Wonder Woman/Conan #6 - A Review

Diana has returned home to Themyscira, but she cannot help but feel guilt for leaving the warrior Conan behind to fight the battle she helped to start. Still, Conan is armed with The Lasso of Hestia, but will even that enable him to face an army of darkness alone and save a single city? And will he truly have to fight alone?


Wonder Woman/Conan #6 proves a perfect conclusion to one of the most enjoyable mini-series in recent memory. There's little for me to say about the series beyond this without sounding like a broken record. Great art. Great story. And if The Powers That Be at Marvel Comics have a damn lick of sense, they'll recruit Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti to helm their new Conan book in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 9/10. 

Wonder Woman/Conan #5 - A Review

The good news is that Diana's sisters on Themyscira have finally located just where in time and space their princess has become lost. The bad news is that their window of opportunity to save her is limited. Now, as a band of Amazons enter the world of Hyboria, Diana and Conan must struggle to survive a while longer as they plot just how two shall save many from a duo of blood-thirsty war goddesses.

There is little I can say about this issue that will not spoil it's rather shocking and historic conclusion. I can say that if you're a fan of Wonder Woman's supporting cast and miss the many Amazons that used to be a regular part of the series... or wished we had seen more of the Amazons in the Wonder Woman and Justice League movies, you would do well to check out this issue. Simone and Lopresti are knocking it out of the park and if there's any justice in this world they'll be brought on to handle Conan's adventures when he moves to Marvel Comics in 2019.

The Final Analysis: 10/10.

Wonder Woman/Conan #4 - A Review

Free from the slave ship that would have been their watery grave, Conan and the mystery woman he calls Yanna have returned to the town which saw them made into gladiator slaves. Two blood-thirsty goddesses have sworn to destroy the city for their refusal to fight to the death and Yanna cannot abide such a thought. Conan is less concerned, but agreeable to aiding the woman... provided he gets a much needed drink first.

Hilarity ensues as the two endure hangovers, over-amorous barmaids, marriage proposals, indecent proposals and the inevitable bar-fight, as "Yanna" begins to recall something of her past and who she truly is...


There are some who object to the idea behind Wonder Woman/Conan on general principle. More may likely join that group based on this issue's revelation that "Yanna" is unable to handle strong drink as well as Conan. I say this is a hilarious comic and that Gail Simone is doing a fantastic job capturing the essence of both characters, giving us a Conan who possess the same dry wit seen in Robert Howard's original stories.The artwork is equally fantastic, making this one enjoyable book.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10.

Wonder Woman/Conan #3 - A Review

Free of the slave ship that was their prison but now stranded at sea without provisions, Conan and his newfound companion - who he believes to be Yanna, a lost love from his youth - face a slow and lingering death. The eyes of the gods are upon them, however, but the salvation of one will require the doom of the other or else unleash greater suffering yet on an innocent town!

Halfway done and it's still no clearer than when it started if Yanna - the girl from a tribe of all women, whom Conan remembers from his youth - is the Diana we all know and love. In the end, it matters little, but the mystery and the related flashback story is an intriguing bonus to the epic tale that Gail Simone spins of how "the two greatest warriors of this or any age" were brought together by bored gods for the sake of a wager.

Robert E. Howard purists may blanch at the idea of gods taking such an active role in the world of Hyboria, but the tale is well within the oeuvre of Roy Thomas' Conan tales and works well on those terms. Throw in the fantastic artwork of Aaron Lopresti, the well-balanced inks of Matt Ryan and a vivid color job by Wendy Broome and this is one comic worthy of both the Conan and Wonder Woman brands.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Future Quest #3 - A Review

Future Quest #3 takes a break from its story-line to give us two introductory stories involving some of the cast we've seen so far. One story centers on Birdman and explains how he first teamed up with Inter-Nation agent Deva Sumadi. The other gives us an origin story for The Herculoids.

Jeff Parker writes both stories with the same sense of pulp fiction excitement that has dominated the series so far. The Birdman story is an excellent combination of both the spy thriller and superhero genres, that draws on Alex Toth's original notes for Birdman's origin story that never made it into the original cartoons.

The Herculoids story is something greater. As far as my research can determine, Alex Toth never wrote a formal background for The Herculoids as he did with Birdman. The show depicted the humanoid family fighting to keep their planet free from technology but never explained why.

Parker's story - whether based on his own ideas or Toth's - provides the explanation that Zandor and Tarra were escapees from a world destroyed by a robot uprising. The story also explains a discrepancy regarding the name of the Herculoid's homeworld, which had two different names in two different Herculoids cartoons. Don't worry, action fans - there's plenty of monsters fighting robots action amid the continuity porn for the trivia enthusiasts!

