Greg Bear On Mars

 

 

I've always been drawn to stories about Mars. I've long admired Greg Bear from afar. I picked up this book eons ago, as a used hardcover for $2 or $3, in the final years that the Crown Books retail chain had a store in my neighborhood. Yet only now, upon his death, did I actually pick up Moving Mars and read it.

Or at least I tried. There's a narrative flow to Greg Bear's writings that just doesn't draw me in. There's nothing strange or unique in that. Some writers you enjoy. Others--while greatly admired and enjoyed by others--you just can't get into. You don't know why, but they just don't work for you.

Moving Mars begins with Casseia, a young student at university. Powerful politicians are attempting to transform the government of Mars. She opposes their efforts to forge a strong, central government. So she joins a protest. It almost costs her her life, and proves largely ineffective. Still, those attempting the coup are deposed, and the government resumes being a confederacy.

She falls in love with one of her fellow protesters. Or at least, she thinks she does--mostly because he insists that he loves her, and she ought to at least try. But it doesn't last, and she ends up traveling to Earth. There she's part of a diplomatic team attempting to forge a better relationship with Earth. But Mars lacks a central government, so who will Earth partner with?

There's a lot going on in Moving Mars, much more than I can readily describe. On Earth, she encounters custom-created viruses that can give people enhanced abilities. Later on Mars, she marries an archeologist investigating the early life forms that thrived before the planet lost its atmosphere. She also takes up the cause of establishing a strong central government, and doing away with the confederacy. Later yet, Greg Bear finally earns his title, when a group of scientists discover a way of actually Moving Mars. That was the most exciting part of the book for me.

Oh, and did I mention she gets hunted by bizarre killing machines: a weird fusion of Aliens and Terminators?

I started the novel in December. After several breaks, I finally finished it in March. I wish I responded better to Greg Bear's prose. Still, I'm glad I stuck it out to the end, because Moving Mars was worth it.

Thanks Greg, for a thoroughly awesome read.

Dragon Dave

Hellboy In Love #4 Review

 

Writer: Christopher Golden

Artist: Matt Smith

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Art: Matt Smith

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: 3.99

Release Date: March 29, 2023

 

Hellboy and archeologist Anastasia visit an excavation in Bursa, Turkey. That night puppet shadows attack the workers. Hellboy and Anastasia confront the puppet shadows only to get catapulted six hundred years into the past. What happens next, you ask? Let's leap into Hellboy In Love #4 and find out!

 

Story

In 14^th Century Bursa’s marketplace, Hellboy and Anastasia notice characters on a frieze drawn in the style of Turkish puppets. A local puppet maker tells them that Karagoz and Hacivat-- two laborers whose humorous antics distracted their fellow workers--died a couple of months ago. Realizing their interest in shadow puppets, he directs them to a puppet theater. When Hellboy bounds in like a bull in a Turkish porcelain shop, the puppeteer casts a spell on him. He and Anastasia join Karagoz and Hacivat on the man’s puppet stage!

 

Initially, Christopher Golden’s character dialogue confused me. On the first page, Liz Sherman tells Abe Sapien that Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm are angry at each other. In the second, Anastasia asks Hellboy about something in which she has far more experience. I also felt that as no one had ever heard of or seen Hellboy in 14th Century Turkey, his appearance should have shocked and provoked the locals.

 

A second reading of Hellboy In Love #4 brought welcome clarity. I realized Liz felt abandoned, and Anastasia wanted Hellboy to feel like a partner. Given the page-length limits of the comic, I can also understand Golden’s decision to gloss over Hellboy's appearance in service to his overall story and leave the locals wanting to lynch the stranger in their midst for another story arc.

 

Art

Like Michael Golden, Matt Smith throws a lot at us in Hellboy In Love #4. Only on my third read-through did I notice that Abe Sapien delivered an envelope to Liz. But then, Matt packs ten panels into that page. Liz's expression changes as she greets Abe, reads Hellboy’s letter, and realizes how his growing interest in Anastasia could affect her future. Hellboy and Anastasia's transformation is also worthy of note. While Golden has the characters talk us through their change, Matt shows them become fanciful Turkish puppets. Hellboy and Anastasia look like they belong on the stage with Karagoz and Hacivat: two doomed souls cursed to reenact scenes of comic violence throughout the centuries.

