Burning Mind Review: Hinges Book 1 Clockwork City

Publisher: Image

Writer/Artist: Meredith McClaren

Hinges is a Young Adult Fantasy graphic novel written and drawn by McClaren and published by Image Comics.

In Hinges, Orio is found (?) by Margo and goes through an intake process where she chooses clothing and her Odd, a creature/pet companion named Bauble. Margo seems to question this choice off Odd, but sends Orio on her way to Cobble anyway.

In Cobble, Orio meets her Liaison, Alluet, whose jobs it is to guide Orio and help her find a job.

Hinges Book 1 Clockwork City is a very quick and easy read. It relies more on its art and style to tell the story then dialog. Orio herself, is silent until the very end, with only two lines of dialog.

The thing is, I am never really sure what is going on in Hinges. Orio is very timid, and doesn’t seem to do much. Her Odd, Bauble, is, well, odd and seems to have some agenda of his own. It also seems like he choose Orio for some reason, than she choose him.

Alluet is the most well-rounded character in the book. A genuiuly good person, with a helpfully personality.

Hinges in confusing. The story and plot are unclear. Orio and Bauble’s motivations are practically non-existent. What kind of world is this, and what people populate are never explained.

Some characters, such as Margo, seem to have strings attached, hinting that they are puppets. Orio and Alluet, along with others, have ‘hinges’ and seem to be put together. This is the fantasy element, but it doesn’t seem developed enough. There is no world building.

This might be by design here, Vol 2 is scheduled for 2/3/16. Perhaps the confusion I feel will be addressed there.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Huh? Confused.

RATING: 5

Phonogram - The Immaterial Girl

Mini-Series (Six Issues)
Publisher: Image
Writing: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie

I almost feel bad writing this: But I just couldn’t get into Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl. Which is sad because I love Wicked and The Divine, and Kieron Gillen’s writing on that series is the reason I picked up The Immaterial Girl.

However, this is my first exposure to the Phonogram universe. I was only passingly aware of the previous two Phonogram series, and never read them. I think that has affected me getting into this series.

I felt like I was missing something when reading the first issue. The characters were laid out in such a way I felt I should have already known them. The story seemed to pick up after some other events I know nothing about.

For whatever reason The Immaterial Girl just didn’t speak to me. I just found myself uninterested in the story being told.

The artwork however is top notch. The characters, the inking, the colors. And the layouts. The layouts are beautiful. Especially the Music Video sequences in Issue Two and Three. You could flip through the entire mini-series without any dialog and still understand the story. That is great artwork.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Great artwork, but I just couldn’t get into the story or characters. Which is sad, because I am a fan of Kieron Gillen’s writing.

RATING: 5

The Horror of Yore

***NOTE: I wrote this some year ago, but it still holds true. I honestly don’t remember if this was published through Comic Bulletin or not. If it wasn’t, then here it is. If it was, then I am representing it here.***

What happened to the horror comics of the days of yore, replace by modern hack and slash bore? Do you remember the time when one would enter vaults where the atmosphere was grim and full of dread, every shadow creepy, all sounds eerie, and where there was stored not money, but tales of terrors. In these vaults were not teenage tellers stumbling through their jobs, but the Crypt Keeper or Boris Karloff there to scare you to your core, or possible to steal your soul away.

Most modern horror comics have followed the path blazed by lackluster movies - where horror is no longer about horrifying an audience. Instead it is about blood and gore. Jason and Freddy, watered down sparkly vampires, zombies eating flesh. These are the staples of modern horror comics. And, just like in their movie counter parts, the point of the genre has not became the scares, but instead the kills.

Long gone is the idea of trying to scare a reader on a psychological level. Where are the Poe like stories, where the atmosphere alone was more terrifying then Jason? For all who love Freddy, he pales in comparison to the mind-bending tales of Lovercraft, which always threaten to send readers insane.

Vault of Horror, Creepy, Eerie, Tales from the Crypt, Boris Karloff’s Tales of Terror, these horror titles were once a staple of the comic book medium. They were filled with stories of ghosts, the long since dead returning to life, stranger visitors in the night and yes, even vampire and zombies, but of a different type.

Yet, no gore was there to be found in these tales. No masked killers with knives chasing teenagers, nor teenage vampires fighting over schoolgirls.

