Last of the Greats is pretty great

One of the great things about going to a show like the Image Comic Expo is that you get to see a lot of truly new, different and creative comics. Somehow, somewhere, I got handed issue #1 of Last of the Greats, and am I glad that happened. This one’s a keeper that I need to see the rest of.

It’s often difficult to review a comic and let you know why it’s so good without giving away the surprises. In Last of the Greats, there are a lot of them in these beautiful, ad-free, 32 pages. There’s not a lot of action, but the twists and turns and reversals of what you think is going to happen continually shock and amaze. The first issue sets up all the back story without making readers go through seeing every detail of the back story, making for an interesting setup.

The twist ending of issue #1 is perfect. It turns a completely hateable character (even, perhaps, a heartless monster) into someone completely different, and one you really want to know more about when it’s done. Grab this Image limited series while you can.

Marineman: Good clean fun for everyone

I liked Marineman a lot more than I thought I would, to be honest. The cover looks like your classic old-school superhero comic book, and a little part of me went “yeah, so what?” But I’m glad I cracked this Eisner-nominated title open, because there’s a lot more there than meets the eye.

The characters are likeable, even the bad guys, who aren’t entirely bad guys. It has a feel-good vibe throughout, including the classic style of the art, which is enhanced with excellent color work and modern coated printed pages.

The basic premise is, “What if a television naturalist, like Steve Irwin, could secretly breathe underwater?” So basically we’ve got a very charismatic Aquaman meets Captain America meets Steve Irwin, with some very interesting elements thrown in to spin a tale that left me wanting more. The six-issue arc ends with someone saying, “At last, finally... phase two can begin!” I found myself saying aloud, “Phase two? What happens next?!”

I sincerely hope there is a Volume Two to this enjoyable comic that’s rated E for Everyone. You don’t need tons of violence and sex to have a wonderful comic for the masses. It's about the people, not the powers, and creator Ian Churchill gets it. Clearly the Eisner Awards committee agrees.

Feeling Lucid? I am!

“What if Harry Potter grew up and became a secret government agent?”

That was the pitch I got last year from creator Michael McMillian when Lucid was first coming out, and I’ve been sold ever since. Yes, I would like to see such a story please, and this book delivers wonderfully.

First, let me get my issues with it out of the way. The hardback trade is 10% smaller than the original 6.5” x 10” (approximately) of a typical comic book page, and it’s unfortunate. It’s probably my age and my need to finally cave in and get bifocals, but I found myself squinting at everything. 10% doesn’t sound like much, but for a book of this type which focuses heavily on the artwork and its detail, it’s a noticeable reduction.

But, typical of the top quality of everything Archaia puts out, the book is gorgeous. The well-designed dust jacket is a mix of subtly-embossed gloss and matte inks. I can’t stop touching it. The interior is just as lovely, and the binding will last forever.

I’m sure everybody is going to disagree with me on this, but the artwork style by Anna Wieszczyk is not my favorite. It’s personal preference, I know, but the gangly “Cowboy Bebop” anime style is not my thing. However, the skillful use of painterly color and sequential storytelling do work beautifully. The lush pages look good enough to eat. Expressions and gestures are subtle and the occult mood of the overall work are convincing and draw the reader in.

The story, scripted by True Blood’s Michael McMillian, is a fascinating arc between the four issues contained in this volume, with more to come in this limited series. Readers are thrust into the middle of this world that is both familiar and foreign, where magic is one of the most important weapons in the hidden chess game between nations.

The main character, Matthew Dee, is a direct descendant of 16th century mystic and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee (look this guy up on Wikipedia), which enables him to wield magic and be the “Protector of the Realm” for the United States. I won’t reveal why, but I absolutely love how Ariah turns out to be a key part of it all, including the reason that Dee is “lucid” and able to tap into his gift in the first place.

Details and back-story are revealed as the tale unfolds, which is mostly successful, but I couldn’t help but think that I’d somehow come into the middle of the movie. More about the origins of how this all came to be would have been helpful for this first volume. At the back of the trade is a sigil guide, all four beautiful covers as they appeared, and a sketchbook which does explain some details.

The world of Lucid is rich and intricate, and I look forward to learning more about how it all works. Maybe we can convince McMillian to make the series open ended?

Review: THE KINGDOM, by John R. Mabry

First, let me say that this book is very gay. Very, very gay. A large percentage of the characters are gay and some scenes take place in a gay bathhouse named “The Jizz Factory.” If you’re uncomfortable with that, read something else. If you don’t mind it, then please read on.

The Kingdom is an odd tale of blasphemous priests, likable demons, self-loathing, death and humor, all taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area. The characters are unique and interesting, as are the events, which had me engrossed from beginning to end. As the story moves forward, the stakes continue to rise, and not everyone makes it out alive or unchanged. In fact, the fate of Richard, one of the main protagonists, angered me, and I hope that future volumes rectifies what I feel was an unfair end, even if I completely understand what Mabry did and why. Maybe it hits too close to home for me personally, but it really bothers me a lot.

But it says something that I would feel this way at the end of this book. If it was bad, or boring, or if I simply didn’t care about Richard or any of the other characters, obviously I wouldn’t be upset. That’s my issue with the book, along with the strong Christian message and difficult-to-read phonetic Southern accent of one of the other characters, but otherwise it’s a well-written and intricate tale involving the hazards of arrogance, abuse, and summoning demons.

It’s difficult to explain why the book is so engaging without giving too much away about the plot, characters, artifacts and situations, but by the end, I found myself wanting to see what would happen next. I believe there are going to be more volumes forthcoming about the Berkeley Blackfriars, the strange group of misfit religionists who find themselves saving the world with the help of strange bedfellows.

Mabry must have some very interesting occult and arcane knowledge to be able to pull off this tale in a realistic manner. And, as long as he fixes what happened with Richard, I’ll be reading future Berkeley Blackfriar novels.

Seeing double is a good thing with Twin Spirit

I don’t ordinarily review young adult novels because, with the recent glut of self-published books out there, the YA market has exploded and the quality has gone with it. However, Matthew Thompson has got a gem here with his debut novel, Twin Spirit.

Nine-year-old Rose is living a happy, middle-class life in 1960s England with her father and friends. The girls discover a book full of spooky old incantations and after her friends are gone for the night, Rose tries one that has dramatic effects – she discovers that her conjoined twin, Lily, may not be with her in body any longer, but her spirit is still firmly attached and has been with her the entire time, unseen and unheard.

Together they begin the search for their mother, who died at their birth, in the spirit land of Kiian. The afterlife is not nearly as safe as one would think, and a second death is entirely possible if you’re caught by the very dementor-like Govern.

Speaking of dementors, I found Twin Spirit to be something of Harry Potter meets The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but with its own very rich world and set of characters. It’s almost too rich, as there is so much packed into this novel that as it neared the climax, I found  myself having to re-read parts to catch all the action and details. However, the main cast of characters is strong and distinct enough that I never got completely lost, and actually misted up a bit when one of them is killed near the end.

Thompson comes from a video game level designer background, and it works to his advantage in this tale full of twists, turns, puzzles, rescues, narrow escapes and overall exciting adventure. It could easily have been 25% longer, especially in the last quarter of the book which felt slightly rushed in my opinion, but that story compression does add to the sense of excitement and urgency.

Overall, Twin Spirit is well-told and will appeal to younger readers, especially adventurous girls from about 8 to 12.