MOUSETRAP

By Alex Ness
December 26, 2021

I am waiting to return from hiatus when most able.  That isn't presently now.  I had to have life saving surgery upon my neck and the pain in the run up was brutal.  So my outlook has been limited, and my interest in any interaction has been minimal.

Until now, that is.  

Over the last 45 years of reading, and more than 35 years of communicating with author Alan Dean Foster has led me to a very deep and abiding love for his work, and great appreciation for the person he is, and for what he stands for.  Creative artists have long been stolen from in contracts by publishers.  Publishers have occasionally acted for the good of the art, but often not.  

When Disney purchased the creative properties of the Star Wars and Alien franchises and more, they wanted to buy the harvest fruit of the seed planted by others.  But when they bought these franchises they took upon themselves the debts of the previous franchise owners.  Alan Dean Foster co-wrote or ghost wrote Star Wars, wrote A Splinter of the Mind's Eye, and The Approaching Storm, and he is owed royalties for the sales of the books he wrote as per the letter of the contract.  He wrote the novelizations of the movies in the Alien franchise.  Had I not read all the books I might well have seen the movies, but after I had read them I had a greater love and affection for each.

I've been hosed by two publishers.  What they owe me probably is less than a month for what Foster is owed by Disney, but I still refuse contact and polite words for those publishers.  While I acknowledge I can make mistakes too, this isn't about mistakes.  It is about intent.  Disney wants the fruit of the labors, but doesn't wish to pay those who planted the trees or their seeds.

DISNEY MUST PAY

Use this hashtag on Twitter and wherever else hashtags have an effect.  #Disneymustpay

Before anyone suggests I'm only doing this because I appreciate Foster's writing, you'd be wrong.  I've sallied forth into numerous Pyrrhic battles if not Pyrrhic victories. *  I protested New Coke. I marched against Apartheid.  I boycotted DC Comics after they refused to publish a comic by Alan Moore.  I will now protest Disney.  

The Link to follow The Mouse Must Pay.

*Ne ego si iterum eodem modo vicero, sine ullo milite Epirum revertar.
"Another such victory and I come back to Epirus alone."  Orosius

SOMETHING WORTH BREAKING HIATUS TO SHARE

If you've been following this blog, you'll remember that I've shared a number of anniversaries of note about the comic book Savage Dragon.  I've also interviewed the creator of the comic, Erik Larsen, who also is one of the founders of IMAGE Comics.

Savage Dragon #252 features some amazing parodies of the newspaper cartoons known also as The Funnies.  I cannot tell you enough how fun this comic is.  For all of the world's dark heroes, Larsen taps a vein of joy.  

And who doesn't need more joy in their life?  I recommend this for everyone needing to feel the joy that comics can bring.

 

BEYOND LOVECRAFT

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Sept. 17, 2020 Asylum Press announces the release of Beyond Lovecraft: An Anthology of fiction inspired by H.P.Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos by writer/artist Frank Forte     Los Angeles, CA – Asylum Press announces the release of Beyond Lovecraft: An Anthology of fiction inspired by H.P.Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos by writer/artist Frank Forte.  Beyond Lovecraft: An Anthology of fiction inspired by H.P.Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos is written by Frank Forte (Lovecraft Country, Conjuring 3, Insidious: The Last Key, Heavy Metal Magazine). This collection of terrifying tales takes us to the edge of the worlds of H.P. Lovecraft and beyond. Lovecraft has inspired writers, artists, video game creators, board game creators, comic book artists and feature film directors.  This collection features:   “The Experiment” tells the tale of a Cold War military medical examiner who receives the task of doing an autopsy on a victim of a biogenetic weapon.     “Asphinxiation” is the horrid story of an archaeologist who travels to Egypt and discovers something terrifying inside the mysterious Sphinx.   “The House At The End of the Street” recalls the ghastly account of a man trying desperately to overcome his childhood fears.   “Dead Thing” is a grim reminder to stay away from carcasses you may find in the deep dark woods.   "The Connection" takes us inside the mind of a mad doctor who thinks he has just created man’s next evolutionary phase.   “Incident at the Haxford Inn” recounts a gruesome tale of a curious reporter who dares to investigate a haunted hotel.   Any many more horrifying stories can be found in its pages! Available NOW: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F1K8GFM H.P. Lovecraft's trademark fantastical creatures and supernatural thrills, as well as many horrific and cautionary science-fiction themes, have influenced some of today's important writers and filmmakers, including Stephen King, Alan Moore, F. Paul Wilson, Guillermo del Toro, and Neil Gaiman.    Included in this volume are stories inspired by “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward,” "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," "The Color Out of Space," "The Dunwich Horror," "Re-Animator", "From Beyond" and many more hair-raising tales. Beyond Lovecraft is a website that chronicles all things Lovecraft. https://www.beyondlovecraft.com/ About Asylum Press Asylum Press is a publishing company that produces premium books, comic books and graphic novels within the horror, science fiction, fantasy, thriller and action genres. We then maximize the value of these branded properties by extending them across multiple media platforms, including movies, TV, and video games, often using transmedia storytelling techniques and social networking to reach a much broader audience than traditional comic book publishers do. Our books feature original, character-driven stories and cinematic artwork by top creators and newly discovered talent that will appeal to not only comic book fans, but also mainstream fiction readers who don't normally buy comics.   Over the last year, we’ve worked hard to recruit the best artists we can find from around the world and team them up with professional screenwriters to create exceptional material that will captivate readers. We believe quality still matters in this industry.   Asylum Press delivers high-concept books via a business model that focuses on digital publishing and new distribution outlets in both the American and international markets. About Frank Forte   Frank Forte is an accomplished writer, designer, storyboard artist and comic book artist. Frank’s film and TV credits include: Lovecraft Country, Fantasy Island, Solar Opposites, Dreamwork’s 3Below, Bob’s Burgers, Insidious 4, Lego: Guardians of the Galaxy, Despicable Me 2, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, The Super Hero Squad Show, Marvel Heroes 4D, and Lego Hero Factory. Frank’s comic book credits include: Heavy Metal Magazine, Bob’s Burgers, Warlash, DTOX, Zombie Terrors and Chicken Soup For Satan among others.   Frank also writes books and novels. His two anthologies Beyond Lovecraft and Beyond Doomsday can be purchased on Amazon.com and through bookstores nationwide.

