Saints (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Though Saints debuted concurrently with Gene Luen Yang's Boxers in 2013, it is considered by many to be a sequel and not just a continuation of the story. Consulting with both Google and Amazon, Saints is a sequel. I felt like it was a sequel. To call Saints the second volume of the story is wrong because that book actually retells many of the events that occurred in Boxers from a different point of view. The story ends right where Boxers ends with the destruction of the Hanlin Academy Library and the fall of the rebelling Boxers. 

I fact my biggest complaint about this award winning work is that there isn't a third volume that tells of what happened after the Boxer Rebellion ended. Boxers is from the perspective of a Chinese villager wanting to free his land from foreign invaders. Saints is from the perspective of a native who finds the family that they always wanted in the foreign bureaucrats' sponsored Catholic Church. I would have liked a third book from the perspective of the victorious 'foreign devils' after repelling the rebellion.

Saints is the story of Vibiana. In the Chinese language, the word for the number four sounds almost like the Chinese word for death. Being the fourth child in her family, Vibiana is considered a pariah. It also doesn't help that  she was born on the fourth day of the fourth month. Her grandfather also blames her for the death of her father, the elder man's son, and names her 'Four-Girl'. The mistreatment causes Vibiana to rebel, making a horrifying scowl at everyone she meets. When taken to a local acupuncturist, she finds friendship and warmth from the man and his wife who teach her the scriptures. Soon the Four-Girl gets baptized by the local Catholic missionaries and is rechristened Vibiana.

Vibiana proclaims her new faith to her family. In response, she was severely beaten for her conversion to Christianity. Vibiana runs away with the missionaries who have been ordered to congregate behind the protective ramparts of the capitol city of Peking.

Working in the orphanage, Vibiana meets a young convert who is in training to become a monk. Love seems to be in bloom between her and the boy. However, when the horde of Boxers lead by volume one's protagonist Bao, arrives at the city gate, the relative safety Peking's defenses offers appears seemingly in doubt. 

Inspired by visions of the French Catholic hero, Joan of Arc, Vibiana decides to quickly learn about kung-fu from her paramour, seemingly inspired to save her new family from the heathen Boxers. Only in a strange twist fate, Vibiana's new found faith in God will result in saving the life of the most unlikely of all people involved in the uprising; an enemy that readers of both volumes had thought was long deceased. 

Boxers, along with Saints was nominated for a number of awards. It won the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for best young adult literature as well as well as being named one of School Library Journal's best books of the year. Boxers & Saints has remained in print by publisher First Second, with several editions including a a 2-volume boxed set and a deluxe size compendium of both books in a single paperback edition.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (A Graphic Novel Sequel) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Boxers

Gene Luen Yang crafts an incredible account of the Boxer Rebellion. While the main characters are fictional, I learned a ton about a part of World History that a week ago, honestly, I couldn't have told you anything about other than I know that the combatants were the Chinese vs. Missionaries. And it turns out that I wasn't even 100% correct about that.

Yes, Christian missionaries, primarily from the Catholic Church, were working to convert the heathen natives of China. However, it wasn't the ruling government who was rebelling. The ruling house in China at the time was pretty much powerless because of a conglomerate of British, German and even the American government, pushing to colonize China. The monks and nuns of the Catholic Church were seen as foreign devils, seeking to pervert the people of China to follow Christ and thus becoming enslaved by Western ideals. To become a Christian meant permanent banishment from your family and possibly your community in China. 

Little Bao is a young boy who sees a missionary destroy one of his village's beloved idol gods. Eventually, some of the villagers become followers. But in reality, some are using their new found religion as an opportunity to bully their own people. Any attempt to resist a missionary or one of their followers is met with government force as the foreign government officials in Peking see the church as a way to subdue the masses. 

When a beloved member of Little Bao's village is killed for attempting to save a town from foreign government brutality, the boy begins a pilgrimage to Peking in hopes of freeing China from it's devilish overlords. Using the lessons in the martial arts that he learned from his fallen mentor, as well as encouraged by visions of the first Emperor of China, Bao leads a group of men to the capital city. Along the way, he gathers countless followers including a group of women martial artists. But once at his destination, the leader of the Boxers, those devotees of kung-fu who fight with their hands and their passions, will find that the situation within the walled community isn't so black and white as war makes even the most noble of intentions become corrupted.

