REVIEW: Rex Zombie Killer #1 and #2

Writer: Rob Anderson

Artist: Da Fu Yu

Color: Juan Romera

Letters: E.T. Dollman

Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been trapped in my house under lockdown due to the arctic tundra that has become the outdoors here in Midwest ‘Merica.  Cabin fever is an all or nothing kinda deal.

Maybe it’s just that I’m sick of buying uninspiring comics that never bring anything new to the table.  There are a lot of these gimmicky unsubstantial books caught up in the avalanche of horse shit that conically spews from the Big 2.

Standing in front of the mainstream comics at your local comic shop is a lot like standing in front of the monkey cage at the zoo.  Let down your guard and they will be flinging poo.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every mainstream book is garbage, but the facts don’t lie, most are.




I’ve abandoned a good sized list of titles that were previously cemented on my pull list.  It’s time to cut the dead weight and get back to the bare bones.  This is where I found Rex Zombie Killer, actually my local store promoted this local book (and still does) pretty heavily.  This current line of thinking has me digging and searching for the unknown, the local, and the original.

It all started with a Rex one shot that explains and builds up to the first issue of the current miniseries.  My first thought after having read said one shot was mostly positive.  My only real concern was that a zombie vs. animal comic with a teen rating, while entertaining, could never hold my interest.  Yeah, I was way wrong.  It is and it does.  Think “The Walking Dead” meets “Homeward Bound”………but with a gorilla wielding a baseball bat. Thanks to the convenient “story so far” breakdowns on the title page, it’s not necessary to read the one shot before jumping right into the newest misadventures of Rex and his pack. 

As you may have guessed from reading the title, there are zombies involved here.  I know, I know, they’re everywhere and we’re beating a dead horse here, but truly it’s okay.  Even though there are zombies, called Rotters, shambling around craving brains, this zombie tale comes off immediately as fresh and original.  Granted, I had to stop myself from constantly trying to tie a personality from The Walking Dead characters to one of the animals.  That would be the first major deviation from the norm. 

The protagonists are all animals fighting to survive the zombie apocalypse.  Rex, a highly intelligent golden retriever, is on a quest to San Francisco to find his human.  Through various series of events more animals including: Buttercup, a small corgi mix, Brutus, the tough guy pit bull, Snowball, the angry cat, and last but not least Kenji, the baseball wielding gorilla join in on the fun.  I have to admit Kenji really steals the show……..Daryl.

The greatest part of this comic is unarguably the army of squirrels running recon for Rex’s pack.  They steal the show along with the zombie griz, the pack faces off against in issue #2.

I recommend this series to anyone interested in a fun non-super hero read.  Rob Anderson’s writing is extremely entertaining and well done.  He keeps you wanting to read more.  There is a real family wholesome vibe this title gives off, which seems kind of strange to say about a zombie romp, but hey it’s true. 
DaFu Yu’s art and Juan Romera’s colors are super clean and extremely tasty.  The “Rotters” are even cleaned up and seem less grotesque keeping the animals the stars of the show and the rating PG-13.

So when it comes down to it, the way I see it, you have two choices:

#1: Buy and enjoy this deserving title

 #2 Duck.

PREVIEW: Binary Gray #6

Writer:  Chris Charlton

Artist:  Rowel Roque

Preview:  Arthur Black

Last November, I presented a review of Binary Gray #5 ,which can be seen at http://the-hammond-comics-blog.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-binary-gray-5.html.  The sixth installment of this series is due to be available on February 1, and I have to admit that it the most exciting one so far. Chris Charlton and Rowel Roque have really outdone themselves in this issue.

Issue six picks up almost where the last one ended with Alex Gray in the headquarters of the hero group, Virtue.  The book gets exciting quickly as the Agency's lackeys attack the facility.  The action in this issue is far better than in issue five, and it is delivered like a full set of one-two punches. What you are not expecting is the sucker punch at the end.  We are left with two cliff hangers.

Chris Charlton brought us an awesome concept of a villain named Sleet in the fifth issue, and he delivers another in this issue.  Tao is a villain working for the the Agency and is the combined bodies and minds of two people. He also seems to have an array of energy attacks.  The design and presentation of this new bad ass is fantastic. I wish there was a bio of it at the end of the comic, in addition to the bio of Dash. 