STORM KING'S NIGHT TERRORS LINE PREMIERES WITH GRAVEYARD MOON

(Los Angeles, CA) Ghastly Multi-award-winning  publisher Storm King Comics is launching a new line of graphic novels that are exclusively self-contained stories. The first release in the line is John Carpenter’s Night Terrors: Graveyard Moon (ISBN: 978-1733282130) which hits comic stores September 9th and book trade September 22nd. This full color 72 page trade follows the crew of a cargo ship that transports the dead for burial on a designated Graveyard Moon who find themselves overwhelmed by unspeakable horror… surrounded by the ghosts of the dead they carry. Signed copies are available at www.stormkingcomics.com.  Storm King Comics CEO Sandy King Carpenter explains “Sometimes an idea is so good you just have to figure out a way to make things happen. Night Terrors is the line that lets us develop stories that just don’t fit into our other lines. As soon as the phrase ‘space graveyard’ came up I was hooked. When you see a Night Terrors release you will know that in those pages it is a story so unique that there was no other choice but to ensure it made its way to fans.” Title: John Carpenter's Night Terrors: Graveyard Moon Price: $14.99 Format: Soft Cover, Full Color 72 pages Creators: Steve Niles (Author), Sandy King (Editor), Steve Scott (Artist), Rodney Ramos(Artist), Lovern Kindzierski (Artist), Kelley Jones (Artist) Audience: Mature Genre: Horror, Action, Adventure Description: In the not so far future, Earth no longer has space for graveyards. Callisto, a rocky moon of Jupiter, has become designated as the graveyard planet, but only the wealthy can afford a proper burial there. Cooper and his longtime crew prepare to transport a load of the dead, having flown this route many times over. But their routine trip to the graveyard moon is disrupted by deception and greed… and they find themselves under siege by the ghosts of the dead they carry. About Storm King Comics Storm King Comics, formed in 2012 as a division of Storm King Productions, is headed by writer/producer and editor Sandy King. Along with her husband, director John Carpenter, King focuses on bringing the best writers from the worlds of comics, movies and novels together to bring their special brand of horror and sci-fi entertainment to comics. Their flagship comic book title John Carpenter’s Asylum has become a global fan favorite, followed by the award-winning annual anthology, John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction and most recently John Carpenter's Night Terrors. Storm King Comics-Every Dream Should Be A Nightmare

Youtube Channels/Podcasts and Authors

I was asked if I was ever going to do a podcast related to my writing career.  The answer to that is no for me as a podcaster, but perhaps limitedly as guest. But I do think there are fine writers and artists to follow.

MARK FELTON

An Historian's Channel

One of the problems on youtube and podcasts is that most people doing podcasts and channels aren't trained in the area they consider.  Now, I am not an elitist, and I celebrate the internet for allowing journalism and research for everyone who is able to read and watch.  But in the case of history, you rarely find someone who knows the facts and can present the same, in ways that are accurate in areas of statistics and historical fact, and still make them interesting for a general audience and for those who are fans or deeply interested readers of such information.  (The term history "buff" comes to mind.)