What makes this work so unique is that this is not the end of the story. 2013's Boxers tells of the Boxer Rebellion from the side of the Chinese population who believed that the foreign bureaucrats and missionaries were evil invaders who turned their disciples into traitors. Volume 2, titled Saints will show a different perspective of the conflict. Only it's not from one of the foreigners but of a native Chinese citizen who finds not just safety and religion, but a sense of belonging they never received from their blood family.

I personally own the copy of Boxers that I read. I waited a very long time to get a copy of Saints before reading. While that book is about a third of the size of Boxers, I didn't want to wait a long time to read it. I was also concerned that I might forget something. if I waited. The Boxer Rebellion is so complex. It's not a 2-sided coin kinda thing. There's so many parts, players and philosophies behind what transpired in the very early 20th century in China. I'm very glad at Gene Luen Yang's attempt to present both sides of the story. It's a creative yet bold endeavor from a creator that my fandom is growing with every work of his I read. I look forward to seeing that other side, much sooner than later, thankfully. I think it's going to add so much depth to this already weighty story.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Garrison's Gorillas #2 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Spinning out of the popularity of 1967's The Dirty Dozen, Garrison's Gorillas debuted on the ABC airwaves the following year. It followed a commando unit compromised of 5 American convicts given a chance at parole and having their records wiped clean if they serve on a suicide squad in World War II Europe. Consisting of a con man, a safe cracking mechanic, a demolition expert and a cat burglar, the Gorillas were led by 1st Lieutenant Craig Garrison, referred to as 'The Warden.' The cons knew that if they refused to serve in the most dangerous of missions behind enemy lines, the Gorillas won't be sent back to prison; they'd be executed by firing squad for desertion. 

As a tie-in to the 1968 live action series, Dell released a comic book adaptation that ran for 5 issues. 4 of the books featured art by Sam Glanzman including this sophomore effort. A Navy veteran aboard the USS Stevens during the second World War, Glanzman's war comics are notable among fans for it's extreme keenness to detail. The artist's renderings of the actors might not be that close to real life, but Glanzman's illustrations of military vehicles are second to only that of the manuals servicemen used to operate them!

There's two stories of behind the lines espionage in this issue. The first story has the Gorillas posing as crashed American airmen in an attempt to locate whose providing the Nazis with the plans of the Holland resistance. Story two takes place in occupied France with the commandos tasked to destroy a gigantic Nazi super cannon that travels via railroad.

Neither story is all that different from other war comics of the day. If the plots of the TV series are indicative of this issue, it's no wonder that the show only lasted for a 26 episode season. Ironically, Garrison's Gorillas would see a tremendous resurgence in 1980s China of all places. Reruns of the war drama were so popular, it's rumored that the Chinese government would schedule their meetings around times Garrison's Gorillas was due to air. While that story is probably just American propaganda or folklore, is it true that the Chinese government did award the series a public service award for being so popular that even criminals would stay home when it was on. No word on if any of the producers or stars of the show were ever presented with a tangible certificate of merit for the government honors.

With the abrupt cancellation of the series, whether all 5 members of Garrison's Gorillas made it to the end of World War II unscathed and earned their pardons has never been revealed. But if Garrison's Gorillas was to end similarly to that of The Dirty Dozen, you can be sure that at least one or two of these commandos earned their freedom.

Completing this review completes Task #4 (A Dell Comic based off a Live-Action TV Show) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Shang-Chi and the Quest for Immortality (Family Comic Friday)

Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu is a Marvel character that is more aligned with mature readership than a figure of all-ages family fun. Created in the 1970s as Marvel's answer to the martial arts film craze brought about by the influences of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Shang-Chi originally was the son of the global 'yellow menace' known as Fu-Manchu. Over time, the
controversial antagonist was replaced with a figure whose origin wasn't encased with a legacy of East Asian prejudices and hate. Shang-Chi's rebooted father, Zheng-Zu was no less evil or power hungry. Even more, he still wasn't a character for children as the leader of the Five Weapons Society was a gangster who had his hands in some very adult criminal activities such as gun running, human trafficking, and drugs.

