[Comic Execution] 8/22 – ‘DINOSAURS ATTACK!’, ‘SHELTERED’, ‘THE STRAIN: THE FALL’

NUMBER TWO STRIKES AGAIN! Yes, can you believe it, ANOTHER round of issues whose assigned number is that of TWO! BECAUSE THEY CAME AFTER NUMBER ONE! Some of you might be recoiling in horror but let me assure you, this is all part of the act, folks. Nothing to worry about here so give in to your morbid fascination and read on…

DINOSAURS ATTACK! #2

Writer: Gary Gerani
Artist: Herb Trimpe & Earl Norem (cover & interior paintings)
Colorist: George Freeman

Publisher: IDW Comics
Price: $4

DINOSAURS ATTACK! is about as silly as a horror comic can get, and I mean that in the best way. The first issue was fun but also was weighed down with sci-fi melodrama intended to set up the absurd premise of malevolent dinosaurs literally teleporting on Earth’s surface and wreaking carnage. With this issue, the intriguing though convoluted exposition takes a backseat to what this whole series is really about: dino-driven ultraviolence.

And what glorious ultraviolence it is. I won’t go into details as it would spoil so much of what’s worth seeing in this issue but I have to mention the awesome feast at the high school. It’s probably the most violent bit in the whole book and it takes place at a HIGH SCHOOL. Kudos to IDW for not pulling their punch because what’s on display is gloriously awful. It escalates in a hilariously orchestrated attack on DC and the President, including a beautifully painted scene of pterodactyls in the sky above. Even the Lincoln memorial isn’t safe, though we get to see the first bit of real human resistance there as well, so not all hope is lost. Not yet, at least.

The action is bookended by some more plot development, some of it a bit stilted but even these scenes are a visual treat with a cargo-loading exoskeleton in one scene and a suitably eerie bit of foreshadowing. The book’s art is as wild and vintage-feeling as the previous issue but with the large presence of the dinosaurs, there’s a lot more lurid gore and detailed setpieces, capably handled. Obviously, the retro painted art has a certain appeal that might turn off some readers but most should be able to appreciate its comedic tone.

But then there’s four more pages of massive illustrations of the global carnage and they’re gloriously tongue-in-cheek. These little extras are precisely the kind of bonuses that make this book absolutely worth the hefty cover price. There’s a couple of pages that go over the origins of the DINOSAURS ATTACK! property which includes sketch artwork and packaging for the original cards from the eighties.

If you didn’t pick up the first issue, go out and grab that with this. Read those two issues back to back and trust me, you’ll be in love. Unless you hate fun.

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THE STRAIN: THE FALL #2

Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Mike Huddleston
Colorist: Dan Jackson

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $4

I really dig David Lapham’s writing. I don’t think I’ve read anything yet by him that I didn’t like. And he’s really stepped it up with this series, gracefully transitioning the series from gut-wrenching horror to pulse-pounding action. It’s still a very grim world but the conflicts come less from the epidemic of blood-suckers and more from colliding factions. Some of requires prior knowledge of who’s who, but it’s not so esoteric that you can’t enjoy the action.

This book introduces an awesome new character, Mr Quinlan. His true nature is obscure but he’s absolutely not human. He’s also a killing machine and this issue’s coolest moment is the two pages where Quinlan slaughters a pack of vampires with inhuman efficiency. The core of the story, though, focuses on lead protagonists Eph and Vasiliy’s attempts to discern the meaning of strange symbols showing up beneath the city, but not without having to take down a group of vamps. There’s a wonderful little cliffhanger that could feel a bit cheap, except the very last panel is just so incredibly cool, I can’t be angry.

The art of this series is starting to wear on me a bit though. There’s several big scenes that, in the hands of a more talented artist, would’ve been breathtaking but, instead, are just there. A panel of several SWAT teams converging on a building looks so bland it’s hard not to be disappointed. This doesn’t happen too often but sometimes you just get hit with a panel that looks like the artist drew a thumbnail and just left it for the colorist to fix up. It’s confusing because it’s not like the artist isn’t clearly capable of fixing these panels. I can only assume Huddleston was on a deadline and couldn’t be bothered to clean these up. But at four dollars an issue, I feel like they could just push the series back a month and let him catch up.

Overall though, this series is shaping up to be a very exciting follow-up to the original THE STRAIN and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who enjoys horror comics with a modern spin.

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SHELTERED #2

Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Johnnie Christmas
Colorist: Shari Chankhamma

Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3

Because I’m just that kind of a guy, I’m going to confess here that SHELTERED #2 was released not more than two weeks ago. But the whole “reviews of new comics every week” thing is not so much a rule as a theme. In the case of this week, which was a light one for the type of comics I’m reviewing for this column, I’ll fill in spaces with reviews of series whose initial release I’ve reviewed previously but missed the second issue of, for whatever reason. So let’s talked about SHELTERED #2. But let’s not talk about spoilers. Which, unfortunately, makes it hard to talk about the book at all, which is part of the reason why I’ve delayed reviewing it. I’ll dance around the big plot reveals but if you’re really serious on going in blind, you should skip my review entirely.

Things pick up right where they left off, with the majority of the kids of the survivalist camp having overthrown their parents for fear of some impending threat that’s never named. That becomes the central mystery as the only two females not involved with the murders (at least, we assume), Hailey and Victoria, search the compound for their parents after hearing gunfire. It doesn’t take long before Victoria discovers the fate of her father, to which she responds with uncontrollable outrage, nearly getting herself and Hailey killed. Hailey stops Vic and they go to look for Hailey’s parents, finding only evidence of their murder as well, triggering Hailey’s emotional anguish. In the meantime, it’s made clear that the boys of the camp want the girls alive, for obvious reasons.

I don’t normally outline plots like this, but bear with me. When the boys do finally find the girls, they’re not exactly tactful in their attempts to calm the situation. lying boldly about their non-involvement with the murders. The scene cuts to the only other girl, Tabitha, having a nervous breakdown as she becomes more aware of what she’s been involved in. Eventually, the truth is revealed, causing Vic and Hailey to flee in horror. Well, at least until Vic gets a hold of a gun in the last panel.

So here’s what I’m getting to with that whole summary; there are exactly five separate scenes of people crying. Four of those five scenes are girls crying. Three separate girls. One of those girls has TWO bits where she cries. Now, of COURSE people are crying; these kids just murdered their parents (and these are teenagers so we’re not being unrealistic about it). But what’s puzzling is how much more fragile the girls are portrayed at being. Vic and Hailey, naturally, have their respective freak-outs. and Hailey’s brother Mitch loses it as he has to tell his sister that their parents are dead (not mentioning, of course, that he was partially responsible). But then Brisson throws in a scene where the only other girl, Tabitha, panics as realization sets in, collapsing in tears. This triggers an important turn of the plot, sure, but I think there’s a lot more to this scene than just that. Of all the ways Brisson could’ve written to cause Hailey and Vic to turn on the boys, he felt this was the most convenient; Tabitha’s very important to the boys and her sudden turn of conscience is something that’s important enough to justify what results. But the problem is that Tabitha serves no other purpose than that. She COULD be Brisson’s way of showing that not all girls (like Vic and Hailey) are strong-willed, but this is literally the only time I’ve been aware of the character. Unless I missed some development of the character in the first issue, this comes off as not just lazy storytelling, but sexist too. And it wouldn’t even be notable sexism if it weren’t for the fact that Brisson tries so hard to make Vic and Hailey seem like strong characters.

Oh, and the art is good, maybe better than this story deserves. There’s a three panel page early on featuring Lucas that really gets the point across in a way that’s both visually exciting but also far too ham-fisted. We get it; these are the eyes of a madman (unless, as he claims, he’s realy just doing what he HAS to do). Characters come across with powerful resonating emotions, though by the fifth nervous breakdown of the book, the novelty of seeing teenagers crying has worn off. Fortunately, the backgrounds are grim and beautiful without forgoing too much color and Christmas knows how to deliver a cinematic feel.

But overall, this issue has gotten me kind of weary of how unpleasantly “realistic” this all is. Even the “bad guy,” Lucas, fits into the charismatic sociopath stereotype that, while wholly true to this kind of real-life story, is frankly annoying. It all feels quite predictable and shallow in a way I don’t think the first book really hinted at. I had hoped that we’d see more interesting plot twists than “the girls are betrayed and get their feelings hurt because the boys lied to them.” But maybe the third issue holds some surprises. I know the second issue of GHOSTED changed my whole feeling about that series so it could happen here too. Let’s wait and see, because I do love the art and the story has potential.