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Category: Comics

Crossed 3: All that baking for nothing

Published by NiteMayr on February 21, 2009
It just needed doing.
It just needed doing.

Crossed 3 came out a while ago; it is kind of like a breather after the last two issues sort of dropped us into Wiry Meth-Head Rapist Armageddon.  Mr. Ennis gives us a (somewhat cliche) “Man’s Inhumanity to Man” story with issue 3; which is hardly the issue to lose the momentum that was set up in Issues 1 and 2.  One would have imagined that the story would reach a lull by issue 10, but this early break in the headlong run from the Crossed is kind of a letdown.

I’m not committed to the Characters yet, seeing them instead as a vehicle for us to ride on rather than actual “people in the story” if you understand.  They don’t really exist as people yet, you see.  They are brethless story ponys that we are riding with for now.

This is kind of where Crossed really drifts from what made “The Walking Dead” so good initially and so unsettling now;  I cared about Rick and his family right away.  I don’t care about any of the people in Crossed yet.  That lack of empathy for the characters puts Crossed at Risk of being just a one-off Violent comic instead of a promising story about survival (or death) in the face of Skinny Redneck Violence Rapists.

Just Saying.

Review: Crossed Issue 2; now with more Soggy Cookies

Published by NiteMayr on December 7, 2008

Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows set the Rape and Murder by crazed Rednecks bar really high in Crossed #1.  I can safely state that issue two doesn’t add to the horror, instead it shows the keen, steely and purposeful levels of evil the “Crossed” can reach.  Speaking of the Crossed, here’s the birth of one:

Crossed 2 preview

Our uninfected are telling this story in anecdotal form, which means at least one of them is alive “in the future” I’m guessing either as one of the Crossed or it is the kid that has been tagging along all this time.   Giving a hopeful narrator with such bleak and (really) dark subject matter strikes me as an odd choice.  The Crossed tear one of their own apart and rape the severed foot/calf, with that kind of determined horror, it’s hard to imagine some form of hopeful anything save a quick death.

As for the crossed themselves. when they aren’t mutilating each other and raping men, women and children (and animals I’m sure) to death, they are “spreading the love” in an inventive and evil fashion, through the use of a variant Soggy Biscuit game.

I’ll leave that there for you to puzzle out on your own.

Overall verdict; read it if you are a fan of post-apocalyptic stories as well as “zombie” fiction, as the Crossed are the implacable but intelligent foe that Zombie fiction sometimes wants for.

All that was left was a Torn Cowl

Published by NiteMayr on November 26, 2008

RIPPED COWL
All that was left was a Torn Cowl and a sad Sidekick or Two

So Batman: R.I.P. comes to an end.  It was a long, turgid, throbbing, uh.. cock fest.
[spoiler]

I’m beginning to think that Grant Morrison only likes a female character if he has it written down somewhere that she has a penis or will eventually turn out to be the reason the Hero is dead or crazy.  Even Ragged Robin was nothing but trouble for King Mob.  So it shouldn’t be a surprise to me that  the woman Bruce Wayne took into his confidence was pivotal to his downfall, it’s just the way Grant Morrison writes, Talia Al Ghul was just a plot point to get Damien into the picture and so on.  So when the Calvary shows up to save Batman, it’s not staffed with the local Bird of Prey or any of the Outsiders, it’s the XY brigade to the rescue (or at least, the Distraction)

Please forgive me for spoiling the story for you, but Batman has gone underground now to deal with the Black Glove and will resurface in a reasonable amount of time, because, as we all know, The Batman is always one step ahead.

Best moment of the Issue and the real saving grace of Grant’s writing, it’s well written, engaging and entertaining, especially the Joker, who is portrayed in his essential lunacy and casual violence, especially in his accidental disposal by Damien.

I strongly recommend this for Batman fans interested in seeing “the end” of the RIP series and recommend as a read for Joker fans either way.
[/spoiler]

The Return of Joe Fixit

Published by NiteMayr on October 26, 2008

In “New” Hulk #7, the Wendigo who are looking for the Red Hulk end up in Vegas where Bruce Banner unleashes the beast all over them, this beast:

Joe Fixit Returns

Issue Seven is split between the “Banner” Hulk and the Red Hulk backup story.  The Backup story revolves around She-Hulk getting together a All Girl Hulkbusters group to take on the Red Hulk.  It reads like an old “funny” She Hulk story, which is okay, but really, “She Hulk” is funny enough without being constant comic relief.

Review: Crossed #1

Published by NiteMayr on October 12, 2008

Crossed Issue One Preview, originally uploaded by Kevin Wardrop.

