Month: November 2024

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Comic Books & Graphic Novels Marvel Comics MARVEL's Hardcovers & Paperbacks

IRON MAN NOIR (MARVEL Comics)

Written by Scott Snyder.

Art by Manuel Garcia; Lorenzo Ruggerio; & Dave Sharpe.

Collection Cover Art by Mike Fyles.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2011 by Marvel Comics, this 112-page hardcover assembles the four-issue 2010 Iron Man Noir mini-series.  Set in mid-1939, brash billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is his alternate reality’s Indiana Jones, who revels in risking his life.  

Celebrated for his pulpy globe-trotting exploits, Stark even brings along his own personal scribe, Virgil Munsey, chronicling these ongoing adventures for the macho periodical, ‘Marvels: A Magazine of Men’s Adventure.’  Still, each issue opens with a journal-like message from Stark updating readers on his current whereabouts.   

For his present quest, in addition to Munsey, Stark has brought along his best friend, James Rhodes, and fellow adventurer/Tony’s girlfriend-assistant, Dr. Gialetta Nefaria.  Entering an ancient temple’s underground cavern deep in the British Honduras jungle, Stark intends to acquire a mystical jade mask for an unknown purpose.  Betrayal and murder await him, as his expedition is ambushed by Nazis led by Dr. Heinrich Zemo and Commander Baron Strucker.  Stark and Rhodes find themselves lucky to escape with their lives. 

Once back in the U.S., it’s revealed that Stark has a mechanical heart that needs routine recharging.  Also, in the works is an experimental suit of battle armor under the supervision of Stark’s chief engineer, Jarvis. Relying upon a male pseudonym, Pepper Potts is soon recruited as Virgil’s literary ‘Marvels’ replacement.  Stark’s curiosity into his ex-girlfriend’s private papers reveals that Nefaria evidently deduced the possible location of Atlantis before her apparent death. 

Pepper then joins Stark and Rhodes on their next excursion: to retrieve a mythical power source known as ‘orichalum’ from Atlantis.  Accompanying is the Nemo-like Captain Namor, who supplies their sea voyage deep into waters off the Spanish coast.  Subsequently discovering the remains of Atlantis in Stark’s futuristic submersible, his team succeeds in acquiring the ‘orichalum.’ 

Yet, the same Nazi horde as before again intercepts them and takes Pepper as their prisoner.  Aware that only ‘orichalum’ would permanently resolve his need for a mechanical heart, a repentant Stark pushes Jarvis into taking drastic measures.  It’s no longer just about Stark living out his wild adventure fantasies – not when Pepper’s fate is in jeopardy because of him. 

Donning their experimental armored suits, Stark and Rhodes’s dual Iron Men launch a desperate strike upon the Nazis’ hidden island base to save Pepper and recover the ‘orichalum.’ Standing in their way is a dark Nazi secret linked years before to Stark’s own past.  The subsequent battle may cost this impetuous Iron Man far more than just his mortal life.            

Notes: This title is also available digitally and as a trade paperback. 

REVIEW:

Keeping in mind writer Scott Snyder’s pulpy steampunk vibe, Iron Man Noir concocts a solid-enough read – no matter how derivative his Indiana Jones-style caper actually is.  For instance, though, the mystery behind Stark’s mechanical heart isn’t revealed, the macho action plotting supplies sufficient twists to keep readers intrigued.  More so, the art team crafts a likable visual homage reminiscent of vintage cliffhanger serials. 

Iron Man Noir is by no means a must-read, but its uniqueness makes for a energetic library find.      

Note: Though I routinely bemoan Marvel & DC’s blind eye towards parental advisory labels, Iron Man Noir presents an oddity.  On its back cover, in small print, there is a parental advisory.  Apart from a few ghoulish images mostly conveyed through inference (i.e. a Viking skull with blonde hair still attached), I’m baffled by what this book’s advisory is for.  Iron Man Noir, by comparison, falls far short of the occasionally vile content that DC and Marvel peddle to potentially young readers. 

Still, given its overall violence quotient, I’d recommend Iron Man Noir as appropriate for teens-and-up.       

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

In a full-page format, each Mike Fyles cover precedes its issue.  Including concept artwork and sketches, Snyder and Garcia supply a thirteen-page walkthrough of their Iron Man Noir # 1’s script. It’s a nice bit of padding considering this book’s page count is definitely skimpy. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:         5½ Stars

Note: If one is interested in a similar pulp re-imagining, there’s a two-part Superman & Batman caper reprinted in Elseworlds: Justice League, Volume 1.  Accompanying an alternate-reality World’s Finest duo on their Indiana Jones-style globetrotting proves the highlight of this mostly disappointing Elseworlds compilation.  

Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Marvel Comics MARVEL's Hardcovers & Paperbacks STAR WARS-Related

STAR WARS – JOURNEY TO THE FORCE AWAKENS: SHATTERED EMPIRE (MARVEL Comics)

Issues # 1-4 Written by Greg Rucka.

Issues # 1-4 Art by Marco Checchetto; Angel Unzueta; Emilio Laiso; Andres Mossa; & VC’s Jose Caramagna.

Collection Cover Art by Phil Noto.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2015 by Marvel Comics, this 124-page trade paperback reprints the same-named 2015 four-issue mini-series. 

Set in the closing moments of Return of The Jedi, amidst the Death Star II shootout, Rebel pilot Lt. Shera Bey aids Luke Skywalker’s borrowed Imperial shuttle escape back to Endor.  On planet Endor, Shera’s husband, Sgt. Kes Cameron is among General Han Solo’s commandoes in their effort to disable the Death Star’s outer force field defense system.

Having briefly reunited on planet Endor, Shera and Kes continue their Rebellion commitment in thwarting the Empire’s still-potent remnants.  As Han Solo’s shuttle pilot, an undercover Shera helps his commando squad take down Endor’s last remaining Imperial outpost.  Deciphered Imperial messaging indicated that the Empire now intends to attack multiple planets simultaneously in vengeance.  While Han, Chewbacca, and Kes are involved in leading multiple counterstrikes, Shera becomes Leia’s pilot in her diplomatic return to planet Naboo.

As the Empire bombards Naboo with catastrophic weather-altering technology, it’s up to Leia, Shera, and an unexpected third pilot to mount a vastly outmatched counterattack against a Star Destroyer and its TIE Fighter squadron.  Their only chance is whether or not the Rebellion fleet can reach Naboo in time to save the planet from destruction.  A parallel between the Han/Leia romance and the Damerons’ young marriage is conveyed.   

Shera and Kes contemplate the quiet future they should commit to, along with her father and their young son, Poe.  Recruited by Luke Skywalker, Shera accompanies the Jedi Knight on his personal extraction mission to planet Vetine.  It appears that the Imperials are holding on to a Jedi relic that Luke desperately wants to recover without Rebel reinforcements.  A hint of Kes and Shera’s imminent future is revealed.       

Note: This title is also available digitally and in hardcover.

REVIEW:

It’s really a glorified hodgepodge. Aside from Marvel/Disney’s slick production values, the content of Shattered Empire is relatively good, but it isn’t a must-have.  Specifically, writer Greg Rucka, with a terrific art team, conjures up a sufficiently appealing premise for an episodic mini-sequel to Return of The Jedi. 

It’s a shame, though, that plot elements of Shattered Empire couldn’t have been extended out to six issues vs. the conventional four-issue industry standard.  That way, there could have been more time spent with the franchise’s original characters, as opposed to playing supporting roles for Shera Bey and Kes Dameron.  

If anything, the four-part Shattered Empire offers a good read for Star Wars fans for most age groups, in terms of setting up Poe Dameron’s future link to The Force Awakens.  Besides introducing Poe Dameron’s parents convincingly, Rucka’s conveyance of Han and Leia’s leadership during their own separate missions is well-constructed.  The final issue shifting to Luke Skywalker’s personal side trip (which conveniently includes Shara Bey), however, is more of an obvious plot tack-on than it should be.   

As for this title’s additional padding, Princess Leia # 1 and Marvel’s original Star Wars # 1 supply just enough to attain a respectable page count.  Serving best as a welcome library find, Star Wars: Shattered Empire, at least, offers a kid-friendly escape back into a galaxy far, far away. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

The full-page cover precedes each issue.  The cover artists are: Phil Noto (Issue # 1) and Marco Checcheto (Issues # 2-4).  Splitting pages are variant cover reprints.  For Issue # 1, the variant cover artists are: 1. Francesco Francavilla; 2. Checchetto; and 3. Pasqual Ferry & Chris Sotomayor.  Issue # 2’s variant artist is Kris Anka.  Issue # 3’s variant artist is  Mike Deodato.  Sarah Pichelli & Paul Mounts are the variant artists for Issue # 4.          

