Rayboy's Review: The Northern Guard #2 (Moonstone)

Thanks to Tommy Hancock over at Moonstone, I got an early look at another interesting title from their fine stable of books.

It's 2029 and most of the world has been without electricity for a year due to the actions of a renegade Russian scientist named Dimitri Tomkin, who attempted to render all nuclear stockpiles inert using updated Tesla technology. Tomkin’s alias is based on a heroic golden age character from Canada called The Red Rogue. The powerful energy beam that was unleashed worldwide did not effect nuclear material at all, but the conductivity of Earth’s metals was rendered inert.

A sole surviving zone, five hundred miles wide and three thousand miles long, stretching from Siberia across Alaska to Long Island, New York retains electricity. At the time of this great blackout, some people (and animals) inside this zone received bizarre abilities and many have organized under the leadership of genius scientist, Johnny Canuck as The Northern Guard.

Issue #2 is written by Ty Templeton (w/Sam Agro) and illustrated by David J. Cutler, whose art-style suits an all-ages sensibility. The story is both fun and well paced. Having not seen the previous issue, I’m not sure who all of the characters are by name, but there are a couple of standouts. Inuit goddess, Nanook Iluak is both powerful and somewhat at odds with the human woman she shares her form with. As Anne Knight, she is the romantic interest of Johnny Canuck, and there is a set-up for a romantic triangle with another hero called Freelance. He seems determined to put the moves on Nanook, despite the tension this creates with the other members of the team.

It is heavily suggested that Dimitri Tomkin’s (aka The Red Rogue) current efforts are in response to guilt over his previous actions, making him much more than a simple one-note villain. As a bonus feature, this issue includes a neat golden age reprint of the original Red Rogue.

If much of what passes for big universe heroics leaves you a bit cold these days, give The Northern Guard #2 a try. It is produced very much in the spirit of old school superheroics and that ain't a bad thing. Recommended!

Science Fiction/Double Feature Presents: "The Secret of the Crater-Men" (Ziff-Davis;1951)

Our run of thrilling tales from Amazing Adventures #5 (Oct-Nov. 1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis, continues today with "The Secret of the Crater-Men" illustrated by Al Carreno. Don't forget to laugh along with today's humorous second feature from this very issue, "Cosmic Creeps". Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Emily Browning

Twenty-two year old Australian actress Emily Browning seems to be making a career out of stepping into roles vacated by other name talents. She first gained notice in the film adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, in which she played Violet Baudelaire. During filming, Browning was terrified of being fired for breaking character to laugh at co-star Jim Carrey's jokes. She was later cast as "Baby Doll" in Zack Snyder's upcoming action film Sucker Punch as a replacement for Amanda Seyfried, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Browning has also recently signed on to play the lead in director Julia Leigh's upcoming Australian/independent film Sleeping Beauty, replacing her friend and fellow young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who was already committed to a Jane Eyre remake.

Browning herself earlier passed on what may have been a very lucrative role when she declined the part of "Bella" in the Twilight film franchise, despite an endorsement from original series author Stephenie Meyer. Sucker Punch is a blend of diverse genre tropes, sexy chicks, big guns and explosions. Toss in zeppelins, Nazi's, zombies and samurai and you have all the makings for one of this years wildest cinematic rides. It helps to have a smoking hot Aussie on hand too, so Ms. Browning easily earns the nod as this weeks "Gal" Friday selection.

For Ferelden! FOR THE GREY WARDENS!

Larger than life heroes and villains from one of the best rated games of 2009 are captured by DC Unlimited in Dragon Age Series 1, including (left-to-right): Loghain, the games primary human antagonist; Duncan, the Grey Warden-Commander who recruits your PC (playable character) within the game (before he ultimately perishes at the Siege of Ostagar); Genlock, one of the many types of evil Darkspawn that you face throughout the game; and Morrigan, a sexy sorceress who joins your party early in the game.

I received my complete set of these figures today, and couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. I do wish that companies would stop referring to these items as "action figures" since most of the toys that are released to collectors wouldn't really stand up to very much "action" before they started breaking. That is actually one of the very reasons that I stopped buying stuff from DC Direct some years ago. It seemed like every time that I opened a blister pack and tried to display any of their figures, the damn things would either fail to stand up on their own, or attempting to place accessories into the characters hand (for instance) would result in the appendage coming off or snapping apart right out of the package.