Mark Felton doesn't appeal to the viewer who wants a quick silly or weird take on the information in question.  However, I am a historian, and read others, and it is generally agreed upon, Mark Felton makes no mistakes, informs and entertains, and has a tone of interest that feels adult, apt, and learned.

I've also been a fan of the books by Mark Felton.  My field areas of study are relatively different than Mark Felton, but my avocation and interest are military history. Where history is concerned I am greatly interested in the greatest conflict of human kind, in areas of diplomacy, strategy, and the day to day facts of conflagrations such as the war of the Eastern Front or the war in China before the beginning of the war in the Pacific.

This author is well worth investing yourself in.

Youtube Channel
Youtube Audio Channel

FALL OF CIVILIZATION

This is a detailed, intelligent, worthwhile podcast with numerous ways to access it.  I confess, when I first listened to it, I was expecting something else, but, it is extreme in factual use, voice actors, overall paradigms considered, and worth your time if you have an hour to invest in a single subject from ancient history.  It adds slowly, so I am aware it might be a long wait between new editions.

Podcast

Review City: Beginning, Introducing and Stray

Introducing/For Beginners
By various writers and artists
Published by numerous publishers

I've been in academia, briefly, and I made a couple attempts to get the course I taught to feature intelligently written new kinds of media to share with students.  The written word is great, films are great, but comics break ideas down to a level that learning can be had, without it feeling, as it usually does, as being taught by someone in person.  I had no success getting those works into the courses I taught. (For those curious: Intro to Humanities 101, Intro to Political Science, American History after 1876, and European History after the Franco Prussian War). However much that was true, and I was disappointed for that, I did have book reports as part of the curriculum and for those, I was absolutely accepting graphic novels of serious subjects.  Not many people took advantage of those, but, those who did absolutely gained understandings of some rather deep subject matters.

For my part, if someone is looking for a way to perceive a concept, or a basic subject matter, finding one of these books is a good way to begin the journey. As I have a few degrees people have asked me where to go for the best works about _____ and often I'll suggest, if you are wanting to get a quick understanding of a concept, go for these to get it, without getting the slowed down prose didactic instruction that can drag its ass for so long.  The best of the books is Food For Beginner's because it is easily illustrates certain issues that are likely not those considered by the reader before reading the book.  Susan George writes a very quick moving and illustrative account, where the basic themes are clear and concise. Now, of course these aren't about superheroes or vigilantes.  They don't use much fiction to explain what they are aimed upon doing.  But, for a person trying to gain a level of understanding, if not mastery, these are a wonderful source.

What might derail enjoyment of these works or give pause, isn't the quality, or the depth, but the tendency for these works to come from the solid left side of the political equation.  I always think bias is important to note, but once noting it the information remains important to understand, but, I am aware some people think facts and analysis become polluted by bias.  I disagree.  As an instructor and to a slightly lesser extent as a reader, simply, I think it is by far better to know it is there and move around it, if that needs doing, than to perceive no bias, and be persuaded by a work that simply better at integrating the creative artist's bias.

Stray Toasters
By Bill Sienkiewicz
Published by Epic Marvel

Stray Toasters has an imaginative story, using art that is both beautiful and disturbing.  It tells of a violent criminal and the criminal psychologist trying to first understand the crimes, and then presumably, trying to stop the crimes.  However, there is a narrative from a dark force, perhaps a demonic being, the family of a man, who might be the devil, and people who come into their lives. I try to avoid spoilers in the descriptions of considered works, but here what I've written doesn't tell you anything you wouldn't know but, there are people who read the series, back when, and told me, they had no clue what it was about.  So if the little I wrote helps, good.

There is a degree of symbolism found in the series Stray Toasters that might be dangerous to certain minds. With a story told, directly, but with symbols and less than photo representative work, you can interpret such stories less precisely than straight forward works. I've been told that you can't read Stray Toasters like a person reads most comics, that people who love comics might think this is a pretentious work, or just confusing. But I disagree.  However, layers in comics sometimes work against each additional or previous layer.  It is certainly a work that isn't easily dissected.

I thought of this work as deep when I'd first read it.  30 years since, what do I think?  Well I think of it less as deep now, and more as an attempt to be deep. What I confused as being a layer was a more clumsy application of more story.  I understand that some love it, some hate it, it is exactly as people perceive as far as if it is rewarding or not.  I am not saying I think it isn't a good work, just one with less magic and depth as when I first read it.  It might be that I've gotten older and less interested in the story being told, I certainly didn't remember the story when rereading it. And, while I admire the art work, the story telling is less than concise, and less rewarding upon taking a deeper look at it all. I vastly admire the artist's hand, as Bill Sienkiewicz is a great artist, but as a writer he is not as gifted.