 

While Matt Smith inks in shadows, Chris O'Halloran provides mood and nuance with his coloring. Liz Sherman and Anastasia look expressive and lifelike (except when the latter becomes a puppet), while Chris gives Abe glowing blue eyes and richly colored green skin. He loads the Turkish marketplace with personality (although perhaps not as much as the Troll Market in Hellboy II: The Golden Army). Hellboy’s skin color changed more understandably throughout Hellboy In Love #4 than in the previous issue and never transformed from red to blue. I enjoyed walking through his 14^th Century Turkish market packed with colorful fabrics and hand-painted puppets.

 

There’s plenty to read in Hellboy In Love #4. Occasionally Clem Robins shrinks easy-to-read uppercase dialogue to eye-straining tiny letters when characters lower their voices. Words grow louder to express shock, and spherical dialogue balloons change shape to suggest outrage or confusion. Clem Robin's colored narrative boxes locate us in time and space. Colorful sound effects provide contrast and energize fraught action scenes.

 

Final Thoughts

Before reading became the norm, oral storytelling grounded people in their cultural history. Cosplayers provide a modern equivalent by dressing up as their favorite characters and reenacting scenes from popular movies and TV shows. As society changes with the times, so do the stories it celebrates. Hellboy In Love #4 reminds us how popular stories shape our outlook and influence how we relate to others.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To preview the interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Seven Sons Trade Paperback Review

 

Writers: Robert Windom & Kelvin Mao

Artist: Jae Lee

Colorist: June Chung

Letterer: Simon Bowland & Crank!

Publisher: Image

Price: $19.99

Release Date: March 15, 2023

 

Helicopters circle the cloudy sky above New Canaan, Nevada. Cars clog the foggy streets of the city formerly known as Las Vegas. Priests lead joyous parishioners toward the stadium to celebrate the Second Coming of God to Earth. What happens next? Let’s dig into the new Seven Sons Trade Paperback from Image Comics and find out!

 

Story

In the 1960s, Nicolaus wrote The Book Of The Seven Sons. He was not rich or influential. No one bought his book of prophecy. Then, on the day he had predicted, seven identical sons were born to seven virgins on seven continents. Tragically the mothers died. Allah’s Watchmen killed six of the seven Jesi. Now—in the year of our Lord 1998--before a sold-out arena, the prophet Nicolaus will anoint the surviving Seventh Son--Lord Pergi—as the Son Of God On Earth. If you can’t be there, watch it on Pay Per View!

 

As in the Watchmen movie, events have radically reshaped our world. Belief in Islam, Buddhism, and other faiths has fallen. Former two-term President Jimmy Carter attends Seven Sons services, and Princess Diana still lives. The U.S. Defense Department protects the Seven Sons Church from any danger that threats it. The grand Seven Sons stadium dominates New Canaan. Worshipers receive healing. Peace reigns across the globe.

 

For two thousand years, Christians have awaited the Second Coming of Christ. Lord Pergi, born of a virgin and the incarnation of Jesus, will lead them. Believers can only hope that his reign lasts a thousand years, as prophesied in Saint John's Book Of Revelation.

 

Art

The apostle Paul's words, "Now we see through a glass darkly," guide us through this altered future. Jae Lee's detailed linework and heavy inks suggest that all is not glorious as the prophesied Millennium approaches. People look less-than-glamorous, their faces lined, portions of their bodies often darkened from shadow. They emerge as haunting as the gothic stadium. Such harshness suits Robert Windom & Kelvin Mao's story, as we regularly travel backward to follow Delph's investigation. While proclaimed dead, Pergi's remaining brother lives in hiding, pursued by Nicolaus and the military machine that assisted the movement's rise to power. Thus we follow him through nightclubs, on trains, and even to other countries in his search for the truth. All this we glimpse through irregularly shaped panels. Often, double-page spreads resemble a pane of shattered glass.

 

From the fog-filled streets of New Canaan to the stark blue-and-white lit stadiums, June Chung keeps us awed yet grounded. Whether in the poverty-stricken Middle East, in nightclubs suffused with colored lights, or even at the last Olympic Games in 1988, June mixes muted contrasting colors that never detract from Jae Lee’s stark imagery. Like James Bond's nemesis Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, the prophet Nicolaus knows how to attract the world's attention. So does she.

