Broken Frontier

Ape Entertainment’s Cartoonapalooza

By Lee Newman

Monster heroes fighting monster villains, a favorite trio of friends racing a death car, a polar bear of crime, a pulp female hero and an adventurer woman. Ape wants to get you pumped up about their coming projects.

A group of shorts that are meant to entice you into purchasing the company’s wide variety of books, works for the most part. The tops will be no surprise to my readers: White Picket Fences continues to impress, even when the story is very short. Go-Go Gorilla probably works second best as a Batman-esque villain tells the tale of how he became a rogue. Femme Noir and Monstroids serve their purpose to further excite those already excited by those titles. The one head scratcher is Ursula Wilde, which appears to be an Athena Voltaire clone, but maybe that is just my interest in that book coming through. While the Voltaire book did nothing for me and was hard to follow, Ursula appears to be nigh unreadable.

A great free comic book day contribution showing what the little guys have to offer.

Various (W), Various (A), Various (C), Ape Entertainment

Archie’s Pal Jughead FCBD Edition

By Tonya Crawford

I have to confess that the various Archive comics were among the first that I ever read. PEP, Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals, Archie’s Double Digest, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats… you get the idea. What could be more in the spirit of Free Comic Book Day than an edition of a comic that has drawn generations of kids into reading comics?

The art by Stan Goldberg is still done in the "traditional" Archie style that I remember from my own youth – simple, clean, easy to follow, and cartoony enough to attract another generation raised on cartoons. The story itself is also extremely new-reader friendly. Archie is looking for a summer job and his dream job is working for Geppi’s Entertainment Museum. When he gets the chance to live out his fantasy, Archie and his friends Betty, Veronica, and Jughead make their way to Baltimore. There are strange things afoot in the museum, though, and Jughead runs afoul of them. Where my disappointment came in was seeing this comic as really one long-form advertisement for Geppi’s Entertainment Museum; it felt like product placement at its worst and most intrusive.

While the adult in me was disappointed at the shilling, the kid in me still recognized the pure, simple, timeless fun of the Archie characters. Only time will tell, though, if a new generation of readers will come to the comic medium through the red-headed eternal teenager and his pals.

Craig Boldman (W), Stan Goldberg (P), Bob Smith & Rich Koslowski (I), Archie Comics

Atomic Robo/NeoZoic FCBD Edition

By Tonya Crawford

In 1961 Atomic Robo undertakes a government mission to stop a Russian scientist who has built a single bomb capable of destroying the entire world. Things do not go as planned. In NeoZoic, warriors Lilli and Devon encounter the dinosaur that has been raiding their community’s stables… and Lilli insists on taking the creature down alone.

Red 5 Comics truly understands that FCBD is about introducing readers both new and old to the joys of comic books. Someone who has never read a single issue of Atomic Robo would be perfectly able to understand this inventive, funny and satirical tale. Likewise, although I found the NeoZoic story to be derivative with humans battling dinosaurs, at least it was perfectly understandable without having read any of the previous issues. For both stories the artwork was topnotch and suited each setting perfectly.

Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, in particular accomplished what FBCD sets out to do and this reviewer will probably not be the only person who starts picking up Atomic Robo because of this.

Brian Clevinger, Paul Ens and J. Korim (W), Scott Wegener and J. Korim (A), Red 5 Comics

Graphic Classics: Special Edition

By Lee Newman

Five short stories by five of literature’s most honored writers are adapted into comic book stories.

I am unfamiliar with the line of books that is being advertised here. It seems that they have quite a few collections out. Whether covering a writer’s work or a literature genre, there seems to be something for everyone from this company. Whether it is the tragic romance of Mary Shelley’s The Dream, the tension of Arthur Conan Doyle’s John Barrington Clowes, or the humor of Lord Dunsany’s A Narrow Escape. The adaptations are crisp and easily read, while the black and white illustrations are as varied as the stories and as stunning as the adaptions. Poe’s Black Cat looks like it could have come from the Haunt of Horror series a couple years back from Marvel’s MAX imprint, while the Shelley piece displays a whimsical Williamson styled photo referencing. Simon Gane’s stunning blocky style is liberated from Stewart’s inking in Vinyl Underground to become the star of the book in the Doyle short and Milton Knight’s strong lines and stylized cartooning lend a humorous tone to A Narrow Escape.

Man, with all the good books that come out, I sure am not going to be relieving my backlog anytime soon. Jon, order me up a couple of these.

Various (W), Various (A), Eureka Productions

Hellboy FCBD Edition

By Tonya Crawford

Three stories feature the various corners of Mike Mignola’s expanded Hellboy universe. In the first story Hellboy has a disturbing dream about a mole and his nature. The second story is a quiet interlude and members of the BPRD deal with recent troubles and losses in their attempt to stave off the apocalypse while the third story tells of one of Professor Bruttenholm’s early adventures.

