This issue was even better than the first, which of course is 
the way a series should be but we all know that sometimes that doesn’t necessarily happen. Still forget the Creature Commandos or the Howling Commandos because this is where it’s at folks. This is hands down better than either version you’ve thought of or experienced yet! Andi’s writing here is spectacular and the characterization is marvelously superb. Finally the monsters of filmland are brought to us as soldiers fighting in WWII and it’s either fight for the allies or die by their hands.
Raymund’s black and white interiors are divine! There’s something just more inherently creepy and horrific when it’s done in this classic style. Granted this is much more detailed and the sheer amount of work done is just astonishing. The use of pages and panel layouts are meticulous. Everything is so expressive it’s a joy to see this in print.
Jack’s encounters with his teammates continues to impress me. With Victor’s original prototype along with the sea creature man make up an interesting trio. All that’s really missing is a Medusa type though I have a feeling a female amongst them isn’t really all that far off though, I could be wrong. Still their introduction to the General causes a reaction that is all too familiar and expected. I liked this though because it sets up that whole outcast amongst “friends” status that will drive these characters and overcome their own individual reasons for being there.
Sergeant Hammer’s task of whipping this motley crew into a fighting unit gets off to something of an auspicious start. While seeming on some levels to be very military there’s an anger in this man that causes an instant dislike for him. This man doesn’t know these people, what they’ve been through or what their inner demons are and it’s blatantly obvious he doesn’t care either. This is not going to bode well for him though it will serve to bond the boys together, maybe not all at once but we’ll see how it affects them.
I do like the way this whole issue unfolds. These men are both at an extreme disadvantage and yet they are without a doubt their best, and most expendable, hope for winning battles. Separated from the other soldiers doesn’t boost morale and when discovered well it causes an all out riot. I am a huge fan of how all this was portrayed. Andi has a great grasp of who these characters are, where they are and what and how they are being used so he’s able to really get us some essential characterization.
Oh the ending here too couldn’t have been any better. Oh the Captain that rescues them from the firing squad and then is absent when they leave plus the dialogue amongst them yeah there’s no surprise here. Just one hell of an excellent reveal and something for these guys to figure out and cope with when the time comes.
This is how to do a story like this one. The occult and supernatural creatures of the world have held this sway over our imagination for centuries and seeing a brutally harsh and honest look at how they are being treated and used here is for me the absolute best.
Editor’s Note: Interested in checking this out for yourself? Head here!
EXMortis #2 (of 6)
451
Created by: The Williams Brothers
Adapted by: Andi Ewington
Illustrated by: Raymund Bermudez
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: One might ask the question, what’s the one thing a crack-team of classic horror monsters assembled for the single purpose of battling Hitler’s secret army of undead super-soldiers should be afraid of? Why, Sergeant Majors boot camp of course! As the team begins to take shape, it’s up to Sergeant Major to whip the newly formed Dreadnaughts into a fighting force for freedom. However, when the fledgling squadron turns a military sock-hop into a monsters ball, the big dance could be over before it starts.
Delete #1
Devil’s Due/First Comics 2016
Written by: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Illustrated by: John Timms
Coloured by: David Curiel
Lettered by: Bill Tortolini
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: If we erase our memories do we erase ourselves in the process? In a future when technology can implant or remove human memories and police use brain scan technology in criminal investigations, a mute girl must turn to an intellectually disabled handyman for protection after her parents are brutally murdered. On the run from an army of hitmen who will stop at nothing to kill them, it is revealed that the girl is carrying implanted memories that threaten to expose a conspiracy.
I don’t know about you but when I see Palmiotti and Gray attached to a project it’s pretty much a no-brainer it’s going to be read. C’mon these guys have mastered the art of storytelling together after all. So for me this just continues their streak shockingly unique and different characters they’ve managed to make interesting, fun and thoroughly entertaining.
I do like how this opens up as before you can settle in they start the action off in a most spectacular way. When young Yalena returns home with her parents we meet her and the handyman, Spencer, it’s actually very nice to think that you know the folks in your building and more so on a friendly first name basis with the handyman. That however is where the niceties end.