The opener for the 2015 Princess Leia mini-series is then presented afterwards.  The issue’s creative team consists of writer Mark Waid; artists Terry and Rachel Dodson (who also supply the full-page cover); colorist Jordie Bellaire; & VC’s Joe Caramagna on letters.

Set immediately after Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, Princess Leia recruits an embittered Rebel female pilot (and fellow survivor from Alderaan) for an unauthorized excursion to Naboo.  Defying General Dodonna’s orders to stay put (given there’s an Imperial bounty out on her), Leia gambles that her pilot can out-maneuver Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, whose X-Wings are in an interception pursuit.

Between Mark Waid’s likable scripting and the Dodsons’ sufficient visuals (still, their cover image surpasses the average interior artwork), Princess Leia # 1 makes for a nice read.  Waid smartly plays up Leia’s often icy exterior for some insightful scenes with Luke (briefly), General Dodonna, and a newly introduced Rebel pilot, Evaan.  While this single-issue ‘teaser’ isn’t a must-read, Waid and the Dodsons make it easy enough to visual the familiar actors playing out the dialogue.   

From out of Marvel’s archives is the first issue of its original 1977 Star Wars comic book adaptation.  The creative team consists of writer Roy Thomas; artist Howard Chaykin; and letterer Jim Novak.  The uncredited cover art team is Chaykin and Tom Palmer. 

Though its artwork seems primitive today, this first issue’s plotting reasonably follows George Lucas’ script.  Including the film’s deleted Luke and Biggs sequence at Anchorhead on Tatooine, Thomas nimbly conveys the movie’s iconic dialogue in comic book form.  This Thomas/Chaykin collaboration, in that sense, makes for a decent blast from the past.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 5½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Digital Books Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: GENERATIONS (1994 Movie Novelization)

Written by J.M. Dillard Based Upon The Story & Script Co-Written by

Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, & Rick Berman.

SUMMARY:

First released in 1994 by Simon and Schuster’s Pocket Books imprint, Star Trek: Generations’ novelization was penned by J.M. Dillard.  Depending upon its format, the page count for Dillard’s novel evidently varies from about 280 pages up to 304 pages.

Set approximately a year after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the now-retired Captain James T. Kirk, Montgomery Scott, and Pavel Chekov are on hand for the U.S.S. Enterprise-B’s media-friendly launch ceremony.  A subsequent space emergency inflicts severe damage upon the new Enterprise during its rescue of survivors from three crippled El-Aurian refugee ships due to the destructive Nexus ribbon. 

Among the characters introduced are helmsman Ensign Demora Sulu (Hikaru Sulu’s daughter); the Enterprise-B’s rookie Captain: John Harriman; and a deranged El-Aurian scientist, Dr. Soran.  In a cameo appearance, The Next Generation’s Guinan is among the rescued refugees.  The legendary Captain Kirk, however, is among those casualties tragically lost in space amidst this makeshift rescue mission.

Seventy-eight years later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard anguishes over news of his estranged brother and beloved nephew having perished in a fire at the family’s French vineyard.  Picard’s grief is interrupted by Dr. Soran, who has suspiciously survived a Romulan onslaught upon the space station he was working from.  Having stolen an experimental and ultra-destructive power source known as ‘tri-lithium,’ Soran’s ruthless scheme becomes apparent.  He intends to detonate a star impacting far-off-planet Veridan III to expedite his reunion with the time-warping Nexus. 

Like others familiar with The Nexus, awaiting Soran inside is immortality and escapes to seemingly all of his heart’s greatest wishes.  With hundreds of millions of innocent lives at stake, the lone obstacle impeding Soran is Picard’s valiant crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D.  And quite possibly a long-lost Starfleet hero seeking to make a difference once more.         

Instead of further reiterating the film’s main plot and various subplots, included are some highlights that aren’t in the film.    