Instead they were designed to frighten, to send chills tingling down your spine. Stories that were meant to stay with you in the dark recess of your mind till the end of your days. They were designed to make you question: is that really just the house settling, or is something there? What did you see out of the corner of your eye? Was that simple a black cat that crossed your path, or a witch that cursed you for life?

I long for the days of the horror comic where the stories would sink their teeth into your very soul, and would drain from you your courage. The stories that would chill you to the point where you would dare not finish them, but that were so hypnotic you seemed forced to continue by a will stronger than your own.

Alas, these days are long since gone. Today, horror is more about making one flinch at blood and gore, not about making one huddle in the corner, a frighten mass, too scared to want to know just what scratches at the door.

Ace Masters.

SPREAD Issues # 1 – 12

Publisher: Image

Written by Justin Jordon

Regular Series Artist: Kyle Strahm, plus Guest Artists

Issue 12 Guest Artist: Jen Hickman

Spread is a mixed bag for me right now. I loved the first few issues, added it to my pull list, then ended up way behind. Last weekend, I binged read the first eleven issues, and have just read issue twelve, which came out this week.

The Spread is a very weird, deadly, organism that exists in a Quarantine Zone, where our characters are truly living a Hell on Earth. What the outside world is like, we don’t know.

I will write about issue twelve toward the end of this piece.

The entire series is fresh in my mind as I write this, all the characters are here: No, Molly, Hope, Jack and Ravallo. Except for No, who remains very enigmatic, the other characters are very well defined. Molly is, without any doubt, the best of the characters, the most interesting and my favorite.

No is our hero, who along with Molly, is trying to protect Hope a Spread Immune baby who seems to be able to kill the Spread. During the course of the story Jack is forced to join them, but his motivations stay unclear. Ravallo is the self-styled king of this world, and believes all is his.

The writing on the series is quiet solid. The regular art style is a perfect fit, the grittiness of it giving us a visual representation of this fractured world and broken people.

The reason I say this is a mixed bag is that I don’t feel the story is going anywhere. The journey right now isn’t compelling to me. The pace is going slowly, and I don’t feel the sense of urgency from the characters and the story that I feel I should.

Issue twelve is a flashback/origin story issue focusing on Molly. It gives us the backstory into how Molly became the character she is now. If the series is a mixed bag, this issue isn’t. It is easily the best and most powerful issue in the series to date.

Justin Jordan writes in the back of the issue that it was hard for him to write this story, and justifiable so. This issue deals with some very dark issues and events in the early life of Molly. Things that couldn’t leave someone unscarred, things that are hard to write about even if they are fiction.

Jordan and artist Jen Hickman handle this very delicately and with elegance. When you read the issue you will know what I mean.

It was hard for him to write, it is equally hard to read.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Mixed. It is a good series that I believe is bogged down by taking too long and going a little slow.

Issue Twelve is fantastic and a MUST READ.

RATING:
THE SERIES: 6
ISSUE TWELVE: 9

The Sheriff of Babylon

Publisher: Vertigo/DC

Writer: Tom King

Artist/Colorist: Mitch Gerads

Synopsis

In 2003 Chris Henry, a former police officer turned military contractor, helps to train a new Iraqi police force in Baghdad.

Thoughts

The odd thing about the Sheriff of Babylon is that its fast paced story, and gritty art style, remind me of a down and dirty, on the quick grindhouse style ‘70’s crime film. Only Sheriff is far sophisticated and realistic then grindhouse films.

The edginess that permeates Sheriff is truly brought about by the fact that this story takes place in a ‘real world’ situation. In truth, this could be a true story, happening right now, and we would never know it. That is realism.

That is the biggest compliment I can give Sheriff of Babylon, it feel realistic and authentic. From the flow of the story, to the style of art, to the characters, it draws you in to this world and makes you part of it.

Chris, our protagonist, is a nicely rendered character. From the moment we meet him, we know he’s a good guy, in Iraq to help people, but frustrated about it not going quite right. A former cop, Chris has come to Iraq to help train a new police force.

He is placed into an awkward situation when one of his trainees is found “shot up.” He doesn’t know or remember the man, Ali, but feels duty bound to find out what happen. His instincts and training as a cop kick in, but also the sincere feeling that he is here “To help these people.”

There is more going on in Babylon then just a murder. A much large political game for control of Iraq is being played, one which may confront our good man, Chris, head on.