If I gave this work a B+ in the past I'd say I'd now give it a B-.  But I avoid grades unless I have to, been there and done that.

ABOUT GETTING REVIEWS FROM ME

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

Review City Superhero Novels

The Life of a Semi Professional Writer

Since I am going to keep reviewing or offering creative works for the reader's consideration, I think it might behoove us to be on the same page.

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

My heart isn't into tearing things apart out of a desire to show my mastery over the creative person, or the work they've created. In fact, most of the time, if not all, it will seem that I appreciate all the works but that is far from true. In many cases when doing a review/offering it is positive because I know that I couldn't do anything nearly as well.  Someone writing me wondered the point of doing this if I always like things. Well I don't like everything. I collect very little now and that might be argued that I have even more narrow tastes than when I started reviewing 20 years ago.  I just chose to focus on the good works, since the world is flooded with stuff that just isn't interesting to me.

I almost never sell the works sent for review, I often give them to people, but if I do either, it is only after I've reviewed it.  In the past I received so many items I had to not review all or it'd meant I'd go batshit crazy.  Two works come to mind with regrets.  One was a richly produced work, it was beautiful as products go, but it had absolutely nothing but pretty pictures inside, with nothing like a story.  When I wrote to the publisher they were pissed but understood my options were post a negative review or post a mention without details, saying it was available.  Another case happened when a person sent a really badly produced work without a story and so many typos and misspellings it was worse than a 3rd grader's art project that received a 5/10, and a C for effort.  I wrote to that person too, thanked them for the chance to read it, but I didn't want to review it.  They sent, actually sent me a letter with a death threat.  In retrospect guess I should have known.

Comments from the Crowd

Some emails received have had the writer of such asking these questions.  Their words are in bold.

Why bother doing reviews of old works or those that no one gives a sh!t about?

I received works to consider and reviewed them. If you refer to the "Books you might have missed" Review City entry, I've wanted to create a weekly place to review, and having old works allows me to bring up and discuss works that might have slipped passed the buyers when they came out, or, introduce them to a new generation of readers.

I don't see why anyone would send you things for review.  I can do it, why not have them send me free stuff?  What makes you so god damned special?

I am someone who has, in some fashion or another, written reviews since 2000.  As such I am a known commodity, and outside of one review that was written and I'd missed a notice that it should have come with a content warning, I think I am fair and worthwhile paying attention toward.  As a person who writes, in many capacities it might be I have skills some publishers appreciate.  (The book in question had lots of nudity, some violence and other mature themes, and I couldn't believe it hadn't a label.  Turns out that the publisher sent every comic news source a notice of that being a mistake, but I'd missed it.)

Aren't your reviews just a giant blow job for the creator or publisher?  Get down on your knees and start blowing!

The idea presented by the emailer here is exactly why I remind readers that I am knowingly offering a work that I like, or in direct review, that I want to give the book more attention.  In the cynical days of the present, people often prefer attacks or commentary describing how horrible the work in question was.  I am not that kind of reviewer.  I've never blown anyone, not even my self.  And I think by being honest where I come from, that you as an unhappy reader should either find a reviewer you like, or write your own.  I actually dislike the vast amounts of negativity that are found in the world of comic reviews.  I realize I am in the minority or at least that it seems to me to be the case.

When I read your interviews I sense you don't think of yourself as being better than the creators interviewed.  That is great.  When I read your reviews I have found that you and I have very different sets of taste.  How do you think we, the reader, should read your reviews? Are they for a critical minded person, or a general minded someone who needs to know what you think we need to know? (No offense intended, I am someone who has read your reviews for a decade and a half and while you've guided me to gems I missed or would never have found, I think we are really different people.)

I have always said, in order to find reviews that you think reflect your outlook, find someone who is similar in intellect or education, and read them with that in mind. I have had lots more education than many, for good or bad.  I don't see myself as here to write a list of books that suck or should be added to the hall of greatness.  Comics are fun, if you like a subject matter maybe my reviews will give a clue if you'll like it or not.  I don't believe, however much I work and try my best writing, that comics are a higher art form than movies or books, or music or any other means of expression.  I write about them because I love the medium.

