Comics

Monthly comic book series in magazine format.

Blast from the past

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

FCfinal11

I just got my first war-era comic book, Flash Comics #38, originally published in 1942. You know it’s a bad day when you’re at crime school and the Flash pole vaults through the window using a bamboo stick! This book features the original Flash, Jay Garrick, who fights crime in his Hermes-inspired uniform and iconic tin hat. Garrick made his debut in 1940 – 16 years before his more popular predecessor, Barry Allen.

DSC00675

Back in the day, the Flash had to share his comic book with Hawkman, who also made his first appearance in Flash Comics #1 alongside the Fastest Man Alive.

fcfinal3

So when you bought a Flash comic, you got two superhero stories – all for the price of 10 cents!

fcfinal4

In the ’40s, DC Comics was officially called Superman-DC, named after their most popular character at the time, and the comic book title that gave birth to Batman, Detective Comics. It wasn’t until the ’70s that the comic book company dropped “Superman” from their name and adopted their current brand.

fcfinal6

Another marked difference between the comic books from this decade and the ones we have now is the clear lack of supervillains. Most of them only began showing up in the 1960s, leaving superheroes of the early years with no one to fight, except for common criminals. Nazis were also a popular match-up for the super-powered crime fighters of that era.

fcfinal5

It’s quite fitting that I got my first war-era comic book while I’m in the middle of reading The Book Thief. Knowing how turbulent it was back then, it really isn’t a stretch to think that stories like this kept the world sane. I can only imagine what journey this book must have had – from that kid who bought it from a magazine stand for 10 cents over seven decades ago to the here and now; from the chaos that was World War II to the still-tumultuous present. What amazing stories it could tell, if only its pages could talk.

Life A.D.

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

Last week, Image Comics released book one of A.D.: After Death, a three-part sci-fi spectacular that could easily be the best comic book series released this year. This also happens to be the work of two of today’s top comic book talents, with multi-awarded Scott Snyder writing the script and the equally talented Jeff Lemire providing his signature style of art in full color. Both creators have separately done terrific work in the science fiction genre, so there was no way I was going to pass up this masterpiece.

fullsizerender7

A.D. explores a world where the human race finally found a cure for death. The story follows Jonah Cooke, who seems just about as average as the next guy, except he has a habit of stealing things.

fullsizerender10

It’s gotten so bad that he even stole a cow on his last day at work.

fullsizerender14

Other than that, not much is known about the protagonist’s current situation, although the story does go back to his childhood several times. These flashback scenes are more text-heavy, allowing more room for storytelling.

fullsizerender15

Snyder’s writing is thick with emotions, adding a lot of depth to the story.

fullsizerender5

And as good as his prose is, you’ll equally enjoy Lemire’s art, which dominates the comic book’s future scenes.

fullsizerender6

What makes the comic even more enjoyable is that it is presented in large format, so it is actually much bigger than your usual comic book – perfect for showcasing Lemire’s art. Overall, the first book is a solid opening issue, giving you a glimpse of what a deathless future is like, while allowing you to get to know the protagonist just enough to make you want to know more. I’m definitely looking forward to the next two issues.

The secret of Murder City

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

Over the past few years, many a comic book series has transitioned to the small screen with much success. From superhero-based shows like Arrow, The Flash and Daredevil to supernatural dramas such as Outcast and the record-breaking The Walking Dead, fans have been treated to a plethora of live action adaptations of their illustrated favorites. “There’s no better time to be a comic book fan,” as they say, and it seems the comics-to-TV trend isn’t dying away anytime soon.