I’ve read a number of “Horror” comics, and more than my share of Zombie Comics in my day. I don’t think that I’ve ever really turned a page and then immediately wanted to skip what I’m seeing so quickly until I saw the Climax of this Comic.

It’s a real achievement for a Writer and Artist to come together and create something that shocks as effectively as the best horror movie. Better still if one can be equally repulsed at the same time. This Comic is truly horrifying and frightening.

Frightening like crowds of flesh hungry Peckerwoods with permanent viagra hard-ons and shrieking harridan meth-head women.

Frightening like the total breakdown of society into Paunchy Nerds and Wiry Speed freaks with Knives and dangerous libidos.

Not to mention the fact that a Nuclear Bomb has gone off in the Geographical Neighborhood.

Not To Mention that society has broken down.

You can Check out Crossed at your local Comic Store and if they don’t have it, check out Avatar Press

Story by Garth Ennis, Art by Jacen Burrows

You can check out more of my photographs at: Flickr

Comics and Politics: Lois Lane Probably Voted for Luthor

Published by NiteMayr on September 21, 2008

If you are a fan of politics, you’ve probably come across some of the discussions regarding the phenomena of people voting against their interests, going so far as to vote for someone who would damage their standing in the community or their livelihood in order to placate some belief that they have held since they were a child.

Nuances of stance and benefit appear to be lost on some folks who will vote for some political ideology regardless of the outcome.  Lois Lane, a military brat and wife of the world’s most famous republican probably voted for Lex Luthor (even though he has sworn Blood Death oaths on her Husband, simply because of his stance on military funding (which Luthor Industries Benefits from) and lax taxes (natch).

Lois Lane Voted for Luthor

I wonder if Superman Voted Luthor too?

All of that aside, the idea of politics in comics being more than just Hawkman and Green Arrow calling each other names isn’t exactly new, but DC has bright it front and center with “DC Universe: Decisions” which is kind of poorly timed amongst all of the other DC crossovers going on right now.  It’s not even kinda smart, it’s just Democrats and Republicans… D’oh.

I’m not really interested in a Political Drama that involves Green Arrow and Batman, because, in the end, it ascribes Real World beliefs onto characters that may not have Universal Appeal, they are somewhat apolitical, allowing the readers to place whatever labels on them that they want.

Just like the real world, I want my heroes to have secret ballots in the end.

It looks like Judd Winnick and Bill Willingham are going to take that from us.

Fuck. That.

Review: Crossed #0: Crossed Prologue

Published by NiteMayr on August 16, 2008

Crossed Preview, originally uploaded by NiteMayr.

So, where have you been hiding, comic fan? Over in Marvel and DC? In that nice shiny house on the hill, I bet you think that Vertigo comics are edgy too?

While DC and Marvel had quietly cast off the Comics Code, Avatar Press has some of the most violent, edy and REAL comics out there. Did you get a chance to read “Black Gas” , how about “Black Summer”, maybe you have read “Gravel”?

Avatar Press continues to be THE source for creator owned, outside the norm comics. Crossed is yet another great example of that work.  Like any good Apocalyptic fiction, the author throws the unsuspecting protagonists into a scenario that initially seems ridiculous  or unlikely, abruptly tossing them into the fire with no obvious hope for safety.   There is a reference to people becoming inured to the ridiculous by instantaneous media like Youtube or Break.com and I think there is something in that, if you saw a Zombie on the street eating an arm, wouldn’t you look for the camera too?

Garth Ennis continues to deliver Edgy comics and now that his Run on Punisher is over (boo) what can we look forward too?  Crossed.

Story by Garth Ennis, Art by Jacen Burrows

Check out my Reviews of Issues 1 and 2

I make Love to them

Published by NiteMayr on July 22, 2008

I make Love to them, originally uploaded by NiteMayr.

You know, when I think about it more “Wanted” the movie fell pretty far short of the bar set by “Wanted” the comic. Here you have a series of panels that illustrate this fact fairly succinctly.

Mr. Rictus (The Joker) is the main villain, he’s crazier than two syphilitic mimes from the middle ages. He is tired of the status quo and is leaving a meeting of the 5 most malevolent beings on earth when he is confronted by Wesley Gibson, who’s Nom de guerre is “The Killer”

They are Super Villains.

SUPER

VILLAINS

The Hero of the Comic Murders cops and commits innumerable crimes. It is vile and inhuman, and immeasurably entertaining. The Bad Guys DO win in the end; it’s all a matter of which bad guys.