Books for Review

NEXUS: A NOVEL
By Mike Baron
Cover Art Steve Rude
Copy provided by the Publisher/Talent

500 years from now there is a man, Horatio Hellpop, who has been allowed to grow up in a setting that preserves a certain innocence or understanding of moral clarity.  His father, however, was a mass murderer.  Horatio has been given a power, that is immense, through contact with an alien species, on the moon Ylum.  The power, however, comes with an immense consequence to him.  He is given the power so that he might be an executioner of the guilty, those who have killed many, and with malice, and he learns his great responsibility of such work, through dreams that torment him until he completes his task.  His first execution is of his murderous father. And the devastation of knowing his duty, versus being seen by others as a murderer, causes him to become both more than any other human, and to some extent, losing some of his humanity in the process.

This story in particle features an event that should be transformative in the career of Nexus.  While he is off his moon Ylum hunting down mass murderers, a godlike being, called Gourmando has chosen to destroy and consume Ylum. Nexus is being who acts in response to his dreams, in order to escape the emotional and mental pain of the quest, as well as an obvious sense of moral outrage towards the subjects he hunts. For him, while Ylum is his home, and it has occupants other than him and friends, he is forced to make a decision, rid himself of the torment and finish his hunt, or return to Ylum, where he would try to defeat the godlike being and save his home.

This isn't a rehash of other Nexus stories, found in comics, it has a power of word that goes far beyond the comic stories of Nexus, because you get different kinds of insights into the character and nature of Nexus.  I've heard from people who have read both Baron's Nexus and Badger, that they love Badger, because he is easy to understand, but that Nexus seems distant and aloof from our understanding.  With this book, without depending upon image to move the story forward, Baron gives ample reasons to wish to follow the hero, gives a context for the struggle between his need to complete his quest, versus his human desires, in this case, the salvation of his home.

I think this book would work for anyone interested in a powerful tale of a flawed but brilliant character.  The writing is superb.  The characters are wonderfully imagined.  And the pace is so quick, you feel like you are reading a movie.

THE SHADOW
The Living Shadow
The Black Master
The Mobsmen on the Spot
By Maxwell Grant (pen name for Walter Gibson)
Cover art by Jim Steranko

I have included the first three volumes of the series The Shadow because compared to almost any other substantive work, of similar quality, these have a reading speed that is like lightning striking.  I became interested in the character of the Shadow around the age of 8 years old.  His use of violence to punish wrong doers along with some mystic abilities to see into the heart of men/women/foe, he is a very direct, powerful, active agent for forces of law, and if somewhat less for actual justice.

In all of the Shadow stories I've read, the criminals and evil doers come from a swath of stereotypical groups, commonly known enemies of the police, and exotic masters of evil networks.  In themselves they are frightening in their interests and their crimes.  Eventually, to the modern eye, they fail to be more than the stereotype.  I still liked the stories, but, I could see where someone in the present would read these stories and find them, dated.

These works are very well written and construct a dark world that only a hero of the sort of The Shadow is, can destroy that enemy. Somewhat due to his unwillingness to compromise, and somewhat due to how he acts from a moral certainty, it is an electric sort of action.  However, ... the story of the day was written with a shorthanded sort of expression.  I didn't find it sexist or racist, but someone younger and with less desire to be challenged by a story, I think some would find this to be less satisfying due to those sort of terms and characters.  As much as I loved it, I doubt others would in the present world.

DICK TRACY
Goes to War
Meets his Match
The Secret Files (An anthology)
By Max Allan Collins, also as editor in Secret Files, and others

This is a very quick take on these three books.  Not because they weren't good, they were quite excellent. But, they came out in celebration of the movie Dick Tracy, by Warren Beatty.  I have to say, I loved them, but I don't know many other people who love Dick Tracy, and more, those who liked the movie enough to read more, or to enjoy the really fine writing by Max Allan Collins. I say this because you need to love the era of Dick Tracy to appreciate the novels of his life. And you have to think more broadly in terms of asking yourself is this a comic book novelization or is Dick Tracy a character who works primarily in the colorful world of comics.  Having said that, I loved the Dick Tracy comic strips I read, I loved the movie, and especially with Dick Tracy Goes to War I found a character in a master's hands that returned the reader back to the age of World War Two, and the home front world's issues with thieves, cheaters, counterfeiters, enemy agents/saboteurs and kidnappers.  As a historian by degree, I found it truly unique. Sadly, I've come to realize others wouldn't care nearly so much as I do, and so I offer a recommendation of these, but to a crime fiction and newspaper comics characters fan.

Review City: Books you might have missed

If you created and published or were published by someone else, a comic and have a pdf of the series, I will consider it.  If you contact me and send me a hard copy version, I will review it.

My email address is Alexanderness63@gmail.com and I answer serious emails.  Hatemail not so much.