Here’s another comic book series that many believe could be the next hit TV show.

murder-ed

Nailbiter: The Murder Edition vol. 1

Written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Mike Henderson, Nailbiter is a crime/mystery comic that takes place in Buckaroo, Oregon, a (fictional) city which gave birth to 16 of the most notorious serial killers in the world. In this first volume, NSA Agent Nicholas Finch travels to the city to investigate the disappearance of his friend Charles Carrol, an FBI agent who went missing while investigating the cause of the town’s apparent penchant for producing psychotic murderers. It doesn’t take long for the hot-headed NSA agent to find trouble…

f1

…and for trouble to find him.

f2

Without any solid leads, Agent Finch reluctantly turns to the most notorious Buckaroo Butcher for help – Edward “Nailbiter” Warren – a serial killer whose M.O. involves kidnapping men and women who have a habit of chewing their fingernails, keeping them alive long enough until their fingernails grew back and chewing his victims’ fingers to the bone before killing them.

f3

I didn’t think something with such dark subject matter could be this much fun. A good gory comic is one that balances out its intense scenes with the other elements of the story, and the creators of Nailbiter play that game really well. There’s definitely a lot of action, as well as some heavy parts, but somehow the comic manages to throw in some humorous jabs from time to time.

f41

What I like most about this comic book series is that it has a lot of personality. Not only will you enjoy its dynamic characters but you’ll also get the feeling that the city has a life of its own. You’ll want to get to know the place as much as its people, except you can’t really do that. Not this early in the story anyway. So you just find yourself hooked on the mystery surrounding Buckaroo, Oregon.

f5

Overall, Nailbiter is a thrilling read that is sure to suck you in from the very first page. Great characters, great storytelling, and playfully sinister art all come together in this exciting murder mystery series. If I had to guess why people want to see this on television, only one thing comes to mind: they probably can’t get enough of it.

Family affair

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

The genius behind Mind MGMT is back with an all new series that promises to be a murder mystery like no other. And this time, he isn’t working solo. Matt Kindt teams up with his wife Sharlene for a brand new series that takes its readers deep beneath the ocean’s surface.

1 final

Dept. H follows the story of Mia, a special investigator, who travels to an underwater research facility to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding her father’s death. As the cover of the first issue suggests, her father just happens to be the most brilliant man on the planet.

p1 final

The series has a lot going for it. Matt’s signature style of art is as good on this book as it is with his other works, while Sharlene’s colors provide exactly the right atmosphere for a deep-sea adventure.

Story-wise, the first issue does a great job laying the groundwork by introducing a diverse cast of characters; some already known to the protagonist, others just recent acquaintances – all capable of murder. It feels like a classic whodunit mixed with sci-fi and drama.

p2 final

The second issue explores Mia’s relationship with her brother, who isn’t exempt from suspicion.What I like about Matt’s writing is that his stories are always multidimensional. Expect that he will explore every possible angle, every potential side-story to give depth to his work.  I look forward to seeing how he fleshes out each character in the series.

2 final

If you’re looking to read something out of the mystery genre, you might want to pick up this comic book while it’s only two issues in. With the Kindts in charge, you simply can’t go wrong.

 

Issue number three arrives on June 22.

Free Comic Book Day!

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

FullSizeRender (10)

We’re one week away from Free Comic Book Day! If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s the day when comic book shops give comic books away (as the name suggests) – and yes, it’s really free! If you’ve never picked up a comic book before, now’s the best time to do it. FCBD events are always packed, so you’ll find plenty of people you can chat with to find out what’s good on the shelves.

In the past few years, FCBD has grown here in the Philippines, and there are more and more people attending each year. Apart from giving away free comics, the biggest bookstores and comic shops gather top Filipino artists – including those who work for big publishers like Marvel and DC – and have them do sketches for comic book fans. Last year I had the honor of having superstar artist Stephen Segovia do a sketch for me on a blank comic book cover.

fcbd 1

The sketch, featuring Flashes Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, was done completely with ink. It was amazing to watch something like this get drawn right before my eyes, and to just witness a talented artist doing what he does best. I think it took about an hour and a half to finish but it was definitely worth the wait.

