Throughout their history, it’s not been uncommon for comic books to jump into significant social commentary. For example, 70 years ago, Superman fought Adolph Hitler (not much of a fight really), and in the 1960s the mutants of the X-Men were a not-very-thin allegory for the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Doom’s homeland of Latveria was a fictional stand-in for any of the Soviet satellite countries during the Cold War. So, it will be interesting to see how general audiences respond to the social commentary that abounds in the terrific sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
Take 3 parts Romero-style zombies, 2 parts Frankenstein, 1 part MacGyver science fair project, and about 20 parts sheer messed-up creepiness, and you get ’68: Rule of War #1 from Image Comics.
For fans of the independently created documentary STRIPPED, the big day has finally arrived! STRIPPED, a film that brings together the world's best cartoonists to talk about the art form they love and what happens to it as newsprint fades away, is now available on iTunes, and the film's co-creators, Dave Kellett and Frederick Schroeder, are hoping to make the film the #1 seller on iTunes for just one day. Given the incredible amount of support demonstrated by the film's fans during its initial Kickstarter campaign, it is very likely that STRIPPED will do just that.
Taking Eden brings us a heavy dose of urban horror/fantasy, and the occult in this ongoing comic series by Jason Beckwith and Malcolm Johnson with art by Niño Harn Cajayon and colors by Gonzalo Duarte. A dark tale of a young woman’s passage into adulthood and where she fits into the world, this story delves into themes of innocence and the price we pay to recapture it.
John Connor is back in full force in this latest installment of Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle #5 from Dark Horse Comics. J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame, along with numerous other credits, writes this ostensibly final series with art by Pete Woods, colors by Matthew Wilson, and lettering by Nate Peikos of Blambot. The heat is on as Skynet begins to employ its new weapon against the humans.
Fatima: The Blood Spinners is a bizarre trip through a scary, violent, funny, sad, black-and-white future of humanity’s own making. Comics legend Gilbert Hernandez has created a grotesque science fiction tale of addiction run amok and insidious corruption in the hierarchy that is tasked with saving the day. Gilbert, along with brothers Jaime and Mario, are responsible for the long-running, initially underground, and critically acclaimed series Love and Rockets. He has also created a myriad of other books on his own, collecting a variety of prestigious awards along the way. Fatima is my first experience with the family Hernandez in any fashion, and I can see how together, and on solo projects, they attract and maintain a solid fan base.
In the 1940s, the world was introduced to, arguably, the first Asian superhero, The Green Turtle, a masked man with a turtle cape, a haunting shadow, and a mysterious background who was featured in five issues of Blazing Comics. Now, 70 years later, Gene Yang (Boxers & Saints, American Born Chinese) and Sonny Liew (My Faith in Frankie, Sense and Sensibility) have brought new life to the character and delved back into his origins in the The Shadow Hero.
It's here! The day that you have all been waiting for has arrived! Today is March 31, 2014, and it is officially Bunsen Burner Day!
One hundred and sixty-three years ago, a starship called Defiant tried to leave Earth’s orbit as a police vehicle desperately pursued it. The police vessel was taken on board the larger ship as Defiant fell through a wormhole or other space anomaly and launched across space to a strange planet where life had developed despite the lack of a large light giving star. Three members of Defiant’s marginally volunteer crew opted to leave this new place and return to Earth for rescue aid; however, Angela and Tommy chose to stay behind on this new planet and try to make a life while they wait for help. The new home is dubbed Eden, and from this one couple, an inbred and primitive society is born. The Family is content to stay near the Circle of Stones created by their Mother, Angela, and wait for Earth until a young man named John Redlantern dares to believe that there could be life beyond the frozen wastes north of their settlement and becomes a catalyst for change in a stagnant world order.
I discovered Rick Remender doing awesome things with the Uncanny Avengers and Captain America with the launch of Marvel Now!, but it turns out Remender has been doing awesome things in comics for quite some time, and I'm talking well before his renowned run on Marvel's Uncanny X-Force. Back in the day, circa 2005-2006, Remender and artist Tony Moore, known for providing the art for numerous books by Robert Kirkman and Remender, including the very beginnings of The Walking Dead, brought into the world a creative callback to the rough-and-tumble pulp days of science fiction with Fear Agent. Filled with over-the-top action, showboating, wisecracks, weird and wild aliens, a hero with a cowboy complex, and a scientist who puts the sexy in science, Fear Agent careens through your imagination, tearing up the furniture and flinging open all the windows, letting its outlandish adventures ransack your rational mind.
