The Violent: Blood Like Tar (Crime)

by Ed Brisson  (Author), Adam Gorham (Artist) 

Publisher: Image Comics (September 20, 2016)

Softcover, 120 pages

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The book is listed as volume one, but this is a complete story unto itself. No further editions needed. I believe it was meant to be a series of interconnected crime stories, maybe set in the same town, or with various generations of criminals overlapping, but the series came out in 2016 and there is no sight of any other story arcs, so we must be content with the one, which is worth a look.

An ex-con and former drug addict and his junkie wife are trying hard to go straight for the sake of their daughter. But walking the straight path is easier said than done, especially when both of them are working dead-end jobs. When threatened with losing his daughter, the ex-con falls into old habits, stumbling through a string of desperate criminal acts whose repercussions quickly become deadly serious.

Well done crime novel, where you keep hoping the inevitable end doesn’t happen. However, the aftermath is a little too upbeat considering the violent road it took to get there. The junkie wife- sorry, ex-junkie who has a relapse - comes across as a little too preachy, talking down to the main character about his life, whereas she made the exact same bad decisions as he did. The art is brutal, capturing the fast-paced story in perfect form. Well worth a look.

 For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Rome West (Historical Fiction)

by Brian Wood  (Author), Justin Giampaoli (Illustrator), Andrea Mutti (Illustrator), Lee Loughridge (Illustrator)

Publisher: Dark Horse Books (July 31, 2018)

Softcover, 112 pages

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This is for the alternate history fans. In AD 323, a group of Roman ships is lost in a storm and wash up on the shores of the New World, a preceding Columbus by a thousand years. Unable to return home, they establish a new colony, Rome West (Roma Occidens), completely altering America history and subsequent world events. This is not a straight story of events, but a series of vignettes following the line of one family through nearly two thousand years of events.

Some people find this book annoying, not having one protagonist, but you have to look at the main character being the land of Rome West itself, and see it grow, thrive, go through struggles - both foreign and domestic- and eventually question everything about itself, when it becomes the greatest superpower in the world. Once you accept that, the stories are much more enjoyable and you watch society change in time.

There are some complaints, mostly about the gear the Romans are using with the time period- these might be true, but who cares? The story only lasts eight pages, then jumps ahead two hundred years. The only objection I have is the encounter with Columbus, where the centurion on the island makes several leaps of logic about these people he’s never seen before - sure seemed like the author making a speech.

There was also an objection about Christianity being unknown to the people of Rome West, until the Spaniards arrived, while the Romans would’ve known about it (the emperor at the time was Constantine, who converted to the religion), but the religion they do have seems to be a mixture of the old Roman Gods and Algonquin beliefs. So it make sense that none of the Romans who washed up were Christians and just didn’t pass on the knowledge of this religion while struggling to survive.

While you might argue with the events and time period that they occur in, this is still a fascinating book, and one to cause discussion. The art is amazing and backs up each time period ably. Characters are distinct and action is fluid. Well worth a look.

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Light Brigade (Horror) (War)

 by Peter J. Tomasi (Author), Peter Snejbjerg (Illustrator)

Publisher: Dark Horse Books (April 1, 2014)

Softcover, 224 pages

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Set during WW II, a group of soldiers is recruited by a dying archangel to defend a monastery who is under attack by a rogue group to steal the light of God which is burning eternally from the remnants of the true cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The tale uses quite a few obscure Christian tales from apocrypha and the Bible. Marcus Longinus, the centurion who caused the final wound of Christ on the cross, makes an appearance. The Grigori, angels who were cast from heaven for sleeping with human women, are the antagonists, while the Nephilim, the off-spring of angels and humans are their foot soldiers. All of this material is gone into detail and this backstory provides much-needed depth and suspense to the supernatural aspects of this story and acts as a cohesive bond to the plot.

The book is well paced and action oriented. You get to know the characters, their hopes and dreams, and ultimately their final fates. This is not a graphic novel which plays favorites. Unlike some writers, who have difficulty letting go of their creations. No so here, there is no pulling punches, no spared bullet. The novel is a suspenseful death fight right up until the very end - even though you kind of know who is going to survive.

A lot of credit has to be placed on the artist for the success of this book, but also with the colorist. As much of the material takes place at night, the colorist gave that effect, yet did not diminish our understanding of what was happening. There was a point when the Nephilim first appear, we see the brigade engage them, and it was difficult to see who survived and who died. The material didn’t make it quite clear on which characters survived, and ones I had thought died turned up again. Should’ve taken a page from Joe Kubert who was a master of differentiating soldiers in combat.

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Imperial (Superhero)

by Steven T. Seagle (Author), Mark Dos Santos (Illustrator) 

Publisher: Image Comics (April 21, 2015)

Softcover, 144 pages

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A below-average guy planning for his wedding is suddenly approached by the world’s most powerful superhero and told he is being recruited to be his successor. The guy is two weeks away from his marriage to the woman he loves and is having difficulty juggling his old and new life. Things come to a head at the rehearsal dinner and our protagonist is forced to make a difficult choice.