With these figures, it was challenging getting the Genlock's axe and Loghains sword into their hands, but I succeeded without breaking anything. Duncan is supposed to hold the chalice that Grey Warden recruits drink the darkspawn blood out of during their Joining ceremony, but this item doesn't really want to cooperate. A little glue might be necessary here, but again a minor quibble, since the figures look so cool standing on the shelf (which is all that I ask of them).

The hit EA Games/Bioware Dragon Age: Origins, like its parent company counterpart Mass Effect 2, are tons of fun to play, and having stuff like this is really terrific for fans of any age. This series was supposed to follow a four character Mass Effect 2 set, but DC Direct has incessantly delayed releasing that set over and again since last summer, recently rescheduling it for May 2011. If those badly wanted figures finally make their way into my hands [I pre-ordered a set of those, too], they will be equally welcome upon my shelf. By the way, if you like action-adventure, science-fiction or fantasy, play either Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age: Origins as soon as you can. Dragon Age 2 hits stores in about two weeks!

Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle in “The Savage Ceremony” (Fiction House;1940)

Here is the golden age story post that was originally intended for yesterday. Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle appears in an untitled adventure that I've dubbed “The Savage Ceremony” from Jungle Comics #6 (June 1940); originally published by Fiction House. ["Robert Lewis"] is credited on the page, but Charles Sultan is the actual artist of record (per GCD).

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

In Memorium: Dwayne McDuffie

Comic book and television writer Dwayne McDuffie has passed away today due to complications from a surgical procedure yesterday. He was forty-nine years old. McDuffie’s notable works include creating the animated series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the comic book company Milestone Media in 1992.

His comic book series work for Marvel, DC, Milestone & Archie included such titles as Damage Control, What’s New Scooby Doo?, Justice League, Fantastic Four, Blood Syndicate, Hardware and many others. His career writing efforts also earned him the Humanitas Prize for Children’s Animation, Comic Con Internationals Inkpot Award and both Emmy & Writers Guild of America nominations.

The Catacombs expresses its sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans. Illustration (right) by Denys Cowan.

Dragon Age 2 (Coming March 8, 2011)

Rayboy's Review: Genecy #1 (InVision Comics)

"Conan Meets the Silver Surfer?"

I was recently contacted by Gerald Cooper. As the co-owner of InVision Comics, Gerald was wondering if I might be interested in reviewing his new comic book, Genecy #1. He described Genecy as something “like Conan becoming the Silver Surfer after being a slave on Apokolips.” That really grabbed my attention, so I proceeded to give it a read.

Written by Gerald Cooper and illustrated by Eddy Barrows, with coloring by Tim Ogul & Oren Kramek, Genecy #1 is a taut blend of sword and sorcery and science fiction, with high level action that begins on the first page and never really lets up as we see the slave who will become Genecy escape from his captors even as those desperately woven plans go awry in the worst possible way. Despite little world history informing the reader about each characters motivation, there was enough "visually" to keep my attention, but my only real complaint here is that like too many modern publishers, dispensing with expository captions (which can alleviate a new readers confusion) left me wondering who and what some of the players were. Genecy does utilize captions, however they are given over to the lead characters unfolding dialogue. They would have been better served as background filler to help flesh out the history of the races & individuals within the book itself.

I'll let Gerald fill us in a bit more: "An extremely feared and militaristic nation, proudly recognized as the Grunnod, has stolen freedom, joy and fortune from an entire galaxy. They are in search of an ancient artifact from a long, forgotten time. It is believed to unlock a door to an immense and immeasurable power. Many scholars, and others believed to be immortal, have died of old age trying to exhume it. This relic is believed to be hidden deep within the innards of a Grunnodian possessed world. A broken soul seeks revenge for what the cruel Grunnodians have done to his people. He escapes. And when a tortured victim finds power and purpose, the shacklers that face him sing a sad song. "

That sounds cool, but much of that could have been made clearer in the first issue of a new series. That descriptive snippet was actually taken from Gerald's message to me. If it sounds like I'm nitpicking, then I apologize, but Genecy #1 is worth checking out. It has action-a-plenty, high end video game visuals and an interesting lead, who really does end up seeming like Conan crossed with Norrin Radd. Recommended!

Science Fiction/Double Feature Presents: Mission to Malooka (Ziff-Davis;1951)

Commander Martin Hawkins finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place in "Mission to Malooka" from Amazing Adventures #5 (Oct-Nov.1951); originally published by Ziff-Davis and wonderfully illustrated by the legendary silver age great, Murphy Anderson.