 

While Simon Bowland provided lettering for Seven Sons #1, his duties in the remaining issues were assumed by Crank! I only had one complaint about the lettering in the Seven Sons Trade Paperback. Like the Navy's Blue Angels, the Seven Sons Squadron flies over New Canaan. Yet no sound effect helps us feel the thunder reverberating through the ground as the fighter jets scream overhead, and one shoots through the upraised arms of an enormous statue. Only dialogue balloons, with spikes poking out on the sides, relay the commentators' words. Still, the lettering and sound effects enhance the atmosphere overall. The large, uppercase lettering makes this two-hundred-page volume easy to read. Bold words convey inflection, and sound effects help us hear the crowd's applause, the tapping of a young boy's cane, and the explosive detonation of an air strike ordered by Nicolaus' war machine.

 

Final Thoughts

Nicolaus’ brave new world may not last for a millennium, but the captivating story and mesmerizing art pull you effortlessly through the Seven Sons Trade Paperback. Reminiscent of movies like Watchmen and End Of Days, Seven Sons tackles terrorism and religious extremism while emphasizing the need for tolerance and diversity. Far from shaking a believer's faith, it'll challenge preconceptions and encourage growth.

 

Rating 8.5/10

 

To view more of Jae Lee's haunting cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #32 Review

 

Writer: Greg Pak

Artist: Ibraim Roberson

Colorist: Federico Blee

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Rahzzah; Pepe Larraz; Peach Momoko; Chris Sprouse, Karl Story & Neeraj Menon;

Publisher: Marvel

Price: 3.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

 

Dormé, Rabé, Saché and Eirtaé once served Queen Padmé on Naboo. Now they help Darth Vader rescue Sabé from rebel leader Jul Tambor. They watch aghast as she once again looks to Darth Vader for leadership. Can these former royal handmaidens free their friend from Vader's corrupting influence? Let's activate our lightsabers, dive into Star Wars: Darth Vader #32, and find out!

 

 

 

Story

Vader argues that Jul Tambor will continue to attack civilian targets. The only way the former handmaidens can stop him is with his help. Dormé knows Sabé’s heart is in the right place but refuses to let her friend decide to serve the Empire. She grabs Sabé and attempts to escape with her friends. But Sabé refuses to be rescued! She's chosen her priorities. Her immediate goal? She must bring down rebel leader Jul Tambor.

 

Greg Pak compares Sabé with Padmé in Revenge Of The Sith and Dormé with Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. He reminds us we must respect others’ decisions, no matter how wrong they seem. Like Luke in A New Hope, Dormé must accept Sabé’s decision. To paraphrase Princess Leia: “She must choose her own path. No one can choose it for her.” I especially like how Dormé, Jul Tambor, and Darth Vader each view power differently. It reminds me why Anakin ultimately embraced the power of the Dark Side in Revenge Of The Sith: to correct the inequities of the Old Republic and protect those he loved.

 

 

 

Art

Padmé's former handmaidens leap off the page and fly toward me with their gravity boots. Jul Tambor exhibits more personality than his grandfather in Revenge Of The Sith (although, admittedly, he didn't have a big part in the film). It's hard to imagine Darth Vader looking more powerful and expressive in a comic than he ever did in the movies. Yet somehow, Ibraim Roberson manages it in Star Wars: Darth Vader #32.

 

Federico Blee gives the handmaidens realistic skin colors and tones. He makes all the other human and alien characters equally believable. Spaceship interiors show the results of the stresses of spaceflight when they're not displaying battle damage or gaping holes from sizzling lightsabers. The planet Brentaal IV reminds me of Utah’s Arches National Park after the spring rain, while the brief glimpse of Skako Minor recalls nearby Canyonlands National Park. Blee suffuses flashbacks of Padmé on Mustafar with orange and red and Luke on Bespin with a white haze. Beneath his mask, did Anakin's eyes fill with moisture when Luke rejected him? In Star Wars: Darth Vader #32, Federico Blee makes me wonder.

