JUDGE DREDD – GUATEMALA

Broadly speaking, there are five or six types of Judge Dredd story. The Apocalyptic (Necropolis, The Apocalypse War), The Goofy Crime of the Week (most Case Files filler stories), The Crime Thriller (The Pit, America), The Conspiracy (The Small House), Judge Death (anything with Judge Death) and Dredd Takes A Holiday (The Cursed Earth, Book of the Dead). Even then, the average Dredd story refuses to be pigeonholed, often spanning several sub-genres within the same story. The soon to be re-released Origins, for example, in which Dredd takes a trip to the Cursed Earth (again) only to uncover yet another massive Mega City conspiracy.

John Wagner and Colin MacNeil’s Guatemala is smaller in scale than that, but not without its Dredd-shattering implications. Chief Judge Hershey is dying, stricken with an incurable virus. On her death bed, she sends Dredd on a diplomatic mission to far-flung Guatemala, and into a meeting with robo-dictator El Presidente. On the surface, anyhow. Dredd’s really there to carry out Hershey’s last request – a mission far shadier than mere trade relations between dictatorships.

With Wagner writing (an increasingly rare event), readers can be sure that Guatemala will have its consequences. This collection (which also includes the short stories Private Contract, Get Jerry Sing, The Trouble with Harry and The Victims of Bennett Beeny) picks up threads from the Mechanismo saga, America and even The Day the Law Died. One of the character’s strongest assets is his rolling continuity, meaning that there’s a deep and rich history to almost everything Dredd does at this point.

But, even on a surface level, the story of Dredd overthrowing a robot dictator is rollicking good fun. El Presidente is a great villain; the robot-run state of Guatemala proving that there’s still plenty of Dredd’s world left to explore, even now, forty years after his creation. This collection spans several subgenres of Dredd, from the relatively serious to the ridiculous. By contrast, The Victims of Bennett Beeny is a more serious action thriller, and a sequel to America. Which leaves By Private Contract as the odd one out, as a ridiculous Strontium Dog crossover (!) with a surprising but altogether too broad villain. This story and Get Jerry Sing are perhaps most notable for being the last work of Dredd co-creator and legend Carlos Ezquerra, ending the collection on a sombre note, despite the stories’ amusing nature. Also featuring the work of 2000AD legends Henry Flint and Dan Cornwell, this is a wonderful-looking collection of Dredd stories; a creative team at the top of their game.

Like many a Dredd book, Guatemala runs a tonal gamut, wishing a teary goodbye to a legend one moment while cheerily (for Dredd, anyway) chumming with mutant bounty hunters the next. This shouldn’t work at all, let alone within the very same book. It’s testament to the power of Wagner and Ezquerra’s creation that it does.

THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1

After bringing a touch of horror to Gotham in Batman: Joker War and the ongoing Joker, James Tynion IV breaks free of the bat ‘verse to spin a tale of apocalyptic horror that’s entirely his own. The latest DC Black Label release is this self-contained horror story; part This is the End, part The Invitation, parts unknown. It’s only the first chapter, after all.

Eleven mismatched personalities meet at a luxury isolated mansion, at the behest of their mutual friend, Walter. Walter’s game is slowly revealed as the group settle around the pool for a night of drinking and barbeque. As their social media accounts buzz to life with reports of an apocalyptic firestorm (?) burning the world to cinders, the group begin to realise that, outside, something is going very, very wrong. And that there’s far more to Walter than meets the eye.

The Nice House on the Lake kicks off in terrific fashion, wasting no time in setting up its characters and central hook. There are too many characters to really get to know anyone at this stage – one or two lines of dialogue and a snappy little caption box – but the book’s premise ensures that we’ll be spending plenty of time with them over the following issues. Only time will tell whether they continue to irritate, once the shit hits the fan.

But what is the shit, and where is the fan? Tynion’s big reveal is best left for the comic book itself, which is done through real-time snapshots of Twitter and other social media. Squint too hard and some of the writing comes across as a little cloying, but it’s both effective and efficient. This is the sort of big reveal which will have readers immediately going back to the start to re-read the whole issue all over again.

And, with Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire on art and colours, the book is a treat, however many times one chooses to read it. This house on the lake is more than ‘nice’ – it’s absolutely gorgeous, from the mansion itself to the action and the character work.

Fans of Tynion’s work on Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth should welcome this new book – already one of his creepiest to date. For those who only know the writer through Batman, it’s a great gateway to his very particular brand of offbeat comic book horror.

ATOMIC VICTORY SQUAD #5

Atomic Victory Squad #5

WRITER: LOWELL DEAN / ARTIST: JAVIER MARTIN CABA / LETERRER: MICAH MYERS / PUBLISHER: SELF-PUBLISHED / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

After finishing the stunning fourth issue of Atomic Victory Squad, the only downer was the realisation that there was only one more offering left before AVS’ five-issue debut arc came to a close. And here we are, now in the endgame of this most fascinating of tales.

