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

SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER!!

Issue #4 come out Wednesday (9/20). Issue #5, the final issue – the conclusion – comes out next month.

Now! It is time! It is time to discuss the Pros and Cons of wearing shirts while fighting bears!

It’s the SHIRT! 

Nothing Less-Than-Spectacular! 

Beartastic! 

A cause worth Fighting For!

Published by IMAGE COMICS

Created by Jody Leheup, Sebastian Girner and Nil Vendrell

Written by Jody Leheup and Sebastian Girner

Art by Nil Vendrell

Color by Mike Spicer

Letters by Dave Lanphear

I have friends who love the film Black Dynamite, despite it being ridiculous, dumb and has an all too perfect-can-do-anything main character that prevents any sort of suspense of disbelief or true conflict. I hate the movie for all the reasons most people love it.

Then came along something so f%^&ing ridiculous and stupid, it could be the dumbest idea ever for anything.




Something that is borderline insulting to the intelligent readers out there and to the dumbest.

Something that by all rights shouldn’t exist.

But it does . . . and if there is a GOD (or GODS) may he (she, them) help us ALL because

IS F%^&KING AWESOME!

(I just wrote that in a public forum. Yep)

When SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER first came out I ultimately passed on the first issue. The idea, concept and write-up for it screamed STAY AWAY! So I did.

All my buddies at my comic store (Drawn to Comics: www.drawntocomics.com), kept urging me to read it, telling me how good it was. Jason, Ashley, Ashley – I didn’t believe you. In fact I thought you might be crazy.

Issue #2 came out – skipped it. For about a week. The following Tuesday evening I was in store, broke down and bought issue 1 and 2. Then I read . . .

And I haven’t been the same since.

Issue 3, followed by Issue 4 last Wednesday, followed by this blog review with one issue left to go and I have to say: ISSUE FIVE NEEDS TO GET HERE NOW!!!

What is SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER about??? Let me see if I can answer that.

SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER is about SHIRTLESS, a man raised by, betrayed by and now fights, Bears. The US Government calls upon him for help when Bear attacks in cities increase alarming and SHIRTLESS find himself in conflict with the brother of the woman he once loved, Jaxson Logger, a man determined to tear down the forests and turn them all into – Fuzzy Wipes toilet paper.






No. You didn’t read that wrong. See what I mean? This idea is wrong on many levels, but the execution and final project is AWESOME on many more levels.

Almost everything in SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER is done extremely well. Bery well I fact. Three things make this title outstanding: The Art, The Writing, The Characters.

The Art is a perfect fit for the story. Nil Vendrell’s art is smooth, clean, defined and well laid out. It enhances and tells the story, never overwhelming. Mike Spicer’s colors only help Vendrell’s art.

Jody Leheup and Sebastian Girner’s writing is dead on. They take an overly ridiculous and stupid idea and turn it into a polished diamond. Their writing elevates this from a potential joke, ‘cute’ title into something akin to an art house type comic.

Then there are the characters – this is where the book really shines. The characterization is excellent across the board. No characters are stock characters, the main characters – even the dead pan Shirt-Less, feel like real people. If anything the villain might be an overzealous parody of villains – but still well-rounded.

There in is the true Gem of this title – the characters take everything in this book seriously. No matter how ridiculous the situation may seem or sound like – the characters affected treat it seriously and with the right amount of gravity, giving everything a sense of danger, immediacy and urgency. No one acts like they are ‘in’ on the joke.

My favorite part of this title is the lead agent, and maybe friend of Shirt Less. A man who mentions all the wars he has fought in – hinting that he has fought in Vietnam, Korea, World War II, World War I, the Civil War and perhaps the Revolutionary War. Yep.

If you haven’t figured it out by now I like SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER. Read it, Now. Then tell all your friends.

If you already read SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER and like it. Welcome, my friend.

If you don’t read SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER. Go. NOW. Read. I’ll wait . . .

If you have read SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER and don’t like it. Well . . . that’s between you and GOD . . . I mean SHIRTLESS.

The question is now, with only one issue left, what are we going to do in life without SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER??

Final Thoughts:

Seriously, read this title or I will personally send the biggest bears I can find to your house and tell them you have all the Honey. All of IT.

RATING: 8.5 – Required Reading!

BURNING MIND REVIEW: WOLFENSTEIN

Publisher: Titan Comics

Written by Dan Watters

Art by Piotr Kowalski & Ronilson Freire

Colors by Brad Simpson & Greg Menzie

I have enjoyed the Wolfenstein video games, so I figured I would pick this one up off this week’s new release shelf. It’s the first Titan Comics video game based comic booked I have pick up. I like a lot of Titan titles . . . .

And I thought ‘It can’t be as bad as Dynamite’s ATARI line.’

Uh, wrong.

I don’t know where to start, but Wolfenstein #1 and I got off to a bad start as soon as I opened the cover and saw a two page The Story So Far . . .



It never recovered after the bad start, and I found myself disconnected from Wolfenstein from the very beginning. The story seemed to meander without any real plot (or story) or direction and just revealed itself to be a complete mess.

The dialog didn’t help as it felt wooden and hard to read.

The art is the strongest point in the book, characters look nice and distinct and the muted colors give the right dystopian feel. However, it doesn’t help elevate the book. In fact there are some scenes where the art is just as confused and baffling as the story.

Overall, Wolfenstein falls flat and disappointing.

Remember the two page The Story So Far . . . I mentioned? While that is what got everything off to a bad start, I have to say it was the best part of the title. It told a better story then the actual comic did.

FINAL THOUGHT:
Not worth the time.

RATING: 4 – Skip It.