 

While other characters speak with black words in white dialogue balloons, we see Darth Vader's white words in black dialogue balloons. Letters frequently darken or enlarge to reveal how expressive each character is. Padmé and Luke's words of rejection appear in ivory or pale rose-tinted dialogue balloons. The way the letters wrestle and swell as Luke's scream "Noooo!" rings through his mind must rip Vader's heart out. And then there's the sound effects: BRRRZZZZZAM for blaster fire, VNNNNNN for Vader's lightsaber, and the heartbreaking CLICK when Sabé takes off the device that frees her from Dormé’s grasp. While piloting the tie fighter through the narrow canyons of the Death Star, Darth Vader once commented, "The Force is strong with this one." Those words come back to me when considering Joe Caramagna's lettering in this issue. 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amid action-packed scenes of triumph and betrayal, characters make complex and heartbreaking choices in Star Wars: Darth Vader #32. Heroes seem a little less heroic, and villains a little less villainous, as each strives to protect those they care about and make the galaxy a safer, more equitable, and better place. Place a box of tissues close by when you read this issue. Don't risk water damage with a comic this good!

 

Rating: 10/10

To view interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Barbarella: The Center Cannot Hold #1 Review

 

Writer: Sarah Hoyt

Artist: Riccardo Bogani

Colorist: Werner Sanchez

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Artists: Derrick Chew

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 1, 2023

War is coming! After quietly guiding civilizations on countless worlds, the Architects intend to destroy the Unnamable! Can Barbarella, her furry friend Vix, and the angelic Taln sue for peace? Let’s warp into Barbarella: The Center Cannot Hold #1 and find out!

Story

The trio’s peace mission gets off to a shaky start. First, the Architects fling asteroids at their spaceship. Then a tractor beam incapacitates Taln. After the Architects allow Barbarella and Vix to land, they imprison Barbarella and commend Vix. The latter seems lost: Vix’s world seems changed. Meanwhile, Barbarella must use all her feminine wiles to escape her cell and convince the Architects that she doesn’t carry a deadly disease.

Art

While Derrick Chew’s cover art reminds me of Rose Tyler on Doctor Who, Riccardo Bogani’s interior art seems more like Jane Fonda’s portrayal in the 1968 movie. She’s all pleasing curves and gently rounded contours. Her poise and bearing sustain our belief that she will prevail. All sharp lines and scrawny, Vix looks a little like Mike Mignola’s Blackjack O’Hare but feels more like a porg from Luke’s island home in The Last Jedi.

Speaking of Marvelous rabbit characters, you’ll meet another in this issue. A fusion of Howard Chaykin’s Jaxxon and Sean Connery’s (or Roger Moore’s) James Bond, he’s just one of many races that populate the Architect’s world. There’s so much more that I could discuss, such as Taln’s detailed realism, the Architect’s high-tech laboratories and Buck Rogers-like hallways, and the tree that envelops their world. But I think I’ll leave you to discover that when you read Barbarella: The Center Cannot Hold #1.

Final Thoughts

Appealing imagery and an amusing narrative propel you through Barbarella: The Center Cannot Hold #1. With the second issue arriving in stores this Wednesday, March 29, there’s still time to leap into this fanciful space odyssey. It’s more family-friendly than the original movie, but then, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in the ‘60s anymore.”

Rating 8/10

To hear another reviewer’s thoughts, view more covers, and learn more about Barbarella’s comic book history, see the review by KcScribbles at Comic Book Dispatch.

Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 Review

 

Writer: Mark Evanier

Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Stan Sakai

Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: 3.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

 

When soldiers from Iberza and Tlaxpan invade Mexahuapan, Groo leaps into the fray. But a three-way battle is too confusing! If he just kills everyone, he’ll kill everyone he’s supposed to kill, right? How will anyone worship Groo if he kills everyone? Let’s leap into Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 and find out!

 

Story

Mark Evanier makes clear right away that Groo is a simple soul. He's a warrior who lives for the fray and good cheese dip. When Groo wonders how to react to radically changing circumstances, his loyal dog Rufferto encourages him. Thankfully, his battle lust makes everyone work together to confound him until he leaves the fray to find some decent cheese dip. Ah, cheese dip!

 

With the battle over, none of the survivors are satisfied with Groo. What good is a god if he doesn't bring you victory over your enemies? Such dissatisfying results help the priests of all three countries redirect worship back to their desired deities, which makes everyone in heaven happy, apart from those pesky newcomers. Who mourns for the divine Groo and his divine companion Rufferto?

