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!
Black Panther #1
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze
Published by Marvel Comics
The Black Panther is back in his own comic book! Since he’s in the upcoming Captain America film, Marvel probably thought it would be a good idea to give him his own comic book again. And how is it? Well, it’s certainly better than most of Marvel’s recent output of late. But can it be a sustainable series?
Coates writes an interesting tale here. (I know he had fame elsewhere and even won a National Book Award but that didn’t guarantee he could write comics)
To be honest, it’s a bit wordy. A lot of “telling” going on and not enough “showing.” Still, it’s pretty interesting if you put the effort in. He puts ethical questions into the series. The result is that the book feels a lot different than most of the “superhero” comic books out there. And that’s a good thing. There were a few clunkers with the dialogue but nothing that made me want to rip the book up.
Stelfreeze is fantastic on art. He is one of those artists who, for many years, when I was younger, I loved and wished he would do a series (he used to do a lot of covers). He’s got a good handle on the character and the story itself. I’ll be interested to see how the collaboration between he and Coates develops as the series progresses.
Black Panther has gotten off to a good start. It’s a 12 issue series. I’ll be picking it up for sure. And you should too. It’s something different than what we have seen from this character before. And if this keeps up? It could be memorable. Based off this first issue it’s not quite there…yet.
RATING: B
Book Of Death: The Fall Of The Valiant Universe
Written and Illustrated by Various
Published by Valiant Comics
So this is the collection of one shots from Valiant comics following their Book of Death series. This book shows the death of many of the major characters like Ninjak and Bloodshot. There are four episodes on this: Harbinger, Bloodshot, Ninjak, and X-O Manowar.
The result is a pretty decent if uneven read. The Bloodshot tale written by Jeff Lemire is best, giving us a new look at the character and it’s very involving. The Matt Kindt written Ninjak episode is decent as well and the Harbinger one written by Josh Dysart is pretty damn awesome. The X-O Manowar is probably the weakest but even so it’s not half bad. The art is also pretty much up to standards.
Valiant has created a great line of books. Their universe is one of the best out there. You should definitely take a look at them and try to dive in. They are some of the better books on the market.
RATING: B
The Mighty Zodiac #1
Written by J. Torres and Illustrated by Corin Howell and Maarta Laiho
Published by Oni Press
Comics are for kids! I remember as a kid hearing that all the time. Yet, these days it seems comics are for everybody else but kids. So it was with delight I had a chance to read this book. It’s a very enjoyable tale with a sword wielding dog, a cat with a bow and arrow…and it’s just good.
The whole book has a mythic feel to it. The story is about a Blue Dragon that dies. After it does, six stars fall from the night sky. Master Long is ailing. He is the leader of The Mighty Zodiac. He orders his warriors to gather the stars, so they don’t fall into the hands of the evil Moon Rabbit Army. With the stars, the Mighty Zodiac may yet revive thier master, rescue their world, and restore the light. Without them, the darkness threatens to divide the tribe and destroy everything.
This is a good book. Torres is a pretty damn good writer, keeping the story moving and the action fresh. It gave me a similar feeling to when I first read Jeff Smith’s Bone. The art is nice and moves great with the story. It’s something I would feel comfortable giving to my daughter. Very rare these days.
So pick up this book..it’s quite charming, quite fun, and engaging. Best part? You can read it with your kids. You both will enjoy it.
Rating: B+
Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises #1
Written by Shannon Lee and Jeff Kline and Illustrated by Brandon Mckinney
Published by Darby Pop Publishing
This may be the weirdest review I ever write.
This comic is a Bruce Lee book. It asks the question…what if Bruce Lee never died? And he never aged?
But he has no idea who he is and what has happened in the world the last forty years or why so many thugs want a piece of him? How did I feel about that?
Well, the whole thing felt kind of…morbid to me. Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, I get it. Heck, I’d even put him up there with the likes of Elvis. It just felt…not right.
I started thinking “what, will Brandon Lee guest star in future issues?” Maybe it’s just me but I couldn’t get past it. So from the start, making Bruce Lee a self aware character who is not a self aware character kind of struck me as odd. But beyond that, the story moves well enough. The art is decent enough. I’m not sure how to fix it though I wish I could. Bruce’s daughter Shannon co-wrote this and it’s not bad…but kind of off.
I still think you should buy their comic book however. It’s got some decent action and there is nothing dark in it. And Bruce did send a positive message to a lot of people. He still does. That’s something in this day and age.
Rating: C+
Captain America: White #1-5
Written by Jeph Loeb and Illustrated by Tim Sale
Published by Marvel Comics
So, I heard about this book years ago and even read a preview. Then, it got put on hold. Finally after what felt like an eternity, this appeared. And was it worth the wait? Well, no. But it isn’t half bad either. It is worth reading. But also easily forgettable.
It’s 1941 and World War 2 is going on…and Captain America and Bucky are fighting in the war. See Cap and Bucky kick Nazi butt! Watch them fight the Red Skull! Is it fun? Absolutely. Loeb and Sale are a good team. I always found Loeb to be a bit overrated. Alone, without Sale, his stories were always kind of thin for me. The same holds up here. The story is less than meaty. But Sale is so damn good on the art you can’t resist it. They both haven’t produced much in the way of comic books as of late. This one is pretty decent.
These two used to be some of the hottest creators in the land. Nowadays, not so much. Still this book is pretty neat if not ground breaking. Worth a look.
Rating: B
BURIED TREASURE PICK
Swallow Me Whole
Written and Illustrated by Nate Powell
Published by Top Shelf Comix
Nate Powell is one of the best talents comic books and graphic storytelling has to offer. If you haven’t read a book by Powell, do yourself a favor and pick one up. If you see his name on it, just do it. You’ll thank me.
Swallow Me Whole is a graphic novel about two teenage step siblings with psychological problems. Ruth has OCD and thinks she can hear insects speak. Perry sometimes sees a tiny wizard who speaks to him about his destiny. What follows is a book filled with emotion, heart, pain, and it is powerful. Powell won the Eisner for his work here. It’s fantastic. He is a natural writer. His art? Superb. This book got a ton of praise when it came out. It deserves it all and more.
Powell is everywhere now with his new book March (READ IT). This is his first great work. Many more followed. This however, is where it changed for him. And deservedly so. You owe it to yourself to pick this up.
Rating: A
And that’s it for the week. Thank you all for reading!
Until next week, I remain…
Lenny Schwartz