Alex Gray is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in comicdom.  Mr. Charlton has done an excellent job in delivering this character to us and developing him.  As stated before, Alex's father was killed as a bystander in a battle between the Cross and Scaldron.  In this next issue we are given another piece to the puzzle along with a new question.  Alex's powers also produce a shocking new feature.

What attracts me to a character like Alex Gray is three things:  realism, complexity, and vulnerability.  We should feel as though we could go somewhere and find this person or someone just like them.  Lets face it, no one's life is simple.  There are all sorts of dramatic conflicts, traumatic events, joyous occasions, and other events that happen in everyone's life (just look at Facebook).  Most importantly everyone I have ever met is vulnerable.  Some more than others, but that is a big part of being a person.  All three of these are woven together in Alex Gray.

The artwork in issue six looks more vibrant than in the previous issues.  The colors used and the contrasts really pop out at you.  My favorite work in on page 23.  A purple hue is used to really focus the attention of the panel to the action.  Also on the last page, the blending of yellow into the scene for the sun light is absolutely beautiful (shown below).  Overall the artwork is really well done.  

The cover, done by David Hollenbach, is just awesome and a little chilling.  I am sure you seen it at the start of this article, but take a moment to go back and really look at it.  Look right into the eyes of the guy.  Did you feel yourself pull back just a little bit.  I know I did.  I have said it before.  Hollenbach has a very unique style to his work, and you can not just look at it.  You have to look it over and really let it live in your eyes. 

If any of you are not reading this series, you should give it a read.  It is an exceptional series from a small local company, Assailant Comics (assailantcomics.com).  I do not devote myself to much of anything easily, but after the sixth issue of Binary Gray, my devotion has been earned

REVIEW: Seekers of the Weird #1

Writer:  Brandon Seifert

Penciler:  Karl Moline

Inker:  Rick Magyar

Review:  Arthur Black

Seekers of the Weird #1 is a new comic from Marvel and Disney Kingdoms and is best described as a cross between the Twilight Zone and A Night at the Museum. Brandon Seifert has done a brilliant job of setting up the series. The story really flows well from the first page to the end with a decent blend of horror, action, and hijinks.

We meet the central characters of the book, Maxwell and Melody (Max and Mel for short). Mel is a jock, and her brother, Max, is a nerd.  They have an interesting relationship.  They finish each other's sentences more than once, and seem to have a closer connection to each other very much like a set of twins would have.  The kids live with their parents in their home above the family curio store: “Keep It Weird”.

Weird seems to be a running theme and not just a clever part of the title.  When Mel and Max are awoken in the middle of the night by a loud sound.  They rush down to the store to find their parents battling stuffed creatures that are spliced together from different animal parts.  The parents are fighting with an umbrella that shoots lightning bolts and an antique camera that blasts out energy.  The kids' parents, Arthur and Ellen, end up getting captured and pulled into the rainy sky.  Afterwards, the kids meet their Uncle Roland, whom introduces them into the weirder side of the family's home, the “Museum of the Weird”.

I am not into spoilers, so I will not give one.  As stated earlier, the story is really good but a little cheesy, which is not a horrible thing. Although this does carry the Disney name on it, I would not recommend it for young children. This does carry some images that would not be handled very well by them.

Karl Moline and Rick Magyar have done a spectacular job with the artwork in the comic. The colors are bright and balanced, and the consistency in the drawing is uncanny.  The details of the monsters and other oddities are just brilliant.  The two page pictorial of the entryway of the “Museum of the Weird”, which is hidden behind an awesome looking door in the parents' study, is just fanatic and very creative. The few action sequences are adequate.  They convey the idea but are not great on depicting the movements well. My favorite panel in the comic was the entrance of Roland.  The details of the skull and the weapons really bring this panel to life (as seen below).

Overall, this was a good comic to pick up.  I will admit that my intention was to not like this book and thought it would be one to ridicule.  It is nice to be pleasantly surprised with a comic every once in awhile. Check this one out.  It has some potential.