Of course with the live action Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel wanted to produce a kid friendly graphic novel to introduce the characters to a broader audience. To do this, creator Victoria Ying set the story during Shang-Chi's childhood. Yes, Shang-Chi's father is still a heartless criminal leader who rewards loyalty over issuing parental love. Only now he's more of a passive character in which the young hero lives in the shadow of his father's approval. 

Ying makes another wise move by having the story focus more on the mythology of Shang-Chi's world as opposed to the dark criminal elements. In this book, Shang-Chi is on a quest to find a magical orchard that fruits could heal the boy's ailing father. In the midst of Shang-Chi's journey, he meets a mysterious hooded man who claims to be Shang-Chi's brother and the protector of other offspring who have been deemed unworthy of inheriting Zheng-Zu's criminal enterprise.

This graphic novel is a decent prequel to 2021's Shang-Chi motion picture. It opens Shang-Chi's eyes to his father's dark nature while also authenticating the myths of ancient China into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story also shows how you can love someone even when they are imperfect, even when that nature is extremely vile.

Cruel parents seems to be a universal theme. Snow White, Cinderella, even The Simpsons show that parents are people too. And that means flaws. It's a complicated process to love someone who is supposed to love you back and yet sometimes in return mothers and fathers aren't capable of such kindness. Thus if this story opens up questions about parental abuse or neglect, it's my hope that parents and guardians are willing and equipped to address such complicated inquiries. Though I think the recommended age of 8-12 might be a bit too immature. 10-14 might be more appropriate.

A read that potentially could open many doors. Not just to some complex family ethics, but also to Chinese culture. The artwork is highly indicative of modern and classic Oriental styles. Plus, young readers are introduced to new characters that have entertained millions of Chinese children for millennia. If you are going to show Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to your family, this book could act as a good introduction to many of the characters as well as be a great follow up to a reader interested in learning the rest of the story.

I really thought this book was older than its 2023 publication date. It might have been due to come out when the movie did but was delayed due to COVID. But a 2 year hiatus? The book has a preview for a Ms. Marvel graphic novel I read and reviewed a long time ago. So maybe it was due to come out in 2021. Not sure. But it shouldn't interfere with the enjoyment of this book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Art of War (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Many think that the ancient Chinese text known as The Art of War is a guide for leading men into battle. But in reality, the 5th century BC work is a treatise of how generals can win over their foes without any bloodshed whenever possible.

Sun Tzu was a brilliant strategist whose mere mention of his name inspired fear in the hearts of his enemies. Sun Tzu learned that from this intimidating reputation, he could sometimes lead his troops to victory without firing a single shot or raising of a sword. As a result Sun Tzu transcribed his philosophy on warfare onto a number of long bamboo slats. 

For over 2000 years, Sun Tzu,'s words were the primary guide of military tactics for the armies of the Chinese emperors. Over this period of time, The Art of War was divided into 13 chapters. After a Jesuit priest first translated The Art of War into a Romance language in the late 1700s, other scholars began to reorganize Sun Tzu's texts into thematic categories. Though the Chapter names vary by translator, the contents remain relatively untouched.

The Marine Corps, West Point, numerous companies across the United States and Japan, professional sports coaches, even the KGB have used Sun Tzu's philosophy as required reading. Captain Picard in a season one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation expresses relief that Starfleet still teaches The Art of War to its cadets. Yes, the works of Sun Tzu will live on in the 24th century!

The legacy of The Art of War and its influence on world history is undeniable. However scholars still can't agree if Sun Tzu even existed. For one thing, the name of Sun Tzu is an honorific. It means ' Master Sun'. The man known as Sun Tzu was born Sun Wu. A 2nd century record of the dynasties of China up to that point, identifies a text of military strategies written by a Sun Wu. It's believed that this is the author of The Art of War and that the title of Sun Tzu wasn't bestowed upon him until a millennium later. 

Around 2010, indy publisher Writers of the Round Table created the imprint SmarterComics which began with publishing a series of graphic novels based on popular business bestsellers. The Art of War was part of the first wave. 

