Hello! My name is Lenny Schwartz and I am a playwright from RI and New York.
And I’m a life long comic book fan. I am so happy to write about comic books.
So without further adieu, here goes!
Rocketeer At War! #1 & 2
Written by Marc Guggenheim and Illustrated by Dave Bullock
Published by IDW Publishing
I hated this comic book.
Now let me be clear about something: I love The Rocketeer. Like LOVE The Rocketeer.
But I compare everything that is being published to Dave Stevens (creator of The Rocketeer). So this could be the best book on the market…and I’d probably be a little biased. It is not the best book on the market though. It’s light, airy, and dull.
Guggenheim’s story thrusts Cliff Secord (The Rocketeer himself) into the second World War in 1942. Hijinks ensues. That’s pretty much all I could gather from the light story, which is all ages.
Therein lies the problem. It’s so all ages that it’s unexciting. There was a way to have it all ages yet appeal to adults. This isn’t the way.
Guggenheim does have a pretty decent handle on Secord’s dialogue…but it doesn’t amount to much. Bullock is a good artist but his work here didn’t do much for me. I wish they got a more classic artist like Mike Kaluta or John Cassaday…check out IDW’s first Rocketeer series. Any of those artists would have worked wonderfully. This just made me sad. Usually The Rocketeer flying around makes me happy. This makes me wish I read anything else…including the phone book.
At a price tag of five bucks, you can pretty much forget it. Save up for The Rocketeer hardcover Dave Stevens did. You’re much better off.
RATING: F
Aliens: Defiance #1
Written by Brian Wood and Illustrated by Tristan “T-Rex” Jones
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is launching a new Aliens comic book! And why not! They have only done a thousand or so. So here we go! Aliens: Defiance!
You know? It’s not half bad. The writing by Wood is pretty sharp. Brian Wood is one of those writers who is always under the radar. He does great original work and never seems to quite break out.
The story is as sharp as we can get with a new Alien book. It’s all about a Marine named Hendricks, who goes AWOL to protect Earth from an unknown Alien species attack. She must battle Aliens and demons from her past. Decent enough. The art though by Jones is a marvel. It makes this a cut above recent Alien books, and some comics in general.
An engaging story, great art? Who cares if no new ground is broken? This is a good time.
Pick this one up and give it a shot. It won’t be at the top of your reading pile…but it should be in it. A solid book round and round.
RATING: B
Spider-Man # 1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Illustrated by Sara Pichelli
Published by Marvel Comics
This combines two things I used to love into something I kinda liked. Spider-Man used to be my favorite hero. And Bendis used to be my favorite writer. Yet sadly, there is not much I recognize with both lately. Oh boy. Here we go.
Spider-Man is no longer Peter Parker. He’s Mile Morales. And hey, that’s okay.
Bendis actually created a great character in Morales. His issues of Ultimate Spider-Man were pretty good. However, Morales is now in the Marvel Universe after Secret Wars for some reason. He should have stayed in the Ultimate Universe.
Now that’s he’s in this “normal” universe, it’s just not that interesting for some reason. Most of the issue is lackluster. The one bright spot is Pichelli, an artist who has grown into her own. She’s one of the best that Marvel has presently. She excels, bringing excitement to each drawing, each moment. I like Pichelli. She’s reason alone to pick up the book. I wish it just was more exciting and more entertaining.
The 600th Spider-Man title is off to an okay start. Let’s hope it picks up. Or Maybe it’ll end and they will put Pichelli on The Avengers. One can only hope.
RATING: C
Elasticator # 1 & 2
Written by A.C Medina and Illustrated by Kevin Shah
Published by Scout Comics
Now for the comic book of the week that nobody has ever heard of…ELASTICATOR! You might ask yourself…why? You know you have to give things a chance in this world. And this one I am kind of glad I did. Amazingly, I enjoyed it enough. I have never heard of Scout Comics…Anyway, let’s go!
Elasticator is a neo-crime epic as the Elasticator (Mikey Mazzagatti) tells us his life story in Brooklyn at the height of the recession. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is about Mikey becoming “The Elasicator” and…well, just read it.
It is mature readers but actually engages you. This is the first book in a while to actually deliver on what it promises. It’s funny, dark, well written…and the best part? Medina and Shah work as a team.
Medina has a great flavor for comic book writing. It reminds me of Garth Ennis when he was good. Shah is the real gift here however. His art is super. I guarantee we will see him on a DC or Marvel book sometime. It’s just a matter of when.
Wanna try something new? Give Elasticator a shot. It’s an original book and very enjoyable. It’s by two guys passionate about their craft. It makes for a damn enjoyable book indeed.
RATING: B+
Imperium Vol. 3: The Vine Imperative
collecting issues # 9-12
Written by Joshua Dysart and Illustratred by Cafu and Juan Jose Ryp
Published by Valiant Comics
Anytime Joshua Dysart writes a book, that is enough reason for me to check it out. Imperium is the latest Valiant comic book Dysart has written and man is it good.
If you haven’t read the first two volumes well, read them, and come back here. Okay, now pick up volume 3. You’ll thank me.
Imperium is about Toyo Harada and his team trying to save the world from a sinister network of undercover alien spies. Toyo Harada has collected his own monsters to fight these aliens and…well it just gets nuts. Dysart gives it his all…and it’s great. It’s so well done with action, suspense and horror abound. It’s a comic book that’s actually thrilling. Cafu is one of my favorite Valiant artists and his work here is a treat. Ryp is also a great artist that nobody in the industry was utilizing until Valiant scooped him up. Simply put, this entire comic is awesome.
Imperium is quite a classic in the making. Even if you don’t follow Valiant’s regular titles, pick it up. You’ll quite enjoy this book from start to finish.
RATING: A-
BURIED TREASURE PICK
The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures: Deluxe Edition
Written and Illustrated by Dave Stevens
Published by IDW Publishing
Man, I hated that Rocketeer book I reviewed at the beginning. But I loved his original adventures. Written and drawn by Dave Stevens, this book is beautiful. Read this book. It’s amazing.
The Rocketeer tells the story of Cliff Secord, a pilot who is down on his luck. He discovers a rocket pack and tries to figure out how to make a quick buck from it. This leads to some adventures wih Nazis, criminals…and a whole mess of fun.
Stevens is one of the best comic book artists who has ever lived. This book is gorgeous. While the writing isn’t as strong (maybe that is why the current series struggles…nothing to go off of?) I honestly never cared. Every picture, every image, every moment has love poring through it. Passion. Emotion. Whether it’s Cliff or Peevy or Betty…This is a hell of an accomplishment.
And it’s fun. I look at this book once a year and love it. One of my favorites. A true gem and a classic. The deluxe edition has every bit of Rocketeer art the late Stevens ever did. There’s not much. We were lucky to have what we do. Kudos to Stevens and this classic book. Read this. Not the new series.
This is what comic books are all about.
RATING: A
And that’s it for another week! Thank you all!
Until next week, pick up the classic Rocketeer and not the new one. That and until then, I remain…
Lenny Schwartz
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