Stray

There's been more than a fair share of great comic book titles being unceremoniously cancelled, scraped or plain up never getting past the planning stage. This 2001 deluxe format comic by Scott Lobdell and Jimmy Palmiotti might just rank among those titles.

Stray is the story of an aspiring actress whose life turns upside down the day she gets fired from her waitressing gig. We all know that adopting a stray dog on the day you get canned isn't exactly the wisest financial decision to make. But that's exactly what Catherine 'Cat' Denton does. Call her a softie.

Unknown to Cat is at that exact moment an alien life-form named Acturex is hurtling to planet Earth to stop a hidden menace seeking to conquer our planet. Acturex's plain is to merge into the body of Garrick, Cat's downstairs neighbor who's a prime specimen of strength, endurance and good looks. However, a slight miscalculation causes Acturex to merge into the body of the stray living with Cat. And there's no way for the alien to find a new host until his mission is complete.

Using her acting skills and various costume changes, Cat Denton now goes on casting calls by day and secretly saves the Earth from alien invasion at night with the help of Rex, her super-powered and psychically linked pooch!

I couldn't tell you where I got this book. I've had it for awhile. Probably came from a grab bag. Having an adorable animal as a main character, I still didn't take any chances before I read this book. Having been burnt before by the shocking and gruesome death of the dog in issue #1 of The Weather Man, I made sure that no animals were harmed or killed in the completion of this comic. Once I broke one of LaVar Burton's cardinal rules of book consumption from Reading Rainbow, I dug into the book and was pleasantly surprised. 

The art looked a little bit off. I at first thought it was computer generated. Once I realized that Dustin Nguyen was behind the inking of Adam Polina's artwork, I knew that this wasn't funky CGI material; this was year 3000 illustrations! My puny human brain just wasn't able to comprehend the evolution of the artistic talent behind Stray.

I don't think the advanced penciling for this story was what has prevented there from ever being another story about Cat and Rex. Its been 23 years with bupkis. Though Stray was a joint DC/Wild storm production, the book itself was published by Homage Comics. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of this venture before(I think). A quick Google search reveals that they were the driving force behind Astro City and Leave It To Chance before Wildstorm quickly absorbed these Indy classics. 

You go to the Homage Comics page on the DC Wiki and Stray isn't even listed as one of their publications. So I think this book might be all we get. Barring some miracle revival. Until then, if you ever come across this book in a bargain bin at your favorite LCS or a Con, you really should consider picking it up. It's a quirky, quick read that oozes heart and creativity. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Desperadoes: Epidemic!

Back before the pandemic shut everything down, I used to go to a few $1-only used bookstores. I'd work for a 2-4 hour shift, earn some trade credit and come home with a slew of books. That's where I got this DC/Wildstorm graphic novel. If I could get a comic book or graphic novel or trade for just a few minutes worth of organizing and shelving, I was all for it.

The pandemic is also why I held off on reading this book. Now I know that the pandemic isn't over. But in the midst of COVID being at its peak, I just didn't feel like reading a book called 'Epidemic.' 

The book takes place during the time of the Old West. A quartet of fugitives on the run for a crime they didn't commit, wind up in a quiet New Mexico town. Winter storms are blowing through making it to where these desperadoes can't quite see the warning signs to stay away. 

See, this town is in the midst of an influenza epidemic. Now under quarantine, the main characters of this book will have to make due until warmer weather comes and hopefully this outbreak will subside. One decides to help the local doc. Another decides to help rebuild the town church. The rest decide to help by hunting and gathering. Only, underneath all this death and attempts at normalcy, there's something sinister afoot. Something ancient. Something evil. And it's about to reawaken...

I was rather disappointed at this horror western. I enjoyed the western aspects of this Jeff Mariotte (Zombie Cop) and John Cassaday (Planetary) creation. I Was sorely put-off by the sinister horror sections towards the end of it. 

Some of this is my fault, based on the green thing on the cover, I was expecting the antagonists to be aliens. Not some kind of occult evil. See, demons and devils aren't really my thing. I like horror when it's monsters or madmen. But the supernatural isn't really my bag. 