As this fifth and final issue commences, She-Girl and Gary the Mime find themselves in the crosshairs of the nefarious Microchip, as the rest of the Squad rush to their rescue. By the time Invincibull, Zoozanna, Bubble Myers and Triangle Master escape the clutches of Farmer Bob and arrive on the scene, things have already gone to the dogs – with Gary under Microchip’s mind control, and the latest of the villainous professor’s creations having come to the fore.

From there, the Atomic Victory Squad are in the battle of their lives, as they have to embrace and battle their darkest nightmares: their own subconscious minds.

A bumper 40 pages, AVS #5 is a fitting end to this story, with all involved on absolute fire to deliver a fifth issue that is everything it needed to be and then some. The stakes are incredibly high, there very much is a price to pay, and creator/writer Lowell Dean uses his core six characters to again explore themes that so many of us can relate to.

Not only is Dean’s writing on point once more, brilliantly managing to keep the tale a quirky, humourous ride while simultaneously having far more serious issues under the surface, but artist Javier Martin Caba continues to feel as if he’s born to bring these characters to life. The artwork and colour palette themselves mesh so well with the world that Lowell has created, and the lettering from Micah Myers only further hammers home that the team behind AVS are the quintessential ‘dream team’ for bringing this most unique of realms to life.

For those who have been engrossed in the prior four issues, this fifth and final outing is well worthy of a full five-star rating. And if you’ve yet to discover the Atomic Victory Squad, what are you waiting? Seriously, head on over to Indiegogo – and AVS#5 will also shortly be available on Comixology.

Now, here’s hoping this ragtag group of heroes rear the heads again one day, for lord knows the world of comic books is all the better for having the Atomic Victory Squad in it.

SLEEPING BEAUTIES GRAPHIC NOVEL VOLUME ONE

FORMAT: HARDCOVER (REVIEWED), DIGITAL | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Stephen King is one the greatest living horror authors. Sleeping Beauties is a collaboration with his son, Owen King. The original novel tells the tale of bizarre sleeping sickness called Aurora. All the women in the world begin to fall asleep and cannot be woken. Meanwhile, in a sleepy American town, one women seems unaffected by the disease and may well be the only one.

It’s a haunting and disturbing tale and not one that many readers will draw any comfort from, after all stories about pandemics are hardly comforting at the best of times. Westlake Soul author Rio Youers has adapted the novel into the graphic novel format and he’s done a great job in keeping King’s famously subtle dialogue consistent whilst at the same time  keeping it short and straight forward; after all this is a graphic novel and the pictures should tell the story.

Alison Sampson’s art (along with Triona Tree Farrell colouring work) suits this story perfectly. Haunting, detailed and quite vibrant, this is not only a horror comic done well, but also as art.  Comic book adaptations of novels tend to go wrong when they rely too much on one perspective or approach; here we have a careful balance of visual storytelling and well created narrative.

This is only volume one and though it feels like the book is taking it’s time, this is a Stephen King story; they tend to be quite long.  The creators behind this book know they have plenty of time to tell the tale. The pacing is gripping and engaging and makes you want to get the next book.

 

DARK KNIGHTS DEATH METAL DELUXE EDITION

FORMAT: HARDCOVER (REVIEWED), DIGITAL | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

DC Comics mythology is quite a convoluted affair. Since the beginning, the DC’s stable of super-hero stories have mostly been about how much they can out do each in terms of scope and grandeur. Over the years we’ve gone from saving cities to blowing up entire realities and all points in between, with crisis after crisis pretty much defining the range.

Dark Knights Death Metal  however is one of the more daring attempts to out-do everything that has come before it, through the simple premise of turning every single page into a heavy metal album cover.

This book attempts to bring to a close a whole chain of overly involved DC comics cross-overs, but the highlights are that Perpetua, a being that can reboot entire universes, has been tearing apart reality, aided by a being known as The Batman Who Laughs. Batman, but as a sadistic demon thing that is so ‘edgy’ that it’s very name sounds like a 90’s nu-metal band. Other demon-like heavy metal versions of beloved DC heroes try to stop this/ fulfil their own agenda. Honestly, it’s all quite confusing.

If you are a huge fan of the DC comics universe, there is a reasonable chance that you’ll not only understand the plot but will enjoy it. For the rest of us however, it’s a whistle stop tour of familiar and loved comic book heroes that have had all the fun hammered out of them in the name of being different, loud and memorable.

Presentation wise, the Deluxe Edition does exactly what it says on the cover. These are full cover, heavy pages and everything from the hardcover to the binding makes the art stand-out. It’s clear that DC understood that the main appeal of this book would be the art-work, and the book is very pretty; this is the sort of thing that will end up getting turned into many memes and wall-art. In places it reminds the reader of the likes of Spawn or 90’s Spider-Man, in others it’s just solid fantasy art with a touch of super-hero pop-culture added to taste. It’s a pretty book, shame about the almost incomprehensible story.

