[Comic Execution] 12/6 – ‘GRINDHOUSE’, ‘THE FOX’, ‘BURN THE ORPHANAGE’

So, Twitter news (cue most of you scrolling down past this part)… I recently griped on Twitter about Warren Ellis and Scott Snyder (one is the writer of ‘Transmetropolitan’, the other writes ‘Batman’). My gripe with Warren Ellis is that he’s moved on to writing novels and really doesn’t interact much at all with the comic book community as a whole, as well as letting his primary publisher, Avatar Press, fall to ruin with bad horror comics like ‘Crossed’. Snyder, on the other hand, ended his incredible run on ‘Swamp Thing’ far too soon in favor of writing the higher-profile and more expensive ‘Superman Unchained’, as well as publishing his excellent new sci-fi horror ‘The Wake’ through the loathsome Vertigo Comics.

I did NOT expect to have a conversation with either of them, but I (sorta) did! Warren basically shot back with curt, colorless responses that pretty much confirmed my feelings that he doesn’t give a shit anymore, at least not about interacting with his fans online. Scott Snyder, on the other hand, actually DMed me to ask what I was “disappointed” about with his work, which is really kind of scary, since had to follow me first to do so. Regardless, I was honest with him about how I felt and I haven’t heard back yet.

Please, Mr. Scott Snyder, do not come to my home and punch my puppy in an act of terrible vengeance. I’m just a stupid internet comic book jerk whose opinion has no basis in any kind of professional comic book experience. Heck, you shouldn’t even be reading this! Go write an awesome comic book, even if it’s Superman, because people like Superman and there’s nothing wrong with that, even if I don’t! Also I really really loved ‘Severed’ man, like a lot. ‘Rotworld’ too.

I love you? Please don’t hurt me.

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GRINDHOUSE #3

Writer: Alex De Campi
Artist: Simon Fraser
Colors: Simon Fraser & Victoria Lau

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $4

In case you missed it last time I reviewed GRINDHOUSE, let me get you up to speed; after I slammed the series up to that point for failing to live up the promise of an actual grindhouse-style comic, the writer responded to me on Twitter and basically promised that the next arc would better evoke what I felt was the true spirit of grindhouse. Today, we get to find out whether she was mistaken or if she really does understand what I feel makes grindhouse a genre of film I look forward to experiencing at midnight every first weekend of the month at the Hi-Pointe theatre in Saint Louis.

It looks like the GRINDHOUSE series is going to consist of multiple stories told in two-issue bursts, which actually seems appropriate for the genre it aims for, as well as assuring that if the reader tires of the current tale, another is soon to take its place, along with a new artist. The new arc is called ‘Prisonship Antares’ and is set on an interstellar ship carrying a prison full of female convicts and destined for a habitable planet. But not all is as it seems, we discover almost right away; the ship’s captain/warden begins purging the vessel’s population at her bloodthirsty whim, doing the dirty work via an amusingly absurd contingent of cloned male enforcers.

After a gratuitous display of womanly indecency, we witness the first execution and what a glorious bit of nastiness it is! As soon as we see the restrained prisoner and the green hose, there’s a palpable moment of suspense as the page turns. The carnage appears, by my reckoning, to be a nod to the body-melting vileness that is ‘Street Trash’, a classic grindhouse gem, though De Campi might also be drawing from John Carpenter’s splattery remake of “The Blob”. Regardless, it’s a thrilling moment that sets the desperate tone of the rest of the book.

Our protagonist is introduced next, spared from the warden’s wrath by merit of being born with male genitalia, now removed. De Campi cleverly couches the reveal in a hilarious bit of dialogue where she explains how she got imprisoned, and I’m really hoping that her “litterin'” line is an ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ reference. But really, the “It’s Ma’am” knuckle tat was what made the whole scene really work. What follows, though, had me kind of upset that the whole prison population suddenly united under one leader just because she had an escape plan, mainly because I thought it was De Campi’s intent to skip out on more brutal prison violence with this excuse.

Fortunately, De Campi introduces another new character and her backstory gave me exactly the absurd mayhem I was hoping for; I doubt there was anything as awesome as a glass shard-encrusted dildo being brandished as a weapon in the new GTA, was there? Cue some awesome neck snapping martial arts action and the best possible use of that dildo and I was absolutely satisfied that De Campi KNEW what I wanted from a GRINDHOUSE comic. “CHIDA IS DA BEST!” will surely be quoted at the comic book shop some time soon, I assure you.

It’s not much longer before the next atrocity, again an amusing bit of excess as we get a glimpse of the clones scrubbing their newest victim with steel fucking wool, keeping the running gag going with splendid visual silliness. There’s a weird little twist as said captive has her eye burned right out of her skull. So yeah, there’s way more awesome violence in this issue but it’s all done with more gusto and bold-faced insanity. The last series just had too much camp and the antagonists were so cartoonish that I didn’t find any of it remotely transgressive. De Campi goes for the throat here and I want to thank her for delivering on her promise.