As with any good crime or mystery story, these first two issues are filled with tension, crime, mysterious people and a heavy dose of dread. As the reader, we are privy to more information than Chris is. Because of this, by the end of issue two, we are left feeling that something is going to happen that may have a lasting, and changing effect on Chris.

This demands further reading.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Sheriff of Babylon is the crime book on the shelves right now. Must Read.

RATING: 7.5

Rejoice in Star Wars - The Comics!

In keeping with the Star Wars theme from my What I Watch I Review blog, and my review of Obi-Wan & Anakin for The Burning Mind this past weekend, I decided to make this first bi-weekly ‘article’ a Star Wars piece as well.

This isn’t going to be an extensive break down of each series published or different events chronicled in the plethora of Star Wars comics published since 1977. It will be an overview of the history, with some personal commentary. I may even throw in a thought about the many Star Wars novels.

This piece didn’t come about because of Star Wars: The Forces Awakens. It came about because off a lot of the justification I have heard from people, some clients and friends, that The Forces Awakens HAD to remake Hope, with elements from Empire and Jedi. Many people telling me that Stars War hasn’t been in the public conciseness for years (Ignoring completely The Prequel Trilogy, both Star Wars: The Clones Wars TV show, the overabundance of action figures and all other licensed merchandize.)

Since this blog is about Comics . . .

THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS

Make Mine Make, Made Star Wars Marvel for almost ten years (1977 to 1986) and 107 issues. For the years between the original movies and for three years after Return of the Jedi, MARVEL was the only true place to get new adventures of Luke, Leia and Han. Plus, this series showcased the first stories to take place post Jedi. Yea, there were novels, but nothing to the level of what would come.

Considering this series ran for an uninterrupted 107 issues, it is the longest running and most successful of any Star Wars comics book series.

By no means would it rank as the best though.

MARVEL has a very checked past with licensed properties, often butchering them (See Marvel’s Star Trek and Battlestar Galatica (original series) comics). Star Wars was not immune from this. While there were some great stories, the overall series was not that good. Often times lacking a Star Wars feel.

After all, this series did introduced a giant, talking green rabbit – which may have influenced Jar Jar Binks.

The best thing this series did was give a glimpse into the expanded universe beyond the movies, something the movies could only hint at. It also introduced duels lightsabers, with Luke actually using them at one point toward the series end.

MARVEL also adapted Empire and Return.

With the end of the original Star Wars series with #107 in September, 1986, it can be said that Star Wars died off for a while. Or at least faded . . .

THE DARK HORSE YEARS

The initial re-birth of Star Wars is generally credited to the bestselling Heir to the Empire novel by Timothy Zahn (The first part of the Thrawn Trilogy), which relaunched the Star Wars book line and brought renewed interest and life into Star Wars.

In that same year, 1991, Dark Horse helped bring new blood to Star Wars when they started publishing their line of Star Wars come for the next 24 years. During that time frame, they also adapted Zahn’s Novel.

The title that put Dark Horse’s Star Wars on the map was Dark Empire. It set the tone for all Star Wars to come after, everything that dealt with Luke, Leia, Han and Vader and all the expanded universe comics. Dark Horse was going to present a darker, grittier adult oriented Star Wars. Often for the better.

Dark Horse’s Star Wars line was infinitely better than MARVEL’s, in story, art and presentation. MARVEL produced one series, and a mini-series, Dark Horse produced an entire line of comics ranging from The Old Republic, to the Prequel Trilogy to the Original Trilogy and beyond.

That is a huge plus for Dark Horse, but not something that can be held against MARVEL’s first Star Wars run. Such themes and ideas as The Old Republic weren’t develop during the original Trilogy and MARVEL’s run.

Dark Horse’s Star Wars line was extremely broad and epic in scope, and focused mostly on producing mini-series with self-contained stories that fit into the overall universe. They also introduced a number of new themes and characters into the expanded universe – to many to chronicle here.

Dark Horse also adapted some of the novels, but beyond adaptations they also brought into comics some of the themes, ideas and characters that were created in Star Wars novels, giving the expanded universe an even better fleshed-out feel.

Of course there were hits and misses, and not everything Dark Horse did was great. There were some don’t right awful stuff that are best forgotten.

For 24 years Dark Horse was the home of Star Wars. Star Wars was Dark Horse.

Then Came Disney . . . and a MARVEL return.

