GODZILLA HERE THERE BE DRAGONS #1 IDW COMICS
Oh boy, here we go again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for a new Godzilla title. It’s when we start having Godzilla show up in different time periods that things get a little wonky. And with stories like these there is usually a lot of backstory to deal with. Frank Tiere’s tale does make more sense than some that have come before with a unique bit of conspiracy theory involving Sir Francis Drake, the Queen of England, and Monster Island. The trouble is as you take the story further back into the past, the less threat you present to the King of the Monsters and that’s why we are here, to see Godzilla kick some booty. I find it hard to believe that Godzilla vs the Spanish Armada is going to be that kicking of booty. As well as the opportunity to see some fellow Kaiju seems slim although artist Inaki Miranda does manage to throw us a few cameo images on an old map including Ebirah. Hard to get a good reaction from this first issue but definitely worth checking out. It has some potential. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
BACK ISSUE MAGAZINE #145 TWOMORROW PUBLISHING
Is it wrong that I can’t identify only about 5 of the villains on the cover. Never thought of myself as a Spider-Man person even as a kid but I can still identify most of his Rogues Gallery. And with the current popular Spider-Man movies, it’s no wonder that these baddies deserve some preferential treatment. (Also, is it wrong that I’m annoyed that I don’t seem to be able to locate Will O’Wisp on the cover?) The best of the best get a retrospective while oddballs like the Hypno Hustler and the J. Jonah Jameson faced Spider Slayer get honerable mentions. Writen by Spider fans and comic historians of all ages and punctuated with art and covers to illustrate their importance to the series. This one brought back all kinds of fond memories including that time that Aunt May went to marry Doc Oct?! This one is worth picking up if only to stare at the cover. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
WONDER WOMAN #800 DC COMICS
With an amazing array of artists, writers, and colorists, DC hits another milestore which is great fun to read but does exactly what it is suppose to do by closing loose plot points and starting us in a new direction. Totally predictable and thanks to the internet and the fact that today’s society has no patience, I already knew all about Wonder Woman’s daughter, Trinity. I even saw completed pages. Ridiculous! Even the fact that Wonder Woman the title has reached it’s 800th issue is of little meaning as there will not be an issue #801 as a new Wonder Woman #1 will be appearing on newsstands soon. That is until we start get close to issue #100 of the new series and DC reverts back to the original numbering system to take credit for an issue #900. Still, a good read even though it represents some of the worst parts of the comics industry. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
EXCITING COMICS #35 (#104) ANTARCTIC PRESS
Writer Jeff Winstead’s The Alternate storyline continues into part 5 and continues to add depth and interesting plot points. With Alex Greychuck on art duties, you can’t go wrong. The best part however is when the President points out all the aliens and extra-dimensional beings on Metal Man’s team and he thought the government would have an issue with an alternate version of Metal Man. Meanwhile in our backup feature Golden Age World, the writers have gone all out to go dark and then slip in a Twilight Zone type ending that will actual surprise readers. Both tales can definitely be called exciting. And while the big publishers are fine tuning their latest reboot which will lead into the dreaded “Next Big Thing”, it puts a smile on my face that it’s the independant comics like Exciting that are delivering well done stories without all the crossovers and nonscense. 8 out of 10 Grahams.
FEMFORCE #200 AC COMICS
Finally, somebody gets it! Wrap around cover – check! Multiple villains doing the seperate and conquer bit – check! Multiple cameos by former characters – check! No notice that the next issue will start the numbering system over again – check! Bill Black, along with Eric Coile and the Heikes’ prove that after 200 issues, the ideas and characters of Femforce are still going strong.It’s hard to believe that I was there in 1985 for issue #1 I’m considerably older now but I still enjoy the adventures of Synn, Miss Victory, Nightveil, and the rest of the Femforce family. (However, I am still awaiting the return of the Century Club heroes from issue #126!) And I am in awe of the fact that this 200th issue is just a celebration of all things Femforce and even gives us a quick helping hand from former Femforce member Colt, Weapons Mistress! This isn’t rocket science and I don’t need to have a PhD in multidimensional psychology to be able to follow along. This is Golden Age heroes and villains seen through the eyes of the good folks at AC Comics. And they have proven that 200 issues is just a milestone. There will be so much more. 10 out of 10 Grahams.