REVIEW: Afterlife With Archie #1

Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Artist: Francesco Francavilla

Review: Will Dubbeld

 

Never did I foresee myself buying an Archie comic.

 

I know Archie is an elder statesman, having been a part of comicdom since the 40s. Who has been reading Archie Comics in a great enough number to keep it afloat since the 40s is beyond me, but evidently there is a strong enough presence to keep going. It may have something to do with Archie being a male wish fulfillment character, what with a pair of coed beauties always vying for his attentions, but that's speculation on my part. Seniority doesn't automatically merit  spot on my pull list, however. Even as a foolish lad in the freewheeling 90s I opted out of Archie Meets Punisher. 

 

 

Or Punisher Kills Riverdale, whatever the hell it was called. I vaguely remember there being an Archie cartoon I tuned in to as a youth, but that's about as far down the rabbit hole as I was willing to go for Archie and the Gang.

     

The zombie pop-culture phenomenon was another matter entirely. I'm not sure where to place the blame for the popularity of zombies as the zombie apocalypse, but I'm sure it's a cultural allegory for the current geopolitical state of the world descending into chaos, madness, consumerism and war. It perhaps appeals to our racial subconscious on some primal level, but in any case it has TAKEN OVER. Zombie Walks, Marvel Zombies, The Walking Dead, World War Z, countless direct to DVD features, and yes, Zombie Archie. 

 

I'm largely over the zombie movement, having beat the curve (sounding like a true hipster...) a few years ago. I mean, I'm grateful for it largely rescuing us from Sparkly Vampires, but enough is enough. I've thrown in the towel on The Walking Dead.

     

Oddly enough, the thought of a Zombie Archieverse appealed to my sense of "what the-?!!" and I ended up ordering the book. 

   

 I chose wisely.

     

This isn't a kids book, dear readers. I mean, we're not talking a hard R-rated Archie, but it's thematically dark and folks do get et by zombies.

     

The setup for this series is beautiful. In addition to the Riverdale gang, another Archie Comics intellectual property is Sabrina. As in the Teenage Witch. As in television show starring Melissa Joan Hart. Sabrina the Teenage Witch lives on the border of Riverdale and Greendale, which I can only presume is Sabrina's fictional stomping ground, and that, dear readers, opens the door on all kinds of crossover potential.

 

Like Jughead showing up on Sabrina's doorstep with the body of his roadkill dog.

 

Who's name is Hot Dog, but whatever.

 

Poor, brokenhearted, dumb-hatted Jughead wants Sabrina to resurrect Hot Dog, but that sort of foul necromancy is verboten by her witch-aunts!

Because I guess Sabrina and her aunts have a witch coven and must abide by certain White Magic rules, I dunno, I don't really have much insight on Sabrina the Teenage Witch other than impure thoughts about Melissa Joan Hart circa 1996.

Poor, brokenhearted dumb-hatted Jughead is turned away, left to bury the remains of Hot Dog.

 

Hot Dog, for cryin' out loud...

     

Evidently, Sabrina is a Soft-Hearted Teenage Witch and her emotions get the better of her. Against the rules lain down by her witches coven, Sabrina turns to her family's tome of verboten, eldritch lore and employs fell magicks to raise poor Hot Dog from the dead. As an aside, the grimoire Sabrina uses to breathe life into Jugheads dog was the Necronomicon. 

This is gettin' good.

    

Now, we all know nothing good comes from meddling with the Necronomicon. Nothing. That's first year Evil Dead stuff. It should come as no surprise that Hot Dog comes back from the realm of the dead less than whole.

   

Like, y'know, zombie dog.

 

Zombie dog bites man. Man with stupid hat becomes patient zero in the Riverdale Zombie Apocalypse.

 

In true horror trope, the backdrop for this apocalypse will be the Riverdale High School Halloween Dance. Brilliant.

 

A handful of other characters from the Archie mythos appear, our titular Archie, antagonist Reggie, Betty and Veronica, and a few others, but quite frankly every one of them has 'victim' written across the forehead. Every. Single. One.

Which is great, because you don't know who's going to make it out of this. Will infection get into Archie's hand, forcing him to lop it off at the wrist? Will Betty fulfill her destiny as the Final Girl? Who knows, but I am eager to find out.