I am going to semi regularly post reviews of books that have been on the shelf a while, that I think are either more popular than they deserved to be, or never received the attention they should have received.  They will be books I bought or somehow acquired, and are not sent to me from publishers or talent.  These offerings will likely still skew to the positive, as I don't buy copies of tpbs I didn't expect to enjoy, and don't keep in mind books that didn't move me. However, over time we'll discover some works that didn't work for me.

BLACK ORCHID
By Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean  Published by DC Comics

The Black Orchid was a character who represented a great many possibly good character good ideas, but was rarely ever been done in a way that is worthy of her concept.  This was a work that was very in line with the modernization of DC characters found in the later 80s, and was a work I wanted to read when I heard about it from the very beginning.  For those who are not familiar, up until the currently considered mini series, Black Orchid had powers that were ill defined, and varied from all powerful to being simply mysterious and without definition or limits.  When Neil Gaiman wrote the character in the mini series he gave her a new raison d'etre, a new concept entirely of being. She is a form of a spirit of nature, who perceived herself as such, but had human memories. The story fleshes out and gives reason for all her powers, and it includes solving her own murder, or her human form's murder.  She is far more powerful in ways, but also less so, since by defining her powers writers thereafter had to work within a limit.

I should say, one reason I bought this is because I really did enjoy the character, however poorly done in prior comics.  In this work I loved the art by Dave McKean. And I mostly liked the story. But, in certain ways I'll not describe since they are part of the character's new story and you should read it yourself, she is given a new life but it is similar in ways to the Swamp Thing of Alan Moore.  And while I thought it was done well, I honestly liked the lack of origin, so giving it a form and aim, I felt less love for her.  The story itself was fine.  The art was glorious.  So, if you come into the series without pre-knowledge of her, I think you'd love it.  However, that wasn't my experience.

DOMOVOI
By Peter Bergting  Published by Dark Horse Comics

The Domovoi are powerful, sometimes malevolent spirits, and they threaten Stockholm, Sweden. A cat and its friendly humans walk through their world and become aware of the world they cannot directly see.  Over time the characters encounter delightful but also demonic spirits and beings, and there is a sort of fantasy tale here that attempts to show a collection of chapters that tell stories and unite at the end of the reading to create a world, similar to our own, but different.  There is here a sort of fantasy tales coming true, but, I'd suggest that we might be seeing a fantasy version of Stockholm too.  (I don't know, just saying it might be.)

I love the artwork of Peter Bergting. I also enjoy his story telling but, his dialogue is somewhat difficult. He is Swedish writing an English language book and I suspect the Swedish version is perfect. If you are a story first and art second sort of reader, it might feel like it didn't succeed as a straight forward work. I think it worked, and if not perfect in flow or dialogue, I could follow it quite well.  I should also say, I realize that even if the images and story telling flow of them are perfect, having difficulty with the dialogue could derail a person's enjoyment.  One last thing, you might think fairy tales must be for children, or if you are familiar with the form realize there is a darkness in most, and adults are the real target audience with the original sorts.  It has a feel that is one thing but delivers another, and while I had no issues with that, I am certain others might well have.

LORE
Ashley Wood, T.P. Louise  Published by IDW

"In times past, the world was full of mythical creatures — creatures long since banished and held at bay by the secret society of Shepherds. But when the generational line of Shepherds is broken, a reluctant hero finds her life threatened from every quarter. And the creatures are coming back..."

This work is a tale that mixes two distinct worlds, one of dark fantasy and supernatural, the other of normal and every day reality.  It has a X-Files feel, but it also has a feeling of Pan's Labyrinth and various original or vintage fairy tales written hundreds of years ago.  A group keeps humanity safe from the dark creatures, but, at the same time there are intrusions showing that the perimeter isn't safe, and who knows when the next attack or breakthrough will occur.  The main protagonist is a person who sees themselves as a normal everyday person, but the narrative requires a hero, and so, much like Byronic heroes, a self perceived flawed hero steps forward at a cost to her self.

Just as with every book presented here, the reception of this book was highly divided between the haters and lovers of it.  Those who love Ashley Wood's art tended to forgive a hard to follow narrative, while those who needed straight forward story telling regardless of the quality of art needed something more simple, more easy to follow.  I am in neither camp.  I liked the story, and I loved the art.  I had no problem with following it, and think people hunger for easy answers when if they'd just read it, instead of depending on visual cues, famous in comics, they'd absorb a deep, moving story. But, I should note, whether I loved it or not doesn't matter.  If I am writing this for the enjoyment of others, I'd say if your thing is superheroes and black and white morals, you'd probably find this a mess.  If you like DC/Vertigo offerings or comics from the more alternative and independent side, you will probably like this.  I was asked once when speaking about it if it is like the comic Fables, and it kind of is.  But whereas I read Fables and thought it was ok, the book Lore moves me.

