Review Category: Comic Books

You’ve read H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, seen the film and TV versions, got Jeff Wayne’s album, seen his musical, yet still want more? Then here for your delight is a comic book adaption of the novel, plus three stories set a decade after the Martian invasion.

The adaption neatly provides a view of Victorian gents coping with the arrival of strange objects from Mars, literally in their neighbourhood. At the breakfast table George mentions that Martian gas has hit the newspaper headlines, making his wife exclaim “George, please don’t be vulgar. You’re putting me off my kedgeree.”

When confronted by the alien critters that stumble out of their enormous cylindrical craft, their appearance is enough to put anyone off their kedgeree. The aliens are obviously intelligent enough to get to Earth, but they have a homicidal streak to them. Although physically weak they have the technology to wipe out the whole of humanity, and they don’t care about who tries to stop them.

The glare of their merciless destruction pitches humanity into darkness and gloom, we can’t stop them with guns or prayers but just as England seems to be doomed, microscopic germs indigenous to our planet kill off the Martian predators.

Fast forward ten years, and we see England transformed by reverse-engineering the abandoned Martian technology. This has made manufacturing much more efficient at the cost of thousands of jobs and poverty on an unprecedented scale. This leads on to a Sherlock Holmes-type story of the investigation into missing people in the capital. Yes, you guessed it, its all part of a government conspiracy to hide what really went on behind the scenes when the Martian invasion came to a dead stop.

This is a vivid and exciting version of the original story combined with a wonderful sequel that shows the implications of technological innovation on political aspirations to create a British Empire that will dominate the Solar System.

THE COMPLETE SCARLET TRACES VOLUME ONE / SCRIPT: IAN EDGINTON / ART: D’ISRAELI / LETTERS: D’ISRAELI  / PUBLISHER: 2000AD  / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Written by True Blood author Charlaine Harris, the Harper Connolly novels follow the exploits of their eponymous heroine, gifted by a lightning strike with the ability to sense corpses and intuitively ascertain what made them that way. After Harper discovers the body of a missing teenager she previously failed to locate and in a place neither of them had any reason to be, the coincidence is too unlikely to ignore, and pulls her into the mystery of what happened to the dead girl.

Adapting novels into comics is often a tricky process with variable results, but in the case of Grave Surprise it actually works quite well. Harris’ writing has a degree of matter-of-fact blandness to it, and so the colourful visuals allow the story to properly come alive in a way denied it by the novel’s prosaic prose. It also gives a far clearer portrayal of Harper’s abilities, each panel a brief but torturous flash of the suffering of the dying, the crushing weight of the visions engulfing her and their red tint highlighting the shock and pain of the violent deaths. The comic also grants better representation of the supporting characters, who in the novel are little more than an assortment of names without much to distinguish them. Now they also have faces to aid in telling them apart from their indistinct characterisation, better allowing you to appreciate their emotions.

A developing theme as the books progress is the awkward relationship between Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver, a morally dubious attraction growing between them. Regardless of its varying legality, you can’t deny there is a certain squick factor in the portrayal of mounting sexual tension between stepsiblings, and as the comic allows for the expression of greater character emotion necessary to the plot, so it also more clearly presents this questionable aspect.

The wide cast of peripheral characters allows for plenty of suspects, and enough details are dropped in at suitable junctures to allow you to accurately point the finger at the culprit ahead of time, although the climactic revelation is delivered in a cascade of poorly-paced exposition that brings the story to a lurching climax.

The transposition of Grave Surprise from book to comic ends up as a slight improvement on its source material, but as the book itself was rather mediocre to begin with, this isn’t really saying too much.

GRAVE SURPRISE / AUTHOR: CHARLAINE HARRIS, ROYAL MCGRAW / ARTIST: ILIAS KYRIAZIS, TAMRA BONVILLIAN / PUBLISHER: DYNAMITE / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 27TH
 

Issue three of Paul Cornell’s charming evocation of 1970s Doctor Who, starring the flamboyant Jon Pertwee, maintains the charm offensive initiated by its first two issues but with a couple of interesting nods towards the touchy-feely style of modern Who. Still trapped in Jo Grant’s multicoloured mindscape, the Doctor, communing with the micro-machine intelligence which has come to Earth with apparently hostile intent, is forced to confront the reason he remains tied to Earth despite the recent rescinding of his status as ‘exile’ by the Time Lords (the story takes place after the show’s tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors). Jo Grant effectively tells him he should just bugger off if he resents being a part of UNIT so much, but the Doctor has clearly forged some strong relationships during his time on Earth and isn’t in any hurry to break those ties completely. Meanwhile, Mike Yates grumbles to Sergeant Benton about his lack of headway in romancing Jo; “I don’t think she’s very interested… any minute now she’s going to hop into that box with the Doctor.” Poor Mike.

Meanwhile – it’s a busy issue – the Master has infiltrated UNIT with another of his handy face-masks, which leads to a hilarious fist fight between the Doctor and the Master as the pair utilise their Venusian Aikido and Martian kendo! The Second Doctor, we discover, has not been sent to help by the Time Lords, and has raced off on a frolic of his own – leading to another explosive full-panel final page which is as audacious and surprising as its first issue counterpart which threw the Second Doctor into the story’s mix in the first place.

The Heralds of Destruction remains great fun and Cornell is clearly having a great time teasing his story out only as much as necessary and relishing in bringing the Third Doctor and his family of friends and foes back to life for a very welcome victory lap. Silly and unpretentious and yet knowing and just about reverential enough, it’s established itself now as a ride we’re happy to chug along with to the bitter end.

DOCTOR WHO: THE HERALDS OF DESTRUCTION #3 / WRITER: PAUL CORNELL / ARTWORK: CHRIS JONES / PUBLISHER: TITAN COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

WIRED: Comic book promo from James Lundy on Vimeo.

