Comics

5 Ronin – Wolverine

/ / Comics

5-ronin-wolverine-coverConceived by Marvel Comics as an attempt to re-imagine five X-Men characters as ronin in fuedal Japan this first issue has an interesting set-up, but it’s a little light on delivery.

Issue #1 gives us the tale of the ronin who can’t die (who also looks suspiciously like Wolverine underneath those samuari robes) seeking first understanding to a bizare series of events (much like the reader) surrounding the death of a lookalike and then revenge for the murder of his lord. The following issues will each re-imagine another X-Men character (Pyslocke, Punisher, Hulk and Deadpool), each after some form of vengeance for a past wrong.

More of a curiosity than anything else, this first issue is really nothing more than a mediocre What If…? story. It’s not bad, the tale simply doesn’t engage the reader and there’s nothing here to make someone like me come back for four straight weeks to see if the other X-Men characters fare any better. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Usagi Yojimbo #135

/ / Comics

usagi-yojimbo-135Usagi Yojimbo‘s travels take him on a trek through secret mountain trails and another encounter with the deadly Lord of Owls.

The mysterious villain kills two groups of warriors, the first in a flashback told to Usagi by his mountain guide, and the second before Usagi’s eyes as the mysterious creature mercilessly strikes down a band of outlaws disguised as monks.

As a single issue tale this one doesn’t do much to stand-out, but from the verbal fencing between Usagi and the Lord of Owls you get the feeling writer Stan Sakai is laying the groundwork for an important future tale. On its own it’s good story, but I wanted a little more. I also felt the art was slightly below Sakai’s usual level of quality. Then again, I’ve been reading through a glut of very strong classic Usagi stories recently, so it’s possible I’m judging this one too harshly by comparison.

Fans of the character will no doubt want to pick this one up, but for casual readers this issue delivers more on promise than execution.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Annihilators #1

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annihilators-1-coverTaking the place of the now disbanded (and mostly dead) Guardians of the Galaxy comes a new super-powered cosmic squad of “Annihilators’ including the Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, and Cosmo.

A new member Ikon, a Space Knight, arrives only to quickly anger almost every member of the team and almost lead to it disbanding before fighting a single battle. Thankfully, a crisis arises and the Annihilators set out to stop the Space Knight’s arch-nemesis Doctor Dredd from freeing the Dire Wraiths from their prison.

The lighter side comes in the form of a B-story focused on Rocket Raccoon working in the mail room (where he was hired to fulfill the company’s quota of cute sentient animals). Things aren’t going great for the former Guardian, and then someone sends him a homicidal clown in the mail. Don’t you hate it when that happens? The ensuing battle (and getting fired) lead the intrepid hero in search of his old pal Groot, but he’s unprepared for what he finds.

…

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Darkwing Duck Annual #1

/ / Comics

What you usually want from an annual is an extra-sized adventure with something special enough to justify picking it up. BOOM!’s first annual for Darkwing Duck doesn’t disappoint.

The main story pits Darkwing Duck against Quackerjack who has decided to attack the toy company who drove him insane and started his life of crime. The villain is armed with an invention that transforms people into dolls meaning our hero will need all the help he can get – even from Quackerjack’s girlfriend?

Also included here is a short B-story about a criminal who uses a turtle to travel through time and a kind letter at the end of the comic to Darkwing fans everywhere, both written by the Darkwing Duck creator Tad Stones.

Not all annuals are worth picking up (in fact some I wouldn’t even use to line a birdcage), but this one delivers. The main story continues the wacky fun of the new series, and I got a kick at seeing the original creator of the show get dangerous one more time (if only for a few pages). Worth a look.

[BOOM!, $4.99]

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Secret Six #31

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Part 1 of “The Darkest House” brings everything full circle as Scandal Savage‘s nightmares become too much to bear and she decides to use the “Get Out of Hell Free Card” she’s been hording since this comic’s first story arc to retrieve Knockout from Hell.

The B-story involves Scandal’s current girlfriend who is kidnapped from the strip club by an over-zealous (and completely crazy) regular. You get the feeling no matter how things end in each story, for Scandal, they will end in tears.

Gail Simone gives us the disturbing dark humor we’ve come to expect which includes the team’s attempt to make a commercial and a look inside Ragdoll‘s room with his harem of monkeys (all dressed like his teammates) when Scandal attempts to retrieve the card from the thief (with bloody results). We also learn the entrance to Hell is inside a mall in Iowa (where else?), and why you never ask Catman for a pound of flesh.

A strong opening to a new arc that sends the team literally to Hell. Worth a look.

[DC $2.99]

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