[Comic Execution] 10/3 – ‘TRILLIUM’, ‘GRINDHOUSE’, ‘HINTERKIND’

The second generation of Comic Execution has officially begun! I’m actually surprisingly excited to start a whole new block of reviews because the first generation taught me that not only could I be surprised by what develops in a series by issue three but also just how critical I actually can be of comics. That’s not to say I didn’t maybe gush a bit over ‘Ballistic’ but ‘Ghosted’ actually had to earn my respect, which it most certainly did. Of course, not all the first generation comics are done yet. Here’s the status of the first generation of Comic Execution so far:
     EXECUTED: ‘Sheltered’, ‘The Strain: The Fall’, ‘Dinosaurs Attack!’, ‘Tomorrowland’, ‘Lazarus’, ‘Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril’, ‘Sidekick’,     ‘Extinction Parade’
    SURVIVORS: ‘Ghosted’, ‘Red Sonja’, ‘FBP’, ‘Trillium’
    ON-GOING: ‘The Rocketeer & The Spirit’, ‘3 Guns’, ‘IT CAME!’
If, as I suspect, the on-going series are not executed before their run is over, the ratio will be just slightly over half of the first generation executed. Though ‘FBP’ was a bit of a gray area since the latest issue was barely recommendable, as plagued by ads as it was. Also, while ‘3 Guns’ and ‘IT CAME!’ are slated to end their respective runs shortly, ‘The Rocketeer & The Spirit’ is MIA. I’m working on an inquiry into its fate but should things continue to remain vague, I may put it out of its misery and save myself the trouble.
Regardless, it’s the beginning of a new day. Literally. It’s like, almost three in the morning.

TRILLIUM #3

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jeff Lemire

Publisher: Vertigo
Price: $3

I’ve been talking with friends in real life about TRILLIUM a lot. Jeff Lemire is a respected writer among my small circle of comic book reading friends; one of them was hooked by ‘Sweet Tooth’ when it was in its prime while the other took an interest in Lemire thanks to his writing on DC’s Animal Man reboot, this being the case for myself as well. With TRILLIUM being his first sci-fi comic as well as his second original title, there were high expectations.

This series has solidly delivered, of course. Lemire’s writing really shines through by this third issue, proving that nobody can deliver a powerful, thrilling tale like this guy. The first page drops us in the middle of an evacuation, giving us some insight into the grim past of one of the protagonists. This flashback lasts a couple of pages before we’re in the present and the consequences of the stunning events of the previous issue unfold. Every page is a blow, with things getting progressively worse for Nika. We see all of this coming to a certain extent so none of it feels forced, a credit to Lemire’s restraint. Continuing the theme of alternate worlds, the pages with her counterpart Clayton are upside down. While it’s expected for this series, the sense of strangeness it brings is palpable. Lemire yet again builds these subtle parallels between the two stories, bringing them to the forefront as the protagonists both try and fail to halt the inevitable. When the climax strikes, Lemire’s brilliant reality-bending shows up as a two page spread of cosmic proportions. He writes with a creative precision few in comics can match. One could complain that there’s not much room for character growth but that would be missing the point of the comic, really.

His art still rides the line between surreal, uncomfortable madness and unrefined caricature, but he’s not trying to anything as grand as the first issue did so it’s not frustrating. I have to comment on how weird it is that his sci-fi setting has touches of retro fetishisms yet the story itself is just a bit too serious for such quirkiness. But again, it’s not so intrusive as to ruin the generally surreal atmosphere of TRILLIUM. What’s surprising is that when the book comes to a close, both the penultimate and the final scenes are done with a sense of scope I didn’t think his art could pull off. So really, he’s proven with this issue that he can certainly make it work, just not 100% of the time.

So yeah, this issue of TRILLIUM continues to propel the series through intense, amazing scenarios that not only surprise but reinforce the idea that Lemire knows EXACTLY what he’s doing. Whether you like sci-fi or not, you have to respect that he can craft a nearly perfect narrative in a medium full of weak, compromised visions. And it takes a brave artist to put his own talent to the test in terms of realizing that vision. Maybe his style isn’t for everyone but a good reader won’t be put off by it. Are you a good reader? I hope you are, and I hope you’re already reading this series, because it’s a diamond.

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GRINDHOUSE: BEE VIXENS FROM MARS! #1

Writer: Alex De Campi
Artist: Chris Peterson
Colors: Noland Woodard

Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $4

So we’ve got a series titled GRINDHOUSE now. It comes from Dark Horse Comics, which shouldn’t be all that surprising given they host the likes of ‘The Goon’ and ‘Hellboy’ but I don’t recall them having anything quite this… blatant. It has a subtitle that’s pretty awesome: “Bee Vixens From Mars.” It could (and probably is) a reference to any number of things: most likely “Wasp Woman” as well as any number of the “[blank] [blank] from [planet]” though I think it’s interesting that these vixens are from Mars rather than… well, I’m mistaken it seems. According to the Internet, ‘vixen’ does not come, as I thought, from Venus, but rather from Old English for fox. Which is, actually, just was oddly inappropriate. Still, isn’t it men that are from Mars? Whatever.