They also raffled off some freebies and I was lucky enough to win an actual page from a comic book series I read. The large illustration you see here, photographed with the magazine, was actually used during the production of the comic book. How cool is that?

fcbd 2

So if there’s a comic book shop in your area, do drop by and ask if they’re participating in this year’s FCBD. You might just find your next adventure waiting for you there.

Free Comic Book Day happens annually on the first Saturday of May.

Silver Age Showdown

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

It’s always a treat when I get to add a vintage comic book to my collection. You simply don’t come across these things every day. Plus, I’ve been looking for this particular issue for a while now. I’m a huge Flash fan, and you can’t have a proper Flash collection without collecting his races against Superman.

I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard (or participated in) the age-old debate about who’s faster between these two titans. Well, things weren’t much different half a century ago. Superman is known for being “faster than a speeding bullet” and Flash is the Scarlet Speedster, the Sultan of Speed, the Crimson Comet. So it only makes sense to pit the two against each other in a race around the world.

It was in 1967 – nearly 30 years after the creation of the two superheroes – that DC Comics finally gave the fans what they wanted. The race that was three decades in the making took place in the pages of Superman #199 where the two raced for a charity event organized by the U.N. This was one of the earliest comic book crossovers and certainly the most interesting one at the time.

FullSizeRender(1)

With the success of this Superman issue, a rematch shortly followed in the pages of Flash #175, and the two went on to have several races against each other in the decades that followed. Nearly 50 years since the iconic showdown, the Flash raced Supergirl in a crossover episode of their TV shows, proving that super-speed races still captivate fans of the superhero genre.

…Though if you really want to know who’s faster, check out this page from the third issue of The Flash: Rebirth (2009).

FR3

The modern gods

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

Stories about superhumans have been around perhaps as long as civilizations existed. From religious texts, to Greek mythology, to today’s novels and comic books, we see all sorts of beings capable of performing the most amazing feats. Whether these stories were products of pure imagination or inspired by real-life events, people have always been captivated by the idea that greater beings exist. And oftentimes, the heroes that emerge in such stories reflect, in some way, what’s going on in the world.

At a time when nations were on the brink of war, Superman was born, and the savior that the world desperately needed quickly rose in popularity and forever changed the comic book industry. Similarly, Captain America enjoyed the adoration of countless readers, being the man who would willingly take on the Nazis at the height of their power.  In Grant Morrison’s book Supergods, the author noted that it is no coincidence that the two most popular superheroes today are playboy billionaires who happen to be geniuses, referring to Iron Man and Batman. (I’ll leave it to you to figure out what that says about our world’s current state.)

Last month saw the birth of yet another super being with the debut of Image Comics’ Huck. In their latest comic book series, writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque introduce their version of the everyday hero.

DSC00365

Covers A and B for Huck #1

DSC00383

Covers A and B for Huck #2

Huck is about a man who has incredible strength, speed, invincibility and the apparent ability to find humans and objects no matter where they are in the world. What makes him unique is that he uses his powers to do good deeds for everyone in his community. And by good deeds, I don’t mean he fights off super villains and stops natural disasters from happening. I’m talking everyday good deeds like returning a lost necklace and… well… taking out everyone’s trash and buying everyone lunch.

DSC00374

He fights terrorists, too.

DSC00385

The series is only two issues in but so far it has been a delightful read. One of the reasons I like reading superhero stories is that they tend to give you that “everything will be alright” feeling. And in a world where even the most mundane good deeds are becoming more and more scarce, Huck reminds us that these things matter just as much as stopping the bad guys.

Millar and Albuquerque combine great storytelling and dynamic art in this promising tale about the hero that the world needs. I’m really hoping they get a long, solid run with this series.

A magickal Halloween

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I wrote about some new releases from Image Comics; this one made it just in time for Halloween. Black Magick is a dark fantasy series about Rowan Black, a detective for Portsmouth PD who’s also secretly a witch. In this first issue, Detective Black finds herself in the middle of a hostage taking orchestrated by a perpetrator who seems to know all about her dual identity.

