Burning Mind State of June 27, 2018

Well, I (and we) are down this Burning Path again. Once again I allowed myself to leave the path and go from Burning to ALL WET.

I had big plans for this year, including the Burning Mind, but didn’t get them off the ground to well.

In fact January was supposed to be Woman In Comics Month for the Burning Mind! I posted a RANT Part 1, but then nothing.

As I mentioned in my State of the Master Blog (https://thestateofthemaster.blogspot.com/), I am making a number of changes in my life. Prioritizing my writing and projects are among those changes – actually focusing and doing them.

The Burning Mind – fueled by my LOVE of Comic Books is one of those top Priorities to focus on.

That begins NOW.

Next Wednesday July 4th, the Burning Mind returns as I will answer the Burning Question WHY COMICS?

And as I have in the past, I will return to doing weekly comic book reviews of an Indie Title from my Pull List, posted each Saturday.

As I have tried to do in the past, and will do now, I will post a comic book related blog (article) every other Wednesday, and possibly more often than that. I have a lot I would like to talk/write about and it isn’t always current news or hot topics.

I plan on writing about anything and everything comic book related – including my previous planned pieces on Women In Comics.

See you July 4th.

Ace Masters.

UNDERDOG 1975

PUBLISHER: AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY

All Stories Written By: Steve Skeates

With Art by George Wildman

As I child, teenager and young adult I loved Underdog – with many great memories of the series. A few years ago I picked up the Complete Series Box Set, but have yet to watch it for fear that it won’t live up to my memories. Something that has happened far too often.

I have, however (oddly enough) read American Mythology’s Underdog. I’ve liked it so far.

So when Underdog 1975 was released, of course it made its way into the read pile.

According to American Mythology the first two stories in Underdog 1975 (The Rubber Duck and Dog’s Worst Enemy) are unpublished stories from what would have been issue #24 of the then Gold Key Comics Series in the 1970’s, the second half of the issue is reprint of materials from issue #23.

Here in is my problem with Underdog 1975 – it makes me want to break out that complete series box set and binge the whole thing. Yep. This is a collection of great little Underdog stories that remind me of what I loved as a kid and felt like exactly how I remember Underdog.

Of course, these stories where written back when Underdog was still fresh and still had a grasp on the people involved in the comics.

The basics are here: good writing, competent art, and a challenge for our hero to overcome. Plus a healthy little does of Underdog’s superego.

Let’s not forget the Rhyming either!


The formula is simple: A villain presents a threat (to others or Underdog himself) that Underdog must face and defeat. Sometimes he does so easily, other times he must overcome an unforeseen challenge.

Either way, easy or a challenge, he wins the day in the Underdog way!

They may seem a little simplistic to many people today, but sometimes simple is best.

In the front matter American Mythology wrote that these are some of the ‘most wonderful kids’ books ever published.’ I agree and disagree.

Children will love them, but so will adults who are still children at heart.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
“There’s no need to fear, Underdog is Here!”

Read Away, Don’t Be Sinister, Do It Today!

RATING: 8 – Required Reading!

Battlestar Galactica vs Battlestar Galactica

Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Johnny Desjardins
Colorist: Mohan
Letter: Taylor Esposito

When I found out here was going to be a Battlestar Crossover I thought ‘Great! More Classic BattleStar,’ at least. Peter David writing is a major plus for me.

I have to admit I am a major fan of the original. The newer version was okay, but the way they ended the series killed it completely.

No matter which series you prefer (or both for some), I can almost guarantee this first issue is not going to be what you expect. It’s sure as FRACK wasn’t anything like I thought it would be.

Straight to the point, this first issue is Classic Hour, with the New Battlestar not even touched upon until the last page. As the story goes in this first issue, it seems like what is happening in the Classic BSG leads to involving the new BSG.

How? That’s not completely clear, and maybe by design. It is Peter David writing after all, he almost always delivers in the end.

This issues features two ‘Chapters,’ the first one dealing with the Galactica, but with the Pegasus and the legendary Commander Cain. This is the part that seems to put everything in motion, as Commander Cain answers a call for help from a strange and unique planet, and finds someone waiting that may change everything.

Someone who knows who he is and the search for Earth.

A True Cylon!

In Chapter Two we join the Galactica as it is attacked by a new form of Cylon Raiders, who quickly flee with the appearance of an radiation anomaly that turns into a wormhole that swallows the Galactica.

Leading Both Adamas to wonder what the FRAK is going on?!

Some people may be disappointed that this isn’t a Star-Shattering first issue that redefines everything about both BSGs. Get over yourselves. This issues does what it is supposed to do, set the stage for what is to come, wet our appetite and makes us ask: What The Hell?

Better yet, it makes us want an answer to that question.