 

DOCTOR WHO – ALTERNATING CURRENT

alternating current

Doctor Who is at its best when it’s telling, bold, exciting, quirky new stories or examining and casting new light its own sprawling canon in intelligent, thought-provoking and forward-thinking ways. Anything else is just lazy fan service. Sadly Alternating Current, the latest Titan Comics effort by writer Jody Hauser and artist Roberta Ingranata falls squarely into the latter category. Yet again, this series feels painfully shackled to the show’s past in frustrating, clumsy ways – yes, it’s another of their endless multi-Doctor stories, this time yet again teaming up the current Doctor with a rather muted Tenth Doctor – in a leaden yarn that involves (briefly) Sea Devils, the return of the Skithra from last year’s Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror episode (to which this is something of a sequel) and, drearily, Rose Tyler and her mum and dad Jackie and Pete from some alternative timeline or other. Seriously, Rose Tyler left the show properly over a decade ago; Doctor Who has moved on – such a shame one of its licenced comic strip spin-offs can’t do the same.

Following their previous tussle with the Weeping Angels and Autons in London in 1969 (sigh), the Tenth and Thirteen Doctors went their separate ways but Alternating Current opens with the Doctor and her fam returning to London to find that there’s been some sort of timeline shift and the Sea Devils are the masters of Earth – and have been for some time – and a group of feisty rebels (led by Rose Tyler) are fighting a rear-guard action against the reptiles. The Tenth Doctor arrives on the scene – in this timeline, Rose Tyler has never met him and is instantly suspicious – and the arrival of a helpful Skithra Queen launches the group on a rather dull runaround that involves the reappearance of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison and an army of Skithra, who are dominating of Earth via the Sea Devils. To add to the general lack of imagination on display here, the whole things ends with a big explosion that puts everything right.

Alternating Current just feels tired and horribly self-referential. Much time is spent with characters talking in the TARDIS, allowing writer Jody Hauser to demonstrate how ably she can replicate the mannerisms and speech patterns of the series regulars old and new, accompanied by art that occasionally captures the likenesses of the actors as seen on TV. But it all seems a bit smug and self-important, the work of a creative team showing off their knowledge of Doctor Who history but failing to do anything intriguing with it. Fans still unable to cope with the Thirteenth Doctor and her team might find some solace in yet another reappearance of the Tenth Doctor, Rose and co. but in the end, it’s doing the one thing Doctor Who should never really do for too long by wallowing in its own history and turning its back on an audience who aren’t up to speed in nearly sixty years’ worth of eccentric, confusing lore. Alternating Current plays unashamedly to the fan gallery who may well revel in its knowingness but there’s really nothing here for anyone looking for new ideas, new concepts, and new adventures.

Release Date: May 11th

BATMAN/FORTNITE: ZERO POINT #1

“Just fighting. With no rhyme or reason to why, or who.” Welcome to Fortnite, Batman. When a giant rift, tearing at reality itself, appears in the Gotham City night sky, the Dark Knight is pulled into the Fortnite Universe. Coming to in a mysterious arena, the Bat is immediately attacked by a colourful array of Fortnite personalities. With no memory of who he is, nor how he came to be there, Batman gets to work doing what he does best. No, not detective work, the other thing: beating the hell out of costumed loons.

Those who might find the story a bit ridiculous would do well to remember that Batman has certainly faced odder challenges in his time. This is hardly the silliest Batman crossover you’ll ever read (take your pick between the Looney Tunes or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). It’s not even the silliest Batman crossover you’ll read this month (see Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries, out now, online and in print). It’s not even the silliest crossover set in a fantasy deathmatch arena (The Ultimate Riddle, we love you, but no). Compared to some of Batman’s other crossover adventures, Zero Point seems like a downright logical idea.

Writer Christos Cage takes the story (by ideas man and consultant Donald Mustard) and runs with it. Given that there’s very little dialogue, it’s curiously over-written – much of Batman’s inner monologue feels unnecessary – but Gage does a good job of bringing the two worlds together. Those who have never played a Fortnite match in their lives should be able to follow the story without much trouble.

But why would they want to? Aside from Reilly Brown and Nelson Faro DeCastro’s dynamic action sequences, it has little to offer Bat-fans. It’s a vacuous blockbuster, smashing together a bunch of things which are popular (Batman, Fortnite, Harley Quinn) without rhyme or reason. Fortnite fans should fare better, seeing their favourite characters get to face off against DC’s A-list. Fans of both? That’s the sweet spot. And readers get a fancy new in-game skin out of it, free with the comic.

Zero Point is the best-case outcome for a Batman/Fortnite crossover. It’s action-packed, easy to read, and won’t be entirely incomprehensible to non-gamers. Its story is utter nonsense, but then, who plays Fortnite for the story?

 

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #1

FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

DC’s Legends of the Dark Knight once brought readers some of the greatest Batman stories ever told. A collection of shorter tales, largely unconcerned with continuity, from a rotating roster of writers and artists. These stories tended to be darker, odder, and more artsy than the main Bat-books – angling for an adult audience, following the success of Year One. Who can forget the disturbing one-two punch of Prey and Terror? The Freaks riff Faces? The curiously odd Shaman? Or the frankly horrifying Mask?

The title has been resurrected as a DC Digital First release, with Darick Robertson handling the book’s debut arc. This first issue finds Batman investigating a new villain on the streets of Gotham, trading in a deadly chemical weapon. But Robertson seems less interested in new threats than old; his first big Batman story reads like his excuse to write and draw the rogues gallery. And who can blame him for wanting to show off? His character work is tremendously done, featuring imposing takes on Mister Freeze, the Penguin, Riddler and… of course, the Joker.

With the emphasis on action over atmosphere, it struggles to achieve that lurid Legends of the Dark Knight feeling. As with any anthology, the series always was a bit of a mixed bag – especially given how long it ran for – but it’s a shame that the reboot should kick off with such gimmickry. With the A-listers all fighting among themselves, it’s hard to care about Roberson’s mysterious new villain, nor his low-level machinations. This is not a bad story, by any means – not with that artwork – but it’s disappointingly vacuous. But then, who said that all legends had to be… legendary?

THE JOKER #1

FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With the ink barely dry on his Joker War, the Clown Prince of Crime gets his own spin-off book in James Tynion IV’s The Joker. After apparently murdering everyone in Arkham Asylum with a horrifying gas attack, Joker is on the run. This first issue mostly follows retired Commissioner Gordon as he attempts to pick up on his trail. It shouldn’t be too hard – just follow the trail of bodies.

The Joker finds the Joker in full-on murderclown mode, following his semi-recent (as of, say, Snyder’s Death of the Family) reinvention as ludicrous horror villain. This first issue thankfully skews more towards film noir than slasher story, but the Joker’s few appearances set him up as more of a Freddy Krueger type than comic book supervillain. With Gordon hired by a mysterious femme fatale to kill Joker, the stage is set for a brutal reckoning between the ex-cop and the monster. Until, inevitably, we learn that there’s more to learn about Joker’s attack on Arkham than meets the eye.

As a James Tynion IV Joker book, this delivers exactly what readers might expect; try-hard violence, the Joker as an impossibly horrible horror demon, and profoundly disturbing character work by artist Guillem March. And, of course, a Punchline back-up story. Fans of Tynion and this particular take on the character should be satisfied – and good Jim Gordon stories are few and far between, too – but it’s unlikely to win over detractors. Doubling down on what made Joker War almost unreadable, it’s yet another story about the Joker as an unstoppable killing machine. Between this, that, Three Jokers and his po-faced appearance in the Snyder Cut, it’s about time the Joker got some new material.

ALIEN #1

FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

For over thirty years, Dark Horse Comics have had the Xenomorph market covered. So extensive have been the misadventures of Ridley Scott’s aliens that they’re as much a comic book staple as they are a cinematic megahit. And now, owned by the Weyland-Yutani of the entertainment world, they’ve begun to infest the Marvel universe. Sort of.

The Xenomorphs stay firmly in their own little universe in this, the first issue of Marvel’s Alien. Written by Phillip Kennedy and illustrated by Salvador Larroca, it picks up 21 years after the events of Aliens. Retired mercenary and Weyland-Yutani man Gabriel Cruz returns to Earth after an extended absence from the planet – and his estranged son. Haunted by his own encounter with the Xenomorphs, Cruz suffers from horrifying nightmares and traumatic memories.

As one has come to expect from the first issue of an Alien comic, Scott’s iconic monsters are only briefly glimpsed here and there, and Kennedy and Larroca spend most of their time setting up the story and atmosphere. While Disney/Marvel do own the Dark Horse back catalogue, Kennedy’s take stands on its own two feet, requiring no background reading outside of the first two movies. There are shades of James Cameron’s sequel to its story – traumatised survivor struggles to move on and adapt – particularly in its cameo from a Bishop model therapist.

While Larroca’s art looks good – and very much nails Lance Henriksen’s craggy mush – it’s not always a good fit for the story. Where Dark Horse’s books favoured more experimental art styles, Larroca’s feels a little too clean; too polished. Still, his Xenomorphs look awesome, and any fears that the gore would have to be dialled back for the folks at Marvel are more than allayed, already.

After thirty plus years, there are only so many ways you can set up an Alien comic, and this first issue does feel like re-treading old ground, but it’s a solid enough start.