In the graphic novel, Cullen Bunn pits Sun Tzu's narrative with everyday situations. Some are practical, like rival businesses attempting to woo a wealthy financier. Some have military applications, such as a platoon leader making strategic choices in hopes of avoiding an armed conflict. Through these scenarios, artist Shane Clester occasionally places Sun Tzu into the mix. He's often depicted as the advisor whose wisdom inspires the main character of each scene into action; including the one starring the mafia don! 

Unfortunately, the idea of business themed graphic novels wasn't a huge seller. A 2011 feature on the CBS News might have helped the company garner a little additional interest. SmarterComics' last post on social media was in April, 2013 on Facebook for a book called Future Favors the Bold about becoming an over achiever. Though the page remains active, no further postings or works have been forthcoming. The last publication from Writers of the Round Table Inc. appears to be a 2013 children's graphic novel called The Crusaders. In 2015, graphic novels from SmarterComics appeared in Ollie's Discount Stores nationwide. It's from a central North Carolina locale that this copy of The Art of War was purchased.

Completing this review completes Task #38 (Published in Black and White) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #55

Wolverine and The Hulk are busy getting acquainted. 

Brother-in-laws Stringray and Tiger Shark get into such a ruckus, they end up hurting the one person both of them loves most.

Jack Russell seeks a tribe of berserk werewolves and ends up becoming the target of a religious fanatic who seeks to cleanse the world of his kind.

But the story that gets my attention is the 8-pager set in China. A group of brothers make up a Communist superhero known as the Collective Man. A hero of the People, the government forbids the brothers from going to visit their dying mother. That's really the wrong move as nothing stops a collective man from his mama!

I've never heard of the Collective Man before. The logo on the back cover for the character(s) is so cheesy looking. But this was a very good story that was action packed. I wonder if he makes a appearance in Shang Chi or is this a character too controversial for Marvel to present least they fear the Communist Chinese government's reprisal in the all too important international movie theater market. But I'd be happy to see him appear in the MCU.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Santas From Around The World: China- Lao Ban Santa (Advent 2020, Day 6)

I came across a few fictitious versions of Santas to explore. Okay- technically all versions of Santa are made-up. But on these select days such as now, I will be looking at Santas from TV or film. Just to change things up a little. And because hey, it’s my Advent. We travel down to 1990s-era Miami to explore the Lao Ban Santa from ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat. Mom Jessica Huang is excited for Christmas. But when she sees how Americanized her boys, especially favorite son Evan, have become towards the holiday, she decides to make Santa Claus more Chinese. Enter Lao Ban, the Santa Claus of China.

Upon learning of his new-found ancient Christmas traditions, Evan is more than eager to share with his friends at school. But when the youngest Huang learns that Lao Ban Santa isn’t real, Evan doesn’t just lose his childhood innocence, he stops believing in Mom!

Unable to bear a wedge between her and Evan, Jessica tries to save

Christmas. Donning a red velour robe, some long, flowing whiskers, a fake nose and a pair of yucky old moles, Jessica pays the Huang household a visit as Lao Ban Santa!

During the magical visit, Evan learns why his American friends don’t

believe in Lao Ban Santa. It’s because Lao Ban is the American Santa’s boss and that sort of hierarchy makes St. Nick very angry. Thus, Evan

promises to keep the legend of the Lao Ban Santa to himself in order to

keep Christmas magical for his classmates.

The traditional egg tart dessert plays a part in this festive episode. 100 of these tiny bad boys are the required gift for Lao Ban Santa. I’ve already bent the rules focuses on a TV version of Santa. So instead of a cookie recipe, take a gander at this egg tart recipe from The Woks of Life.

Enjoy!

The Shadow Hero

  The Shadow Hero is actually the Green Turtle and it's his backstory that's the most interesting part of this book. Back in 1944, an artist was asked to create a new superhero on par to hopefully rival Superman and to rally support for the allied cause in China against the invading Imperialist Japanese. The artist's name was Chu F. Hing and he was amongst the very first Asian American graphic artists in the comics field.

