[Comic Execution] 12/20 – ‘GHOST’, ‘THE MIDAS FLESH’, ‘A VOICE IN THE DARK’

AHHHHH I HAVEN’T BOUGHT A SINGLE CHRISTMAS GIFT??!!

I hate this crass commercial holiday! WHERE’S MY SPIKED EGGNOG?!

In other news, it looks like next Wednesday will be devoid of any new releases besides a few DC/Marvel titles, which explains why this week was overloaded with both new titles to review and new issues in the ongoing series I’m already evaluating in this column. As a result, what you’re getting this week is two fresh properties and the second issue of A VOICE IN THE DARK, because I’m really interested in seeing how that comic goes, but you’re ALSO going to see comics from THIS week reviewed NEXT week. However, those will all be the latest issues of ‘Pretty Deadly’, ‘Bloodhound’ and ‘Umbral’, because they’re less likely to fly off the shelf as quickly, although honestly, you should probably just grab ‘Pretty Deadly’ #3 because I couldn’t get people at the shop to shut up about it and it might be sold out by the time you get to my review, if Twitter hubbub is any indicator.

Yeah, maybe I’m not good at this comic book review thing. And maybe for Christmas Santa will bring a shit for me to give. CHECK IT OUT KIDS I’M EDGY.

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A VOICE IN THE DARK #2

Writer & Artist: Larime Taylor

Publisher: Top Cow
Price: $4

I was genuinely surprised when I saw this issue on the shelf and my excitement level jumped several notches. Out of all the comics I read, this is probably the one that hits the hardest and goes the darkest places. So much of comic book writing keeps the human side of the story at a bit of a distance, though this isn’t really unique to comics. When something like A VOICE IN THE DARK happens, it’s genuinely exciting. Of course I know the indie comics world is full of these sort of intimate, honest stories but there’s not quite so many that are also as intriguingly weird as this one, and that’s why I’m so excited about it.

And this issue sees writer/artist Larime Taylor pushing the intensity up just a few notches higher on the dial, as sociopathic, recovering murderer Zoey debuts the titular radio show for the first time and gets a suicidal caller. There’s a prologue flashforward that almost seems obligatory but actually cleverly misdirects the reader as the events slowly unfold. The dialogue that Zoey has with her caller is well crafted and manages to be both enthralling yet realistic. Mix in panels showing Zoey texting her police officer uncle and the tension level creeps up as the caller reveals more of her twisted story. Zoey’s responses seem natural, given her latent sociopathic tendencies, and there are moments where it’s hard to like her, even if the girl she’s dealing with is just as hard to sympathize with. That’s probably the best possible thing about this whole issue; it’s a conversation between two women perpetually on the verge of violence yet flawed in very human ways. And you can almost believe that things will end for the better as their discussion reaches a head, but it looks like whatever redemption Larime Taylor has in mind for his protagonist, it’s going to be hard earned. I do wonder if he’ll attempt to reconcile the perpetually awful turn of events that Zoey find herself in or if Zoey’s universe simply has it out for her. Regardless, despite the flashbacks-within-a-flashback narrative, Taylor’s polished-to-gleaming script is intelligent but also disturbing in subtle ways. It’s almost hard to read.

His art has improved with this issue to the extent that I enjoyed looking at it much more than I did before. It starts off a bit stiff but gradually limbers up, introducing a wider variety of emotion in the characters faces and poses, especially during the flashbacks. The backgrounds are still flat and perfunctory but I’m starting to think that the weird, void-like quality of Zoey’s world is intentional; the whole aesthetic of the book has a strangely sanitary look, like everything’s been depersonalized, outside the characters themselves. Now that I’m deeper into the world, I actually like how soulless the world looks, both making the characters bolder and enhancing the sense of desperation the story carries. Probably the best moment, visually, in the whole comic, is when Zoey is pulling her headphones away from her head in what is basically the climax of the story. Her expression is really dead on; the sounds coming from them are displeasing and she seems less shocked than disgusted. I do wish the fire she ignites on the last page was a bit more impressive, as it holds a significant symbolic heft.

A VOICE IN THE DARK manages to be, at times, both psychologically warped and heartfelt, which is really impressive, and this issue pulls of both pretty handily. I have to recommend it on merit of being nothing like anything I’ve read before, even if it’s not for everyone. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s incredible comic craft that deserves recognition.

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GHOST #1

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick & Chris Sebela
Artist: Ryan Sook  
Colors: Dave McCaig

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3

Kelly Sue DeConnick is a beast. Her newest creator-owned title, ‘Pretty Deadly’, has gained a ‘Saga’-level of fan & critic adoration in a pithy three issues, while her ongoing ‘Captain Marvel’ is considered the cream of Marvel’s crop, but she’s also penning their massive ‘Avengers Assemble’ title as well. So what does she do? She launches ANOTHER new effort, this time at Dark Horse, and it manages to fuse elements of both her creator-owned work and her capes stuff. Fortunately, she’s not crazy enough to manage all this alone; she’s brought on board frequent collaborator Chris Sebela, who also worked with her on the ‘Ghost’ miniseries preceding this ongoing title. So what does an in-depth collaboration between these two result in?

