling what shoes. There’s a monster that’s turning all the parkland into poisonous swamps and the Rangers have to take care of him. Swamp Man sounds like a name of a rejected robot master pile from Mega Man (or at least, something out of the numerous fan games out there) and his design is just that of a simple mud man design, but the way he’s killed off is fairly ingenious and gives Tommy something to do in this comic book.

Sparky Moore provides the art for this issue and would be back for several issues. His art is simplistic and nowhere near as messy as the previous issues, though this means that the fight scenes are somewhat underwhelming. On the flip side, however, Moore has a tendency to get the faces right, almost to the point where some depictions almost capture the likeness of the actors as though they were tracings of still shots or promotional material. Moore would do more issues later on, including the next one.

A pretty standard, run of the mill issue. Next issue, we begin the two-story format and Tommy has more stuff to do here… so there we go.

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 (Hamilton Comics)

The third issue of Hamilton Comics’ first Mighty Morphin comic miniseries sees regular series writer Donald Markstein take a brief break from carrying this run on his back and filling in is writer Jack C. Harris. The story for this one is somewhat silly; Kimberly is scolded by her mother for not cleaning her room – we’ve all been there.

However, when the Rangers need to deal with a monster, it turns out Kimberly lost her coin and that it’s buried in her room somewhere. Turns out her coin was used as a coaster for a pop drink. I was not aware you could do such a thing with a coin considering the massive size difference, but then again, power coins aren’t drawn with any real consistency in terms of dimensions throughout these early comics. Actually, consistency is hardly something that is a priority with these comics.

The story is kinda goofy even for Power Rangers and the art from issue artist Al Bigley is a bit messy; the only strong point being that everyone looks the part, but the line art is a bit chaotic. Almost as if this was drawn in a rush and handed in before having to take a dump. That said, it’s far from the worst art I’ve seen in this run and Bigley would be back for a couple more stories. All in all, not a strong issue, but not completely terrible.

Also worth noting; this is the first issue to feature Rocky, Aisha, and Adam as the new Power Rangers, effectively replacing the original half of the team after a big ol’ two issues. Much like Lord Zedd, the three Rangers are just shoehorned into the story and basically assume the roles of their predecessors. (Rocky assumes the leadership role Jason held, Aisha translate Billy-speak, Adam does… whatever Adam does.)

Tommy does not appear in this issue in any way, shape, or form; postponing the comics debut of the White Ranger by another issue.

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2 (Hamilton Comics)

If there is one aspect to Hamilton Comics’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers run that is readily apparent as you dig into each issue, it’s the rotating artists. In our second issue, the art duties fall to John Heebink and Aaron McClellan. And I’d have to say that the artwork is a step up from the previous issue, settling for a clean-looking style typical of a comic book and yet managing to catch the likenesses of the various characters rather well. This would be the art crew that would eventually draw the later Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Saga mini-series that would serve as the swan song to Hamilton’s license.

As for the storyline, Ernie wants the Power Rangers’ autographs and decides to dress up as a Goat Man to get their attention. However, Zedd has Finster create a Goat Man of his own to fight the Rangers. It’s a fairly harmless story that’s a bit on the goofy side, but it’s actually the kind of story that would translate well to TV.

The only piece of significance in regards to the Hamilton run is that this issue marks the first and only appearance of the Green Ranger in these main books, only appearing the short-lived MMPR: Saga miniseries that ended the Hamilton run (more on that down the road). Tommy no shows the next issue and by the time he appears in issue 4, he’ll be the White Ranger AND we’ll have the big cast switchover, with no explanation for either in the comics.

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 (Hamilton Comics)

1993 saw the birth of a phenomenon and like with any phenomenon, the merchandising empire eventually has to include the obligatory tie-in comic. And so in 1994, the Bruce Hamilton company got the rights to produce a six-issue mini-series based on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and we’ll be looking at these issues every so often.

The common problem with these early MMPR comics is rather obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of the show; Lord Zedd, at the time a relatively new villain introduced in the second season, acts too much like previous season antagonist Rita Repulsa that it’s almost jarring. He would call upon Finster to make him a monster, he would have temper tantrums and headaches, and he would use his wand to make monsters grow… much like Rita would in the first season.

The reason for this was clear; if you had comics featuring Rita as the main villain while the TV show made her old news,  the comics would be immediately outdated and behind the times. So they had to shoehorn Zedd in there. This problem will eventually become a bigger issue once the change in cast became apparent in the fourth issue, but we’re jumping ahead here.

The first issue is standard MMPR fare; the Ranger teens are participating in a Science Fair and Lord Zedd is inspired by the Dracula moth to create one of his fiendish monsters to attack the city of Angel Grove. The Rangers try to fend off the monster, only for most of them to be trapped in cocoons, forcing Billy and Kimberly to go find an antidote.