For fans of Mignola’s characters this FCBD edition is like ordering a milkshake and getting a little bit extra alongside. However, if the intent is to hook new readers then some of the stories probably fall a little short. "Bishop Olek’s Devil" is probably the best in terms of not needed to know any other stories in order to follow this one. "The Mole" is strange and surreal enough that understanding all of Hellboy’s back-story is not essential… but it does help. "Out of Reach", however, is a story that does not really strike resonance without understanding recent events in the main BPRD title. If the intent was to get more people to pick up Hellboy and the spin-off titles then the FCBD edition is a hit-or-miss affair.

Mike Mignola with John Arcudi and Joshua Dysart (W), Duncan Fegredo, Guy Davis & Paul Azaceta (P), Duncan Fegredo (I), Dark Horse Comics

Kid Houdini and the Silver Dollar Misfits

By Lee Newman

Visiting a circus, Harry Houdini meets a bunch of Circus performers who are held captive by an evil circus owner. He is captured. While this would depress most kids into apathetic demise, Harry rallies his friends into a kid crime-fighting team.

Leave it to MacPherson to take the world’s greatest escape artist and throw him in a story that is equal parts Scooby-Doo, Encyclopedia Brown, and Pinocchio. The all-ages fun here is more prevalent then the much more esoteric Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo, but MacPherson still finds a way to entertain kids without talking down to them. The fast friendship that is formed here and the tension that is built is pitch perfect story telling and the cliffhanger ending makes for a great sneak of the upcoming graphic novel. Gowell’s infectiously cute character designs add to the delight that a kid of any age should revel in.

When you throw in a look at Jason Burns’s The Sleepy Truth, it becomes clear that Viper is serious about offering kids well written comics designed just for them.

Dwight MacPherson (W), Worth Gowell (A), Kevin Conley (C), Viper Comics

Love and Capes #7

By Eric Lindberg

Mark Spencer, the heroic Crusader, has decided to ask his girlfriend Abby to marry him. But how best to pop the question when you’re one of the world’s most high-profile superheroes?

Thomas Zahler bills his series as "The Heroically Super Situation Comedy" and indeed, the focus of this book is more on gentle, tongue-in-cheek parody and screwball comedy than the never-ending battle of the costumed set. The archetypes are ones we’ve seen countless times in other winking homages to the Silver Age. Nonetheless, Zahler injects a defining sense of humanity to his characters that helps them rise above the too-obvious parallels. Mark and Abby come across as a realistic and likeable couple (one member of whom just happens to be able to fly and crush coal into diamond). Abby’s sister Charlotte provides humorous outsider commentary on the superhero world while struggling with real world issues of her own. The shadowy Darkblade is a more down-to-earth and supportive best friend than Bruce Wayne’s alter ego ever was. This earnest approach combined with Zahler’s humorous dialogue and appealing cartoonist style makes Love and Capes an engaging read.

Thomas F. Zahler (W&A), Maerkle Press

Project Superpowers: The Death-Defying ‘Devil FCBD Special

By Eric Lindberg

Freed from Pandora’s Urn, the resurrected heroes of the Golden Age gather to discuss the return of an old threat. The Claw, an unworldly criminal mastermind they thought long dead, has returned to plague the planet once more.

Dynamite’s contribution to FCBD serves as a supplement to Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s ongoing saga of forgotten heroes. It is, however, one of the less successful of the FCBD books. This is not to say that the writing and art are poor. Krueger’s cryptic script intrigues and Smith’s art looks very slick. But at only 10 pages in what is otherwise a collection of ads for Dynamite projects, the story is one of odd choices. In so short a space, few of the characters are introduced to readers who may be unfamiliar with them. And even readers already following the book may be puzzled as it appears to take place an indeterminate time in the series’ future after other heroes have been released from the Urn. For a free issue, one can hardly complain about not getting their money’s worth but fans may be left slightly wanting or confused by this tale.

Alex Ross & Jim Krueger (W), Andy Smith (P&I), Dynamite Entertainment

X-Men Free Comic Book Day Special

By Eric Lindberg

Megan Gwynn, a.k.a. Pixie, returns home to Wales after an eventful semester at the Xavier Institute. It seems her adventures are not over however when her town is threatened by a demonic invasion that only she can see. Can this young mutant prove herself worthy of the name X-Man?

This offering from Marvel is a strong and rather effective entry to the FCBD event. Despite my unfamiliarity with Mike Carey’s X-Men run or Pixie’s exploits in the New X-Men title, I found this to be a tightly constructed and entertaining adventure tale. Carey’s narration and dialogue remains polished throughout and he captures some wonderful character moments. Under his pen, Megan has the same endearing girl-next-door spunk, beauty, and determination that made Kitty Pryde a fan favorite all those years ago. I found myself wanting to read more about her (the true acid test of an FCBD book as a lure to new readers). And say what you will of Greg Land’s stiff, posed figures or heavy photo reference. The man can create some rather stunning images. For those looking for a good, solid X-Men story, this Special delivers.

Mike Carey (W), Greg Land (P), Jay Leisten (I), Marvel Comics