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Reviews of SWAMP THING VOL. 1: RAISE THEM BONES, RESURRECTION MAN VOL. 1: DEAD AGAIN, and THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS VOL. 1: SCIENCE BAD

Science. Science and madness. Science and madness and monsters. All come into play in today’s line of books which include the revitalization of two languishing DC properties — a woe begotten creature from the bogs of Louisiana battling the forces of decay and ruin, and a man of many lives and many deaths and many a superpower questing for lost memories and answers — and a new series from Image which takes us down an alternate route through history powered by unadulterated feats of SCIENCE!

Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones

Created by writer Len Wein and artist Berni Wrightson, Swamp Thing first appeared in the anthology series The House of Secrets in 1971 but soon received his own ongoing series exploring the desperate battle between man and monster. Featuring botanist Dr. Alec Holland chemically transformed into a vegetative monstrosity, the series naturally gravitated toward horror — the body horror of Holland’s transformation, the horrors of man’s hubris both scientific and supernatural, and, of course, the the simple horror of a monster-of-the-week. And, in many respects, Swamp Thing has enjoyed a far more illustrious career than some of DC’s more well-known characters with two theatrically released films (the first, and by far the more worthwhile, directed by Wes Craven) and a seventy-two episode television series under his belt.

In comics, however, Swamp Thing’s most definitive run came in the wake of his film adaptation under the tenure of Alan Moore who established the most long lasting aspects of the character. Sweeping aside the previous series’ cast of secondary characters, Moore deemphasized the Alec Holland side of Swamp Thing in favor of the monster, reminiscent in many ways of the eponymous creature of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, especially in Swamp Thing’s grandiose narration and dialogue. Moore introduced the Parliament of Trees, a supernatural group of elementals who speak for the Green, the force governing all vegetative life, for which Swamp Thing became guardian and champion.

Building upon the mythology originated by Alan Moore while tying into Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man mythos, Scott Snyder — author of American Vampire and the New 52’s highly acclaimed Batman series — revitalizes the Swamp Thing name once again. And rather than wiping previous Swamp Thing continuity out of existence, Snyder’s series assumes those events transpired (at least in broad strokes) while reintroducing us to an untransformed Alec Holland — the memories of his monstrous years made fuzzy and foreign to the now human Holland. This has the advantage of creating an entry point for new readers without disregarding previous continuity in its entirety (so for a second time Snyder proves why the reboot may have been unnecessary).

Snyder draws a clear line between Alec Holland and the Swamp Thing of previous comics as Holland’s reclaimed humanity makes him a radically different character. Thus, he can act as the audience’s voice when encountering new, strange sights while not being completely uninformed as well — a good example of Snyder having his cake and eating it too. The only hiccup here comes through an exposition scene early in issue 2 which fails to derail the book’s plot but is nevertheless stilted and awkward. That aside, the book hits all the high points one would expect from a Snyder-penned horror title.

All over the world animals are spontaneously dying in large groups — birds falling from the sky, cattle collapsing in the field, entire schools of fish sinking to their graves — and the superheroes of the world take note. Alec Holland, meanwhile, works construction outside the swamps he once roamed as a monster, tormented by memories he can’t bring himself to call his own. The Green still calls to him but Alec, having finally rid himself of the monster and reclaimed his humanity, will have nothing to do with it. That quickly changes when the Rot, supernatural embodiment of decay and death, gathers its undead forces for yet another war against the Red and the Green, setting sight on Holland, the man destined to be the Green’s greatest champion.

Much like Animal Man, Swamp Thing emphasizes supernatural body horror to chilling effect. As an emissary of the Rot forces an archaeologist’s neck to twist and snap of its own accord while said archaeologist can only wait and scream as his own body turns against him, the hairs of one’s own neck will be standing on end. Emissaries of the Rot (alternatively, the Black in keeping with the color theme) are more frightening than ever, quite the accomplishment considering how well they were rendered in Animal Man. All glory in that regard goes to Yanick Paquette’s artwork which integrates beautiful linework with creative layouts and arrangements that evoke J.H. Williams III. His monster designs give Travel Foreman’s a run for their money but aren’t nearly as spine chilling as the Rot’s supernatural ability to manipulate dead or necrotized flesh, turning tumors and diseases into mutant abominations that kill from the inside out.

And, again, much like Animal Man, the book’s greatest strength is its characters. While Holland’s reluctance to become Swamp Thing again leads to some damnable consequences, you nevertheless sympathize with his situation and never blame him for the tragedies that ensue. The sacrifice of Holland humanity holds greater weight because it’s no longer an accident of science and mutation, and his guardianship of the Green feels more grandiose because it’s something he must choose to uphold rather than a duty foisted upon him by a higher power. As well, Holland’s relationship with longtime Swamp Thing supporting character Abigail Arcane rings true despite the relatively short interval the characters spend together, evoking the romantic connection shared between the characters from previous continuity while also developing into circumstances that can seemingly only lead to tragedy. However, Snyder gives the reader enough hope and establishes the characters so well that one can’t help but root for Holland’s triumph over the Rot.

Scott Snyder brings us another must-read book, especially for any fan of supernatural horror or Swamp Thing’s previous incarnations. Suspense, horror, and action deliver in equal measure, never once battling for a greater share of the spotlight but blending together seamlessly (something which won’t be shared by our next title). As well, Swamp Thing is essential reading for any fan of Lemire’s Animal Man as the two’s intertwining mythologies will soon have them crossing over in the “Rot World” event where the forces of the Green, the Red, and the Rot will finally wage war.

Resurrection Man Vol. 1: Dead Again

Conceived by British writing duo Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with American Jackson Guice, Mitch Shelley, alias Resurrection Man, originally appeared in a self-titled series in 1997 which lasted until 1999. Written as a “non-traditional” superhero, Mitch Shelley possessed a seemingly immortal body following experimentation by your typical clandestine super-science organization; after each apparent “death”, Shelley resurrects with a new superpower based on how he previously died. Eschewing colorful costumes and superheroics in general, the original Resurrection Man series focused on Mitch’s journey across the United States in search of the truth behind his past and rebirth as Resurrection Man. After cancellation, Shelley made sporadic cameos in other DC books but never received any spotlight attention until eleven years later when Abnett and Lanning returned with a rebooted Resurrection Man for the New 52.

Featuring a rewritten origin that ties Shelley into the larger DC universe, the new Resurrection Man once again follows Mitch Shelley battling amnesia as he struggles to uncover the secrets of his past and his powers. Along the way he’s accosted by a rather demonic looking angel, a pair of lesbian assassins, a retired supervillain, and even crosses paths with some of Gotham’s mentally disturbed denizens. And as exciting as those things sound, the execution largely disappoints.

Next to nothing of the previous series’ continuity remains although enough changes have been made that the book doesn’t retread old territory. Rather, the book’s failings stem from its general lack of focus, the plots aimless meandering, Shelley’s weak sense of agency, and an unnecessary amount of fan service.

With the introduction of the Body Doubles, the aforementioned lesbian assassins (characters introduced in the original Resurrection Man), the book seems to start moving in a plot progressive direction as we learn more about Shelley’s revamped past and his relationship to the Doubles, Bonnie and Carmen. But the narrative swiftly abandons these threads as one of Shelley’s eponymous resurrections spirits him away to Arkham Asylum. Following that diversion, the book then decides it’s time for Shelley to learn the value of heroism as he confronts some meth manufacturers held up in an abandoned Metropolis apartment complex.

This shift isn’t wholly without setup and Shelley never acts out of character, but it nevertheless feels underdeveloped and unearned. Mainly due to Shelley’s poor sense of agency leading up to that point. The book’s narrative primarily focuses on things happening to Shelley rather than him taking any sort of action of his own. We understand the motives of those hunting him more so than his own motivations to avoid them. Supposedly, he’s trying to find answers to his past but he inevitably happens upon those truths by accident rather than discovering them himself. The only time he takes any sort of action is in self-defense against the Body Doubles or his supernatural hunters. It’s also telling that, while other characters reveal personality through dialogue, Shelley’s character mainly emerges through narrative captions rather than his interactions with others. Consequently, Shelley comes off as bland and uninteresting — an ironic contrast to his former life, prior to amnesia, which reveals Shelley’s unfeeling, malicious past as a bastard, a more compelling characterization for no better reason than at least he has a personality.

