Black Hammer '45

Jeff Lemire reveals the waning days of World War II in this Black Hammer spin-off. The Black Hammer Squadron have been given their final assignment. With the Nazis on the brink and the Soviets tearing through Germany, this team of colored American soldiers must rescue a Jewish family of physicists before the Reds do. Seems that their inter-dimensional theories will give whomever obtains the secrets of these Jewish scientists a major advantage in the exploration of space.  

With Mind MGMT's Matt Kindt's artwork, Jeff Lemire offers fans a look at the early days of Abraham Slam as well as some of the origins of the NASA program that will send Col. Randall Weird on the space adventure of a lifetime. And since this is a part of the world of Black Hammer, expect things to be a little more on the side of the fantastical with more advanced technology.

This was a powerful read. And it was another great chapter to the world of Black Hammer. And it was a marvelous tribute to the war comics of the 50s and 60s. But there was something off about the artwork.

The use of an non-white team was pretty brilliant. Originally, Lemire and Kindt didn't plan on this. Thus, a couple of the characters actually look Caucasian. Due to deadlines, only a few changes were ables to be made. Fate allowed the pages to be recolored. However, art touch ups just weren't in the cards. 

But having a team of heroes who are willing to do anything for their country and get little to no thanks for their efforts is so powerful. There's a little bit of the Tuskegee airmen in this story and just a touch of Robert Morales and Kyle Baker's Truth: Red, White and Black. And to have Black Hammer, who was a black man, take his name from a group of commandos of color adds legacy and honor to the whole name of the series and the fallen hero.

While the artwork might have suffered from the tight deadlines, the coloring of this story actually benefited from the retouches. The water-colored effect of this book also aids texture to the page along with giving a slight sepia tone to the story. It's a lot like looking at a series of old photographs. Or maybe it's meant to look like a 1940s era comic book with how the acid in the paper browns out everything. Either way, it helped make Black Hammer '45 a Dark Horse triumph.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special #1(2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One bright shiny day at the Brockton, Massachusetts location of New England Comics, a lanky young man places a sketch on the store wall. At the request of one of the store managers, Ben Edlund submitted a portrait of an all-new costumed character called The Tick. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Nobody knows because this was a character that Edlund came up with spur of the moment. 

A few weeks later, Edlund is asked to flesh out the character into a 3-page tale that would appeal the 14th and 15th volume of the New England Comics Newsletter (July-August & September-October 1986). The character was a hit with customers who quickly demanded more adventures. 

Seeing an opportunity in the burgeoning Indy comics craze of the mid-80s, NEC signed a deal with Edlund to create a new comic series based on the Tick. Originally, Tick was designed wearing a furry brown costume. But a fan vote updated the character into a sleek, navy blue uniform with animated antenna. Ben's dad helped to design the logo while the minuscule printing company Associated Printers (later Morgan Printing Inc.) jumped into the realm of comic book fabrication for the very first time. It took about 2 years, and with the Indy comic bubble having burst, about a dozen distributors, but the Tick #1 was shipped out to fans and nationwide comic sellers in 1988. Fingers were collectively crossed.

And the Tick was an immediate hit!

Jump forward to 2006 (or 2007 according to the publication date) and New England Comics was celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the Tick! A beloved animated series on Fox Kids, a cult-classic short lived live series on Fox, a secret fan club, and dozens of comic books and tons of merch later and the Tick still thrived. Naturally, it was time for a tribute one-shot. 

With The Tick 20th Anniversary Special, NEC culled from the numerous talented writers and artists who had previously worked on the character as well as other members of the Tick universe. The Man-Eating Cow, the Chainsaw Vigilante, and sidekick Arthur are among those who make appearances. (But where's Paul the Samurai?!) Creator Ben Edlund along with his dad, crafted a new 4-page center spread story that some consider the epilogue of the long-delayed Tick #13. And non-associated talent such as Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew) and Fred Hembeck (Dateline: @#$%) make contributions as well!

While the grab bag of work is a mix of brilliant tributes and sorely-lacking fantasy, the price of admission is the lengthy articles that dig into the early history of The Tick. I really learned a lot and since the print was ultra small, I felt like I read a coffee table book's worth of comic book history. And eye strain to boot!

While I wasn't a big fan of the tributes, I definitely want more Tick. I also want to complete my collection of Tick back issues. If this book was meant to be an smorgsabord of Tick bites, it definitely whet my appetite and a trip to NEC's online Tick store is in my future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Already in Your Collection) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Valiant

I know that I am not very familiar with Valiant Entertainment. But I think it is safe to say that this 2015 miniseries from Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt is this publisher's Crisis on Infinite Earths.

For 10 centuries, the Eternal Warrior has struggled to protect the Geomancers. These special people are the living embodiment of the planet and have the power to create life on earth and maintain a harmonious balance. Seeking to keep the world in chaos is the Immortal Enemy, who has a pretty impressive track record of defeating the Eternal Warrior's efforts. 

The Immortal Enemy returns every 100 years. His latest return is imminent. Only this time, the Eternal Warrior has a slew of allies to help him protect the latest Geomancer, Kay McHenry. Enter: The Valiant.

While just about every rebooted Valiant Entertainment character is presented in this book, I was unimpressed with the use of these resources. There's some great battle scenes by Paolo Rivera. But that's the only time you will see characters such as Archer, Quantum and Woody (and the Goat!), Faith and others. None of which have any dialogue. Even though Crisis had 30 times as many characters, I never felt that any one character was underused. That's pretty much my only complaint.

I loved the story and the artwork. I was introduced to several characters that I've yet to really be introduced to, such as Ninjak and Bloodshot. Both of which I am now very interested in reading more about.

The Valiant was quite good. Unfortunately, it wasn't properly balanced for a story that would unite an entire universe of characters. I think only having 4 issues in which to tell the tale was what limited the scope. That, plus I think Lemire and Kindt's schedules prevented these two talents from devoted extra time to a 5th, 6th or further along issue.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes by Matt Kindt

 In the burgh of Red Wheel Barrow, Detective Gould is the rising darling of that town’s police force. Using cutting edge technology and a network of informants unlike any other, Gould’s never faced an unsolved case. Lately, some very weird crimes have been happening such as the chair thief. Will Det. Gould end this odd crime spree or is there a more sinister purpose behind these strange crimes.

I love a good mystery and this one’s not bad. It’s my first experience reading a Matt Kindt work and from what I read, I’d definitely give it another go. However, I would advise you not to trust everything you see and hear in this mystery and be ready for the strangest assortment of flash backs, flash forwards, and even some flash-sideways (that’s when a character has a daydream of being somewhere else and yet you think he’s thinking about his past.)

This book will challenge you and it will make your head go spinning. But that’s what good mysteries do. In fact, at least 1 crime is left ‘unsolved.’ I’ll leave you to decide which one but believe me theirs is at least 1 mystery destined for the cold crimes unit.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.