SAGA #1

Maybe you don't read comics...but Saga #1 is as big as a new Star Wars movie hitting theaters. It's the biggest new comic book release in years. I'm not sure I can even think of something as big that came out recently...maybe the "new 52" DC relaunch, although that was a cumulative event. It's a big deal because it's the first new Brian K. Vaughn book in three years and it's an ongoing. Vaughn has written a lot before but his big book was Y: the Last Man. If you never read it, well, it's only one of the best comics ever. After his book, Ex-Machina, concluded he went to Hollywood and wrote/produced Lost (he wrote one of the best episodes, that one where Desmond traveled through time to find Penny). Vaughn is back with artist Fiona Staples on a book that's a mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy. It features a couple that has just had a baby and they're on the run from pretty much everyone in the galaxy. The dialogue is typical Vaughn; it's modern, catchy, cute, and funny. Marko, the "hero", is basically Yorrick from Y: the Last Man. But this book is a little different in that it's totally bonkers. There's a butler that happens to be an alligator in a suit. There's a scene where two people with TV sets for heads are fucking (but the guy can't get hard). There's a tiger-like beast that a bounty hunter works with that can detect lies. And the main character has horns and can do magic and his baby momma has wings. This book is, honestly, pretty much perfect. The colors are a little stale but that's about the only negative. It's super-fun to read, totally engrossing, unique, beautiful, and the world and plots that Vaughn has presented open up a billion possibilities. The final page is a cliffhanger and a beautiful splash page and a note-perfect ending to a #1 issue. I cannot wait to read more. Is it a cliche to say it? This is why we all read comic books. ****(out of ****)

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1

Even I don't understand writer Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four...but his newest, independent book is pretty clear-cut even though a lot of it is similar to the multiple-dimension and space/time mumbo jumbo of FF. The Manhattan Project was the U.S. Government's atomic bomb program. But what if, really, they were coming up with other, weirder projects that we never knew about and the atomic bomb was just the beginning? That's a good premise, but Hickman has added a caveat; what if the guru behind the program, Dr. Oppenheimer, was actually murdered by his twin brother and that guy took over the identity of the government scientist? So there's a serial killer coming up with crazy, new, destructive shit for the government. Plus...the Dr. fights samurai robots in this issue. & colorist Cris Peters truly makes Nick Pitarra's pencils shine. It's win-win. ***

GLORY #23 + HELL YEAH #1

Writer Joe Keatinge is younger than me (he was born in '82) and the new "it" guy at Image. He previously worked in the PR department at Image and was the editor of the large Popgun anthologies. These are his first two ongoing books, and they're definitely a great start to what should be an interesting career. Glory #23 is one of the new Awesome Comics books, picking up where the Rob Liefeld book started over a decade ago (it ran from '95 to '97...when Keatinge was just entering high school). I never read the original, but a handy retread here helps that establishes the premise: an evil race and a good race of aliens were fighting on some distant alien planet until the leaders of both races fucked and had a daughter, Glory, a white-skinned, long-haired, warrior Goddess who traveled to Earth to fight crime. Picking up from that we learn that Glory is in bad shape and whatever almost killed her is coming back. The twist is that we learn all this from a junior detective student that's always been fascinated by Glory. So there's a merging of real world and the superhero world that melds nicely and interestingly together. The art, by Ross Campbell, is unique as well; very cartoon-like. A terrific book...which leads to Hell Yeah #1, another odd duck about a college kid with super powers that also (maybe) has super parents. In this world, super heroes from another planet traveled to Earth to change it for the better and now everything is totally different. Both books are bizarre and feel more Image than Marvel or DC. They have an indie streak to them that make them fresh. I picture Joe Keatinge writing Spider-Man in five years and bitching that he used to be better...remember him before he sold out? Kid had it. So enjoy the early stuff and hop on the bandwagon. GLORY #23 **** HELL YEAH #1 **1/2

AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1

I used to read, buy, & collect comic books back in the heyday of comic books; the early 90's. That's when I started and that's the last time comics were mega-big (when Jim Lee's X-Men #1 apparently sold a million copies). It was a great time to be a comic book fan because a lot happened (namely, Image Comics...but also The Death of Superman...Todd McFarlane still drawing Spider-Man...the holographic, foil, embossed, ridiculous cover craze...okay, that last one sucked). Comics from that era are worth shit, though, so that sucks. But after that era came Marvel's Age of Apocalypse saga. It ran through a billion books; 48 main books and over 20 assorted prequels, sequels, and tie-ins. It ran in '95 and '96, featured artists like Steve Epting, Joe Madureira, and Chris Bachalo. It also featured the temporary change of the title names; Uncanny X-Men became Astonishing X-Men, Cable became X-Man, etc. So, yeah, it was a big deal. The thing is; I never heard of it until last week when I searched for it read up on it. I started high school in '95 and started drinking and going to parties in '96...so I guess I was preoccupied. But The Age of Apocalypse is back thanks to writer Rick Remender who brought it back in his Uncanny X-Force book. Now it's back as a regular, ongoing series with writer David Lapham and artist Roberto De La Torre (who did amazing work with Brubaker on that epic Daredevil run). The premise of the original story had a mutant, Legion, going back in time to kill Prof. Charles Xavier. This created an alternative time where Apocalypse took over the world and killed all the humans so mutants could rule. So this new book takes place in this alternate world, a world where chaos reigns (sorry, Antichrist). Wolverine is a bad guy and Sabretooth, Jean Grey, and a cast of B-characters are taking up the fight for the little man. It's basically a scorched Earth, post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian future tale...which may have been fresh in '94 but is so been-there-done-that these days (see The Hunger Games). This issue is pretty basic; but it does make you interested in the original series, which I've never read. I'm not one for sequels or re-boots so I'm not sure what the point of this is. It's semi-enjoyable but mostly forgettable. Feels like a What-If? book. **1/2 (out of ****)