Broken Frontier

Beyond Wonderland #1

By Thijs Van Praet

What to say about Beyond Wonderland? It's like a comic book version of a horror film. All the elements are present: we have the creepy adaptation of a well-known theme or story, we have monsters of different kinds, villains taking pleasure in the suffering of protagonists, suffering protagonists (obviously), and a dark and edgy cinematography. Oh yeah, and boobs too—you can't ever forget the boobs.

The fairy-tale angle—in this case Alice in Wonderland—is always an interesting one because it can add a lot of depth if used correctly. Whether or not Beyond Wonderland will deliver what it promises is still uncertain. As stated, it has all the elements of a horror movie, but it's hard to say at this point if it's going to be a good one. Could be, but then again it's hard to take a monster actually using the line "resistance is futile" very seriously if it isn't a Borg. Let’s wait and see…

Raven Gregory, Ralph Tedesco & Joe Brusha (W), Dan Leister (A), Zenescope, $2.99

Hybrid #1

By Lee Newman

Two young couples going out to sea on vacation. Mysterious deaths and ship recalls aren’t important, right?

This is a horror book of the "oh, don’t go there. What the $%^& is wrong with you?" variety. The kind that movie audiences love. It is not particularly outstanding in any aspect. The story is kind of derivative, the characters are cliched, and the art is serviceable at best. At the same time, it is not particularly bad either. The plot is well told and the mystery that surrounds the characters is effectively built until the last page. There don’t seem to be an obvious contrivances and the action is believable to the extent that any horror on the sea kind of story can be believable.

Hybrid, like any horror movie really, will play well to readers that want it to play well. To the rest of us, it is just there and probably a little forgettable in the end.

Peter Kwong (W), Pablo Churin (A), Shiping Lee Studio ( C ), Studio 407, $2.75

Reign in Hell #1

By Lee Newman

There is a rebellion happening in Hell, the Damned are rising against their masters.

This comic literally feels like it started in the middle of the arc. We see a skirmish and then the rest of the issue involves a quick recap of how things got this far. It is dense and just a little hard to follow, but when the Shadowpact shows up and we then we get one heck of a cliffhanger, it makes the effort worth it. That talking monkey sure is cool and can make me trudge through some crazy stuff for him. Derenick and Sienkiewicz make for a crazy kinetic style that doesn’t necessarily help the sprawling script.

There is an interesting idea here, but it is layered so deep in exposition that it is almost lost. This one is on probation. Check it for yourself but you will probably have to wait for issue two to decide as well.

Keith Giffen (W), Tom Derenick (P), Bill Sienkiewicz (I), DC Comics, $3.50

Wolverine #67

By Lee Newman

First stop on the cross country tour is San Francisco. Hawkeye and Wolverine are taking a ride through post-apocalyptic America and I couldn’t be happier. This issue sees them fighting Moloids and Ghost Riders and then off to Nevada, home of Thor’s Hammer.

Millar and McNiven sure have got a cool story here. There is the buddy dynamic between Hawkeye and Logan which is strengthened when Clint realizes that Logan isn’t kidding, he really is a pacifist. This means the two are not just relics of a time past, but were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. It looks like Wolverine’s tale will be told in short bursts over time. It will be interesting to see how he fell so low.

This is how comics should be, fun. It seems tightly plotted at this point; the references are solid and the concept awesome. Makes me wish I was 12 again!

Mark Millar (W), Steve McNiven (P), Dexter Vines (I), Marvel Comics, $2.99

X-Men: Odd Men Out #1

By Lee Newman

Professor X stops by to see and old friend and gives a brief history of the X-Men while the New Mutants face off with a robot that bears a striking resemblance to a villain who had an entire age all to himself.

These are two out ake or drawer comics that were illustrated by the late master Dave Cockrum. They are harmless good fun. The first story serves as a nice recap of the X-Men up to the time Marvel Girl was first resurrected after the Dark Phoenix Saga. Too bad it doesn’t go to when they move, it would make a very nice saga. The other story is harmless if not well written New Mutant fun. Cockrum pencils both and while the first story sees him at the top of his game with equal influences of Ditko and Kirby, the second issue is kind of weird looking. It is like the Archie universe decided they need mutants.

This is a nice enough tribute to an artist who has left us. The stories are not essential reading, but they aren’t half bad.

Roger Stern & Michael Higgins (W), Dave Cockrum (P), Joe Rubinstein (I), Marvel Comics, $3.99