Now Read This!

 

By Andersen Gabrych & various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-203-7

Following on from the events of the Batman: War Games quartet of novels, this volume sees Batgirl relocated to the notorious Gotham City suburb of Blüdhaven, for a measure of autonomy but still the same old high-octane crime-busting. Also new in town is arch Bat-foe the Penguin, who is seeking to carve himself a new criminal empire free of the depredations of the Dark Knight.

That’s pretty much all the scene setting you need for these eminently readable action romps, collected from issues #60-64 of Batgirl’s own monthly magazine. In short order she establishes her own sanctum, resources and snitches as she strives to clean up those wicked streets.

En route she tackles assorted thugs, learns a few lessons from Batman’s sometime assistant Onyx, battles the bizarre criminal band known as the Brotherhood of Evil and narrowly survives an encounter with the super-assassin Deathstroke the Terminator, who has his deranged daughter, the Ravager, in tow.

Light on plot but wonderfully packed with martial arts mayhem and snappy dialogue, this just book buzzes with simple heroic exuberance. This is a light snack to offset some of the more ponderous and pompous super-hero fare.

© 2005 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

 

By Andersen Gabrych & various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-327-0

The adventures of this particular incarnation of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain, daughter of the world’s deadliest assassin, full face mask – post No Man’s Land – if you’re keeping count) conclude with a martial arts and parental-angst ridden melee as the reading impaired super-heroine goes on a quest to discover her mother’s identity only to fall in, and afoul of, the daughter of Batman’s greatest foe and a somewhat unimpressive new League of Assassins.

Muddled and slapdash, this story (comprising Batgirl #65-73) feels as if it was axed half way through, and as the comic was cancelled with that 73rd issue that may well be the case.

For completists only, I fear.

© 2005, 2006 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

 

By Mark Evanier & Will Meugniot (About Comics)
ISBN: 0-9716-3387-8

Every twenty years, give or take, there seems to be a burst of comics creativity that raises the overall level of the industry and also helps sales. We’re about due for another any minute now, in fact.

The last time was the mid 1980s, and one of the first hits of the then nascent direct sales market was a series called DNAgents. Creators Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot told sharp superhero/sci fi tales of corporate skullduggery resulting from the creation of artificial teenagers with wonderful powers and a built-in sense of alienation guaranteed to appeal to the X-Men/Teen Titans set.

Lots of cheesy and salacious semi-nudity and Evanier’s sharp, sardonic scripting didn’t hurt either. Now the stories are being collected in black and white pocket sized editions and they actually stand up pretty well. A bonus is that this series created a true ‘lost classic’ character.

Crossfire – a shabby gumshoe/bail bondsman who stumbled into super hero-dom debuted as a support character in this series, and his own adventures – by Evanier and the magnificent Dan Spiegle was one of the high points of the decade.

Lets all look forward to the republishing of all those stories too. In the meantime you could do worse than track down these sly, sharp and savvy alternatives to the X-Men and Teen Titans.

© 1983, 2004 Mark Evanier and Will Meugniot

 

By Phil Hester and Mike Huddleston (Oni Press)
ISBN: 1-9299-9816-3

Dr Ashad Ahmad is a scientist researching into after-life phenomena and the secrets of immortality. To this end he develops a technology that can contain, or perhaps imprison the life force after the body dies. Unfortunately, his financial backers don’t share his scientific or spiritual sense of adventure and he finds himself murdered, trapped in his own device (a mechanical humanoid suit nicknamed “the Coffin”), and being blackmailed for his secrets with his daughter’s life as the bargaining chip.

There’s a compelling metaphysical edge to this classic plot of technology challenging the divine that favourably compares with the best that literature and especially horror films can offer. Comics all-rounder Phil Hester provides edgy dialogue, rounded characters that step up from their archetypal roots and a punchy, satisfying conclusion that is a tribute to the traditions of its creative forebears. Mike Huddleston’s monochrome and wash illustrations are compelling and subversive, seducing you into a tale that actually improves by being collected from its original incarnation as a miniseries into a read-in-one-sitting treat.

© 2001 Phil Hester & Mike Huddleston.

 

By David Lapham (Vertigo)
ISBN 1-84576-468-4

David Lapham returns to the style and genre that made him a comics ‘name’ (for the superb Stray Bullets and Murder Me Dead) with this all original thriller, tailor made to be a major motion picture.

Typically troubled teenager Mia Fleming doesn’t like her new stepmom, Suzanne. That’s not uncommon. However when she steals Suzanne’s diary, making prank calls and snooping in her closet, she sets in motion a storm of bloody violence and terrifying consequences for herself, her friends and family, and ultimately, the entire town of Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

Lapham’s skill at unravelling the simmering violence in modern American society is put to efficient and engrossing effect in this fascinating blend of psycho-thriller and teen-Slasher tale, drawn with simple yet powerful clarity in moody black and white tones. If you’re a comics missionary this a great book to recommend to crime, thriller, and plain good story loving acquaintances. You might even want a copy for yourself.

© 2007 David Lapham. All Rights Reserved.