 

Art

I love how Sergio Aragonés makes all the soldiers look alike in Groo: Gods Against Groo #4. Although they fight for different countries, differences in rank and attire mean nothing when they battle the almighty Groo! Their solution leaves a bewildered Groo standing amid a pile of corpses in a dramatic one-page scene. Even birds lie down and die in his presence. It also reveals that while everyone fights with clubs and spears, Groo fights with swords. No wonder he’s such a fearsome fighter!

 

Carrie Strachan lavishes rich coloring on these classic battle scenes. She shades the soldiers' attire and the ground beneath them. Purple banners stream from the masts of a ship waiting to take the Iberzans home. It rocks on an ocean that moves from dark to light blue and shows froth as waves reach the shore, threatening to pull a red crab back into its clutches. As in Ray Harryhausen's Jason And The Argonauts and Clash Of The Titans, heaven seems more vibrant than Earth. The gods' colorful skin, extravagant attire, and tiny floating attendants impress. Even the clouds take on multicolored hues when the divine Groo begins to fade.

 

Banners unfurl to locate us on the heavenly or earthly planes in Groo: Gods Against Groo #4. Stan Sakai relates conversations in dialogue balloons and thoughts in puffy clouds. Occasionally, letters grow bold to emphasize important words like cheese dip. Even more rarely, the words swell in size, and the balloon turns spiky to express jubilation. Sadly, Stan Sakai's services prove unnecessary in the one-page Rufferto story, which reminds us how stories grow in the telling.

 

Final Thoughts

Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 is a gentle, relaxing read. It deals with matters of faith and politics in a delightfully fun way. Moreover, it shows how alike we all are, despite all our differences. Devour it with a bowl of your favorite cheese dip. Ah, cheese dip!

 

Rating: 8/10

 

To view preview art for Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

The Scorched #16 Review

Writers: Sean Lewis & Todd McFarlane

Artist: Stephen Segovia

Colorist: Ulises Arreola

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover Artists: Mark Spears; Von Randal

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

 

Necro and Margaret Love have teamed up with Mandarin. They pound away at the mountainside to free the imprisoned Urizen. They were looking for a teammate. But can they control this fierce demon spawn? Or will he rule them? Let’s descend into Scorched #16 and find out!

 

Story

When Urizen gives Necro, Margaret Love, and Mandarin orders, Mandarin orders his forces to attack. The fight doesn't go Mandarin's way. Urizen regards them as children. The war between Heaven and Hell is bigger than Necro, Margaret Love, and Mandarin had realized.

 

Meanwhile, at the Black Fortress, the fellowship of the Scorched is breaking. Gunslinger has departed; Soul Crusher and Reaper have their tasks to perform. Like the demons, the group realizes how unhappy Gaia is with everything. Rather than allow this war between Heaven and Hell to continue, she'll kill everyone on Earth. Medieval, Redeemer, and She-Spawn must repair some things that our hero Spawn has done before Gaia can end the war once and forever.

 

Art

All the main characters emerge bigger and bolder than life in The Scorched #16. Everyone seems so expressive in body language and facial expression. Stephen Segovia lavishes great care upon each character's costume and armor. I wonder if McFarlane's toy line measures up to the beauty and intricacy of Segovia's art.

 

Ulises Arreola elevates Segovia’s drawings. Giant Urizen breathes green fire as his hairy gray arms sweep through Mandarin's hordes. He breaks bodies and spills blood as he charges from the cave that imprisoned him. The armor catches every variation in lighting as the Scorched stand before a window in the Black Fortress. She-Spawn and Medieval’s eyes burn with green fire. Their red, blue, and black spiky armor looks rich and bold on the misty white and blue snowfield that slopes toward a lavender hillside.

 

Andworld Design makes each character’s dialogue balloons expressive. Urizen’s words are red and black, his balloons outlined in red. Uppercase letters start big and grow darker and bigger with inflection. Gray encircles Medieval Spawn's balloons. In place of an arrow, Redeemer's balloons get a cross. Yellow words in brown narration boxes lead us through these titanic events. Brash sound effects help us feel Urizen’s mighty blows.

