Ratings out of 5 Stars. Comics courtesy of Absolute Comics (Plaza Singapura) except for 8house #3.
8HOUSE #3
Story and art: Brandon Graham and Xurxo G. Penalta
Image Comics
One of the most exciting titles in the market now, 8house is a high level sci-fi concept series with rotating creatives and a different kind of scheduling. To quip: There are four 8HOUSE stories. Arclight is created by Marian Churchland and Brandon Graham, and its first two chapters ran in 8HOUSE #1 and #2. Kiem is created by Xurxo G. Penalta and Brandon Graham, and its first chapter ran in 8HOUSE #3. Yorris is created by Helen Maier and Fil Barlow, and its first two chapters will run in 8HOUSE #4 and #5. Finally, Mirror, created by Emma Ríos and the Malaysian artist, Hwei Lim, will run in its entirety from 8HOUSE #6-9. After that, the finales for the remaining stories will run early next year. Image explained that by staggering the chapters, the creators get the time to do the best possible looking books. Makes sense because 8HOUSE was announced in January 2014 but the first issue was only shipped this year. The brainchild of Brandon Graham (Prophet), all the stories take place in a shared universe, so it is ambitious and exciting. This issue was actually released on 2 September, but I just want to make sure you get the news here. #3 is a new storyline, so it is a good starting point. And Xurxo G. Penalta’s art has a dreamy Moebius feel to it.
(4.5 stars)
Hail Hydra #3
Story: Rick Remender
Art: Roland Boschi
Marvel Comics
With the continued popularity of the Agents of SHIELD TV series, anything Hydra is red hot. Strange Tales #135 (Aug 1965), the first appearance of Hydra, is going up in value as are the Steranko issues of SHIELD. Best of all, the IDW Artist’s Edition of SHIELD has just won a Harvey award for Best Reprint Project. Rumours have it that the third Captain America movie is called HYDRA.
So that’s why this title, Hail Hydra. It’s a chance for Rick Remender to continue his Dimension Z storyline of Arnim Zola controlling the entire world and the only one to stop him is his biological son, Ian Rogers, who was rescued by Captain America as a baby and raised to fight evil. The usual father vs son trope which we see in Invincible, Star Wars, etc. as Ian confronts Arnim Zola in this issue.
Hail Marvel!
(2.5 stars)
Ghost Racers #4
Story: Felipe Smith
Art: Juan Gedeon
Marvel Comics
Was talking to a friend last week about how we are not the target audience for most of the mainstream superhero comics these days. This is an example of it. You get lost in the storyline, you are not quite sure what’s happening and you can’t follow the action. It’s all too confusing. I didn’t know Robbie Reyes is the new Ghost Rider.
What happen to Johnny Blaze? The last time I read the title was when Tan Eng Huat was drawing it. And I still have fond memories of that one-shot team-up between Ghost Rider, Wolverine and the Punisher from the 1990s. Even Gene Luen Yang liked that one. Oh well.
(1.5 stars)
X-Men’92 #4
Story: Chris Sims and Chad Bowers
Art: Scott Koblish
Marvel Comics
Some people are collecting all the Battleworld comics. I wonder if they can still tahan all these nonsense titles Marvel is putting out. X-Men’92 is a wish fulfilment on the part of Marvel – the ultimate what if. WHAT IF the hot Marvel artists of 1992 like Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee had not left the company to form Image Comics and people like Lee, Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio continue to draw the X-titles written by Chris Claremont. Well, you will have this xxxx. Why would anyone want Image not to exist – and then no Sex, Sex Criminals, Saga, 8house, Pretty Deadly and so on. That will be very sad. And to replace those cool titles with this one. I can get it that this is a parody-nostalgia. A one-shot would be good enough, but to have 4 issues of this? The writers pretending to write like Chris Claremont, squeezing 8 word balloons into one thin panel. Marvel’s stocks plummeted when Image Comics was announced in 1992. This title alone should devalue their stocks some more today.
(0.092 stars)
The Sandman Overture #6
Story: Neil Gaiman
Art: JH Williams III
Vertigo/DC Comics
More Gaiman goodies from DC. For many, Gaiman can do no wrong. You already know what this series is about and what it will lead to. JH Williams III’s art is gorgeous. The only complaint is that it took more than a year for this 6-issue series to be completed. Remember when Sandman was coming out on a monthly schedule back in the 1990s? You can only dream about those days.
(4 stars)