The entire book is beautifully illustrated. Steve Rude and Steve Buccellato give the Birdman story a suitably retro feel, that recalls the look of the original cartoons as well as the comics of Jim Steranko. The Herculoids story is more animated, if you'll pardon the pun. Aaron Lopresti perfectly captures the look of the various bestial Herculoids while crafting some uniquely 60s-style robots. Karl Kessel finds the right balance to the inks, keeping things light in depicting the futuristic society of Quasar but heavily shading the primordial jungle of Amzot. And the colors by Hi-Fi are nice and vivid.

Sword Of Sorcery #1-3 - A Review

I've somehow managed to go three months without reviewing what is easily the best original anthology comic released in recent memory.  I thought I had reviewed the first issue, but hadn't.  I just recently bought a copy of the second issue.  And the third issue came out this past week.  Know then that I only review these books together as a means of catching myself up and not because each issue isn't worthy of individual attention.

The main focus of Sword of Sorcery continues to be Christy Marx's revival of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld.  Over the past three issues, Marx has slowly given us glimpses of The Gemworld. it's people and its' politics.  There are a number of houses, all with their own functions and magical powers.  There's allegiances, treachery and all manner of drama to equal anything one might find in the Game of Thrones series.  Imagine Tamora Pierce writing She-Ra and you might have some idea of what this book is like.


We've seen this sort of thing before in countless books, comics and cartoons aimed at young adults.  The hero raised in seclusion by one parent or a foster parent.  They discover the power that is their birthright as a teenager.  They learn of the villain seeking their destruction, because they are destined to overthrow them or take their power.  It's all very Joseph Campbell but Marx infuses this title with enough humor and personality to keep it fresh, though some of the fish-out-of-water humor as Amy adjusts to life in a fantasy world is equally familiar.

Thankfully, the artwork by Aaron Lopresti and Claude St. Aubin is always fresh and exciting.  Most recently seen on Justice League International and Green Lantern Corps respectively, both artists make use of thin pencils and light inks to give this book an open, hopeful appearance. Coupled with the vibrant palette utilized by Hi-Fi, this remains one of the best looking series on the shelves.



Less impressive is the back-up series Beowulf by Tony Bedard.  While the concept of re-imagining Beowulf as a genetically-engineered super-soldier in a post-apocalyptic future is a novel one, the novelty of the concept quickly wore off.  This story might have been serviceable as a one-shot but as a serial, it drags for anyone who knows the original story and can see this is all going even before the monster Grendel's "mother" appears to explain it all for everyone who hasn't read the original epic.  The gorgeous artwork of Jesus Saiz is wasted here.


Despite the back-up being a bit boring, the revival of Amethyst makes interesting reading and thus makes this book worth the buying.  The whole series is available for digital download if your local comic shop doesn't have any back issues.  It's well worth the tracking down and catching-up - believe me!

Sword Of Sorcery #0 - A Review

Nearly 10 years ago, I suggested that DC Comics should look into reviving the much beloved Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld series.

It took them a while but someone is finally listening to me. ;)



All kidding aside, I could hardly have asked for a better comic than this had it been custom-made to my specifications. I'm a life-long fan of the sword-and-sorcery genre and my favorite original series out of all the New 52 books has been Demon Knights. But even ignoring my own bias, this is a great book that has a lot to offer a variety of readers.



The greater portion of this issue is devoted toward the aforementioned revival of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. We see little of the titular Gemworld but we do get a strong introduction to our heroine - Amy Winston a.k.a. Princess Amaya. Hidden away on Earth from her evil aunt, Amy has been raised on the run and trained as a warrior by her mother. This has made it difficult for young Amy to make friends but left her a good sense of who can be trusted and made her more than capable of defending herself from bullies and worse. As the hour of her 17th birthday approaches, Amy and her mother make the journey back to their homeworld - the other-dimensional planet known as Gemworld. The homecoming is not a smooth once, however, and Amy finds herself pressed into battle far sooner than her mother had hoped.

Writer Christy Marx breathes new life into this classic concept and I'm hard pressed to think of another writer who could have done so grand a job. Best known for her work as a writer on a number of cartoons and computer games, Marx is no stranger when it comes to writing strong-willed young women with a connection to a gem. And if you think I'm about to make a comment about this book being "truly outrageous"... well, you've been reading my reviews too long. Punning and referential humor aside, Marx establishes Amy as a sympathetic, no-nonsense heroine fairly quickly while still infusing the book with her trademark humor.