And fortunately, the art doesn’t take a hit with this new arc. Well, it does drop a bit in quality, honestly. All the characters are rendered wonderfully, the panel work has enough flavor to keep me interested, the gore is realistic enough to make me actually wince and there’s quite a few little details that deserve accolade, such as the clones’ electrified batons and the overall low-budget aesthetic of the ship itself. However, the space prison setting is also being used pretty obviously as an excuse to minimize the amount of work artist Simon Fraser has to do. I understand but it is a little disheartening to go from the really intense, over the top visuals of the previous arc to this one. That said, Fraser has enough dynamic action and emotional power to offset the generic feel of the setting. I just hope this isn’t an indicator of what future arcs will look like.

The writing and art combined combine to successfully establish that this is, indeed, a comic worthy of the name GRINDHOUSE. While I don’t necessarily know that it will hold beyond this arc, I have considerably more faith in De Campi to maintain this level of quality, at least in the writing field. Normally, this is where I’d say that I’m not sure it justifies the hefty $4 pricetag but given how hard it is to find a good horror comic (I’m looking at you, Avatar Press) I can’t do anything but recommend you reward Dark Horse for publishing something so bold and weird.

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THE FOX #2

Writer: Dean Haspiel & Mark Waid
Artist: Dean Haspiel  
Colors: Allen Passalaqua

Publisher: Archie Comics
Price: $3

As I was taking this off the shelf at the comic book shop, one of the older regular customers exuded a low chuckle of derision to which I naturally was taken aback. “What’s wrong with THE FOX?” I posed, but he just shook his head. “Nothing, I mean, if you like it.” I have no idea what that was about but I didn’t bother investigating because nothing houses as many uninformed and disagreeable opinions as a comic book shop on new release day. It’s possible he was referencing the unfortunate cover, one whose appeal is lessened by a large, tacky bar at the bottom advertising the backstory. Word of advice to publishers; never advertise your backstories on the cover. It makes you seem insecure and insults the cover artist.

The second issue of Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel’s reboot of THE FOX is marred by a couple of problems. Narrative-wise, it stays fresh as THE FOX battles a shape-shifting monster amid a surreal landscape but after he discovers the true nature of his antagonist, we get a lengthy flashback that digresses into yet another flashback. Sorry Dean but a flashback within a flashback is just a bit too preposterous, even for a pulp superhero comic. And once said flashback (the original, not the meta-flashback) wraps up, we only get a couple more pages before The Fox’s story concludes.

It’s way too much of an info-burst and the exposition heavy segment kills any momentum the story might have had after the opening conflict. Mark Waid’s dialogue punctuates this endless explanation with just enough clever humor to save it. The way he writes Queen of Diamond’s Yoda-like lines is pretty hilarious at first, though it does wear after a bit. Still, this issue really could’ve used some trimming and more focus, given how reduced in length it is by…

The back-up story, which is also couched as a flashback. By the end of this comic, I was just about done with flashbacks, especially as this one barely heats up before a cliffhanger ending. I did like, though, that it posed an interesting philosophical dilemma before departing. Regardless, Dematteis does have as much fun with his narrative as Haspiel does though, again, the nonstop monologuing got on my nerves.

Haspiel’s art retains the liveliness and bold dynamics that floored me in the debut but actually manages to up the ante! Page 3, panel 3 is so fun to look at, with the monster’s breath framing the sides of the panel and The Fox in the middle, the monster’s open maw looming beneath him as it implacably watches him barely escape. Then the next page has an incredible panel layout that uses the monster’s breath as a transition in the background as She-Fox shows up. Haspiel even makes sure to keep the mythical Diamond Staff in frame, consistently remind us of its importance.

THE NEXT PAGE has The Fox being smashed through a water tower and again, the way the panel splits this sequence in half and amplifies the insanity of the moment. The flashback is rendered with as much panache, particularly the panel layouts, though I felt like “handy guide” bit was a strange sideline, even though it had a cute visual punchline. I was also a bit disappointed that the whole issue mostly avoided any detail in the backgrounds, using the alien locale as a rather thin excuse. Allen Passalaqua’s colors are appropriately weird, contrasting a lot of ice blues with creamy pinks, all serving to make The Fox pop off the page but he also keeps things sharp, using heaviness to accentuate Haspiel’s strong lines.

The art for the backstory is also its strongest point, a controlled but highly detailed counterpoint to Haspiel’s simplicity. The action is well executed and the big panels pack a lot of baddies in even as their being hammered on by The Shield. Haspiel should take cues from Cavallaro on how to handle backgrounds, as the settings here are vivid and help enhance the suspense with their hostile presence. I loved Cavallero’s designs for his villains, taking full advantage of his eye for detail while still having a refined sense of theme.

For all my complains about this issue of THE FOX, it’s a no brainer whether this one is worthy of your time; it’s still a meager $3 book packed with incredible art, if somewhat haphazard storytelling, and Waid’s dialogue is just as charming as ever. A third issue will probably be a homerun, given that it won’t be saddled with the chore of exposition but if the price goes up,  I’ll feel a little betrayed.