    Rumor had it according to Gene Leun Yang and Sonny Liew (the writer and artist of the Shadow Hero) is that Hing wanted the Turtle to being portrayed as an Asian character. But the publisher, Blazing Comics, in which the Green Turtle starred in for a grand total of just 5 issues of a title of the same name of the publishing company, vetoed the idea. To make matters worse, the editors deliberately ordered that the parts of the Green Turtle's body that wasn't covered by his mask and costume, be colored a bright pink hue to distinguish the Turtle's alter-ego as being that of a white man. But Hing had the last word by purposely drawing the Green Turtle either in shadow or from the back, Never being seen in the face, Hing also refused to offer any sort of origin about the hero of China's rebel army.

    Without an origin or ever being directly seen was probably why the Green Turtle never lasted very long. In fact, the character might have been forgotten altogether if it wasn't for the tireless efforts of Yang and Liew. In The Shadow Hero, Yang and Liew seek to finally give Green Turtle his long-awaited origin as well as finally portray the superhero as an Asian male.

   In the clever retool, Yang and Liew even explain why the Green Turtle was pink, as his mother's constant attempts to give him super powers only results in his skin turning sunburned pink when exposed to water. The Green Turtle also was bulletproof, but that wasn't due his meddling mommy. This time, teenaged Hank is given this special ability after a spirit animal in the form of a turtle offers him a promise in exchange for the boy being the vessel in which the turtle can reside. Now able to resist bullets and disguise himself as a white man, the Green Turtle can suit up and seek justice on the man who killed his father.

    Usually, reboots are unneeded at best and ultimately despised by readers and fans. There are a few exceptions like Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. The Shadow Hero needs to be added to that very small list. I applaud First Second Books for giving Yang and Liew the thumbs up to give the Green Turtle his much needed chance to be portrayed as originally intended (based on if the legend of Chu Hing's original concept is true- which I think it is.) Be sure to check out the 'director's cut' material at the back of the book and a reprinting of the Green Turtle's very first adventure and decide for yourself.

I only hope First Second decides to publish another miniseries starring Green Turtle.

   I want to also give major props to the writer and artist. In this day and age in which many of our established superheroes are being retooled in order to fit in with this era's en vogue PC term 'diversity,' Yang and Liew changed all of the rules. They took a lesser known character that was intended to be Asian and portrayed him as he was meant to be originally presented to the masses. That is the answer to the call of diversity that I can get on board with.

   Also, the creative team made the conscious decision to stick to Chu Hing's original intentions instead of also making the Green Turtle gay, a woman, and suffering from a speech impediment. In a way, this book answers the call of many established comic book fans like myself who want to see diversity in comics but also long as it's portrayed with new characters and ideas. Sure the Green Turtle is technically 71-years old but to 99.9 percent of the comic book community, he's brand new.

    I would love to see more forgotten heroes given a new chance at life with new ideas surrounding their background. Marvel did a fantastic job of this with it's 70th anniversary miniseries the Twelve. Even my all-time favorite artist Alex Ross has taken up the call with several old school public domain heroes in the pages of Dynamite Comics.

  So, there you have it all you vast comic book publishers. The challenge has been issued. Will you follow the lead of Gene Leun Yang and Sonny Liew and answer the call?

Worth Consuming

 Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

(Note: The Shadow Hero reprints the ebook miniseries 'The Shadow Hero" The Green Turtle Chronicles, available on Kindle.)

 

Guns of the Dragon #4

This “prequel” comic concludes with an epic battle between Bat Lash & Enemy Ace vs. Vandal Savage. If you remember in the last book’s review I said that a character’s death was “actually something I saw coming. However, I would not be surprised if this character pops back up” in issue #4. Well, that prediction came true. 

But it’s the predictable resurrection that isn’t what’s wrong with this issue. No, that so of thinly veiled plot is forgivable. What isn’t pardonable is how poor the art is. The first three issues were fantastically drawn. The art was very much in the style of the great Joe Kubert. The art in this issue was drawn by the same artist as in all of the other issues. But, the art in this chapter looks rushed and the inking is quite heavily. It’s almost as if the inker’s brush was frayed and dripping ink everywhere. Yes, an inker can affect the art, but upon closer study, I really don’t think the lack of quality is his entire fault. At least half of the blame falls on artist/ scribe Timothy Truman.