I realize that I read Doctor Strange and Hellboy. I enjoy the 70s horror anthologies of DC and Marvel. But when you start getting into an area like Amityville Horror or The Exocist with demonic possession or deals with the devil, I just don't like that stuff. And that's what Desperadoes: Epidemic! morphs into. You start with a Doctor Quinn: Medicine Woman type adventures and wind up with Linda Blair and pea soup.

I think had I known that this story was not about little green men but big lime-colored demons, I probably would have passed. 

Cowboys Vs. Aliens this is not!

Not Worth Consuming!

Rsating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Enemy Unseen

This Wildstorm Comics collection is devoted to the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series as well as the theme of unknown adversaries. This volume contains 2 mini-series and a special. They range from the last season of the series up to right around Star Trek: Insurrection.

In Perchance to Dream, the Enterprise-D is called to perform security duties for a newly elected governor of a distant planet. When the official’s sexual orientation is called into question, it’s up to Worf and his security team to fend off scores of would be assassins. But it’s up to Capt. Picard and some blasts from his past to save the day when the Enterprise is attacked by a virus that causes violent delusions.

In Embrace the Wolf, the original series (and even the DC Comics from the 80s) are paid tribute with the return of Redjac (or is it Redjack? I’ve seen it both ways.) The spirit of Jack the Ripper has its sights on destroying this new Enterprise if then inhabitants of the planet below don’t nuke it first. Only an adventure with Data resuming the role of Sherlock Holmes in the holodeck will save the Enterprise from sure destruction.

Lastly, in the Killing Shadows, Picard, Data, and the half-Romulan Sela are trapped on a planet of intergalactic ninjas. With ninja infiltrating the Enterprise-E, can Commander Riker and Troi unlock the secrets of this deadly clan before the away team’s time is up?

All three stories were very good. But what surprised me was that I liked the Redjac story best! Wolf in the Fold is my all-time least favorite Original Star Trek episode. The DC story was a stinker as well. But this tale was awesome! I’d read it again.

Perchance to Dream wasn’t half bad. It’s a thriller with a moral and it’s classic Gene Roddenberry. It starts a little slow but left me wishing it wouldn’t end for at least another 50 pages.

Killing Shadows started really good and then just got weird. There’s something called “The Void” that motivates these ninjas who look human one minute and alien the next. I couldn’t tell what the void was any more than could I tell if the art was inconsistent or supposed to look that way.

Overall, this is a really good collection of tales that are a must for fans of Trek.

Worth Consuming

Rating:
Perchance to Dream: 9 out of 10 stars
Embrace the Wolf : 10 out of 10 stars
The Killing Shadows: 7 out of 10 stars

Overall rating: 8.667

"Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Gorn Crisis"

On Deep Space Nine, the Federation went to full scale war with the J’emm Hadar. But, during this multi-episode war, the Enterprise never popped up. So, what happened???

This graphic novel seeks to answer that question by having the Enterprise E crew seeking out the assistance of the Gorn in the epic war occurring at DS9. However, some Gorn feel that the race has gotten weak and is seeking revenge for the damage Kirk did to the Lizard race’s reputation (and manhood) during the classic episode “Arena.”

There’s lots of threads to this storyline that incorporates at least 3 different Trek series. The art and re-design of the Gorn is very good. The likenesses of the Enterprise crew is questionable.

Overall, a very good story and a thrill-a-minute read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Sleeper: Season 1

A sleeper agent with super powers finds his contact in a coma and in deep with the agency his infiltrated. Both friend and foe are closing in on him as one side sees him as a traitor and the other as a mole.

I really like this Ed Brubaker series. He did a fantastic job on Captain America and counter-espionage seems to be his foray. It’s not a book for all ages. Lots of Tarantino level swears and innuendo. There’s also a lot of gratuitous sex and T & A.

These types of adult graphic novels usually don’t appeal to me. However, Brubaker is such a master craftsman when it comes to these types of tales. Thankfully, the sexual situations are infrequent. Still, the content isn’t for everyone and parents should show caution with this series. I recommend that it is not for those under 18.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.