As a story, it’s basic fare that’s done well enough that it could fit in as a filler episode, anachronisms aside. The artwork isn’t fantastic, however; it tries to give a realistic vibe, but it just doesn’t work for me here. That having been said, at the very least, you recognize the characters as they bare some likeness to the show and it’s a pretty solid book as a result.

COMIC REVIEW – All-Star Batman & Robin (TPB, 2009) + Bonus

Frank Miller wrote The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One; perhaps two of the most influential stories in the long storied history of the Caped Crusader. He also wrote The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which is a little less regarded. Unfortunately, when it came to this All-Star Batman & Robin series, we got the latter Frank rather than the former Frank… which is a shame because the dream pairing of Miller and Jim Lee seemed like a foundation for a truly great Batman book.

This trade paperback, which came out earlier this year, collects the first nine issues of the series; the tenth and (as of this writing) final issue of the series – the beginning of a new arc, mind you – isn’t included. I guess when this dumpster fire is canned, they’ll make an updated edition that includes this tenth and whatever else follows.

So let’s get the positives out of the way; Jim Lee produces some good comic book artwork and visual eye candy. There, that’s over and done with.

So basically, Dick Grayson’s parents are killed and then Batman kidnaps him, tortures him, and eventually he becomes Robin… sorry if I spoiled the story for anybody, but it doesn’t really matter. The way Miller goes about telling this story (again) borders on banal and mean-spirited. Dick Grayson is a whiny kid, Batman is an abusive psychopath who comes off as more Punisher than Batman, Superman feels useless, Wonder Woman hates men, Black Canary beats people up and then has sex with Batbrain without a second thought, all the other superheroes that show up in some form or another comes off as boobs, and at no point do I feel like this is anything more than a parody of all the usual Batman gimmicks we’ve associate with the character over the years.

Oh, and apparently, Goddamned Batman is a thing.

Fans of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight stuff will eat this up, without question. For those wanting more sensible and worthwhile reading material, skip this one and just read Batman: Year One or Dark Knight Returns again, since those are, you know, good.

BONUS – ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN #10
The issue begins a new arc, which sees Barbara go into business for herself as Batgirl and be in over her head while Jim Gordon is dealing with his own family issues. Batman & Robin aren’t much of a presence this time around; the focus seems to be mostly on the Gordon family and while I appreciate a break from the usual Dynamic Duo silliness, our buddy Frank seems to have no clue on how to write a teenager, opting to give Babs a potty mouth and such. To date, this is the last issue of the series and who knows if there’s even going to be another one.

Truth be told, there’s a perverse interest in seeing how low this series can go next, but if this does end up being neglected and forgotten about, we’re not really missing much.

COMIC REVIEW – Ultimatum (2009 Mini-Series)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Ultimatum is one of the worst comics I’ve read in the history of comics.

A paradigm shifting five-issue mini-series that serves as a transition between the old era of Ultimate Marvel and the new era that saw new series debut, Ultimatum can be best summed up as destruction porn for the sake of destruction porn topped with a shitload of primary, secondary, tertiary, and ancillary characters getting killed, maimed, crippled, or any combination of the above. It’s low-brow schlock that tries to pass itself off as cutting edge and compelling storytelling, but fails miserably. The whole thing comes across as depressing, creatively bankrupt, and puts even the most gruesome “gore porn” to shame.

The only highlight is the art, which is always top notch and far too good for the shitpile that is Ultimatum. Of course, when it comes to the ladies, their… physical attributes gain some notable attention to detail at the expense of everything else. Sadly, that seems to be on par with the rest of this schlock. David Finch deserved better than to be associated with this crap.

I’m embarrassed to have read this crap. Embarrassed because Jeph Loeb usually churns out quality work and part of me assumes that this whole deal was the result of someone at Marvel daring Loeb to produce the absolute worst comic book to exist. Well, brother, you accomplished that in spades. I’m hard-pressed to tell if this is better or worse than Frank Miller’s new Batman book.

Actually, that’s easy. I’d go back and re-read Miller’s book than this shit. At least, there’s a perverse humor to such drivel. Here, not so much.

This is garbage that an eleven-year-old would whip in his attempt to be edgy and mature, written by people who thought that this is what actual grown adults would consider edgy and mature, except it’s the most juvenile pile of crap ever conceived. I may not be a regular visitor of Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics, but a bunch of other people did and I don’t think they’d appreciate having a bunch of characters that they followed for years get killed off in a blink of an eye all for the sake of a petty, shallow crossover event that’s going to be forgotten about in a couple weeks once we begin the next major crossover event.

Ultimate is trash to the nth degree. Fuck this comic book and fuck this company.