Abnett and Lanning can’t seemingly decide if they want the series to have a linear narrative or indulge in episodic adventures. As such, the book becomes unfocused and even a bit confused as to what it wants to be, fluctuating between supernatural horror and action thriller, ultimately failing to terrify while the action feels unmotivated and pointless. An extended sequence features the Body Doubles trying to take down Shelley for the sake of transporting him to their boss, but dialogue reveals that Shelley would have come with them willingly just to learn about his past and lost memories. So, basically, the Doubles murdered dozens of civilians and caused millions of dollars in collateral damage over a failure to communicate. Fucking hell.

Pencils by Fernando Dagnino are nothing spectacular though neither are they terribly lazy or incompetent. At worst, panels can seem a bit cluttered or crowded and certain visuals rely heavily on poorly integrated CG and Photoshop effects, particularly any “energy” effects or powers exhibited by certain characters. The colorist puts a heavy emphasis on black ink and darker tones, a trait common to many New 52 books, but here it’s especially overdone despite the darker shades matching the general feel of the book. However, as soon as the Body Doubles emerge on scene, the artwork perks up for a good helping of fan service, including a full page spread of the girls in their underwear, and some panty shots during their action scenes. The spread had to be a request of Abnett and Lanning — a particularly fetishy request, at that, as the girls are surrounded by guns and ammo, posing seductively for…well, no one since they’re alone and seemingly not in the mood to entice each other — but the panty shots are no doubt Dagnino’s choice and completely unnecessary. I’m not normally one to get uptight about fan service, especially in books obviously aimed at a more mature audience, but when the person being eroticized is an unrepentant murderer and generally repugnant in every other regard, I find it difficult to get hot and bothered.

As of issue thirteen, the series has been slated for cancellation and it’s not difficult to see why. While there are certainly worse titles still under publication, Resurrection Man fails to recapture any of the qualities that garnered critical acclaim for its original series. Shelley isn’t an engaging character, the mysteries at play aren’t particularly enthralling (or have obviously telegraphed conclusions), and the whole affair reeks of blandness. I doubt we’ll be seeing another resurrection out of Resurrection Man. (Had to get that pun in there eventually.)

The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1: Science Bad

SCIENCE!

Delicious, delicious science.

Science stays crunchy, even in milk!

The internet certainly loves its enthusiastic exclamations of “Science!” While one could hope that this enthusiasm represents a growing affinity for critical thinking in popular culture, more likely it proves that some spirit of the ‘50s and ‘60s era of limitless scientific discovery and accomplishment still lingers in our society. And likewise, the latent fear of science — the potential unwelcome truths and weaponization of grand notions — still pervades. The Manhattan Projects proves a perfect vessel for both, reimagining the program that would eventually give the U.S. the atomic bomb as a cover story for even deeper explorations into the untapped realm of super-science, leading down heretofore unexplored realms of war, death, and madness.

The book brings together some of the most well-known scientific minds behind the historical Manhattan Project — Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, Wernher von Braun (an unhistorical addition to the team), and project director Major General Leslie Groves — and recasts them as a troupe of inglorious bastards, paving the way for America’s future through the paranormal, extraterrestrial, and whatever preternatural means they can get their hands on.

These first five issues focus on the introduction of our cast, each issue giving focus to a different member of the Projects while delivering revelations and secrets that will no doubt play bigger roles later in the series. Indeed, author Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News, Fantastic Four, Future Foundation, and S.H.I.E.L.D.) hints at future plot developments and grander schemes via excerpts from fictionalized records of the Projects which precede and conclude every issue. These excerpts simultaneously build character and expand upon the nature of the world at play, hinting at a vast and marvelous history.

Meanwhile, the characters themselves resemble little to nothing of their personalities (actual or perceived) in favor of gross caricatures which fit the twisted, paranormal world they inhabit. Major General Groves is the hard-nosed, Doc Savage-esque man-of-action never without a live grenade strapped to his lapel. Oppenheimer is the off-putting eccentric masking a dark secret. Feynman, a successful popularizer of science and physics in real life, is an utter narcissist. And Wernher von Braun is your classic only-in-it-for-the-science madman, willing to poison his peers and betray the Cause just for a whiff of steel and rocket fumes. Each enthralls and enriches the story in their own way and the book could easily follow any one of them while working equally well as an ensemble cast.

Summarizing the plot proves difficult because only the inklings of a larger narrative reveal themselves in this volume, opting more for episodic adventures and stories while hopping through the Projects’ timeline. Suffice to say, it involves a lot of science, madness, aliens, and a good dose of reckless abandon.

In the vein of Frank Quitely, Nick Pitarra’s art is detailed, fantastical, and perfectly suited to the madcap nature of the book — especially as a teleporting Japanese Torii gateway spews mechanical samurai into the Projects’ underground Los Alamos base — but will nevertheless be off-putting to those who don’t like his particular stylization. Personally, the art took a moment’s adjustment for me but soon felt perfectly natural for the cartoonish and outlandish nature of the book.

If any make-or-break fault can be found in the book, it’s that it has no relatable protagonist. No one speaks for the audience or acts as the conscience of the book. And while the cast is not without their sympathetic aspects, all of them possess some quality that fundamentally dissociates them from the reader. Whether it’s Feynman’s simple narcissism or General Groves’ fanaticism or Von Braun’s…well, being a Nazi (he never removes his uniform and no one else seems to mind) or the more radical fates of Oppenheimer and Einstein, there exists no character who acts as the series’ moral compass. Rather, the book opts for the unfiltered madness and lunacy that ensues when all these personalities are thrown into a room and given fantastical tools of super-science to play around with.

So, any objections against the book devolve into a matter of taste more than anything. Hickman has the story he wants to tell, knows the audience it will appeal to, and is more than comfortable with how narrow that audience will be. Nevertheless, The Manhattan Projects is compulsively readable if only to see what strange sights and abominations will emerge out of Los Alamos next.

I picked this up in a special deal that my local shop was promoting whereby, for about $35, you buy the 8 basic variant covers and they include a ninth metalized (is that a word) version of the Charlie Adlard cover H. A fine deal. I’m not going to be able to get the Comic Con B&W cover and there’s no way in hell I’m getting the Charlie Adlard B&W 1:200 cover (currently going for anywhere from $400 -$2000, depending on the ignorance of the buyer) and I appreciated the store trying to give the regulars a little discount. All of the covers are beautiful. My favorite is probably Silvestri or Ottley’s. Silvestri got the mood right and the picture fits the epic nature of the 100th issue fairly well. Ottley just drew the hell out of Michonne and I love the expression on her face.

The story itself was absolutely brutal. I felt drained after reading it. A lot of it was expected due to the huge amount of build-up, but the second half of the book is absolutely bleak and doesn’t give you a glimmer of hope. The tension created from the “selection” scene is heartbreaking and more than a little sickening and after knowing these characters, some of them for the past 9 or 10 years that the comic book has been in production, I was hurting right along with Rick.

Half of me hates this book, because it creates such an emotional attachment to these characters and strips it away without pause and with brutal efficiency, but I also love it because Kirkman has created a fictional world where you’re not comfortable. Where you can’t settle in to knowing which characters will live or die or guessing your way at how the Scooby Gang will make it out of this snafu.

Read the issue, then go have a lie-down. You’re gonna need it.

A picture of my haul (forgive the quality of a phone camera):

Left-to-right (Cover designation noted next to artist):
Top Row: Bryan Hitch F, Sean Phillips E, Ryan Ottley G, Marc Silvestri B,
Bottom Row: Frank Quietly C, Todd McFarlane D, Charlie Adlard H, Charlie Adlard (Chromium) L

Not pictured is Charlie Adlard’s Cover A because it is currently on loan to my brother-in-law for reading.

WHAT I’VE READ OF HIS:
Pax Romana (Image, 4 issues, 2007-08)
The Nightly News (Image, 6 issues, 2006-07)
Transhuman (Marvel, 4 issues, 2008)
Red Mass for Mars (Image, 4 issues, 2008-2010)
Fantastic Four (Marvel, #570 – 584, October 2009 – Now)
Secret Warriors (Marvel, #1 – 21, April 2009 – Now)
S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel, #1 – 5, April 2010 – Now)

Most articles about Jonathan Hickman talk about how he “burst” into the comics world with the Eisner Award nominated The Nightly News back in 2006, but he flew under my metaphorical radar until hiw work on Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors (which started in the wake of Secret Invasion ). I’ve always loved Nick Fury and I had been missing him from Marvel continuity ever since Secret War and consequently, Secret Warriors, with a story plotted by B. M. Bendis and written by Hickman was an instant win for me. Secret Warriors, if you haven’t read, tells the story of a group of supers known only to Fury whom he picked to form small black ops teams that he could trust and that could combat the Skrull invasion that he saw coming. Now, post SI, the team became Nick Fury’s personal army in his attempt to thwart HYDRA, which he learned had long been secretly in control of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as numerous other government agencies. Also, during Dark Reign we learn that there is an even larger and older organization known as Leviathan that may be more powerful than HYRDA. The series is fun, full of unique character and completely made me a fan of Hickman as a writer. His work on Fantastic Four turned Reed Richards from the prudish and increasingly arrogant genius ex machina of Marvel into a dynamic character with depth and emotion. Also, his Fantastic Four work revitalized the scope of the team, showing the reason that they are as prominent as they are by giving them galactic and universal threats and leaving the commonplace villains to other teams. However, it wasn’t until I explored his other works like Pax Romana and The Nightly News that I fell in love with the man.

Pax Romana tells the story of a near future version of the Catholic Church, wherein the church has strongly endorsed scientific research in response to the expansion of other religions in Europe and America. Genetic engineering and medicine has advanced to the point where people can live hundreds of years with a few medical procedures and the Catholic Church is the first to know when a major breakthrough occurs (very much by accident) in time-travel. The church sends a team of modern military minds to the Fourth Century in order to alter history to better suit the desires of the papacy, but things do not go as planned.

“All my life I have wanted to be…sought to be…a spiritual person, but like my country, my religion has prevented me from being the man I want to be. No more. And so we meet here… now. I mean for us to do our duty and completely change the course of human history…” -Pax Romana

The Nightly News is the story of every time the news might have got a story wrong and what happens when people decide to fight back against the media machine. A group is formed of radical “victims” of the mass media who have had their marriages, careers, and lives ruined in some way by some fault in reporting that couldn’t be forgotten. The radicals are led by the mysterious “Hand” who directs them to commit violent acts against the agents of the mass media and start an information revolution. The story follows John Guyton from his path as a victim to a devout believer and instrument of The Voice.

“It is a lie you choose to believe – That bad things just happen. From mouth to ear and back again, they lied. They repeated that lie until there was no distinction between the truth and this lie. Your life – an amusement to them. This is what the media does, they destroy with impunity.” -The Nightly News

First off, his comics have a very distinct visual style and a very distinct feel to them that lets you know from the second that you see them that it is a Hickman creation. Each page is a deluge of information, from factoids and clarifications to complications and commentaries. You feel like you’re reading the comic straight off of an interactive website that has been designed to make you understand just as much as Hickman wants you to understand. Each page is laid out with the end goal in mind and is meticulously planned to give enough information and context to make sense of the story.

To make a point; Hickman writes crazy. I can’t deny that he writes some insanely high-concept pieces of fiction that go beyond my ken of casual understanding. However, he doesn’t write it in a way that excludes readers because of their lack of understanding. His high science is not meant to be understood, only accepted. He never tries to write over the heads of the reader with convoluted plots, on the contrary, his plots are generally quite simple mystery plots told from an interesting perspective. Pax Romana is told from the perspective of a young, genetically-perfected and grown emperor being told the story of how his empire came into existence, Transhuman is told from the perspective of a documentary host explaining how the status quo of the world came to be shifted and The Nightly News from an entirely unreliable perspective which you simultaneously are meant to fear and trust implicitly. The plots, however, are not what are important. What is important is Hickman’s ability to create a world where the impossible seems plausible as he is able to very keenly analyze and reflect human nature as it seems it would behave in these situations.

At the moment, in addition to Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors, Hickman is taking on a project that looks like it will change the entirety of Marvel comics. S.H.I.E.L.D. is (so far) an epic story spanning generations that tells of the origins of the abbreviated organization that has been such a huge factor in the Marvel world. Individuals such as Leonardo DaVinci, Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, Nostrodamus, and Archiamedes have been shown to be members as well as Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards, Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic’s fathers, respectively. The final outcome of the book is such that I cannot venture a guess with even a vague hope that it will be accurate but we have already seen that it reaches back to ancient Egypt, and it might involve Galactus and the Celestials. The book also has yet to name Leviathan or HYDRA which both have been stated will be included in the overall story. The only thing we readers can do is sit patiently and wait for a great storyteller to give us more to read and enjoy.

For a while, Hickman did a column over at www.iFanboy.com called Concentric Circles. Hickman’s website is www.PRONEA.com

NEWS IN COMICS:
» The Walking Dead is already renewed for a second season.
Cowboy Ninja Viking is being developed for a movie by the writers of Zombieland.
Comic-Con San Diego registration is changed to November 22nd.
» Casting for Akira movie adaptation is moving ahead with Zac Efron and Morgan Freeman rumored to be involved.
» Just in case you haven’t heard, Sally Field is going to be Aunt May and Martin “Illusive Man” Sheen is going to be Uncle Ben in the Spider-Man Reboot.
» Christopher Nolan’s Legendary Pictures is very soon going to be branching out with Legendary Comics.
» Marvel is shysty with their price drop to $2.99 on *cough* limited series and DC is dropping their cheaper comics down to 20 (from 22) pages of story.
» This week we get a brand new hardcover edition of Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, I think that deserves a mention.

WHAT I’M READING THIS WEEK:

DC:
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 (of 6)
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #4
Red Robin #17
Knight & Squire #2 (of 6)
American Vampire #8
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1

Marvel:
New Avengers #6
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3 (of 9)
Thanos Imperative #6 (of 6)
Ant-Man& Wasp #1 (of 3)
Thor #617

Other:
Cowboy Ninja Viking #10
Halcyon #1
Atomic Robo: Deadly Art of Science #1 (of 5)

– Mike

The plate for this week is filled with a multiple personality infested comic that entertains me to no end (this is untrue; there might be an end but I haven’t found it yet). I also attempt to use the word “personality” more times per paragraph than has ever been done before.

WARNING: Spoilers for Cowboy Ninja Viking follow! If you want to read this on your own, please do so before continuing on. I picked up the first issue of Cowboy Ninja Viking (written by AJ Lieberman, art and tones by Riley Rossmo) back in October last year based solely on the name and the cover. Upon reading, and with further issues, I have been more than pleasantly surprised with the story, humor, and character work in the series.

The story starts out, as stories are well-known for doing, with a tense standoff on a rooftop wherein our titular character (given name: Duncan) faces off against a group of agents, including his future love interest Sara Nix, who are working at the behest of Dr. Sebastian Ghislain. The standoff was brought about because a secret government project that had included Duncan and had been buried five years earlier has been brought back to light by a shadowy adversary and Dr. Ghislain needs Duncan’s help in order to stop him from making the world a more unpleasant place.

The “triplets” program, as it is named in the story, is the project in which Duncan was a participant. The program took people with multiple personality disorder, and as Ghislain explains: “We used experimental regression therapies, pharmacological enhancements, and attempted to train the group to retain the skills of your latent personalities.” In more plain language, they took individuals who had three distinct alternate personalities and trained those personalities to have certain skills associated with a profession in order to make highly effective and dangerous assassins, or “triplet”. This is where the comic book suspension of belief comes in.

It is hard enough to accept that a single alternate personality could house skills that could be useful, let alone applicable to black ops work, but that three personalities could be given unique profession-related abilities. As the book progresses, more of these “triplets” are introduced, but most, if not all of them, have at least one personality that would be completely useless in an assassin and are mostly put into the book for comedic purposes. The other triplet introduced in the first book is Yashitiko Ammo whose triplet personalities are a Pirate, Gladiator, and Oceanographer. These useless personalities are the source of most of the funny dialogue in the book. However, one of the big problems I have with the series is that when triplets are having a conversation with one another it gets confusing as to whom exactly is talking. Each persona in a triplet is represented by a symbol attached to their speech bubbles (i.e. Cowboy has a six shooter, Ninja has a katana, and Viking has a two-sided battle ax) but there are quite a few personas that are similar and therefore hard to distinguish. Also, there are a few personas that are not readily identifiable (as with Cowboy or Ninja) because either the symbol is vague (as with the Navy Seal persona which is represented by a pair of goggles) in or their appearance (as with the Demolitions Expert/Amish Guy/WWII Veteran looking a lot like the Hitman/Navy Seal/Roadie).

Aside from the few problems that I have with character differentiation and a few issues that plague most comics, like why the team flew to Switzerland, had a dramatic parachute drop only to leave for France three panels later because they forgot something, the story is very well written with storylines and character motivations being fairly solid. There are a few serious moments that don’t seem out of place in the overtly absurd world of the triplets, such as Duncan’s life saving efforts in issue two and the conversation between Duncan and Gary in issue four. The story has gotten a little hard to follow by issue eight, because there is a dramatic change in the conflict of the story, but it’s easy enough to follow that you can pick up any issue and not be so far out of your element as to not enjoy the read. Some of the dialogue does tend to get a bit bizarre as Lieberman looks for a joke anywhere he can find it: “You’re f**king me like a figure-skater trying to convince his wife he’s not gay.” I don’t know what that even means. Seriously, is that a good or a bad thing? The surrounding dialogue gives no help as to the context.

This transitions me awkwardly to the art. Rossmo is not going for photorealism here, but he has a distinct style that I quite like: black and white inks with a bit of dot shading and colored tones over most the page. The inks are gritty and the backgrounds are sparse, but there is a lot of work put into panels where there is more action or that there is something important to see so you really don’t miss out on much. Outside of the small amount of confusion that I mentioned earlier, it’s a fantastic job of visualizing the different triplets, each with their unique styles and eccentricities. Also, there was a definite color scheme that they kept for each of the first five issues. Whether this was due to budget, a deliberate move by Rossmo or that just being the way it worked out, I don’t know but it works to keep each “episode” of the story unified. From issue six on, where the direction of the story changes, more color per issue is introduced and more work seemed to go into the page layouts. I’m willing to accept the little maybe mistakes that I see in the comic, like proportions being crazy sometimes and the action looking a little stiff where it could be much more dynamic, but I really have little to complain about.

The series is now on issue number nine and I won’t reveal what’s going on exactly, but I can say that its more of the same crazy (literally) fun. All in all, this series is an incredibly fun read and I would absolutely recommend it for someone looking for something fresh to pick up (for $3.99 an issue). Cowboy Ninja Viking has been one of my most looked-forward-to comics and its one of the few comics I read that always puts a smile on my face (the others being Secret Six and The Walking Dead). Kudos Mr. Lieberman, kudos Mr. Rossmo. You’ve made me a very happy 22 year old.

Post Script:

I’ve read other reviews of this series where there were more complains but they seemed to have a pre-conceived notion of what the characters and story should be before they read it, which is well and fine for an established character like Spider-Man but entirely unfounded for a new series. One particularly irate reviewer called it “contrived” and went on to complain that the story arc of the first five issues of an ongoing series left the series as relatively unchanged.

First, I have to define contrived for him:

(adj) contrived (showing effects of planning or manipulation) “a novel with a contrived ending”

Now, contrived seems to be a popular word for reviewers, but does it make sense in this case. I know what he’s trying to say, that the conflict was manufactured and did not seem to flow out of a natural sort of progression. However, THIS IS A COMIC BOOK ABOUT MULTIPLE PERSONALITY ASSASSINS and THE TITLE OF THE BOOK IS COWBOY NINJA VIKING. Sometimes, I just gotta shake my head and wonder why the hell some reviewers even read comic books. They never seem to be able to just read a comic book and have fun reading it. Because it’s their job now, they analyze every aspect of it to death and create this world where their approval of a comic is dependent on an judgement that would make them respected rather than citing any real opinions that they might have. I love this stupid humor, I love this over the top story, and I still love comic books.

– Mike