Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

Over the last six months or so, Vertigo Comics, an imprint of DC Comics, has released a number of new series. Some of these are ongoing series and some of these are miniseries or extended series. They cover a number of genres from fantasy to romance to horror. I am going to review a number of these new titles. Some of them are excellent and none of them are bad. All are very creative although not all work for me. All of these have very few issue out so far, mostly less than six, but almost all of them have trades coming out later this year if you want to wait and read the complete story (which in a few cases I would recommended). I will also look at the newest volume of the Amulet series that just came out last week. And I will ask a question of the readers of this blog I really would like your feedback on. Because I was dumbfounded by the issue and I cannot believe I am the only one.

Art Ops

Art Ops is by Shaun Simon with art by the always great Mike Allred and Matt Brundage. This is a very different book as the premise is famous pieces of art are coming to life (for example, the Mona Lisa walks out of the painting and becomes a real person). The story involves Reggie Riot and his Agents of Art Ops traveling the world tracking done these rogue pieces of art. This leads to some very oddly entertaining stories involving classic art pieces and a variety of forms of reality. This is book is quite a trip and is a mash up of fine art with surrealist fantasy. It seems to me that Allred is doing less of the art every issue so I find that to be a negative, but overall this entire book is very enjoyable.

Clean Room

Clean Room is by Gail Simone Jon Davis-Hunt. Now this is an interesting book as it is based in the real world and all the strange stuff that goes on in the background. The lead character is a journalist named Chole Pierce, who has a life coach (guru?) Astrid Mueller, who unknown to Chole, completely messes with her life. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and it goes to places I would have never thought of. I really enjoy this book as it glides between genres and every issue expands the mysteries of the lead character and of the mysterious self-help guru. In this book notihng is as it seems. One of my favorite of the new line of Vertigo titles.

Dark and Bloody

Dark and Bloody is by Shawn Aldridge and Scott Godlewski. There is only one issue so far in this series, but I must say I really liked it. This title is clearly a horror title and the horror starts with the first page. As there is so little to judge this book on, I am not going to say a lot. But based on this first issue it looks like this might be the break-out hit of all of these new Vertigo titles. I hope the future issues are as good as this first one.

Last Gang in Town

Last Gang in Town is written by Simon Oliver and drawn by Rufus Dayglo. This is another title where I think I am missing something. It is about a gang of punks in London who are committing small crimes working their way up to the big one. This books really tries to capture a rock’n’roll/punk theme but to me it misses it and is just muddy. The art does not appeal to me and looks to be graffiti influenced. Another issue I had with the story was lack of linear storytelling. They were bouncing from the past to the present and the art seems so “loud” it took away from the story. The art is so stylized that is makes it difficult to read and follow the story at times. But that is just my opinion.

New Romancer

New Romancer is by the prolific Peter Milligan with art by Brett Parson. This is a twelve issue series that mixes the great heroes of romance, such as Lord Shelly and Casanova for example, and modern romance such as online dating. This is a book I really wanted to like but after the first three issues I have not. The lead character, Lexy, is doing online dating until something goes wrong. The art is very cartooney in places and that just takes me out of the story. As A general rule, I really like Milligan’s storytelling but this one does not work for me. As often is the case, this story may read better in one sitting in a collection as there does seem to be an overall driving idea behind all that is going on.

Red Thorn

Red Thorn is written by David Baillie and drawn by Meghan Hetrick. This is a fantasy tale set in Glasgow Scotland and involves a girl whose drawings come to life and a giant demon that lives far beneath her home town and wants to come to the surface for revenge. The story is very in much in the vein of Vertigo titles such as Deadboy Detectives in it is a fantasy with strong ties to the world we live in. The art is very clean and nice with some creative page layout. As I am not huge fan of this genre the book does not do a lot for me, but it is very well done and if this is you cup of tea I am sure you will enjoy this book.

The Sheriff of Babylon

Sheriff of Babylon is by Tom King and art is by Mitch Gerdas. This is my favorite of the new crop of Vertigo books. This is a wartime crime story set in Iraq in 2003. A retired police detective, Chris Henry, is acting as a consultant in Baghdad where one of his trainees is murdered. From there the story is off as Henry trusts no one and has to work with the last Iranian police detective to try and solve this case and stay alive during all the mayhem. This book is gritty, realistic, and driven. I am really enjoying the ride each issue presents and Mitch Gerdas’ art has come along so far since The Activity for Image (which was good, but here his art is so much sharper and cleaner looking). This is also a 12 part story.

Slash & Burn

Slash & Burn is written by Si Spencer and drawn by Max Dunbar. The story is about firefighter Rosheen Hayes, who seems to have no end to her problems, and all of them somehow involve fire. This book is based in the real world and seems like a psychological thriller. With each issue we learn more about Rosheen and the crew around her. There is also a very interesting backstory involving a fire at an orphanage. I am greatly intrigued by this book as it does not telegraph where the story is going and so far I have been surprised with every issue. The art is a bit stylistic for a book so anchored in the real world, but it works for this story. A hats off also to the colorist who does a great job making all the fires in the story look unique and it does not look like a book with nothing but red and orange. Worth checking out.

Survivors’ Club

Survivors’ Club is written by Dale Halvorsen and Lauren Beukes with art by Ryan Kelly. This is a slow burn horror comic that with every issue a little more is revealed. While I have really enjoyed this book so far, I am afraid the story is unfolding too slowly and will not build the audience it deserves. What I really like about this book is Ryan Kelly’s art. It is perfect mix of realism with touches of fantasy mixed in making for the perfect mix. I suspect this book will read much better in a trade paperback down the road.

Unfollow

Unfollow is by the great Rob Williams (see his Royals: Masters of War for another great story) and Michael Dowling. A dying multi-billionaire, who made his money through social media, is dying and he is leaving his fortune to 140 people chosen at random. Or at least it seems like they were chosen at random. As this story has unraveled the 140 are slowly dying (which means more money for the remaining of the chosen) and we learn more about why these people were picked out and who this billionaire is, and not is all good. I really like this book. While the concept has been done before I really like the way Williams and Dowling are telling this tale of betrayal and intrigue. The art is perfect for this story which is firmly based in reality and could easily happen tomorrow. This is a great book.

Amulet: Firelight

Amulet 7 – Firelight is at long last out. That is the great news. There will be a volume eight after all, which is also great news. But considering how long it took volume 7 to come out, almost exactly two years, 8 may be a very far way off. Unfortunately number seven ends with “to be continued” but there is no hint of when we might see it. For those of you who have never read Amulet, the story involves a mother, her daughter Emily (who is the star of the series) and her younger brother who land up in a strange land with all sorts of different creatures, and Emily discovers a magical stone. From there the adventure never ends. It is filled with ever changing locations, a fascinating supporting cast, amazing inventions, and a charm rarely seen in other books. It is a quest story in a fantasy realm unlike ours, and filled with family love, and danger at all turns. As for the story in Firelight, it is a non-stop thrill ride moving all the characters ahead, reuniting some long lost friends, and some of the cast do not come out of this volume the same. Once again Kazu Kibuishi has been able to craft a novel about family, duress, friendship and what it all means. The art is even more beautiful than his earlier volumes and the story runs like a freight train. He takes three different stories and is able to twist them all into one shocking ending. As with the first six volumes, this one has my highest recommendations, for young readers and adults alike.

Batman #49

Just a quick word about Batman #49. Huh? I thought this was a major disappointment. When I got to the last page I had to go back and make sure I did not skip 10 pages somehow. Am I the only person who was completely taken aback by this? This was their solution? Am I that far out of touch? I would love to hear your opinions on this comic. My small poll so far agrees with me, but I would like broader input.

That is all for this round. Everything I have written here is my opinion and in no way reflects the thoughts of opinions of Westfield Comics or their employees. I hope you try some of these books, or if you have read them already, what did you think? Did you enjoy them? Why? Why not? I welcome feedback either here or on Facebook. Is there some great book out there that I am not reading? I welcome your suggestion. As always…

Thank you.