DSC00207

Black Magick #1 by writer Greg Rucka and artist Nicola Scott. Cover A by Scott, magazine cover by Rick Burchett, cover B by Jill Thompson.

I really like it when Image releases magazine-sized issues. It’s always a treat to read comics in large formats – even more so with Scott’s art.

DSC00214

DSC00210

The illustrations are mostly done in grayscale, which sets the tone very effectively. The use of color in some panels makes the scenes more intense and just really eye-catching.

DSC00215

Story-wise, the first issue sets up the mythos well, revealing just enough about the protagonist without giving too much away. You get a good sense of the type of world in which the narrative exists, and the writer teased just enough to make you feel that something big is coming. And, again, the art is simply magnificent. Anybody who’s a fan of magic should definitely follow this series. This might be the best we’ve seen from Rucka and Scott, and I can’t wait for issue #2.

Saturday night reading list

/ EC Orlina / 1 Comment

This weekend I’ll be checking out three new releases from Image Comics. Over the past couple of years, Image has been silently taking over my comic book reading list with their catchy, unique and oftentimes over-the-top serials. If you’re interested in trying out graphic novels but feel like the superhero genre isn’t quite your thing, I suggest you check out their titles. Here’s what I picked up.

Saints

DSC00158

Saints #1 by writer Sean Lewis and artist Benjamin Mackey.

“Blaise, Lucy, and Sebastian discover a Holy War is erupting and they, unwittingly, are the next generation of Saints poised to fight for a heaven that God has abandoned.”

From Under Mountains

DSC00157

From Under Mountains #1 by writers Claire Gibson and Marian Churchland. Art by Sloane Leong.

“In the first issue of this new fantasy series, old feuds and new monsters rise up to haunt the isolated northern fortress of Karsgate.”

Paper Girls

DSC00155

Paper Girls #1 by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Cliff Chang and Matt Wilson.

“In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Stand By Me meets War of the Worlds in this mysterious young adult adventure.”

Check out more from Image Comics here: https://imagecomics.com/comics/series

Halloween in June

/ EC Orlina / Leave a comment

I’ve been picking up a lot of horror books lately – both graphic novels and classics. Here are some of the titles I read last month.

Archie Horror

You read that right. Archie as in Archie Andrews. As in Betty and Veronica. As in Jughead, Reggie, Moose, Midge and the rest of the Riverdale crew. Some very creative minds at Archie Comics got together and launched the imprint Archie Horror. Its first title, Afterlife with Archie, debuted in 2013 with Escape from Riverdale, a five-issue story arc. In the series, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla gives the childhood favorite a fresh take as they pit Archie and the gang against flesh-eating zombies – And it’s brilliant.

DSC00114

The first four issues of Afterlife with Archie in over-sized magazine format.

Also released under the Archie Horror franchise is The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Written also by Aguirre-Sacasa, and this time with artists Robert Hack and Jack Morelli, the series gives another childhood icon a dark makeover. How dark? Witch covens and devil worship…But with teenage/high school issues. Unfortunately the series was delayed a few months so it’s only on the third issue of its first story arc. Each issue, however, has so far delivered solid content, art and story-wise. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

DSC00117

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, issues 1-3.

Dracula

And here’s my sixth novel for the year. I tell you, no movie can ever capture how good this book is. Bram Stoker’s Dracula has so many things going for it – mystery, adventure, dark fantasy.

drac

A leather-bound copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Cover art by Jessica Hische.

This is horror done right. I like it when the author throws a veil over the monster; You can guess what it is through the silhouette but you won’t know what it really is until the veil comes off. And that’s what’s so good about this book. You get bits and pieces at first and then Stoker reveals the true nature of Count Dracula at just the right moment. Things only get interesting from there and before you know it, you’ve been taken for a ride. Truly a must-read for horror fans.