Comics

Legends of Red Sonja #1

/ / Comics

Legends of Red Sonja #1The first issue of the 40th Anniversary four-issue mini-series isn’t quite what I expected. Happily, it’s more. Written and drawn by “the biggest female stars in the worlds of prose, television, gaming and comics” the first issue isn’t a collection of separate tales as usually befits this type of anthology. Instead it is a single story where various other tales are woven into the tale in flashbacks and re-tellings of the adventures of Red Sonja who is pursued by a group of mercenaries and killers known as the Grey Riders.

Legends of Red Sonja #1 introduces the Grey Riders in the main tale by Gail Simone while also offering use separate tales by other artists and writers of past adventures of the She-Devil with a Sword involving her thieving, fighting both a werewolf and giant squid, and defying the gods.

Although it lacks a view of the character herself, this collection of stories is more than enough to sell me on the series and make me to look forward to what the next group of artists and writers have in store. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Daredevil: Dark Nights #6

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Daredevil: Dark Nights #6The mini-series final arc begins here as Matt Murdock heads down to Miami with a witness and agents of the FBI to protect the lawyer’s latest client, a dishwasher unfortunate to witness a drug dealer stab a man to death in a back alley.

Murdock gets a couple of surprises while enjoying the lush surroundings. The first, running into Misty Knight at the hotel pool, is rather pleasant. The second, having his witness be abducted and seeing the man’s FBI protector gunned-down in front of him, isn’t as much fun. Together Daredevil and Misty night search for the missing witness who both fear is already dead, a search which will lead them to take on the kingpin of Cuba as the story continues.

I always enjoy Daredevil’s various flirtations with a host of female and criminals who can’t get enough of Daredevil (seriously, blind lawyer is like catnip for the super-hero/villain set). The sexual tension between the pair is obvious, and entertaining, as is the art by Thony Silas. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #8

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G.I. JOE: The Cobra Files #8Tomax is loose, the secret Las Vegas facility has been breached by Firefly and Night Adder, and thanks to Clockspring‘s unintentional cooperation every member of the team is now in jeopardy.

A drunk, drugged, and beaten Flint shows that he still has some fight left in him by throwing one of their unwelcome party guests out a very high window and saving the lives of both Billy and Ronin in the process.

Heading into next month’s final issue of the title it appears no matter who survives Tomax’s betrayal, Flint’s team is done. I don’t see IDW willing to kill any major characters such as Flint or Lady Jaye, but the setting for the finale leaves the fate of several of the team’s lesser members, possibly even Chameleon (who doesn’t quite fit in either of the other current JOE titles) a bit more uncertain. I’m been meaning to drop at least one of the G.I. JOE titles for awhile now, and it looks like IDW’s made the choice for me. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Fatale #18

/ / Comics

Fatale #18Music and death are intertwined in the latest issue of Fatale as the group of musicians and their house guest try to come to grips with the death of one of their own who was killed after trying to rape Josephine. Most of the first-half of the comic deals with the band arguing over the proposed course of action which includes hiding the body to protect both themselves and Josephine from questions without any easy answers.

As the story progresses the band listens to the demo of their new song which is later played during the band’s video shoot featuring Josephine dancing in front of a packed club. In both instances the song, inspired by her, and the shoot in which she looses herself to the melody, create very large ripples.

The first hearing of the song begins to jar the amnesiac’s memory, but the out-of-control riot caused in the club allows her enemy to find her as well as force the obsessed serial killer cop to loose control. By the end of the issue Josephine knows who she is, but is it to late to save herself and those who offered her shelter? Worth a look.

[Image, $3.50]

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Batman: Black and White #3

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Batman: Black and White #3The latest issue of the Batman black-and-white anthology series is highlighted by a tale of Alfred‘s tale of Batman and Robin battling aliens written and drawn by Rian Hughes hearkening back to the odd 60s adventures of the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder. The art is fantastic (including a detailed plan of the Batcave) as the Dynamic Duo call on the help of Tal-Dar to take on a villain warping language and reality.

Batman: Black and White #3 also includes Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy forced into the role of heroes when a scared little girl fleeing a kidnapper crosses their path in a tale from Paul Dini and Stephanie Roux, and Marv Wolfman and Riccardo Burchielli team-up to offer a tale of Batman trying to save a man on death row.

There’s also an opening tale by Lee Bermejo about Batman’s team-up with a young Jason Todd, and a beautifully rendered (if ultimately kinda empty) tale from Damion Scott featuring Batman chasing various members of his rogues gallery around a hall of mirrors. Worth a look. Worth a look.

[DC, $4.99]

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