Cmdr. Hawkins has earned an exemplary record during his tenure with the Perimeter Patrol, but his superior officer holds a grudge from the days when he served with Hawkins father, a strict martinet towards subordinates. Sent out on a mission, Cmdr. Hawkins is forced to divert from those duties in order to save his vengeful Commandants son (who was sent along on the same mission). Exiled onto a harsh planet for his display of mercy, Cmdr. Hawkins is ultimately rescued by a surprising ally.

The bonus feature today is the terrific front cover painting for this sci-fi series next to last issue by Allen Anderson. Enjoy!

"Gal" Friday! Adrianne Palicki

Producer David E. Kelley is set to launch a new NBC television series based on DC Comics iconic golden age heroine, Wonder Woman, and actor Adrianne Palicki has been chosen to star as the series lead character.

She is certainly an attractive young lady, plus she has earned high critical acclaim for her three season turn on the high school drama series, Friday Night Lights; but the most glaring thing about her casting that stands out for me as a comic book fan, is that Kelley must have a strikingly different "idea" of who Wonder Woman actually is. How an Amazon warrior princess from a Greek mythological setting translates into an All-American blond, girl-next-door corporate type is frankly beyond me.

Palicki previously appeared on Supernatural as Jessica Moore, Sam Winchester's doomed girlfriend in its pilot episode. Palicki also appeared as Judy Robinson in John Woo's unsold TV pilot, The Robinson's: Lost in Space, and was also cast in another potential DC Comics spin-off from "Smallville", Aquaman, which failed to go to series. Palicki starred in the 2010 apocalyptic-action film, Legion ,and she will be in the remake of the 1980s film Red Dawn. Of course, at this point nobody knows how this version will ultimately play out, either as a genuine homage to the celebrated original character or like Smallville, a mishmash of established characters and elements that have been strip mined and then force fed through a modern, politically correct sieve.

I will have to reserve judgement for the time being, but I am only allowing the slimmest length of rope on this one. Miss Palicki gets the nod this week for notoriety alone!

Rayboy's Review: The Spider #1 (Moonstone)

The gang over at Moonstone has done it again. Writer Martin Powell and artist Pablo Marcos serve up an eerie, cool & atmospheric adventure of the Master of Men in The Spider #1. I’ve read plenty of the original pulp magazine stories of Doc Savage, The Avenger, The Shadow, Tarzan, etc., but I haven’t read a single Spider tale. This means that although I am somewhat familiar with the character, I was able to read this issue without predispositions. You've just gotta love that awesome Dan Brereton cover too!

That worked to my advantage and it allowed me to appreciate Powell’s story on its own merits. If you like zombies, two-fisted adventurers who prefer to kick ass and take names and to hell with the consequences, The Spider #1 might suit you. Pablo Marcos is well established in the industry and he brings to bear some topnotch visual storytelling cues that propel this half of the book to its bone-chilling conclusion. I also really appreciated the three color look of this books coloring. It added a great deal of wallop to the overall tension of the events playing out on the page. If I’m not mistaken, The Spider was always a bit harder edged than some of his pulp-era contemporaries and that dynamic is evident here, although perhaps softened ever so slightly to appeal to a more diverse readership that has certainly become somewhat jaded on hardcore violence over the last couple of decades due to the influence of entertainment media.

Thus, the simple straightforward manner in which the lead character and his supporting cast are introduced, works even better by simply getting down to the business of telling a "kicking" action yarn. I hope that The Spider works his magic on readers, so that he sticks around for a while. Recommended!

Check out this terrific cover for Wonder Woman #611 (DC Comics)

I love this alternate cover for the May 2011 issue of Wonder Woman #611 by artist Alex Garner, but I don't buy books solely for the cover. That's too bad! If Garner was doing the interiors, this cover would have sold me on the book, no question.

The Red Panther in "The Pitch-Blend Idol" & "The Ant Woman" (Fiction House;1940)

The Red Panther strikes twice today in back-to-back stories from Jungle Comics #4 (Apr. 1940) and Jungle Comics #5 (May 1940); originally published by Fiction House. The stories are credited to ["Taylor Martin"] on the splash pages, but Arthur Peddy is the actual artist on both of these short adventure tales. Neither had an official title, so I've christened them appropriately enough.

Admittedly, this is pretty standard stuff from the golden age, but it's still fun in and of itself. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for these stories. Note: The copyright for both issues, all contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and are reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!