PS: I’d like to express my personal gratitude to Dean Haspiel for his rendering of The Fox. A lot of the mainstream superhero comic artists do their best to avoid drawing their male protagonists’ in any kind of embarrassing or exposed posture but The Fox isn’t given that kind of annoyingly sensitive dignity; he gets tossed around, (wo)manhandled (by his wife no less!), and generally comes off as infinitely more human than standard superhero tropes. I find myself so much more invested in the character because of it.

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BURN THE ORPHANAGE #2

Writer: Daniel Freedman & Sina Grace
Artist: Sina Grace
Colors: John Rauch

Publisher: Image
Price: $5

This was actually one of the very first series that I reviewed for this column. That’s how long the wait has been for this second issue. My memory of it has faded a bit but I do remember it being a lot more fun than I remember as well as having a really unique aesthetic that basically reimagined classic old school brawlers as pulp action, complete with all the campy trim but upgraded with some interesting social commentary and a tongue in cheek sense of humor.

So should you expect that same unusual setup from the second issue? Kind of. It appears that this issue shifts the video game influence from the likes of ‘Streets of Rage’ to bizarro fighters like ‘Mortal Kombat.’ In fact, this entire issue definitely feels like a tribute to that classic, a lot of ways. The story of BURN THE ORPHANAGE was pretty much a kind of joke in issue one, as it winked and nudged its way through a lot of funny incongruencies and implausabilities by merit of both comedy and nostalgia. This book does pretty much the same thing but escalates the physical comedy as well as the violence level. But the dialogue has lost some of its snappiness and there’s a lot more exposition, some of it a bit tedious, especially at the start.

The first fight scene between the protagonist, Rock, and a ninja-like warrior is a bit disappointing but fortunately it’s contrasted by the really awesome introduction to Morgo, the beastly bastard favored to win in the fighting tournament that the main character has been shanghaied into. Morgo doesn’t say much but what the does to his opponent speaks volumes and is certainly more threatening than the death by pirahna that the protagonist renders unto his foe. However, the story loses momentum with more development between Rock and his love interested as well as the beginning of his friends’ rescue mission. Again, the story is saved by the next battle, this time introducing a goat-headed luchadore that proceeds to hand Rock his ass to pretty humorous effect until Rock pulls the DIRTIEST trick of all time. Let’s just say Rock wins by a mouthful. This scene is seriously just so nuts that it’s worth the price of entry alone.

The bracket that shows up half way through the book, showing all the fights and their paths to victory (or defeat) is another awesome nod to Mortal Kombat and this nicely drops us into a another battle, this time between Morgo and a nameless assassin. This is interspersed with more plot development and it works really well for building suspense for the championship bout between Rock and Morgo, which does not go at all according to plan. Chaos breaks out, there’s a callback to the first issue where Rock gets to fight alongside his friends and then we meet the REAL bad guy, a wonderful mashup of M. Bison and various shades of Mortal Kombat as well as Killer Instinct. The climax is well executed and, despite the slow pacing, I found myself wishing it had lasted longer, particularly as the final page is strangely upsetting.

The art, by co-writer Sina Grace, holds up two issues in, still managing a high level of detail and emotion without losing the clean, strong style that brings to mind old school brawlers. It’s really impressive how Sina manages to keep each one of the panels simple and immediately informative but still pack little details into them. I loved the one pirahna that fails to menace the reader during the first fight, especially as it’s so well contrasted by the previous panel of an unimpressed Morgo stopping a strong blow dead. But there are some panels that definitely read as a bit lazy, sometimes foregoing backgrounds entirely in situations where they are notedly absent. The whole fight between the goat luchadore and Rock has no real background detail and, if it wasn’t for the crazy level of clever action involved, would be disappointing.

Really though, as a whole, Sina Grace deserves a lot of praise not only for making such a weird and intense comic look great but for also co-writing so much of it. The panel dynamics in particular are really subtle but if you pay attention you’ll notice how strong they are, emphasising the big moments and streamlining the narrative-heavy pages. John Rauch returns to work his colors into the page and he once again keeps up with Sina with ease, flavoring every scene with brilliantly-placed highlights and tones; he classes up what would be sleazy topless bit by rendering it in a dreamlike blue-green glow and the blend colors he uses to convey the menacing gloom of the Bermuda Triangle are downright eerie. He perfectly conveys the hues of the sunrise battle with the luchadore and his FX for the magic powers that show up occasionally are fun little touches.

This latest issue of BURN THE ORPHANAGE does go up in price by a dollar, making it a total of $5. That’s kind of a shame, as I don’t think the page count went up since the last issue. But this is also a gigantic issue, 42 pages and I think it’s the perfect size for this story and actually, there are some other series that I wish would do this as well (Snyder’s ‘The Wake’ comes to mind, as well as ‘Next Testament’). If you liked the first issue, this is a no brainer, honestly, as it’s only gotten better, even if the price has gone up.