I think this world is great as it doesn’t seem like one too far off into the future, civilisation hasn’t fallen or anything only the technology is more advanced than we currently, knowingly, have. So we immediately understand the ramifications of what’s happening and the actions Yalena’s parents take. It’s really well written and while we have no real idea of what it is they stole the premise enlightens us just enough so we have a clue but still have that need to come back and see.
As our pair goes on the run from the bad guys we are introduced to the cops who’ll be handling this case. They seem both competent as well as shady so there’s a mystery on who they really work for as well as if ultimately they are on the side of Yalena. It’s incredibly well done really it’s structured so that we get so much information while still leaving plenty of room for growth. The guys really do know how to create and write characters so that readers can get the utmost from them.
With some really nice interior artwork from John and David we get a really good look at how life here is. There’s a real nice unique style here and it’s not something we see everyday and I quite like it. John’s creates a nice flow from page to page through panels to really get us into the groove.
Another stellar first outing for this creative team. A futuristic story like we’ve never seen.
Underneath #1 (of 4)
Spinner Rack Comics 2011
Written by: Tom Stillwell
Illustrated by: Jim Terry
Coloured by: Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by: Jason Arthur
Reviewer: Steven Lietman
Summary: The premise of Underneath is simple: Homeless people vs. trolls. Under the city of Chicago a small group of homeless people have banded together to keep blood thirsty trolls for entering our world via an enchanted pool. The pool has always been, even before the Chicago became a city. “A strong idea, delivered with energy and drive—a modern-day Chicago rife with Indian magic, ancient evil and kick-ass derelicts. If you like Jim Butcher’s DRESDEN FILES, you should really check out UNDERNEATH.” – Kurt Busiek (Marvels, Astro City)
Arrogant lawyer Terry is thrown head first into a shadow war going on under the streets of Chicago as a group of homeless people fight to keep the troll infestation in check.
While I love receiving books to review there are few I’ll go ahead and seek out and buy, my budget is extremely limited after all, but Tom and his creations are one of those. He’s a very small self-published kind of guy who also holds the distinction of having the only non-dc comic character tattooed on me. At C2E2 I ran into Tom, it’s his hometown show after all, where I discovered this run and knew I had to have to it. So basically here’s the gist: underneath Chicago lies another city where the homeless and disenfranchised live, there is also a hole in the fabric of reality where Wendigo come through to feed and terrorize the denizens who live there. Yeah sounds like a good premise for a bad SyFy movie so you know you want to read it already!
So the book opens with a look at the past before White Man came to the area and built upon it. When the Natives kept watch over the pool and protected the land from those who would come through. It’s a great beginning and sets the stage for we can expect from this. Plus the narration on the inside cover gives the reader a fuller synapse of what this is all about and I highly recommend you read it.
In modern Chicago we meet a man named Terry as he strolls over a bridge when he’s attacked and his world is changed forever. He’s saved by two men and he cannot believe or handle the truth of what he’s just seen and experienced, they call them Trolls and well it fits the stereotype. The remainder of the issue follows Terry and these two men who some would say kidnap him, me? I go with fully enlightening him to how the world really is. The characterization is pretty darn strong as we see just what kind of person each man is.
From conception to execution the story is pretty amazing. We’ve all heard the tales of those living in the sewers or abandoned train tracks creating their cities far from the prying eyes of man. It’s a fascination many of us hold and Chicago is a perfect place for just such a community to exist. Though the land, swamps, and such had to be filled and worked over before the modern could arise and after the great fire that destroyed, much like a phoenix the city rose anew from it’s ashes only they built on top of what was leaving it underneath. Everything about that screams out to be explored in the darkest depths of the mind.
Jim and Rachelle’s work on the interiors is fantastic. While this may be (extremely) small press their work is anything but indicative of that. With excellent attention to detail, faces and expressions that showcase the mood beautifully and a real good eye for pages and panel uses they bring this to life so very well. Even the creativity in bringing the Weendigo or Trolls to life is utterly fantastic as is their ability to showcase how they can blend in without being seen.
It’s books like this that make so happy I go to shows and seek out the people who do books and series like this. Sometimes the best finds come from the least likely places so if you want to join Terry on his journey of self-discovery and about the reality of the city he lives in you can head over to ComiXology and download it, or my preference head to www.spinnerrackcomics.com or even indyplanet.com and order the four issue series it’s worth it!