PLASTIC FORKS
By Ted McKeever     Published originally by Epic/Marvel Comics

The quick description would be that the world found in Plastic Forks is one where scientists work to replace human parts with machinery, a goal in the future to be able to extend life with human made parts. But in reality, this is a dystopia wherein science tries to replicate life, not with machines, but with its very own creations.  As with Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the premise is not what was done, but the idea that, who are we, as humans, to try to replace natural existence with our own mechanical constructs.  Human flesh is to be replaced by artifice and to the extent that this happens, they take it one step further, trying to replace sex organs with machines that are meant to create a new sort of human. The title Plastic Forks could have more meaning than this, but, I think it is a reference to the use and discard world humans were only beginning to create in the era in which this was written/created.

I know people who absolutely despised this work, for the story but mostly those who hated it was for the non photo real art. There are reasons I get this, after all, comics are meant to entertain and for most stories there is a distinct need to be clear in image. This was a story that challenges the mind and perhaps our world views, and it did so in a style of art that is not, for some, easy to digest. However, as you might have suspected by the fact I said I know people, instead of saying I despised this, I loved it.  Jackson Pollock one of my favorite artists once said the modern art is meant to reflect the emotions and ideas of humans. How can art capture the reality of the nuclear bomb, or massacres or the death camps of World War Two?  It is done by showing the distortion and abstraction found in this style. McKeever might have been reaching too far for some, I know many people who couldn't figure out what the book was about. But if you think about things, you might like it, or, it might drive you mad.  One way or the other, you'll have a response.

REVIEW CITY

(This edition of Poplitiko features a few review offerings to consider.  It is a happy day since I've done reviews online and written about comics since the year 2000.  The sites I wrote for across the net were many, but they primarily were Slushfactory, PopThought, and RobinGoodfellow.  At one point I did reviews, interviews and commentary for 5 or 6 sites per month.

I can be found at alexanderness63@gmail.com if you wish me to consider your work for review.  If you prefer to send digital I might cover it, but also reserve the right not to do so.  If you contact me for me street address and send me print material, I will cover it.

I should say, I used to try to sift through the vast numbers of comics to review and present the ones I had most enjoyed, and it seemed that I had loved every comic ever produced.  It was not the case.  In the most awesome months I received dozens and dozens of items for review.  It didn't mean I could cover that many, so I did try to harvest the best of the offerings.

I do not promise positive reviews, for example, someone once sent me what would be a considered an amateurish collection of self drawn porn that had no story.  I wasn't interested in reviewing that.  So I wrote him explaining why not, and offered to send the product back.  He never responded.

All items presented, and art from them are copyright that of the creative artists or the publishers of them.  Click on images to make larger.  All review items provided by publisher.)

SONATA Volume 1: Valley of the Gods

By David Hine, Brian Haberlin, Geirrod Vandyke  Published by Shadowline/Image

I'd been familiar with Hine and Haberlin from Spawn and other works.  I appreciated their efforts on Spawn a great deal, but I am a fan of Hine's various works at different publishers most especially. Sonata came to my attention when interviewing David Hine.  The first look images from the work reminded me of Arzach from Moebius, Nausicaa from Hiyao Miyazaki and Taarna from Heavy Metal.  But if there was a similarity of look, there was in this is a complex thoughtful work. A world system is occupied by two different species. Avoiding the easy stereotype, the look of each is not a guarantee of moral ethic found in the species. Rans and Tayans live in something less than a happy coexistence. There is no guarantee of trust, far less of cooperation. The world they live upon is contested, for it and various regions have become to each race/species their perceived chosen and promised land.

This isn't a comic fantasy version of the state of Palestine/Israel versus the Arab/Islamic world. Even as much as it might be easy to attempt to apply a real world label upon it, it is a story about discovery, new creatures or old gods, whichever version appeals to you, and a forbidden beginning of a romance between a rebel and a possible villain.

What I think

The premise: This is a legendary tale, told with depth and grace.  I want to know far more.

The writing:  I think that there is a complexity in the concept that goes a long way, that is highly appropriate for the creation of a new sort of fantasy. That we find adventure and romance? That is a piece of the story telling that functions as comfort food.

The art: Nothing here that I say about the art should be taken as my being dismissive or negative. It's clean, clear, emotive, and worthy of appreciation. More so, I see it as being perfectly apt for a fantasy tale, exhibiting action and world views that are powerful. Yes I like the art of this work, it tells a story well, in classic form, and remains masterfully detailed.

