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Y: The Last Man, Vol 5 Ring of Truth

Y: The Last Man, vol 5 Ring of Truth 

By Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra & José Marzán Jr. (Vertigo)
ISBN 1-84576-043-3

Yorick Brown woke up one morning and every other male (not just Man, but every other living thing with a thing) was dead. Except him Рoh, and his pet monkey, of course. Over the course of two years he has made his peril fraught way from the East Coast of America towards his fianc̩e, who was left stranded in Australia when civilisation ended.

In this fifth volume events move into higher gear as the secret agent who has been bodyguarding him and the geneticist who has been trying to solve his mysteriously continued existence both reach turning points in their own particular journeys, as does Yorick’s previously insane sister, Hero, who has been stalking them across the feminine, ravaged and now generally dis-United States.

When they all arrive in San Francisco, Agent 355 has a lethal confrontation with her ex-comrades, Hero has an epiphany of sorts, and Dr. Mann actually discovers the secret of the last man’s immunity to the disease that killed all those guys.

Hey, remember the Monkey? He’s stolen and shipped abroad. It is absolutely vital that the team must rescue him from captivity in, surprise, surprise, Australia!

If that felt a little confusing, you really shouldn’t read this gradually improving, well-written – if contrived – adventure, although the art is deliciously effective in an unassuming, subversive way. If you are engaged, however, and prepared to track down the previous four volumes first, you might enjoy it.

© 2004, 2005 Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra. All Rights Reserved.

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Y: The Last Man, Vol 4 Safeword

Y: The Last Man, Vol 4 Safeword 

By Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra & José Marzán Jr. (Vertigo)
ISBN 1-84023-921-2

Yorick Brown woke up one morning and every other male (not just Man, but every other living thing with a thing) was dead. Except him, oh, and his pet monkey, of course. Over the course of two years he has made his peril fraught way from the East Coast of America towards his fiancée, who was left stranded in Australia when civilisation ended.

Accompanying him on his trek westward is bodyguard and secret agent 355 and geneticist Dr, Allison Mann who believes she may have caused the plague by giving birth to the world’s first parthenogenetic human clone.

Having reached Colorado they pause in their everyday adventures so that the increasingly gung-ho Yorick can get medical care for Ampersand, his monkey. By his very existence Yorick is a valuable commodity, so he has to spend most of his time in some form of drag. Rather than risk his discovery needlessly, 355 and Dr. Mann leave him with a conveniently undercover fellow agent (their particular organisation is called ‘The Culper Ring’) whilst they scavenge foe antibiotics.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that this agent has her own agenda. Yorick wakes up naked, tied to a ceiling and subject to a Dominatrix’s specialist attentions. But all is not as it seems and an extended – and adults only! – ‘interview’ provides some valuable, if obscure glimpses of Yorick’s life before the plague. By the time it’s all over we’ve been introduced to another mysterious factor in this saga – the deadly agents of the rival ‘Setauket Ring’.

Obviously America is devastated by the Plague, but recovery is slower than might be expected. One reason for this is discovered when the pilgrims reach Arizona. Following in the bootsteps of their paranoid-survivalist-militia menfolk, the women have blockaded the only motorway and are starving half the country. Believing the Federal Government created the Plague, these ‘Patriots’ are retaliating in the only way they know, and only brutal violence will solve the crisis. And once again the real victims are the people who help Yorick.

Increasingly this series is growing beyond its clichéd premise and developing into a clever, ironic and powerful tale to be read on its own terms.

© 2004 Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra & various. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers Energon Pocket Edition 2

Transformers Energon Pocket Edition 2 

By Simon Furman & various (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84023-959-X

In this twenty-first century incarnation of the eternal civil war of the “Robots In Disguise”, both Autobot and Decepticon factions are on Earth seeking to replenish the life giving fuel source Energon, leading to simultaneous conflicts both here and on their own planet Cybertron.

In this much improved Volume 2 the heroic and hard-pressed Autobots strive valiantly to defeat a force of Decepticons who are trying to resurrect the ultimate, planet crushing Unicron whilst saving their new human allies Rad, Carlos and Kicker. Matters are further complicated when Autobot leader Optimus Prime vanishes, lost in space between Earth and Cybertron. He seems to have been captured by the “ghost” of Megatron, long since consumed by Unicron…

Chock full of high-tech, explosive-but-not-gratuitous action, this yarn fairly barrels along and the marked improvement of the colouring since volume one adds some much appreciated clarity to the process. A solid read for aficionados and thrill-seeker of all ages.

© 2004 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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The Unfeasible Adventures of Beaver and Steve, Vol 1

The Unfeasible Adventures of Beaver and Steve, Vol 1 

By James Turner (Soaring Penguin)
ISBN: 0-9552871-0-3

The internet is responsible for many things good and not, and there can be no doubt which category this first compilation of the slick, surreal and strangely amusing (and even award-winning!) webcomic featuring the sleek, not-to-say somewhat malnourished, Beaver and his oddly saurian companion Steve.

Whether travelling in time, looking for love, defeating Ninjas, robots and toasters or merely hiding from the malicious Shoe Goblin, this Thelma and Louise of the Cartoon Age are never short of a solution to any everyday crisis.

Wait! You say there is some doubt?

A Good Thing. This is a good thing! You should buy this book, and when you’ve enjoyed it correctly, you’ll be an expert in everything Good on the Internet. And remember to be good to your shoes.

© 2004-2006 James Turner. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers Energon Pocket Edition 1

Transformers Energon Pocket Edition 1 

By Simon Furman, Guido Guidi, Joe Ng and various (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84023-932-8

I’m usually all in favour of new and innovative formats and I’ve normally nothing but praise for quality licensed comic strips as they tend to be a good introduction to the wider world of cartoon storytelling. However with this book I find myself reserving judgement.

Under new management, but with long time writer Simon Furman, we’re all introduced to another baffling array of characters and back-story that interact with old stalwarts such as Optimus Prime in what is obviously a sequel to something we haven’t seen, but nevertheless uses a dreadfully old plot to carry the action along. And then to end the volume halfway through the story is just plain annoying.

If you care, there is war on Cybertron, a refitted Prime is out of options and the miracle power source Energon can only be found on Earth which is being ravaged by the Terrorcons under their new leader Scorponok. Unfortunately I only really understood that after reading the press release, not the book.

Another bone of contention is the art and reproduction. I appreciate that styles have changed and that a Japanese flavour is currently the vogue, as is the whole concept of giant warrior robots, but the passionless, technological line-work works in monochrome, but when obscured by murky, overly fussy computer colouring it just means that these tired old eyes can’t tell one giant bucket of bolts from another. A little variation in shot choice and camera angle wouldn’t hurt either.

I think this might be something for the dedicated collector only.

© 2004 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Transformers: Dinobot Hunt

Transformers: Dinobot Hunt 

By Simon Furman, Barry Kitson, Geoff Senior & Will Simpson (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84023-789-9

Within these pages you will find high-quality reprints from the earliest days of the British Transformers weekly comic (issues 45-50 and 74-77) plus a ten page extravaganza originally seen in the 1986 Annual.

Fast, pacy adventures produced by what are now household names – at least in comic collectors’ houses. Full of chases and action, this is a light-weight treat for the young at heart.

An ideal starting point for new readers and a chance for young dads to get all nostalgic with heir own kids in advance of the upcoming movie spectacular.

© 2004 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

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Torpedo 1936, Volumes 1-6

Torpedo 1936, Volumes 1-6 

By E Sánchez Abulí & Jordi Bernet with Alex Toth (Catalan Communications)
ISBNs vary – just rev up your search engine!

This classy crime satire has an impeccable pedigree. Originated by European strips legend Enrique Sánchez Abulí and designed and drawn (for the first story, at least) by American comics god Alex Toth, it relates the life and misadventures of cheap hood and freelance hit-man Luca Torelli, an Italian immigrant clawing his way to the middle of the gangster heap in the evocative New York City of the 1930s, that owes much more to films such as Scarface and Chinatown than to shoddy reality.

The mannered and hypnotic stylisations of Toth were replaced by the visceral line and brushwork of Jordi Bernet as the ignorant and vicious thug went on to star in a veritable gore-storm of graphically violent and sordidly sexy comic tales and text stories (all collected in the six volumes cited) that, with blackly humorous wit, venerate the savage charisma of this mythic era.

There is loads of sex, lots of nudity, buckets of violence but never the truly Big Score in the life of this dim and evil loser, but such is the ability of the creators that the reader finds it terribly difficult not to sympathise with this despicable “can’t-get-an-even-break” sad sack who often appears to be the world’s most homicidal Mr Bean clone.

Sharp writing (well-translated) and truly beautiful art (especially the women and cars) make this a must-read series for fans not only of such series as 100 Bullets or The Losers, also anyone who loves a bad-ass gangster and a damn good laugh.

© 1982 Enrique Sánchez Abulí, Alex Toth & Jordi Bernet. All Rights Reserved.

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Terra Obscura, vol 2

Terra Obscura, vol 2 

By Alan Moore, Peter Hogan, Yanick Paquette & Karl Story (America’s Best Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-193-6

This second volume of stories featuring the alternative heroes from an Earth duplicate situated at the other end of the galaxy continues the heady blend of wonderment and soap-opera as archetypical superman Tom Strange begins a romance with a widowed Jungle Queen just as an old comrade returns.

Of course said comrade – Captain/Colonel Future – is returning from beyond the solar system in a spaceship that has been twisted and malformed by the hideous mysteries of deep space. And, naturally, said homecoming has precipitated a catastrophic series of time-slips that has re-inflicted the events of Pearl Harbour on modern Hawaii and threatens to A-bomb Hiroshima one more time. Super-heroes are popping out the mists of time to fight their counterparts and heirs and the world is generally reduced to a state of utter higgledy-piggledy.

Couple that with the last word in super-heroine (can I still say that?) zombie stalker plots and you have a well-drawn piece of retooled retro-nonsense that will please the already converted but will utterly baffle the casual reader and sadly make no new converts to our little corner of the entertainment market.

© 2004, 2005 America’s Best Comics, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Terra Obscura, vol 1

Terra Obscura, vol 1 

By Alan Moore, Peter Hogan, Yanick Paquette and Karl Story (America’s Best Comics)
ISBN 1-84023-860-7

Alan Moore’s refit of the American superhero genre continues with this spin-off from Tom Strong, himself a blending of Doc Savage and Superman mythologies that sees the hero and his immediate family having adventures and meeting other remixes of iconic comic characters throughout time and space.

During one of these adventures (notionally in “1968”), Strong discovered a close duplicate of Earth at the far end of the Milky Way which even had its own counterpart of himself (Tom “Doc” Strange) as well as a pantheon of superheroes and villains derived from the Better/Standard/Nedor comics of the 1940s and early 1950s.

In a later tale Strong and Strange teamed to defeat an alien that had conquered the alternate Earth (dubbed “Terra Obscura” for expediency’s sake) and placed its heroes in suspended animation for thirty years. The current story begins three years after the liberation.

Sadly, from there on it’s business-as-usual in the world of modern superhero epics. The plot is a standard super-being murder-mystery. A generic cast of heroes gathers in the face of a civilisation in slow crisis. Can we discover who killed the Captain Future analogue, and can the Justice Society, sorry, Society of Major American Science Heroes uncover the traitor in their midst who is trying to conquer the world?

I understand the whole point of these tales is as a glossy homage to the comics of our youth, but who are they actually intended for? Will eye-candy tributes, no matter how well written or drawn, really bring in new readers, especially young ones? Are old farts like me ever going to settle readily for modern remakes of the glorious whimsies we devoured as children, or will we gradually stop buying new comics and concentrate on high-ticket reprints and the tracking down of back-issues that always evaded us during the onset of puberty?

There is perhaps, an argument for this material as periodical publication, as a means of getting people into comic shops, but how many can pay their own way and still generate the demand for a collected edition?

I readily admit that the fanboy in me actually enjoyed the read. Moore and Hogan engaged my attention and Paquette and Story satisfied my constant craving for good drawing, but I didn’t buy the miniseries, and I wouldn’t have read the compilation if those nice people at Titan Books hadn’t sent me a review copy.

Saccharine isn’t honey. You can always put a coat of fresh paint and sequins on your favourite armchair, but that doesn’t make it new or even more comfortable. Despite Alan Moore’s ability and cachet, I doubt this sort of material has any long term broad appeal.

© 2003, 2004 America’s Best Comics, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Oh My Goddess! Vol 3

Oh My Goddess! Vol 3

By Kosuke Fujishima (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84576-504-4

This is a fine example of a Japanese story genre which uses a fantasy framework and derives humour from embarrassment and loss of conformity. Nerdy science student Keiichi Morisato dials a wrong number one night and connects to the Goddess Technical Help Line. Beautiful and powerful Belldandy materialises in his room, offering him one wish, and he geekily asks that she never leave him. This traps her on Earth, and in fact she is unable to move too far from his physical proximity.

There’s plenty of scope for comedy when a powerful female seemingly dotes on an average male, and many jokes centre on her inability to part from him, increasingly disrupting his life. Think of it as a modern take on Bewitched or I Dream of Genie, especially since there’s a romance growing that both are incapable of admitting to.

The third volume settles into a formulaic pattern as the loons of his college Society, and Belldandy’s mischievous sister Urd continue to make life even more unpalatable for our nerd and his dream girl. The episodes include such traumas as final exams, being forcibly dressed in girls clothing – Keichii, that is – gambling, truth or consequences games, and even Go-Kart racing against the hateful Americans.

The biggest addition to the cast is the rich and sleazy Toshiyuki Aoshima, a serial lecher who decides that he must have Belldandy at any cost. Throw in the usual band of rivals, insane teachers and interfering entities and there’s still plenty of slap-stick fun to be found in this bright and breezy manga classic.

© 2007 Kosuke Fujishima. All Rights Reserved.
English language translation © 2007 Dark Horse Comics, Inc.