  1. Following Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the novel begins in 2293 with the U.S.S. Enterprise-A crew’s farewell party.  Foreshadowing a hint of his ultimate fate, Captain Kirk rues a lingering back injury.  He also realizes that retirement will prove far lonelier than expected.  After Carol Marcus rejects his pseudo-marriage proposal, Kirk subsequently exchanges parting gifts and temporary goodbyes with Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy. 
  • Over the next several months, Kirk relentlessly pushes himself through a series of physically strenuous hobbies to alleviate his boredom.  Among his reckless new pursuits is orbital skydiving, which the also-retired Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov witness in a mixture of worry and envy.  Note: The orbital skydiving sequence was filmed with William Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig, but it was deleted from the movie’s theatrical version. 
  • An emergency drill aboard the U.S.S. Excelsior ends after Chekov notifies Captain Sulu of their captain’s death.
  • Spock and Dr. McCoy poignantly reunite as the first guests to arrive at Kirk’s memorial service.
  • Kirk’s nearly eighty-year existence within The Nexus is expanded, including a marriage ceremony to Carol Marcus, with their late son, David, in attendance.
  • Indicating that Dillard composed the novel during the movie’s initial filming schedule, Kirk’s original death sequence is depicted.  Yet, its content was panned in test screenings and subsequently replaced in a hasty reshoot prior to the movie’s November 1994 release.    

Note: This title has been released in multiple formats, including hardcover, paperback, and audiobook. 

REVIEW:

Given the script’s contrived content (i.e. a laundry list of Paramount and/or Rick Berman’s cookie-cutter plot edicts), novelist J.M. Dillard merits some applause for salvaging what she can.  Case in point: it’s easy to visualize Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley playing out her well-written chapel sequence.  The same applies to imagining the Kirk/Carol Marcus wedding scene, as this segment adds some welcome depth to Kirk’s Nexus experiences.  Depth, not to mention, plausibility … yes, that’s where this novelization, unfortunately, becomes a mixed bag.

Like several other Trek authors (in this instance, i.e. Peter David, Vonda N. McIntyre), Dillard is effective in freshly mining the franchise’s primary characters and conveying them as believably as one could.  Still, even Dillard’s solid literary talents can’t fix The Nexus’ preposterous nature into anything resembling dramatic Trek storytelling.  Given how The Nexus was abandoned by the franchise as a single one-and-done concept, Dillard is left too little substance that is legitimately compelling to work from.  This assessment of implausibility applies equally to The Nexus and Data’s eye-rolling emotion chip crisis.    

Hence, Dillard’s work predictably falls short of McIntyre’s underrated movie novelizations of Star Treks II and III exploring the unintended repercussions of The Genesis Device.  More so, unlike Peter David’s stellar Star Trek: The Next Generation – Imzadi, Dillard doesn’t have access to a far better Trek time-warping concept: the Guardian of Forever. 

As with much of the film’s cast, J.M. Dillard at least imbues Star Trek: Generations with more class than its hackneyed storyline frankly merits.  Still, for fans who enjoy Star Trek: Generations onscreen as is, Dillard’s novelization makes for a welcome treat.  Casual readers, otherwise, ought to find her novel as a slightly above-average adaptation. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

None.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    6 Stars

Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels DC Comics DC's Hardcovers & Trade Paperbacks

THE NEXT BATMAN (JACE FOX) – I AM BATMAN, VOLUME 2: WELCOME TO NEW YORK (DC Comics)

Written by John Ridley.

Art by Christian Duce; Ken Lashley; & Stephen Segovia; Rex Lokus; & Troy Peteri.

Collection Cover Art by Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2024, this 144-page trade paperback compiles 2021-2022’s I Am Batman # 6-10.  In the Next Batman’s alternate future timeline, Tim “Jace” Fox’s billionaire family has recently relocated to New York City from Gotham. 

With his attorney mother (Tanya) busily establishing political connections to expedite new social programs for the needy, Jace’s younger sisters: Tam and Tiffany have their own struggles acclimating.  Jace’s Batman, meanwhile, has drawn the attention of the city’s Mayor Villanueva, not to mention the less-than-thrilled and evidently ultra-bigoted Police Commissioner Pete Becket. 

Prompted by Villanueva, Deputy Mayor Carmichael recruits ex-GCPD Detective Adriana Chubb to command the  police’s new Bat-friendly special cases task force.  Joined by her ex-partner, Whitaker, Chubb senses that Carmichael’s dubiously handpicked recruits are really the police department’s castoff trouble magnets.  Now a deputized lawman, Fox’s Batman builds an alliance with a skeptical Chubb to corral a dangerous band of gunrunning thugs. 

Far worse is the rise of an ultra-sadistic serial killer (later dubbed ‘Man Ray’), whose first grisly and surrealistic ‘art display’ is dismembered philanthropist Devlin Rubel.  Between Batman and Chubb’s team, their search for ‘Man Ray’ has mixed results.  Still, Jace’s closest friends: Russian computer hacker, Vol, and Jace’s would-be girlfriend, Hadiyah, have better luck connecting potential clues towards ‘Man Ray.’ 