THE NEW MARVEL YEARS

The Second Rebirth of Star Wars

When Disney bought Star Wars they pulled the plug on Dark Horse (and a lot more than that – covered slightly later). With this massive franchise in hand, they gave it over to another recent acquisition, Star Wars original publishing home MARVEL COMICS.

Since January 2016 MARVEL has produced Star Wars comics. Until the publication of Journey to Star Wars The Forces Awakens and January 2016’s Obi-Wan and Anakin, MARVEL’s new titles have focused on the original trilogy: Star Wars, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, with the exception being Kanan, The Last Padawan, about the character Kanan from Star Wars: Rebels.

Does this run, still early in life, mirror MARVEL’S original run? Fortunately not. The current MARVEL run of Star Wars has been extremely good, far and above their original series.

The art is far superior, the presentation is better and these comics feel like Star Wars. The creators involved are doing damn good job. I prefer these comics over the new movie.

MARVEL has avoided their licensed products woes here and are producing comic that obviously show some love and care. There is one thing that will hold these title’s back: DISNEY.

DISNEY’S STAR WARS

I can’t really do a piece and not talk about Disney. So, how is Disney holding MARVEL’s Star Wars back? Very Simple, Disney has stated that any licensed work (novels, comics, short stories, video games) that happened before April 2014 is no longer cannon. That only things considered cannon are The Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, The New Films, Star Wars: The Clones Wars (CGI), Star Wars: Rebels, books produced under Disney ownership and the new MARVEL COMICS.

This mean that MARVEL cannot build upon or incorporate any of the wealth of stories and characters once used in the expanded universe, because under Disney that universe doesn’t exist. There is no Jedi Academy, no Old Republic, no Cade Skywalker.

MARVEL has a clean slate to start from, so far it’s a good slate. Only time will tell how far Disney will allow MARVEL to go. That depends on how far Disney allows Star Wars to grow again.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

To say Star Wars was out of the public consciousness has to come from a causal or non-Star Wars fan. A true Star Wars fan knows that it faded out for a few years, but never died off.

Star Wars comics kept us warm between movies. And for years kept us hopeful for new films. Never doubt that the popularity of Star Wars comics (and novels) played a part in us receiving the Prequel trilogy (Good or bad). Many time the comics were better than the movies.

So rejoice in Star Wars comics. MARVEL will give us our monthly requirement and keep us warm until the next film(s), and perhaps be better.

And even if they are not canon anymore, seek out and read the original MARVEL run and the DARK HORSE line, if you haven’t in the past.

REJOICE in Star Wars comics, even when the films have failed us the comics have given us THE FORCE.

Obi-Wan and Anakin #1

Obi-Wan and Anakin #1

Publisher: MARVEL

Artist: Marco Checchetto

Colors: Andres Mossa

Writer: Charles Soule

I almost feel it is being unfair to review issue one of this series. It is Part 1 of a longer story, and that is plainly apparent from beginning to the end.

Obi-Wan and Anakin crash land on a world that is supposed to be dead, a world whose people killed themselves off long ago. Yet, a world from which a distress signal came specifically requesting Jedi help. Their problem, besides crash landing, is the only people they come across on this world have no idea who Jedi are.

The artwork for this issue is spectacular. However beautiful it is though, the first few pages are confusing and overwhelming, one is not sure what is going on. That is not a good thing.

In this story Anakin is still a Padawan, and is little more than boy. We learn that he is thinking of living the order, and witness in a flashback of the moment he gained Chancellor Palpatine full attention.

This issue basically sets up Anakin, as we learn about him. It really does not do much to move forward what appears to be the story. It feels more like an introduction to Anakin, as if he is a new character we need to learn about.

Obi-Wan also gives some base history of the Jedi that seems out of place. Anakin, as a Padawan, should already now this. As fans, the majority of readers know this info as well.

With this story taking place during the “Prequels” it firmly place those films in the Disney canon.

The art is beautiful, and the writing is passable, with a focus mainly on Anakin as a character. It is a very quick read, you may reach the last page, and not realize you have finished 22 pages.

It does leave one wanting more, and to know what is going on, which is a good thing for a story “to be continued.”

FINAL THOUGHT: I cannot call this required reading, nor can I say skip this. I have to give issue one a Not Rated. That is, until I read the next issue.

RATING: NOT RATED.