 

Final Thoughts

The Spawn Universe has been spinning stories for decades. Dipping your feet into a team book like The Scorched #16 won't be easy. As a newcomer, I won't even pretend to understand half of what this issue holds. If you're fascinated by Saint John's Book Of Revelation and stories about great clashes between powerful mythological forces, you might check out this series. You don't need to understand everything about a long-form story like this to enjoy it. After all, the less you know, the more you can discover.

 

Rating 7.5/10

 

To view both covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Spotlight: Doctor Strange #1

 

 

I mostly know Doctor Strange from the recent Marvel movies. While I've encountered him in other characters' books, I've never followed the character's headline series. But I found this introductory story appealing and thought I'd recommend it.

Following the Amazing Spider-Man event Dark Web, former inhabitants of Limbo now reside in New York. Spidey's got more on his plate than he can handle. So Dr. Strange, newly returned to the realm of the living, takes up the slack. He helps out Mayor Luke Cage, confers via crystal ball with Daredevil, and teams with his wife to solve the demon refugee crisis.

The art in this fun issue has a gentle and appealing quality. The lettering is large and easy to read. The $4.99 cover price gives you a bonus: the backup story "Freak Out!" featuring Strange's colleague Wong. He flies around in a wooden sailing vessel reminiscent of the pirate ship piloted by Captain Shakespeare in the movie Stardust. It's up to Wong and his associate Pandora Peters to take on a crazy inventor with delusions of grandeur. All the steampunk machinery on the man's dirigible is gorgeous, and the action is pretty crazy.

For interior art and more context on Dr. Strange's recent comic history, see my colleague's Review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Monarch #2 Review

 

Monarch #2 Review

Writer: Rodney Barnes

Artist: Alex Lins

Colorists: Luis Nct & Mar Silvestre Galotto

Letterer: Marshall Dillon

Cover Artists: Alex Lins; Chris Visions

Publisher: Image

Price: 3.99

Release Date: March 15, 2023

 

While Travon and Miss Wilamae sit in the backyard of their Compton, California home, little Marli studies the night sky with a telescope. The two watch her as they sip their hot drinks, and Travon raises the possibility that others live on one of the planets orbiting one of those bright lights. Wait a minute! Didn’t one of the alien spaceships capture Travon in the last issue? What’s going on here? Let’s dive into Monarch #2 and find out!

 

Story

Travon lies on an operating table. Ameoba-like tech crawls over his skin. Hovering surgical machines attend to him. He remembers a night three years ago when his former guardian, Miss Wilamae, told him about seeing an alien spaceship. She saw it plant something in the ground. Witnessing something so unique made her feel special, even privileged. Now she, and his adopted sister Marli, are likely dead.

 

The machines covering him show him how humanity's militaries throw their might against the invading spaceships. We share Travon’s sadness over losing his family, friends, and the only home he ever knew. The only mystery in Monarch #2 is why he cares so much for others.

 

 

 

 

Art

Alex Lins drew with his heart in the first issue. He helped us share Travon’s life and feel his love for his family and friends. He imbues Monarch #2 with a cold, mechanical sense of the invaders. While some of these automated machines operate on the boy, others kill humanity's defenders. The walking giants that travel our planet shoot lasers that incinerate soldiers and tanks like in producer George Pal’s War of the Worlds classic. The fighter jets that scream toward the alien mothership and battle the flying saucers remind us of Independence Day's climactic battle. Yet he lovingly shows how a seed planted by the U.F.O. sprouts and grows. If only the 2005 War Of The Worlds remake had proved as sensitive!

 

Luis Nct, assisted by Mar Silvestre Galotto, colors his characters warmly. While Alex Lins tends to ink in shadows, Luis highlights and shades faces, clothing, and everything surrounding our characters. He paints in pastels, yet his panels avoid looking too bright. He paints night scenes without graying his colors. His blues and purples night skies contrast with the luminous U.F.O.'s. Half of the reason his battle scenes prove so electrifying—and reminiscent of film classics like the 1953 War of the Worlds and The Day The Earth Stood Still are due to him. He makes the operating theater scene look clinically cold—and yet also warm—at the same time.