Humiliated in combat by ‘Man Ray,’ Batman redoubles his efforts to hunt down his elusive adversary.  Jace’s father, Lucius Fox, offers to enhance his son’s Bat-weapons, but it isn’t revealed if Jace accepts. The discovery of another eviscerated high-profile victim indicates that the enemy has no fear of the police.  More so, others within the NYPD intend to seek fitting vigilante revenge against ‘Man Ray.’

After Batman and Chubb’s task force realize that Mayor Villanueva is the killer’s next target, a lethal showdown soon commences at City Hall. This storyline is entitled “Empire State of Mind, Parts 1-5,” with Issue # 10 serving as the current plot’s conclusion.

Note: This title is also available digitally, along with the 2023 hardcover edition.

REVIEW:

It’s a shame that relatively high-caliber visuals are squandered on this icky and genre-clichéd storyline.  More specifically, Volume 2’s art team can’t hide writer John Ridley’s underwhelming excuse for a Bat-thriller. 

While Ridley conveys sufficient depth in various scenes depicting Jace’s family and friends; the police; and the Mayor’s Office, his take on Jace Fox’s Batman is all too generic.  Obvious elements of Jace’s Batman/Black Panther-like amalgam aside, there’s little, if anything, compelling, about this alternate Batman’s war on New York crime. Ridley essentially does too little developing the ‘Next Batman’ further as a pivotal lead character. 

Having his friends and the cops conduct most of the actual sleuthing doesn’t help Jace’s characterization, either.  Case in point: Jace asks his potential girlfriend to research a supposedly tantalizing hint referenced as ‘The Hotlist.’  Yet, Ridley doesn’t explain how or where Jace got this particular clue from.  Instead, it’s Hadiyah who casually deciphers the more pivotal info related to the enigmatic ‘Man Ray.’ 

Describing Ridley’s sociopath as ‘artistically minded’ really means that ‘Man Ray’ conveys nothing more than horrific crime scenes and an intent to eviscerate corrupt individuals alive.  Hence, displaying dismembered body parts in surrealistic ‘portraits’ is this new Bat-villain’s sickening trademark.  If Ridley thought he would impress readers in a twisted Saw-like manner, his creative intuition falls far short.               

Furthermore, implying the villain is inspired by and named after real life artist Man Ray (not to mention, mimics elements of the notorious Black Dahlia homicide) is an exercise in bad taste.  Adding to the antagonist’s lack of depth, Ridley also doesn’t explain this villain’s inexplicably superhuman attributes (i.e. strength, invulnerability) in action scenes. 

Having Jace later vanquish ‘Man Ray’ in a street fight and then have the killer await imminent arrest is an utter contradiction of their prior encounter.  Hence, ‘Man Ray,’ makes zero sense, in terms of plausibility.  Jace’s multi-ethnic supporting cast, by comparison, is at least admirably textbook excellent for any ongoing Bat-series.      

Serving as a tone-deaf exclamation point, what spells out Volume 2’s mostly deplorable plotting is a grotesque effigy ending Issue # 6 accompanied by the self-congratulatory banner of ‘DC Comics Proudly Presents.’  The fact that there isn’t a DC Comics parental advisory anywhere in sight for Volume 2, unfortunately, speaks for itself. 

Though this art team’s visual style is appealing, I Am Batman, Volume 2: Welcome To New York, otherwise, concocts a disappointingly repellant misfire.         

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  Primary cover artist teams are: Issue # 6 (Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair); Issue # 7 (Ken Lashley & Diego Rodriguez); Issue # 8 (Stephen Segovia & Rex Lokus); Issue # 9 (Segovia & Lokus); and Issue # 10 (Christian Duce & Lokus). 

An excellent eleven-page variants gallery (all in a full-page format) consists of these artists:

  1. Issue # 6: (1. Francesco Mattina; 2. Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez; and 3. Alexis Franklin);
  2. Issue # 7: (1. Mattina; and 2. Dike Ruan);
  3. Issue # 8: (1. Coipel & Sinclair; and 2. Mateus Manhanini);
  4. Issue # 9: (1. Gerardo Zaffino & Rain Beredo; and 2. Manhanini); 
  5. Issue # 10: (1. Taurin Clarke; and 2. Manhanini).

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     3½ Stars