Rome West, Scars

Rome West 1-12

I liked this quite a bit when I first read it.  Second time through, I found the first half a lot more compelling than the later material.  I would have liked to read a regular series about the early days of this new Roman empire, struggling to live in harmony with the Native Americans while clashing internally over the idea of cultural assimilation.

Writers Justin Giampaoli and Brian Wood make massive time jumps forward between each issue, and it’s both a testament to their amazing ability to craft a strong alternative history and an indictment of their need to cover the span of two thousand years in twelve issues that each chapter left me wanting more.  Each issue only scratched the surface of the amazing potential for each moment in history, and it felt like I was watching a series of trailers instead of a full movie.

I also stopped caring about the story the more it got closer to the present day.  There wasn’t enough focus on how things were different from our timeline, removing the main draw of the series.  

I probably wouldn’t buy this again, but I would buy a fulltime series.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Scars 1-6

This is Warren Ellis at his self-admitted darkest and most twisted, writing about his worst nightmare - his daughter kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in the most gruesome manner imaginable.  It’s...not the worst thing I’ve read in comics, but it’s probably up there for the worst thing I can imagine happening to my future kid. I’d certainly crack and break if something like that happened in my life.  

After the shock value of the crime, the story is fairly standard - Cop recently traumatized by a personal tragedy returns to a case too soon, identifies with it too closely, and is willing to cross the line in the name of justice.  Finely executed because it’s Ellis, with solid, functional art by Jacen Burrows that doesn’t get in the way.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Hellblazer, Rome West, Southern Bastards, Michael Cray

A bunch of trades, some new, some that have been sitting around begging to be read for the first time.

Michael Cray 1-6

I’d heard a number of positive reviews for this over the last few months in iFanboy, so I gave the first trade a shot.  The hook’s an easy sell: Michael Cray kills evil alternate universe versions of the Justice League. In these issues, he takes on Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, and Arthur Curry.  They’re not bad, and read very Warren Ellis-y, which isn’t surprising considering he created the original pitch.

It’s actually the proposal that’s the most interesting part of the trade.  Ellis summarizes the story structure thusly:

Each story has five parts:

1. Michael Cray is tasked with a kill.
2. We learn something new about Michael Cray’s condition.
3. We learn about or spend time with Michael Cray’s Target.
4. Michael Cray prepares for the kill.
5. Michael Cray kills the victim.

Only THREE of these pieces appear per issue.  The structure of the book is therefore:Issue 1: 1 2 3Issue 2: 4 5 1Issue 3: 2 3 4Issue 4: 5 1 2Issue 5: 3 4 5

The point was to leave the story incomplete each issue, to give the reader an incentive to read the next one.  I like this insight into story structure dissection.

Unfortunately, there isn’t enough in the story itself to elevate it past “worth a borrow from the library or read in the store” status.  I don’t care at all about the titular character’s life and or the tumor in his head, and his missions lack the oomph and excitement that I was hoping for.  I’ll keep it around on the shelf for a re-read, but it probably won’t stick around after that.

Southern Bastards 15-20

Jason Aaron is so good on this.  I’m completely sucked into the seedy underbelly of this tiny Alabama town.  (Though no one really tries to hide their crimes or schemes, so underbelly might be overstating it.)  Perhaps the mostly complimentary thing I can say about it is that I want to go back and read the first three trades over again.  It’s also making me want to go read Scalped, Aaron’s previous crime-in-an-isolated-location series, for the first time.

This is certainly Jason LaTour’s best work.  It perfectly fits the tone of the title, and I like him a lot more here than on Spider-Gwen.  

Cliff Chiang alternate cover.  I love how he draws the memory of the tree.

Rome West 1-12

An alternate universe where a storm-tossed Roman fleet discovers America in 323 AD.  The colony that they establish starts a new empire that changes the course of human history.  Over the subsequent 11 issues, Justin Giampaoli and Brian Wood, with art by Andrea Mutti, show how the New World progresses over the next 1650 years.  Utterly enthralling, I love what they do here. The readers are given glimpses into the lives of the Valerius family across the centuries, and see the development of a completely different but utterly believable American continent.  This was originally a digital comic, and I’m so glad Dark Horse decided to publish it.

Back to Vertigo comics.

Hellblazer 146-150

Brian Azzarello starts his run on Hellblazer, and it’s a doozy.  Constantine lands himself in jail, and the inmates don’t stand a chance.  He tears apart the established power structures in no time flat, and ends up ruling a prison that he’s made into even more of a hellscape than when he entered it.  

Richard Corben’s style is one that immediately makes me think 60s alternative comics, even though I have practically zero knowledge of that era.  It reminds me of R Crumb, also someone I know very little about.

R Crumb.

Corben.

In any case, his art is perfect for this story.  His characters are as deformed and ugly as their souls, and he convincingly depicts the horrors inside the facility.

Really not pretty.

The end of the arc is a bit of a let down - The chaos peters out and Constantine walks out.  That’s about it. I don’t know how I would have liked it to wrap up, but not like this.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Hellblazer 158-161, 165-167

I’m not sure why my buying habits for this were so sporadic.  Anyway, jump ahead eight issues and Constantine’s trapped in a bar with a hodgepodge of locals in a snowstorm.  They discover a body, three desperate criminals show up, and chaos ensues. Constantine proves that he can do a lot using only his words and no magic.  A nice little adventure, with decent art by Marcelo Frusin, who looks a lot like Eduardo Risso, another of Azzarello’s partners.

Risso.

Frusin.  It's the shadows and the eyes.

A couple of issues later, Constantine gets involved with a group of white supremacists.  He teaches them a lesson, then floats on out of town, as he is wont to do.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Hellblazer 175-177

Mike Carey takes over with Hellblazer vet Steve Dillon.  He solves a little mystery in his sister’s apartment building, then goes off searching for his niece, Gemma.  The mystery’s a lot more interesting than the search that follows. Cutting the last issue.

Regret buying? No (Yes for 177)

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes (No for 177)

Rating: Fine (Boring for 177, cutting)