The story, so far, is about as dumb as B-movie drivel can get: bee-like invaders from Mars are taking over by converting the local populace of sexy women and it’s up to a hardass cop to stop them. She’s got an eyepatch. Everyone’s a tongue-in-cheek stereotype and sometimes it’s funny. Most of the time it just seems to be going through the motions. The dialogue’s all right; not as whip smart as it SHOULD be but again, it’s clever enough. I don’t really have much else to say about the story or the writing; it’s about as dumb and thoughtless as a grindhouse movie would be: SEXY KILLER BEES ATTACK A SMALL TOWN IN DESERTVILLE, NOWHERE.

The art is incredible. I mean, it’s really good art. It’s high energy, incredibly colorful, dynamic, full of movement and expression. The colors by Woodard really are glorious, with lush gradients where most books would be content with static backgrounds. The gore is visceral and detailed, the panels are creatively arranged. Really, visually, it’s an incredible book. But a large portion of the book is also wasted, at least for me. With a title like ‘Bee Vixens From Mars’ you can expect, and not be disappointed, that it’s packed with lots of T&A. It’s very generous on that topic; page one features a pretty vulgar crotch shot that’s borderline beaver. Hell, the front cover says “Sleazeball Tested, Pervert Approved.” So do I really have the right to downgrade this book just because it doesn’t appeal to my demographic?

Sure, of course I do. I’m a comic book reader. I’m not doing these reviews in a vacuum. I’ve already told you that there’s all kinds of action for anyone with a preference for womanly anatomy, so if that’s what you like, then by all means, discount my criticisms. But here’s the thing; as a gay man, I’m constantly disappointed, perpetually really, by the utter lack of horror ANYTHING for me. This book just serves as a depressing reminder that fun, sexy horror doesn’t have a place for anyone whose tastes are less “Bettie Page” and more “Harrison Ford”.

That said, I’m not executing this book just yet. Who knows what issue two brings? And as I said earlier, it certainly is living up to the grindhouse schtick.

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HINTERKIND #1

Writer: Ian Edginton
Artist: Francesco Trifogli
Colors: Chris Peter

Publisher: Vertigo
Price: $3

Here’s a new book from Vertigo that they’ve been hyping quite a bit; I’ve seen ads for this one in just about every Vertigo title I’ve reviewed. I haven’t really been looking forward to it much, honestly. The previews didn’t impress me and came off as quite cliche; it’s a post-apocalyptic world that a young girl wants to explore against the wishes of her family. There’s hints that what exists in the forbidden territory is supernatural but we’re not really given a sense of what it could be in the previews. So, yeah, I wasn’t interested.

So glad I picked it up. The story opens with the site of a grisly slaughter, cleverly tying this to the Central Park settlement around which most the first issue revolves. But the story doesn’t waste any time trying to sell me on the brutal world this all takes place in; in fact, live in the colony seems to be much the same as our own, minus a few luxuries (well, most really). The protagonist Prosper (aka ‘P’) gets some development courtesy of a hunting trip with her close friend Angus and it’s obvious that writer Ian Edginton has way with dialogue that’s charming. He packs bits of exposition into comfortable conversation that doesn’t feel forced, thankfully. From there, we get some political bickering from the colony’s leaders regarding how to deal with the dead air from their other settlement. The discussion again manages to be both illuminating and well characterized.

Father and daughter reunite, there’s some cliche displays of affection to reinforce how connected Prosper is to her father. But that’s followed by something very interesting; we find out that not all is right with Angus; something’s wrong with his body and his fear is driving him to leave. It’s a bit cliche for him to respond to the possibility of being ostracized with such drama and P’s rash decision to accompany him is just as frustrating but there’s also something about Angus that I think Edginton is hinting at and, if true, would add a strong sense of realism to this decision. They don’t make it far out of the colony when a pack of tigers assault them. I really ended up kind of hoping these stupid kids would die, but they’re saved by a VERY unexpected turn of events.

From that point on, the WHOLE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. This isn’t just some run of the mill apocalypse; it seems magical creatures of myth have returned and they’re really unpleasant as a whole, feasting on people and what not. Finally, back at the scene of the crime, we’re introduced to several of these fairytale bastards in a brilliantly humorous and dark manner that really clinches the whole affair. I was not expecting a ‘Fables’ gone wrong story, much less one with so much weird, morbid humor. Bravo to Edginton for subverting my expectations and delivering the twist with such a wonderful flash of inspired lunacy.

The artwork is really good. Clean lines, strong sense of realism, lush settings and literally brilliant colors from Cris Peter all combine to really impress. There’s one really odd panel where Trifogli tries to set out the entirety of Central Park post-apocalypse and it just seems a bit of a mess. It’s a bit of a sore thumb in a really well illustrated comic but because it’s just the one panel, I’m pointing it out really just to make it clear that I’m paying attention. To counter this, let me say that Trifogli draws some wonderful monsters. Just, a lot of fun to look at.

So HINTERKIND ends up being like a mix of ‘Princess Mononoke’ and ‘FABLES’ really. Which is impressive. And I am seriously impressed with Edginton, a name I didn’t know before this. He’s one helluva writer who’s not afraid to go new places. Now, let’s just hope Vertigo can resist the urge, as they did with FBP, to trash this series by pumping the next issue full of annoying advertisements.