MARKED Volume 1: Fresh Ink

By David Hine, Brian Haberlin, Geirrod Vandyke Published by Shadowline/Image

They are an ancient group, an order of magic, of sorts, of tattooed people have powers related to the ink etched upon their skin. As a first look at this book I figured I was in for a combination plate of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, and equal portions of DC's Tattooed Man (as found in the Vertigo/DC Comics title Skin Graft among appearances in the DC Universe.) I was wrong mostly, but not entirely. And that is a good thing. The idea that powers coming from the image on their body is not wrong. But The Marked follows an ancient order, devoted to a fight against evil, but, not by the norm found in the comic book superhero world, that is, by muscles and testosterone (didn't even need spellcheck on that word), rather by magic, by emotional intuition, and intelligent response. The ancient extent of their order means that while the present generation has a fascination with body ink, this draws from the historical, fictional, and human species experience with the power of image, especially when placed upon the body. When the order chooses an enemy that is part of a certain government, there is a mental smirk, as, there is a powerful amount of information found when a country's government is seen by the authors as the source of evil, if it is corrupted, or if it is by design.  And by that choice of an enemy, the goodness of the order seems to fight for a righteousness that goes beyond the black and white short hand PC world that the politically divided sides of America have been mindwiped to accept.

What I think:

The premise: The premise of the power of ink is worthy of being explored, if for no other reason, than the human experience, and the power of magic.

The writing:  I would use the word glib to suggest that the dialogue is quick, hard hitting and apt, but, quite differently than Sonata, it isn't nearly so lyrical, or dramatic.  It leads to a reading that is quick and effective, but, less beloved, on my part at least.  However, it reads easily for the fact that it is well done.

The art:  The art style is complimented by the colors used, as would seem to me to be ideal for a comic about body art, animated or otherwise.  I would say, however, that while the fantasy positive art in Sonata felt almost timeless in the perfection of image, it didn't work as well in The Marked when showing the action demanded by the story.  It seemed like faces and emotions were done well, but action seems less well done.

BLACK GHOST: The Hard Revolution

By Alex Segura, Monica Gallagher, Greg Lockard, Greg Smallwood, George Kambadais, Marco Finnegan, Ellie Wright, Taylor Esposito Published by New Wave Comics

Whatever you might think about a costumed hero, or villain for that matter, in order to read a comic book featuring the same it requires an immediate acceptance of the concept, or it will never work.  I love comics, have loved superheroes and villains, and for the most part I accept that as part of the whole. A suspension of disbelief or belief is always necessary in fiction, since it tells us a story we hope to never have heard before. As there is in this many changes from normal comic book fare, I believe to appeal to and pursue the new audiences for comics, women lead characters, lesbian love, internet and intrigue, all could be seen as being a politically correct venture.  But look beyond that to at least give the assembled work a chance.

In this story you find a Crime reporter who follows the exploits of a costumed vigilante called The Black Ghost.  The search for the truth moves quickly in a rush hour frenetic car chase way.  The story telling makes one want to know much more. There is a dark attraction, an information web of false hopes and secrets, innuendo, romantic false beliefs, and the evil love affair with alcohol, no matter how much it is a cheating lover.  And that the main players are women, adds to a certain level of discomfort of our expected archetypes, and that there is lesbianism, adds to a layer of outsider. In the end, ask yourself, in the current normal, what kind of vigilante behavior could exist that would thrill the outside world, challenge the corporate mindset, and drive a mystery to be solved?

What I think:

The premise:  I think if I had to purchase this book rather than had been given it to review, I might well have given it a pass. As a 56 year old old fart I am open to change, open to new things, but, when it is my money, I rarely follow a new opportunity.  Especially in the present of changed worlds, I think we pursue comfort in our relaxation.  So, even had I missed it if making the purchase, I am glad now to have read it.

The writing: I liked the writing on this most of all.  The characters seem well created, if they also speak like comic book characters they also reflect real life. That and the new heroes and ideals, offers a different kind of comic experience.

The art: Some might describe the art style of The Black Ghost as dynamic and exciting. I'd suggest it is less than that. I see it as simple, in a seemingly pure form of art. That isn't a complaint. It reveals action and nuance of emotion well, which is is a good thing. I will say, I am not a person who needs the art to be the highest form of quality to enjoy a comic.  While this is a style that worked, it has a way to go before I'd enjoy it as much as the current master of similar style, Mike Oeming. As a matter of fact, this work's look and modern sensibilities reminds me of Powers, a work Mike Oeming brought to life in art.