In the first issue of Little Girl Black, teenager Cass was kidnapped by a sadist with a basement dungeon where he keeps a harem of captives for his debauched amusement. Seeing as this is now the middle stage of an abduction-abuse-vengeance sequence, it stands to reason that it’s also going to be the hardest to stomach, and the story doesn’t disappoint. Or to be more specific, it gives you exactly what you expect it will and doesn’t apologise for a moment. Now subjected to a regime of brutal torture, she remains fiery and defiant, and you have to wonder at where she draws such a strength of will to remain unbroken while enduring such an ordeal.

Despite the remorseless physical torments, even more disturbing is the accompanying psychological aspect. It’s not just that the girls have been beaten down into subjugated submission, their identity reduced to their appearance – Black, Blonde, Red and Chink – with the intent of dehumanising them by stripping them of everything that makes them who they are. The casual racism that last name signifies also extends to Cass, and you would be right in thinking that Black isn’t the only thing she gets called.

Through all this, “Daddy” seems to genuinely care for the fifth captive Mary, a little girl and the only one of them allowed a name. The clear affection he displays for her actually makes you hate him more for making you empathise with him and feel something towards him other than abject loathing, however minutely and briefly. He loves her like a true father would, and she reciprocates in kind, fiercely defensive of any criticism in the girls’ contemptuous attitudes towards him or from their behaviour lacking what she deems proper deference to the only kind of authority she has ever known.

In as positive a manner as the adjective can be used, Little Girl Black is repulsive and nauseating, and the simple act of pulling your way through the story actually makes you physically uneasy, almost as though the comic itself is silently judging you for having the shameless depravity to even consider reading it.

LITTLE GIRL BLACK #2 / AUTHOR: JAMES MCCULLOCH / ARTIST: PEDRO MENDES / PUBLISHER: COMICHAUS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

An experimental anthology comic that breaks convention, Sliced Quarterly is edited by Ken Reynolds who has worked on independent comics as a letterer; Reynolds has a campaign on Kickstarter to produce a trade paperback collecting all the previous issues. Each story depicts a slice of life, all very different in story and style, with independent writers and artists showcasing their skills and experiences.

This anthology really works in portraying the predicaments of our current society, our thoughts and feelings. Most of these stories will be relatable to someone somewhere. It’s great to see original work using different mediums and pushing the boundaries of storytelling. Some are short and sweet whiles others are filled with witty text and presented in unconventional styles. Many creators here have taken an unusual approach in order to get their story out whether it’s to try something new or because they’re without an artist. In theory it’s a great concept however it does seem these would have better fitted in a short story anthology. Many can argue that comics are and always should be an aesthetic medium of storytelling and some of these creators break that boundary, it’s great to experiment and explore all the outlets in comics but it feels too forced on some occasions in this anthology. On the other hand, a few of these stories are very much like short art house films; there is a lot of drama, a lot of colour, but little plot. Despite all this, you can see the passion behind these creators and their love for the medium which makes this anthology unique.

For comic fans that enjoy reading more independent work should take a look at Sliced Quarterly to find something out of the ordinary. This anthology is also great for people working or wanting to work in comics to experience original work, it’s refreshing and inspiring as comics have very little boundaries for those with imagination. To top it off there are two extra stories taken from two anthologies published by WP Comics that may not match the theme of Sliced Quarterly but are very fun and original nonetheless.

SLICED QUARTERLY / ARTWORK & WRITERS: VARIOUS / EDITOR: KEN REYNOLDS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

It’s been a great year for the creative team behind Madius Comics and, not content with the overwhelming success of their Griff Gristle Kickstarter, a sixth issue of Papercuts & Inkstains has been unleashed. It’s a special treat, a bumper issue so thick that staples cannot take it, presented in a gorgeous cover by Angela Sprecher that evokes the VHS movie casings of old.

Inside are four feature-length stories written by Jones and Sambrook, all tips of their hats to films and TV shows that they have found inspiring. The issue kicks off with the craziest coffee break ever, a cross between Indiana Jones and The Apprentice. Our hero is a new starter tasked with a crucial quest; on her way she encounters various obstacles, which must be defeated by using only the items she’s been able to take from the office. It’s a blast, superbly drawn by Angela Sprecher, and anyone with a quiet moment in the workplace may find themselves renaming their stationery.

Eton Mess introduces us to another action hero in the form of Mrs Petunia Morley of the Women’s Institute. She’s more than she seems and, when alien creatures start to cause chaos at a fete in her village, it’s up to her to save the day. Darren Stevens does a great job with the art, starting with a 1950’s look to everything before the madness descends. Fans of The Thing will love this, but it also deserves praise for the possibly the best use of an umbrella in comic book history.

Where’d Wendigo is a tale of a creature in the woods, which owes much to Predator. Ceri Harvey’s art evokes a manga feel, while the script is witty and warm as it pokes gentle fun at various genres. Profits of Doom completes this issue, and if you thought it couldn’t get any more bonkers, then you’re in for a surprise. Mike Smith’s art has gone from strength to strength, and this time there are guest artists who add to the otherworldly nature of it all as our heroes go inter-dimensional.

Griff Gristle was going to be a tough act to follow, and the team has done brilliantly here. Their enjoyment in creating both art and script is evident, and they’ve succeeded in introducing new characters that readers will want to see again. There’s more to come in 2017, and we’re teased with next issue’s theme of love, which we’re sure will be delightfully twisted.

PAPERCUTS AND INKSTAINS 6 / WRITERS: ROB JONES, MICHAEL SAMBROOK / ARTWORK: ANGELA SPRECHER, DARREN STEPHENS, CERI HARVEY, MIKE SMITH / PUBLISHER: MADIUS COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW