JSA Classified #32

Thanksgiving reads, Day 4. 

It's Turkey Day and members of the JSA have agreed to host a float for the yearly parade. But when a mysterious pink dust falls upon the parade goers, the heroes go on high alert. They go from threat level yellow to screaming fireball red when JSA arch-enemy Solomon Grundy suddenly appears on the scene. 

He wasn't scheduled to attend! Was he?

The backstory of this issue involves the Alan Scott Green Lantern. This time of year brings up the painful loss of his daughter- the Infinity Inc. heavy hitter, Jade. 

I mention this plot because it ties into the cliffhanger. Normally, I would be upset to have a issue end on a cliffhanger. Especially if I'm not able to read the next issue. But when I bought this book in anticipation for my T-Day readings, I saw that #33 was Christmas themed. I took a leap of faith on this since I knew at some point I was going want the yule tide book as well. It paid off!

But what do I do now? I don't read Christmas stories until it turns December 1st. That's only 10 days away...  Maybe as a special treat I'll read this as a sort of Black Friday reward for myself.

A very good story that made me feel like I was at the Macy's parade or something. But just how old are the Society members? They fought in World War II. This issue was published in 2003. How the heck are 3 elderly heroes probably in their 70s or 80s fighting like they are in peak physical condition? Guess I'll need to research that puzzle as it's the only thing that really kept me from connecting with this great holiday issue.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Rock:Between Hell and a Hard Place

After a nearly 10 year absence, Joe Kubert returned to his best known character, Sgt. Rock. With Brian Azzrello writing, Kubert plotted and illustrated this 2003 graphic novel under the Vertigo imprint. Meant to be more edgy and adult, other than maybe a bit more violence, I could not tell a difference from this and the stuff my father used to read in the 70s and 80s.

I'm going to make a stunning confession here. Most of you know me as a big DC fan. Yet, when it comes to the World War II characters, I prefer Sgt. Fury and His Howlin' Commandos over the guys of Easy Co. I always felt that the Commandos had more personality. In contrast, I felt like Easy Co. was just a rotating group of grunts that had very little personality and even less chance at staying alive than a red shirt on Star Trek.

I bought this book more for the something extra inside it than the art and story. Along with this book, there was a piece of DC Comics stationary that was meant to drum up business for a book seller into buying multiple copies of this book. This volume I purchased wasn't a proof, but it was sent out in advance. Seeing as DC stationary is considered a holy grail among DC fans, I had to have this book if only for that treasure piece of comic book history.

Between Hell and a Hard Place was an okay read. The story has Sgt. Rock and his men finding a group of Nazi officers. Rock decides to take the men back to base in hopes of gaining some valuable information that might put an end to the war. But on the journey back, 3 of the officers are murdered at point blank range, during an assault from another group of German soldiers. With a fourth officer on the run, Rock must play detective as one of his own soldiers may have been who shot the other Nazis in cold blood.

I felt that the main storyline gets gobbled up in other elements, like the origin of the Ice Cream Soldier and the introduction of new recruits to Easy Co. I was fine with the ending but I did feel that elements of the murder mystery tied themselves up in just too neat of a bow.

My favorite part of this book was the art. I love Joe Kubert. His work on Weird War Tales is just fantastic. His images of Rock adorned in red, white and blue tipped bandoliers was awe-inspiring. It also felt nostalgic as I feel like that is how I grew up seeing Sgt. Rock in the comics as a kid. But I cannot find any evidence on this on Google.

A good read but if not for the stationery treasure contained within, I wouldn't keep this book as a part of my collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Yets! Book 2

There's this great TV show that my wife and I love to watch. It's called Better Late Than Never. It's a reality series that follows William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, and Henry Winkler as they travel around the world. It's extremely funny. However, there's only a very limited number of episodes filmed each season.

So when a new episode airs, we savor it. While we could just watch the show right then and there, my wife and I might wait a couple of days before watching it. We might even watch half of the one hour show one night and the other half a day later, just to prolong fun experience. 

That's how I feel about Mike Bocianowski's Yets!. I've only been able to find 3 issues of this 2003 series from Airwave Comics. I've tried searching for more issues and I really have gotten nowhere. I feel in love with this fantasy series by the very last page of the first issue and I could have dove into the other books. But I wanted these great characters to last!

There's Sir Perry, a guinea pig sent on a mission to scout out the canopy of the great tree that sits in the middle of the land of Chlem. His airship just crashed thanks to a flying yet (don't call them dragons!) and he's itching to get back in the air.

There's Spec, the mutt with a heart of gold who thinks he's a chihuahua. He's happy being a guest of honor at the Yet reservation.

There's Yet- the little Yet who's fall from the sky sparked Perry and Spec's exploration of the higher ground.

And now there's Vance, a Yet who has become the caretaker and guide to Sir Perry and Spec as they visit the Res.

Mike Bocianowski does such an amazing job on this book. The art is so clean and expressive. His writing is whimsical and funny. I really love this series and this chapter did not disappoint me one bit.

There's only one issue left. But I am not going to read it just yet (even though I very well could.) I am not ready for this series to end.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Yets!: Book 1

In a land like ours, but much more fanciful,  a curious chihuahua (okay, he's a mutt) and an adventuresome cavy (okay, he's really a muskrat) find a mysterious baby creature, they take it to their council of elders. There, they learn that they baby, named Yet by the chihuahua, is from a race of ancient creatures. Over time, these creatures retreated to the great tree positioned in the center of these magical lands. Taking upon themselves, the intrepid pup and rodent are going to take an airship to reunite Yet with his people. Just whatever you do, don't call the ancient ones dragons! Call them Yets!

The opening chapter of artist and writer Mike Bocianowski's 2003 series was a heartwarming tale. Full of adventure, laughs, and myth, Yets! is a series that I think had it  been published by a more well known Indy publisher, it would have been a beloved series amongst fans of works like Bone and Castle Waiting. I've never heard of publisher Airwave Comics and I think that's why this book is relatively an unknown entity. 

I got lucky finding this book (and it's two sister issues) in a bargain bin. And they were all autographed too! I can't wait to read the other two books. If they are half as fanciful and fun as this issue, I am in for a treat!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go! #1 (First Series, Library Edition)

Before Teen Titans Go! was Teen Titans Go!? Before Cartoon Network revived the animated heroes with the 15-minute long minisode series Teen Titans Go!, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the rest had a number of adventures on the TV series Teen Titans. In order to not confuse young readers and fans of the cartoon with the older teen rated Teen Titans comic, DC titled their adaptation of the 2003 series Teen Titans Go!

    Now, I wasn't a big fan of the original show. I thought the art was too much like anime, of which I am not the hugest fan. But with the new series which I think is very funny and incredibly silly, I've decided to branch out and give the original series a go.

    Since I don't have access to any of the original episodes on DVD just yet, my next best option was to check out some library edition issues from my favorite source to get some free reads- the Orange County, NC library. In case you are wondering, a library edition is a hardbacked single copy of an original issue. It also contains a glossary of certain words as well as discussion questions for students and the occasional writing exercise.  In this, the premiere issue, the Titans are playing a new video game when they are attacked by the students of the HIVE Academy.

   Unlike a collection of Free Comic Book Day editions of this series, this comic features all-new artwork as well as an original story and not slides from a previously aired episode. I appreciate that as I think issuing a picto-comic of a repeat as a cop-out and a scam to get money for little to no work or effort. The tale was still a little too anime (or, in this case, manga) for my tastes but I still enjoyed this issue. Especially the twist ending.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Mekanix #1

Until recently, I had never heard of the comic or character of Mekanix. I probably wouldn’t have even collected this series if it wasn’t for the fact I received 3 issues in a couple of grab bags. I held onto the books in my ‘maybe’ pile and only a few months ago decided to give this miniseries a try after I found the rest of the books online for steep discount.

  Here’s what I learned about Mekanix after reading issue #1. First there isn’t a character named Mekanix, at least not for this series. The girl on the cover is no other than Ms. Kitty Pryde, former X-Man and now a student at a university in Chicago. Her quantum physics class has been deemed a mutant threat to the college, even though Kitty herself has yet to have been outed as a mutant. #2 Kitty’s temper has gotten the best of her lately and she’s now facing mandatory anger management sessions or she’ll be expelled. And #3, the X-Men during the setting of this book don’t ‘exist’ as the mutant nation of Genoshia has been laid waste thanks to the Sentinels. Also, contributing to Kitty’s anger is the fact that her father was killed during the Genoshian invasion.

The book starts off a little slow and it’s a little bit of an oddity for me. Published around 2002-03 this is probably the time period for comics that I know the least about, especially in terms of X-titles. The book ends on a cliffhanger with a literally bang, but alas it’s too late for the excitement to really catch me in its grip. Only my curiosity and desire to learn more about this undiscovered country of comic book history do I feel motivated to give this series another go with issue #2.

Did I mention there’s nobody name Mekanix in this series?  Why is it titled this? This series is starting out a hot mess. To quote Ms. Pryde, “Oy Vey!”

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.