     

Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa does an admirable job of taking two things that are polar opposites and portmanteau them into something wonderful.

He's taken strawberry ice cream and sauerkraut and made it taste good. The man understands horror, and is at able to use horror conventions admirably. The book is very tongue in cheek, which is to be expected from a zombie book starring Archie Andrews.

 

Francesco Francavilla's art nails it, once again. This guy's doing some fantastic work. I wasn't in love with his take on Guardians of the Galaxy, I think he's better used in the non-spandex realm of comics, but his work here and on Black Beetle are amazing. Zombie Jughead is a sight to behold...

The man might just be in the running for a Hammy.

     

Afterlife With Archie isn't going to sell me on Archie Comics. It's a great gimmick, but I won't stick around after the series conclusion. It has rekindled a small torch for the zombie pop-phenom, but I'm still not gonna buy Walking Dead.

By the way, Sabrina gets banished to a nether-realm for harnessing foul necromancies and jumpstarting a zombie apocalypse.

     

As an aside, I presume there is something of a reading audience for the Hammond Comics Blog, and I presume a small percentage of said theoretical readership has been wondering where the hell their reviews have been and if the site is dead. Between jobs, moving, personal business, a general lackadaisical inactivity, and other excuses, we the Hammond Comics Blog staff have been less than productive. 

 

And for that I apologize.

 

Fear not, readers,  Mr. Black, Mr. Davis, Madman and myself made a solemn vow on the grave of Thomas and Martha Wayne to resurrect the HCB in 2014.

Besides, it's comics.

Nothing stays dead forever.

REVIEW: The Twilight Zone #1

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Guiu Vilanova
Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Review: William R. Davis Jr.

The Twilight Zone is one of my favorite science fiction franchises of all time and has inspired countless, similar spinoffs of every ilk. The BBC's Black Mirror miniseries ranks up there with my must watch favorites, but if you replaced the actors with Americans and changed the title to "The Twilight Zone", I doubt anyone would notice the difference. When Dynamite announced that they were releasing a new  Twilight Zone series penned by J. Michael Straczynski, I felt mildly excited by the news. My love for good science fiction has not waned in the slightest, however, Straczynski recently  authored that abysmal Dr. Manhattan Before Watchmen miniseries, contributing to what may be remembered as the most egregious transgression against the medium of our generation. To his credit, before taking a small part in defiling one of the all-time classic works of sequential art, he did create Babylon 5 and wrote scripts for the 1988 Twilight Zone reboot, so I found myself conflicted but admittedly anxious for this new release.

Francesco Francavilla is one of the modern day masters of noir art, so he also seemed to be a perfect fit for The Twilight Zone. His work on The Black Beetle cemented his reputation as a great artist, every panel dark, stunning, and unique. I was excited to see what concepts he would bring to the cover art. Unfortunately issue one's cover was serviceable at best, uninspired at its worst. The interior art by Guiu Vilanova is a completely different matter however, being inconsistent at best, and god awful at its worst. The Twilight Zone #1 manages to fail in almost every conceivable way artistically. Although issue one has some inherent and obvious flaws, the problem is not in the writing. Straczynski does a great job channeling Rod Serling in the first few pages. See below:

The introduction was masterfully written and a delightful precursor to what I would find in the later pages. Straczynski's twelve issue run will definitely find its way into my collection. A part of me wishes that each one was a self contained tale, more like the original series, but that is my only criticism thus far and I'm picking nits to find one. A couple extra panels would have wrapped up this story quite nicely too, but this first arc will run through issue four. This new take on The Twilight Zone is a very modern tale of financial corruption with an occult twist that will not leave the reader wanting. Despite the artistic shortcomings, I found The Twilight Zone #1 to be the most entertaining and enjoyable title I have read yet this week.

Please keep in mind that if you slap the words Star Trek or Twilight Zone on something I will more than likely be giving you my money. IDW's current ongoing Star Trek series is another book that I find highly satisfying while being completely visually broken at the same time. Both are titles I would highly recommend. I gave you my caveat, so the decision to purchase them  is now your own. The Twilight Zone #1 is well worth your money, but that's just like, my opinion, man.