The script is tight and well done. My only complaint is some of the dialogue feels more New BSG then Classic.

Johnny Desjardins art is nice, but doesn’t really work as well as I would like. It feels to bombastic and overboard and remind me of early 90’s McFarlane. To me, the characters don’t look like their actor counterparts, in fact sometime they look much bigger.

Commander Cain looks nothing like Lloyd Bridges did, for example.

FINAL THOUGHT:
Overall a solid read. I’m looking forward to where this is going.

RATING: 6.5

Women and Female Characters in Comics! They do EXIST YOU $%^&#!@!!! PART 1

Welcome to 2018 and the Return of The Burning Mind.

For anyone who has read the blog before, you probably know the drill.

To anyone new, here is the short version. I am Ace Masters. This is The Burning Mind. Here I write about comics – anything I feel that is worth writing about. I also do weekly reviews of titles on my Pull List.

There, that’s it.

Now, in my hiatus piece back in November, I mentioned I was going to kick off 2018 by making January ‘Women in Comics’ Month here at The Burning Mind. So that is exactly what I am going to do. Initially, I announced I would kick off the year with a Review of the Documentary She Makes Comics, but that has changed.

I am going to END this month with my thoughts on She Makes Comics. This documentary sparked my desire to do this when I finally watched it in October. So I decided to save that for last.

I have decided to kick off 2018 and my personal ‘Women in Comics’ Month with one of my well known rants.

So forgive if this sound incoherent and rambling, it is a rant.

Women and Female Characters in Comics! They do EXIST YOU $%^&#!@!!!

PART 1

(Artist: Sara Pichelli)

Despite what mainstream media would like to portray, or at least showcase in their willful ignorance of our industry. There are very talent female creators in the comic book industry, and they are not that hard to find.

This is a sad fact: main stream media when covering comics rarely talks about women creators or female characters. In fact I’ve seen ‘news’ coverage that downplay that there are female creators in comics. This is a deliberate disservice.

Women are all over the spectrum of the industry: artists, inkers, writers, colorist, letters, editors, publishers! They are out there, and they are not THAT hard to find. They work for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, IDW, and throughout the indies.

A sadder fact is this: Many comic book readers can’t name a female creator who doesn’t work for DC or Marvel or isn’t employed by any of the Big Indies (Dark Horse, IMAGE, IDW, Dynamite). Even then most can only name female creators who work on titles they read.

This is also a disservice. Albeit, not willful ignorance.

There are women creators throughout the comic industry. And YES, editors and publishers are creators too – without them no comics could be created.

What I want to do right now, is put out a list of Female Creators, this is just a list of Female Creators who worked on titles I picked up last Wednesday, December 27th.

(Artist: Arianna Florean)

• Delilah S. Dawson – Writer; Arianna Florean – Artist – Star Wars Adventures #5 from IDW
• Grace Park, Desinger – WWE Comic Book – Boom Studios
• Annalise Bissa – Assistant Editor, THANOS – Marvel Comics
• Heather Antos – Assistant Editor, STAR WARS – Marvel Comics
• Sara Pichelli – Artist and Inker, Spider-Men II – Marvel Comics
• Kathleen Wisneski – Assistant Editor, Spider-Men II, Spider-man/Deadpool – Marvel Comics
• Rochelle Rosenberg, Color Artist, Ben Reilly, Marvel Comics
• Allison Stock – Assistant Editor, Ben Reilly – Marvel Comics
• Sara Brunstad – Assistant Editor, Black Panther – Marvel Comics
• Adele Matera – Colorist, Jessica Burton – Editor, Amoona Saohin – Associate Art Editor, Doctor Who, 10th Doctor – Titan Comics

13 Women, across the disciplines that create comics, 9 titles, 4 publishers – one of them Marvel Comics, the rest Indies.

As I wrote above, this is only a list out of titles on my personal pull list that came out last Wednesday, December 27th. It doesn’t included any women who worked on titles I don’t get – which means this list is actually much bigger.

And this only is from titles that came out on one week – not the entire month.

Yes, I have not listed Gail Simone here, or any other Top A-list Female talent (except for maybe Sarah Pichelli). In any industry if all you do is focus on the top most well-known talent, you do a disservice to all the talent.

With all respect to all women in the comic book industry if all I did was focus on Gail Simone and the most well-known female creators, that would be the easy way out. I want to do more than that, I want to showcase that there are women working in every facet of the Industry.

And again, my list here is only a very small sample.

NEXT TIME: There are a lack of Female Characters in Comics, right!? Right?

Women and Female Characters in Comics! They do EXIST YOU $%^&#!@!!!

PART 2

 - Ace Masters

It Is Time for the Hiatus

Hello All,

Well, another year is almost over, with yet another looming upon us. A never ending cycle of an end, leading into a beginning – even if it is only in our minds.