Well, before I can talk about what I thought of said product, I should disclose that my first read-through of GHOST was not an especially effective one, since I didn’t read the very important prologue on page zero. At a couple points, I was trying to figure out whether I had missed something or if the writing was that confused or if I was just really dense. Once I did discover said prologue, the whole thing made a LOT more sense. But to the credit of DeConnick and Sebela, I was intrigued even while I was frustrated. The Ghost character is introduced in such a startlingly awesome way, taking on a brilliantly wise-cracking demon on a subway train, managing to exposit a bit while still keeping their interaction sharp. I love that they actually used “amirite” because not only will that piss off the uptight haters but it fits the character using it so well. Sebela and DeConnick don’t make the reader wait too long before putting out the hooks, though the scene with the detective is a bit puzzling; he comes to the conclusion that the killer is a he and that “he” isn’t the Ghost but we’re never given insight as to how he comes to that conclusion.

The character interactions that follow serve, to both illuminate the nature of the Ghost herself but also to fill in the details of her demon hunting companions. Between Sebela and DeConnick, they manage to be both fresh and pleasing, coloring in the cast with bold strokes while steering clear of obnoxious stereotypes. Though I was a bit off put by the needless agonizing on the part of the Ghost, Elisa, over her state of existential limbo. It’s already pretty well established by this point that she’s not particularly happy with her situation so it initially comes off irritating but fortunately, it serves a purpose later on and my theory is that she’ll look back at that attitude later with regret. The next scene is a welcome contrast as she uses both her powers and her knack for stealth; it’s good that her only feature isn’t her supernatural predicament. It isn’t long before the action picks up again and the “demons are just like people” theme crops up again. During this part, it becomes quite clear that this Ghost is actually more of an anti-heroine, as she basically hijacks the truck of an innocent man, scaring the shit out of him.

I do have a bit of a bone to pick with this scene. This guy has a huge pickup and what looks like hunting shades (at night!) and generally fits the “I’m compensating with my oversized vehicle” stereotype. What I’m wondering is this; did Elisa target this guy because she’s kind of a jerk and decides to pick on the owner of the big truck? That’s what I’m assuming because I think Sebela and DeConnick are better than putting him in there as a cheap potshot against precisely that stereotype. Maybe I’m wrong. I feel like they might have tried to nullify that vagueness by humanising him at the end of the chase and they gave Ghost a bit of slapdash courtesy as well, so I don’t know what to make of it. Still, it’s something to think about and I welcome that in whatever shape it comes. The brief tangle she has with her foe is neat enough but the way it pans out is even more interesting, paying off the troubling bit of angst earlier in the book. So while there are a few rocky spots, the end result is a jam-packed narrative that covers a lot of ground while still maintaining cohesion. Not easy with a debut, especially one with a miniseries behind it.

Ryan Sook and Dave McCaig absolutely nail the visuals, from cover to cover. Massive environments, badass demons, horrific fleshy transmutation, intense action, nuanced characters, eye-grabbing POVs and panel dynamics. this comic has it all. Sook doesn’t falter a single step and McCaig takes his dizzyingly detailed yet controlled inks and elevates them with colors that are both satisfyingly concrete and masterfully refined, many panels both immediately consumable while at the same time earning further enjoyment with their intense craftsmanship. If any slack needed to be picked up from the writing crew (unnecessary) it is easily reeled in with this level of quality.

The best thing about this comic is that it is both well-crafted AND a mere $3. Rarely does Dark Horse assemble such an all-star team and have them put together something of this magnitude at that cut-rate price. I am curious as to whether they plan to hold that point for more than a few issues, since this is an ongoing, but unless they start throwing in ad interruptions, or the art drops in quality, or the writing gets dull, I’d certainly be willing to shell out an extra dollar or a half (Image does the $3.50 thing and it needs to catch on) for this. You, though; you can’t afford to miss a promising debut like this.

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THE MIDAS FLESH #1

Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb

Publisher: BOOM! Box/BOOM! Studios
Price: $4

I read Dinosaur Comics sometimes. Notice that both Dinosaur and Comics were capitalized there. That’s because the title of the comic is Dinosaur Comics. It’s got dinosaurs, yes. And it is a comic. But, more importantly, it is Dinosaur Comics. It’s pretty funny but is more often insightful in a surprisingly universal way, which is a rare treat in the world of webcomics. Recently, he’s been writing the well received Adventure Time comic, which is also saying something, as the show has the kind of following that Hitler had prior to invading Poland and I can imagine the pressure was immense. But this book, I didn’t even KNOW he had released it until I opened the cover, which lists the writer simply as “North” which could be anyone! (Not really).