 

Big block letters tell us when flashbacks occur. Narrative boxes filled with background colors relate to Miss Wilamae’s experience and Trevon’s technology-boosted awareness of current events. Black dialogue boxes contrast with white balloons when the machines speak to Trevon. Rodney Barnes may give us plenty to read in Monarch #2, but Marshall Dillion’s uppercase letters are easy on the eyes.

 

Final Thoughts

This issue builds on a familiar premise to enhance our understanding of Barnes’ vision. New ideas reveal how he takes simple plot devices—from movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Invaders From Mars—to craft a rich and sensitive story. A continuing plot thread following Trevon’s friends suggests the story will continue to grow and evolve. Oozing with warmth and ideas, Monarch #2 is a love letter to classic B-movie sci-fi. While proving a unique story, it remains grounded in caring for others and the realities of inner-city life. That, to me, seems a triumph indeed.

 

Rating 9.8/10

To preview the interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Star Wars Yoda #5 Review

 

Star Wars Yoda #5 Review

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Luke Ross

Colorist: Nolan Woodard

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Phil Noto; David Lopez; David Messina & Alex Sinclair; and Peach Momoko

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 15, 2023

 

The Force showed Wookie Padawan Krrsish a vision. Concerned, he told guest instructor Dooku about it. Dooku told him he was special but advised the Wookie to keep it a secret as most Jedi distrust visions. Will Dooku’s advice get Krrsish into trouble? Let's leap into Star Wars Yoda #5 and find out!

 

Story

Years ago, Yoda visited Alaris Prime, a moon of Kashyyyk. Wookie and Trandoshan corpses littered a grassy field. The surviving Wookies gave him a Trandoshan child. Yoda took the child to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The Trandoshan child Gheyr is now one of Krrsish’s closest friends. But neither knows Gheyr’s history. The vision Krrsish saw showed a battle between Trandoshans and Wookies. This—and Dooku’s advice—prompts Krrsish to distance himself from his friend.

 

This story reminds us how Luke failed to learn from Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. It also reminds us of how Anakin's dark visions led him astray. In Jody Houser’s story, Yoda believes Dooku dwells upon the past. Like his friend Sifo-Dyas, Dooku places too much stock on his visions and worries about the future. Will Krrsish make a similar mistake?

 

 

 

Art

Luke Ross transports us back to Coruscant in Star Wars Yoda #5. Initiates wear the familiar padawan garments, and rooms remind us of the Jedi Temple in the Star Wars prequels. Among Krrsish and Gheyr’s fellow students, we see a Dathomirian Zabrak like Darth Maul, a yellow and red Rodian reminiscent of Greedo, and a Tiger-like Togorian that reminded me of Larry Niven’s Kzinti. Outside the temple stands a magnificent twisting tree with snake-like limbs. Like the white tree of Gondor and the Whomping Willow outside Hogwards, it symbolizes the Jedi Temple's vitality.

 

Nolan Woodard downplays the carnage of the battle on Alaris Prime. Instead, the moon seems a calming place, a paradise enlivened by swaying palms and vibrant flowers. The baby Trandoshan glows in the Wookie leader's hairy arms. He shades and highlights Ross' highly detailed characters. The way light and shadow course through Yoda's robes symbolizes how both sides of the Force—the good and the dark side—constantly battle for supremacy. Temple interiors range from yellow and orange to beige. These harmonize with Krrsish and the Togorian. Yoda and the Trandoshan stand out here. Young Gheyr shines so brightly in Star Wars Yoda #5 that we wonder how Krrsish can believe she’ll ever attack him. 

 

 

 

Large blue block letters locate scenes in space and time. Uppercase letters in spherical dialogue balloons make for easy reading. Krrsish’s responses pop those balloons as black expressive sound effects. His utterances compare favorably with Joe Caramagna's green sound effects that help us hear the clash of sizzling lightsabers. 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Jody Houser steals much mystery by revealing the truth behind the dark vision Krrsish fears. Still, I like how her story suggests that anxiety transformed heroes into villains that transformed the Republic into an Empire. Rich, vibrant art conveys the battle for Krrsish’s soul in Star Wars Yoda #5. Like some Jedi who came before him, let's hope the Wookie’s story doesn’t end in tragedy.

 

Rating 9/10 

 

To preview the interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.