Still, new beginnings can be good, and as I do every year, I start planning for the New Year around this time, and wrap up the old. Once again, the Burning Mind blog ran afoul of my many other projects and aspects of my life and I got way behind. I kept up with many of the reviews I wanted to do, but not much else.

So, as of today (Wednesday, 11/1) – as in past years – Burning Mind is going on Hiatus until January 3rd.

When Burning Mind does return, expect this: January will be Women in Comics month. Unfortunately, that is nothing official, just me doing this. In January I will discuss Women in Comics, which will include a Review/My thoughts on the documentary She Makes Comics.

See yea in 2018!

Later,

Ace.

EUGENIC

Publisher: BOOM Studios

Written By:
James Tynion IV

Illustrated by:
Eryk Donovan

I really don’t know how to properly explain the terror I felt by the time I finished reading this issue. I mean that word as well: TERROR.

I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. After reading the back matter ‘Behind the Scenes,’ I have come to believe my reaction – good or bad – is exactly what James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan wanted.

To that I say, congratulations. Part of me also wants to say #$%^ You!

You’ll understand once you read the book. And you NEED to read the book.




Okay, let me disconnect from my emotional reaction for a minute and end the rant.

As an actual comic book Eugenic is excellent, the story, art, colors, dialog, they are all right on the mark. Scarily so. It is quite noticeable that a lot of thought and work went into craft this piece of art. I call it art, because only a true work of art could invoke this level of emotional reaction.

The book has a very standard, done to death, boring concept: A virus has ravaged the earth and a scientist has discovered a cure. See, standard, old, boring . . .

Terrifying. There are at least three reveals in this issues, and a few different themes. Each reveal takes us further down a path of no return.

Themes dealt with including: playing god, science run amok, and the cure being worse than the disease.

If left on its own Eugenic #1 could stand the test of being a great book. But it is ONE OF THREE. Yet, this ONE is its own self-contained story.

It took guts to turn this tale from a potential typical sci-fi/horror splatter tale, into what it is. It took just as much for BOOM not to demand changes into something more mainstream acceptable.




I wish I could say this is just a cautionary tale that could never happen. It might not be though. There are people in the world trying to do exactly what is showcased in Eugenic right now.

FINAL THOUGHT:
Best single issue I have read all year.

Required Reading.

RATING: 9

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter #1

Publishers:
Hammer Comics
Titan Comics

Writer: Dan Abnett

Artist: Tom Mandrake

Somehow I missed all mention of this title and didn’t know about it until about a week before it hit shelves. Once I learned, I quickly scrambled to make sure my LCS put it on my pull list so I could get my excited hands on my copies of ALL the covers.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter starring Horst Janson, John Cater and Caroline Munro is my favorite Hammer Horror film period. And that is saying a lot considering I have a huge Hammer Film collection. So when I say I was excited when I learned of this title that is no understatement.

But does it deliver?

The title opens with Kronos and his companions (Prof. Grost and Carla) hunting down a vampire, then finding themselves helping out a city with a peculiar vampire problem of their own. The story takes place only a few months after the film and is narrated by Carla, who is still new to this ‘vocation.’

For those not familiar with the original 1970’s film, Carla’s narration gives enough back story without overwhelming the narrative.





The book gets off to a fast-paced, action packed start and only slows down to allow for the setup of the real story and the characters to determine what might really be going on.

The best part of this for me is that very little has seemed to change with the main characters from the movie. Carla is a beautiful, tough-as-nails woman with a chip on her shoulder and fiery will. Prof. Grost is the wise hunchback mentor and occult expert who perhaps talks too much.

Kronos is a stoic, almost mythical figure, who only talks when he needs to and seems to have something supernatural about him, himself. But also know that even he needs help.

Tom Mandrake’s art is solid as always, with properly muted colors that mimic the Hammer look by Sian Mandrake. Carla looks like Caroline Munro (Thank You)!

My only minor issue with the art is that Kronos looks MUCH bigger than Horst Janson.

Dan Abnett’s script is solid, or at least becomes solid. While the story presented so far has no issues, and what characterization we have is good for the characters (matching the film), it’s the dialog that I have problems with.

The dialog in the first quarter of Kronos is a little stiff and unnatural. It just doesn’t feel right. The good thing is, this changes as we go along and the dialog flows better by the end of issue one.

Of course the issue ends on a cliff hanger, promising more action, danger and horror for Kronos and crew.

I have no idea if this is a mini-series or planned as an ongoing, but only time and sales will tell.

FINAL THOUGHT:
Nice first issue. It captures the feel of the original movie and should appeal to Hammer fans. May struggle to find a wider audience though.

A good introductory issue, but only the following issues will truly reveal how good this tale is.

RATING: 6