COMIC REVIEW – Star Wars: Dark Empire (Dark Horse Miniseries – 1992)

So this was the first piece of Star Wars Expanded Universe fare that I think I’ve read as a younger fellow.  Oh, I have dabbled in the Marvel comics stuff and maybe that Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye novel, but in terms of new stories set in that galaxy far, far away that took the narrative beyond the Star Wars trilogy – there was only one – Dark Empire was the first thing that opened up. I wouldn’t get around to the novels until much later down the road, but the comics were easy reads… as were the video games that would come along later, but I digress.

Dark Empire takes place some years after Return Of The Jedi. The leadership of the former Rebel Alliance now head the New Republic and they’re still fighting the remnants of that evil Galactic Empire after all this time. The first thing you notice about this comic is the artwork, which has really rough-looking characters that somewhat resemble those classic characters you know and love, but updated to keep with the times. Luke Skywalker has darker-colored Jedi robes, foreshadowing the dark turn he would take as the series would progress. Leia has heir hair down. The various ships and setpieces are probably the real highlight of the art because they look a little better, but even to this day, I am baffled by the coloring, which seems very all over the place, cloudy, and doesn’t help the line art all that much.

As for the story itself… like I said, the Republic is still fighting the Empire and the Emperor is back from the dead in a new clone body, which makes me wonder if this was something that could’ve happened in whatever sequels would’ve followed if George Lucas would’ve gone in that direction. Luke takes a bit of a dark turn and things go to hell… but they eventually get better. For the time, I thought it was a fairly enjoyable little read and even coming back to it years after the fact, it might not be the one of the better Star Wars stories… and the subsequent miniseries, Dark Empire II and Empire’s End, actually turn out far worse than this one, but it’s an enjoyable little romp regardless.

COMIC REVIEW – Star Trek: The Next Generation (DC Comics, 1988 Miniseries)

Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987 and became a surprise hit. DC Comics, at the time producing a successful enough Star Trek comic book, would eventually produce a miniseries based on the new show lasting six issues. Naturally, the miniseries is non-canon to the larger Trek canon, so put down your phaser canons because this thing is BONKERS.

The Enterprise crew get into the Christmas spirit or something and they meet Santa Claus. There’s a three-issue arc featuring Q as an absolute madman, which may or may not be far off from the actual character; who the fuck knows. Honestly, I feel like whoever wrote that second season of Picard read this thing and made old Q seem like this Q… almost. Fundamentally, the comic takes a lot of liberties with the source material and I’m not quite how much material they had to work with when they put this series together. But reading this stuff now and knowing how the series (as well as the franchise as a whole) would turn out afterwards, this feels like some whacked-out fanfiction written by someone who has no idea what they’re doing. And I’m not faulting Mike Carlin on this one; it’s entirely possible he had little to work with and thus needed to fill the blanks.

I’ll give him this much; I was thoroughly entertained throughout. This, along with the artwork making all the characters appear buffer and more seemingly well-built with Herculean physiques – they had spandex spacesuits at the time, so I’m sure the art direction was a Rodenberry wet dream. But listen, you can debate the continuity snags (Stardates has you assuming this takes place in the second season, but it’s clearly based on the first since Riker has no beard and Tasha is still alive) and some of the minor nitpicks, but the one thing you can’t accuse this of is boring. For six issues, you’re getting some of the more wacky takes on Star Trek that you’re gonna get, almost right up there with the old Gold Key stuff from back in the days. Don’t come into this with high expectations and you’re going to enjoy this one immensely. Highly recommended for the lulz.

COMIC REVIEW – The Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe (1995 One-Shot)

In 1995, Garth Ennis wrote a Punisher comic that saw Frank Castle’s family killed during a battle between the usual Marvel superheroes and an invading alien force. After the superheroes show no remorse for their actions and offer a pitiful apology, Castle goes ape shit and kills a few before he is arrested, taken to jail, broken out of fail, and offered a shitload of weapons and tech to kill all the heroes, becoming the same ol’ Punisher we all know, but with a decidedly different target.

Almost five years later, Ennis would pen a new Punisher mini-series that would be critically acclaimed and this one-shot would see a reprint, with a new cover by Ennis’ occasional collaborator, Steve Dillon. But I didn’t know any of this beforehand because I picked up the reprint. And so it was jarring to open up a Punisher comic by Garth Ennis and not have Steve Dillon do the art. Fortunately, Doug Braithwaite does a serviceable job, with reasonably proportioned characters and some decent looking setpieces.

And the story itself is actually quite brilliant; shifting the Punisher’s war on crime to that of a war on superhumans and basically telling the story of a man who won’t stop until all these heroes (and villains) are dead. If nothing else, some of the kills are pretty creative and the way the comic comes to its conclusion makes sense.

For what is essentially a glorified What If, The Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe is a pretty entertaining read if you just want a bonkers comic. Recommended.