Overall, this was a really good series aside from the piss-poor art and inking in this final chapter. Guns of the Dragon is full of action and adventure, it was like reading a Saturday morning serial. I could see Spielberg directing this with special effects by Lucas’ ILM studios. The ending is left open. I wonder if there were intentions to craft a sequel. Maybe there is a sequel to this mini-series and I just don’t know about it yet. It’s very possible that the events of this series affect another series, like Justice Society or Jonah Hex. Allusions are made to both in this book. But if it is, I just haven’t found the sequel- yet.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Guns of the Dragon #3

The explorers have finally reached Dinosaur Island only to discover that they didn’t get there first! Tons of explosions, guns fights, and a death occur in this awesome chapter set in the early days of the DC universe.

   The death is actually something I saw coming. However, I would not be surprised if this character pops back up in the next (and final) issue to save the day, only to finally die heroically. So, some of the plot got telegraphed.

    I don’t count that as poor writing as much as it’s just something to expect after you read as many comic book for as many years as I have. After a while, you just become an expert in the medium and can figure out what’s going to happen ahead of time because you’ve run across that plot device before over and over. Fans of shows like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and The X-Files- even the generic romantic comedy sitcom, know of this occurrence from years of fandom and viewing.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Guns of the Dragon #2

 So, this book involves Bat Lash, Enemy Ace, and this guy named Biff. They’re looking for a pair of ancient swords that are supposed to bring legitimacy to the Chinese Nationalist government. Basically, whoever owns the swords would be the next ruler of China, so of course Mao is looking for it as well as the Japanese. These swords are supposed to bring down any dragon that may attack as well. Thus, it’s off to the fabled Dragon Island.

 

DC readers and fans of war comics will know this island very well. What Lash and Enemy Ace are really travelling to is the dinosaur infested island from the “War That Time Forgot” stories that normally graced the pages of Weird War Tales amongst other DC war comics.

 

I’m really enjoying the story and I love the Joe Kubert-isque drawing style of the penciler, Timothy Truman. But, I got to ask- if Bat Lash, Enemy Ace, the Chinese Nationalists and Communists, and some Japanese ninja are all looking for these fables swords why is the book titled “Guns of the Dragon?” Sure, just about everybody looking for the swords brandish guns, but shouldn’t the book be titled “Swords of the Dragon?” Heck, should the word dragon even be used, since the swords are guarded by dinosaurs that survived a massive comet and the Ice Age.

 

True, this might not be a big deal, but it’s something that irks me about this book, so I felt it was worth mentioning. Other than that, this is a fine comic and I am enjoying reading it.

 

Worth Consuming.

 

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

Guns of the Dragon #1

 

Essentially this comic is a prequel to the DC universe. Taking place in 1928 Shanghai, this miniseries pits an elderly Bat Lash, an aging Enemy Ace, and a complete unknown named Biff Bradley together. It appears that this Bradley is related in some way to another obscure DC hero, Slam Bradley.

The trio are summoned to help the Chinese Nationalist government recover a pair of mystical swords that are rumored to unite a warring China in times of need. It’s a kind of Arthurian legend essentially that these explorers are on the hunt for. Adding to the excitement, the trio must  bring back a dragon! It seems that the clout of these swords can only reach its apex if there’s proof that they can slay dragons. Now, there are race against time as the Communist Chinese, some Japanese Ninja, and even Vandal Savage are also on the hunt for these swords.

This is a really neat series. It pits some of the more colorful non-super powered heroes of the 70s together in a Jurassic Park type adventure. Yes, there’s even some added dashes of Indiana Jones and the art looks like it was rendered by that legendary DC artist of war comics fame, Joe Kubert. The book is written and drawn by Timothy Truman. I’ve never heard of him, but I wonder if he was a student of the Joe Kubert School of Art or was just a fan of his art. Regardless, it’s got that gritty quality 70s drawing style Kubert that I just adore. This first chapter starts off a little slow but by the cliffhanger, the pace is so fast that I raced to break into issue #2 in record time.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars