HULK & DR. STRANGE #1 MARVEL COMICS
I will admit this one really surprised me. You would think with a creative team like J. Michael Straczynski and Germa’n Peralta, I should know it would be good but the cover and the synopsis did very little to interest me. And the idea of retelling the origin of the Hulk really didn’t seem all that great. But I was wrong and am willing to admit it. First off, Straczynski’s story is filled with humor in a story that is a psycholigical questioning of good and evil. These touches of humor enhance the story and ask questions of their own. Like what happens if you have to go to the bathroom before your trip into the astral plane? If you have no physical body why do you still have to pee? But his version of explaining Bruce’s Hulk persona is actually quite brilliant. And he really doesn’t mess around with the origin story as it appeared in the very first issue. As for Peralta’s art, the weird angles and the shading really give you a sense of the creepy nature of the Sanctum Sanctorum. The classic throwing of Rick Jones into the trench is absolutely spot on. And while I am still unsure of what Marvel has in mind for these Straczynski titles, this is a good start. It has an early 1970’s feel to it that I definitely am encouraging. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
REDCOAT #12 IMAGE/GHOST MACHINE
A wraparound cover and more details about the newest character in the Ghost Machine Universe, the Northener! Creators Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch have started us down an amazing rabbit hole as Redcoat and the Northener need to team-up to defeat the Cobbler. And lets face facts, it is the Cobbler that steals the show here. Is he from a parallel universe? Is he a time traveller? Why does he like Snickers candy bars so much? The overall anachronistic feel of the character just makes him shine. And just what is so special about the little orphan girl travelling with the Northener? This series continues to get better and better. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CRIMSON JUSTICE #1
Mad Cave Studios does it again. Taking a classic super-hero idea and creating something special. Most of the credit has to go to the creative team of writer Frank Tieri and artist Inaki Miranda who take the mysterious disappearance of a super-hero and provide the readers with an interesting concept. The villainous Dr. Mayhem seemingly returns from the grave and kills Commisioner Burke, people begin to wonder if this will bring back the Crimson Justice and his sidekick Reddy as well. Now, the readers can quickly figure out where the Crimson Justice is, the bigger questions are what happened to the other heroes and especially what happened during the fire at Empire City General Hospital? And with colorist Eva De La Cruz dazzling us with her brilliant pallet, this is just a good all around comic. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
AND WHILE WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT OF MARVEL CROSS-OVERS THAT DON’T SEEM TO HAVE A POINT …
SUB-MARINER #22 (NOVEMBER 4, 1969) MARVEL COMICS
Little did we know that there was a reason why Rascally Roy Thomas included Dr. Strange in Sub-Mariner #22. Why, in the middle of a storyline, Namor received visions from Dr. Strange to help battle an evil. And then return him back to his original storyline at the end. And the big clue comes in the final panel when Namor announces “…owe a debt to …Dr. Strange.” This is actually part two of a devious plan to create a new super-team called … the Defenders! Starting in Doctor Strange #183 and concluding in Incredible Hulk #126. Revolving around the Undying Ones plotline, readers had no idea what they were in for until their first appearance in the premier of a new Showcase like title called Marvel Feature. The sucess they had in Marvel Feature gave them their own title in 1972. One thing of note for comic historians is that Dr. Strange had also hosted the Black Knight five issues earlier. And his character would play a big role in an early Defenders/Avengers cross-over. Meanwhile, over in Incredible Hulk #125/126, we are introduced to a Barbara Norris who would later become another Defender teammate as the Valkerie. Who says the Silver Age of Comics wasn’t complex? 10 out of 10 Grahams.