So what has North done with this, his first creator-owned print comic title? Well, essentially, it’s sci-fi. But, as with North, it’s infused with a broader philosophical perspective, as well as his forward-thinking attitude; the main protagonists (the crew of spaceship Prospect) are two women and a dinosaur whose gender I believe to be male but you never can know with these lizard-types. That said, a large portion of this book is also taken up by a retelling of the myth of Midas, thus the title. How do they relate? Well, it’s more obvious than you’d imagine but still quite the plot twist. But more importantly, does North make all this work?

Well, points in his favor for opening the book with no less than one of the most controversial statements I’ve ever read in a comic, in which the lightning bolt that theoretically ignited life for the first time on Earth is described as a “miracle,” either hijacking the biblical connotation of the word or invoking a spiritual element in what is largely considered an atheist’s scenario of life’s birth on Earth (not to disavow believers who subscribe to that theory, I just haven’t met any yet). But then he essentially nullifies that controversy by making it clear that this is not necessarily OUR Earth, given the circumstance it’s in when our protagonists find it. As usual, with North, the dialogue is refreshingly modern, which will probably alienate anyone raised on a steady diet of capes and genre pulp comics. We don’t really get any obvious exposition before a flashback puts the narrative back in the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, introducing us to the charming Midas. Again, Ryan North opts to retain his signature voice so that, even at the start, his slightly askew remake of the Midas story hints that it will not go the way we expect it to, even as he cruelly disarms our cynicism by rendering this tale with much heart and humor.

He does try at some “hard” sci-fi as, in the far future, the Prospect crew struggle to evade an awakened armada of defensive satellites. Particularly odd is a full page of the captain ordering her crew into some kind of evasive maneuver that, no matter how many times I read it, doesn’t make any sense. That’s a minor nitpick but I feel like a bit of editorial insight might’ve helped either untangle that knot. It’s only a page though and it’s smooth sailing from there. Well, I say smooth sailing, but the ultimate fate of Midas is about as horrendous as it gets and North really doesn’t pull his punches, rendering the consequences of Midas’ brief moment of weakness in bleak, beautiful atrocity. This is bookmarked by the introduction a new character, looking like the real antagonist of the Prospect’s crew, putting us on a minor cliffhanger.

North’s story is not a particularly flashy one, relying more on his distinctive style than on narrative prowess but fortunately, he doesn’t need that. His rendering of the Midas tale is equally amusing in its anachronistic silliness, knowingly winking at the reader, which is probably why the outcome is so gut-wrenching. His characters are cool and he knows how to keep his readers from getting bored. I have no doubt his veteran webcomic skills contribute greatly to the quality on display here, though I do wish he hadn’t felt the need to try his hand at the unnecessary nuance of sci-fi space combat.

The artwork doesn’t quite reach the bar North sets, though. There’s nothing outright intolerable about it, mind. Paroline is superbly capable of handling just about anything that’s thrown at her, from dinosaur scientists to Greek gods to the epic, two page spread of the globe-spanning climax of North’s version of the Midas parable. But she’s not really adept with the space combat stuff and, really, overall the sci-fi aspects feel lacking. There is a moment, in the second to last panel, that actually looks really cool and I found myself wondering where this level of detail was in the rest of the pages. It’s hard not to want a more capable artist than Paroline, whose simple and cartoony aesthetic doesn’t feel suited for such an epic tale. Braden Lamb, co-artist, is I assume responsible for the fantastic coloring, a strong display of heavily defined hues that manage to be both fun and immersive, with a lot of gentle, warm nostalgia in the past and techno-glow in the future.

It’s hard to parse how I feel about the comic, all parts considered. On the one hand, I’m genuinely engaged on a narrative level. On the other hand, I’m puzzled by the choice of artist. It is a pretty big comic, clocking in at an uninterrupted 27 pages with an obligatory preview and a much appreciated interview with Ryan, hiding behind it a letter from the editor of the newly minted imprint that published THE MIDAS FLESH, in which she gives a sort of mission statement for said sub-publisher, BOOM! Box. It’s that mission statement that saves the comic from execution (because, at $4, this comic doesn’t have the eye-feast I would want). This issue is the first baby step of BOOM! Box, which seems set to be a source of more unusual comics that don’t fit easily into the current comic book climate. And that earns a round of applause from me, because that kind of attitude is what I want more of in not just my comics, but in every medium. THE MIDAS FLESH gets my approval, based both on North’s impeccable vision but also because I want to see BOOM! Box grow into the promise it seems to be making.