It’s a four issue story which could’ve been told in two issues, and it really feels padded out. The problem is we have no sense of the rest of the world. The action is solely focused on the first person main character, who doesn’t think to inform the rest of us of how the world is like, how it reacts to superheroes and super-villains, etc.. We only get a narrow look at this man, his bitchy girlfriend, and his dual life. It would’ve been fine had this been in the Marvel or DC universe where we know all of the characters, but in a new place with new heroes a lot more world building was needed. The characters weren’t interesting enough without it. We don’t even get a good background on where Imperial and his magic crown come from.

The art is excellent however. Crisp, clean, distinctive. Power and energy comes from every panel, and is far superior to the writing. It really is the only reason to read this book, especially if you ignore the script. It's only a pity more interesting locales or action could've been punched up by the story. But the artist did what he could with a boring script.

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

G.I. JOE: Sierra Muerte (War) (Graphic Novel)

by Michel Fiffe  

Publisher: IDW Publishing (August 27, 2019)

Softcover, 104 pages

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Normally I’m skeptical of anything G. I. Joe not written by Larry Hama. There’s been a lot of mediocre material printed in the past, by people wanting to “put their stamp” on the material, or who just didn’t know how to write the Joes - a team fantasy of a small tactical force of highly trained personally fighting the good fight over seemingly overwhelming odds, where each member plays their part. Rather than the unstoppable individual fighting against everyone. We see this when the writers focus of Snake Eyes, who when done properly is about subterfuge and demolitions, rather than running at people with swords. Or the current Mary Sue they keep shoving down everyone’s throat, Agent Helix.

However, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this three issue mini-series. It isn’t canon to the Real American Hero series, but maybe it should become so. What I appreciate much is that the series has absolute respect for the original series. Each issue has a history portion of what had come before in the A Real American History, including one of Snake eyes, and the fictional geography of the countries the Joes have had conflicts in, and an interview with Larry Hama. This story takes place in the fictional South American country of Sierra Muerte, which translates roughly to Death Mountain. A place mentioned several times in G. I. Joe, but never actually seen.

Some people didn’t like the art, which is not really indicative of a war comic. The technical details are realistic, the combat can look bombastic at times, and the story varies wildly away from previous Joe stories, yet for me it works out well. While it looks different, the interplay between Joes and Cobra, and the internal politics of both are exactly on point. It’s fast and fun. Just what you want.

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali: Deluxe Edition (Superhero)

by Dennis O'Neil  (Author), Neal Adams (Illustrator)  

Publisher: DC Comics; Deluxe edition (November 16, 2010)

Hardcover, 96 pages

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This Versus graphic novel was the brainchild of Don King who approached D.C. comics about a meet-up between Ali and the Man of Tomorrow. Superman had met plenty of famous people before, but this was the first time he had shared equal billing with the celebrity. Ali, at the time, was Heavyweight Champion of the World and a cultural icon. The project was handed over to Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil - if you know comics, you remember their names. Neither of them slacked off. Especially in the art department. These are some top notch illustrations. Truly amazing and the price is worth it just to gaze upon these beautiful illustrations. 

If the actual story seems silly to you, just remember the comic industry wrote for thirteen-year-olds back in the 1970s. An alien race comes to the planet and demands that Earth's greatest champion battle their world's own greatest fighter, or risk Earth’s destruction. Both Superman and Muhammad Ali step forward -- and to determine who is truly Earth's greatest fighter, Superman temporarily loses his powers and faces Ali in the ring. There are a few twists and turns and it is discovered that the alien emperor would blow up Earth no matter the outcome, so Ali and Superman have to work together. The moral of the story being about fair play and giving everyone an equal chance no matter where they came from.

However part of this does end the myth that Superman doesn’t kill. In the scenes where he’s taking apart an entire alien armada, he blasts through them, and tossed huge pieces of metal to destroy and cripple the ships. Those aliens aren’t surviving that. If they’re not blown up outright, the ultimate frigid indifference of space will claim their souls eventually. So with fifty ships, holding a minimum of fifty crew apiece, Supes let die 2500 aliens. Ah well, they were all evil.

This is the deluxe version, a reprint of the 1978 original. This volume also shorter than the original, which was published 11 x 9 x 0.4 inches. The deluxe version however is printed at the smaller 7.3 x 0.5 x 11.1 inches. There was no real lack of quality in art from version to version. The paper is glossy in the reprint, which is much nicer than the original, and it includes comments from the author and illustrator, plus the rough sketches and a breakdown of the original cover, where the audience is filled with notables from TV, cinema, comics industry and D.C.s own creations. Don King is standing next to Lex Luthor for example. The original is also extremely expensive, over a hundred dollars, so go with the deluxe version at around fifteen. 

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Amnesia (Experimental) (Fantasy) (Graphic Novel)

By John Malloy  

Publisher: NBM Publishing (September 1, 2001)

Softcover, 64 pages

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A journalist has a meeting with a pop artist, which then plunges into a hallucinatory exploration of their pasts, possible futures, alternate lives, and dead ends. The artist is somehow able to slip between the cracks of reality during his sleep and take residence in the body of his other selves in alternate worlds. The pair discovers their pasts are actually what can set them free, and that the line between memories and dreams is finer than they could ever imagine.

The narrative begins fine with excellent art and a rambling exploration of the first narrator’s life, leading by synchronicity to the point outside of the interview. But it takes a wrong turn, style wise, with part two, which begins to incorporate real-life photography with the art. I understand that this is to demonstrate the various shades of reality that the characters are tumbling through, so much so that no one is quite sure what is real, but the use of actual photos was a poor choice. They didn't translate well with the 2001 technology (when the book was published). The photos are grainy and, worst of all, boring to look at. Perhaps if he had stuck to one or two of them, but at least a quarter of the book is done in photos.

It is a pity because the book had potential, with an interesting take on the nature of reality, or an adaptation of reality. However, it ultimately took a wrong turn. Some criticism states that the art is a rip-off of McKean’s style, and it is similar. However, if you can draw as well as him, I say more power to you.

  For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

All About P'gell: The Spirit Casebook II (Superhero) (Graphic Novel)

By Will Eisner (Art and Writing) Scott McCloud (Introduction) 

Publisher: Kitchen Sink Pr; 1st edition (1998)

Softcover, 288 pages

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The Spirit, as we all remember, was a comic insert into newspapers which ran from the late 1930s until the early 1950s. While Will Eisner is given sole credit for the writing and art, but it is well known he had a team of excellent artists and a few writers to touch up his work and help him along the way. Not to say the man wasn’t extremely talented, but sole credit is a little much. This becomes apparent in the last three stories when it is obvious the artists are completely different. 

For anyone who is an aficionado of comics from the Golden Age of Comics, the Spirit immediately stands out. Not just because of the superior art, the willingness to try new things and play with point-of-view, but the more adult nature of some of the stories. This is because, being in a newspaper, the audience was wider-ranged and more adult. Comics were power fantasies for pre-pubescent kids and written as such. The Spirit rose above it with style.

The Spirit was a masked vigilante who fights crime with the blessing of the city's police commissioner Dolan, an old friend. Establishing a base underneath his own erroneous tombstone, he funds his adventures with an inheritance from his late father and the rewards for capturing villains. One of his recurring villains was P’gell, the ultimate femme fatale. She had a bad tendency of seducing men who then die quickly, while she gathers the inheritance.

Her interactions with the Spirit aren't always antagonistic. In fact, they are uneasy comrades more times than they are enemies. When the Spirit appears, P’gell shows annoyance that this pest has arrived again to ruin her plans. While the Spirit never quite gets enough on P’gell to arrest her completely. There interplay is almost cat-and-mouse, except one party (P’gell) has no interest in the game.

This volume publishes the most of the Spirit of stories around P’gell (if you couldn’t tell from the title), 17 stories. Ironically her first appearance is left out of this collection as the publishers included it in the first volume of The Spirit Casebook.  It also includes outtakes from 2 stories "The Portier Fortune", and "Competition", where the stories were "rerun" in the strip with new openings and endings. The book also contains P'Gell's cameos in the comic as well ("Caramba!" looks intriguing enough that it should have been reprinted entirely).

   For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.

Night Business (Crime) (Graphic Novel)

By Benjamin Marra   

Publisher: Fantagraphics (December 5, 2017)

Hardcover, 232 pages

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This book is not all it seems on the surface. At first it looks like just an over-the-top uber-violent action tale, a homage to low budget 80s action film, similar to the ones Cannon used to put out. Yet as it goes on, and the killings and violence just go on and on and on, it takes on the form of parody, but that’s only if you look at it a little deeper than you should. This is one of the stronger points of the book. You can take it as parody, or just enjoy a violent slasher story.

A knife-wielding killer is on the loose, committing extreme acts of violence on strippers and hookers. Only one man has a will powerful enough to stop this psychopath: Johnny Timothy. This is a jaundiced view of society. The city of this story seems devoid of any people who aren't strippers, hookers, rapists, gang members, vigilantes, sex cultists, or thug enforcers. It is a world filled with tough guys and big tits and the streets are riddled with gun-wielding rapists just looking for a woman walking alone. One man takes to the streets to avenge a dead girl, which all wraps together into a surprising ending. Not the one you might think.

Unlike the author’s previous book, Terror Assaulter, the art does not play to the ridiculousness of the story. In this book, the art is the greatest detriment. Lots of stiff limbs, weird dialogue, and almost-good art. It kind of reminds me of the action sequences I used to draw in the margins of my middle-school notebook. This lack of sophistication really shone out when it came to differentiating between two of the main characters. They were drawn so similarly, that I sometimes got one mixed up with the other. But I still enjoyed the novel. 
  For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.