Aaron Lopresti, most recently of Justice League International, does a fine job of depicting both the mundane and the mystical elements of Marx's script. It is unclear at present if this new series will stick to the classic idea of Amy living a double-life, half on Earth and half in Gemworld. If it does stick to the old ways, it is nice to know it will be in the hands of an artist who can draw a brawl behind the bleachers as well as a battle with a horde of armored knights. Surprisingly few artists are able to show that kind of diversity but Lopresti proves successful in that regard.

The second story in this issue presents a post-apocalyptic take upon a classic character who - while depicted in the pages of his own DC Comics - existed for quite some time before comic books or even the printing press! I speak of Bewoulf, whom Tony Bedard has reimagined as some sort of super-soldier in cryogenic suspension in a dark future where man has reverted to barbarism and monsters walk the earth!





The story here seems to follow the original Beowulf bard's tale - where Beowulf is summoned to the home of a distant king in order to slay the beast called Grendel. There's not a lot of character development to be had here, most of the story being told through the eyes of a young warrior sent to summon forth Beowulf from the home he is pledged to defend - i.e. an abandoned military base. Bedard's script is less dependent on character than it is concept but the idea of Beowulf as a superhuman soldier who only leaves his post after being told the King who summons him is also a general is a nice nod to the original myths, where Beowulf only answers the summons because of the king's reputation as a warrior. The artwork by Jesus Saiz, most recently of Resurrection Man and Birds of Prey, does a fine job of depicting the action with all the blood and gore one would expect in a story based on Beowulf.

This book is a must-read for all comic book readers. Lovers of comics centered around strong female protagonists will find Amethyst to be an entrancing heroine. Fans of the Conan comics will get a kick out of Beowulf. And fantasy fans of all stripes will enjoy the whole package. This book has made my pull list. Make it part of your subscription too.

Justice League International #1 - A Review

When Justice League #1 came out, many fans (including your humble author) were somewhat disappointed to find that the first issue focused upon Batman and Green Lantern. The issue was good – few disputed that. It was a simple matter of expectations. We saw seven of the World’s Finest heroes on the cover and we wanted to see all of those heroes on the cover in the book! By contrast, Justice League International #1 is quick to introduce us to its’ whole line-up and equally quick to establish the book’s concept.

Fearful of independent superhero groups like The Justice League, The United Nations Security Council vote to form an international superhero team made up of proven heroes from their various member nations. Nominations are made, rejected and eventually a team of eight is formed, with superheroic spokesman Booster Gold being appointed team leader. But Booster has little time to start forming the other heroes into a true team, as the group is almost immediately dispatched to investigate the disappearance of a UN research team in Peru.

The artwork in this book is top-notch. I loved Aaron Lopresti work on Wonder Woman and he proved to be the perfect choice for this book. Lopresti’s characters always seem active, even when they are standing still – which is fortunate as much of this issue depicts people standing around talking. Lopresti also has a great eye for detail, with little things like the tread of Batman’s boot as he kicks out toward the reader getting special attention. Inker Matt Ryan is thankfully wise enough to leave most of Lopresti’s pencils untouched, save for a thin outline. This, coupled with Hi-Fi’s palette, leaves the entire book looking vibrant and vitalic– everything a superhero comic should be.

Ensemble pieces are difficult beasts for a writer to manage. There is always a danger that the writer will extensively focus on certain characters while pushing others into the background. I fear that is the case here, with writer Dan Jurgens – Booster Gold’s creator - focusing heavily upon Booster Gold. Booster is even the focus of scenes where he isn’t present, with Guy Gardner and Batman discussing Booster as Guy explains his reasons for quitting the JLI team and Batman explaining his reasons for joining it without UN approval.

With so much of the focus on Booster, the rest of the cast is confined to the background and the book suffers for it. Oddly, Guy Gardner gets the most development despite barely being in the book at all! Rocket Red and August General in Iron are given little characterization beyond being proud, jingoistic warriors for their respective nations. Yet even they are given more characterization than the female members of the team. You can count the number of lines Fire has on one hand and none of them show off the “fiery spirit” we are informed she has. Ice doesn’t do much better, save that her dialogue hints at the team-mom personality she had in the previous JLI book. Vixen has a limited number of lines and doesn’t even get a sentence describing her powers for new readers. And newcomer Lady Godiva doesn’t display any powers, save the ability to single-handedly push the Women's Rights movement back thirty years.

Justice League International is a different book from Justice League. And variety being the spice of life, that is a good thing. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about the lack of development most of the cast has received so far, but I think Dan Jurgens was playing to his strengths with this first issue and hope he will showcase the rest of the cast in future issues. As it is, with the amazing artwork by Lopresti and company, this is still a book to keep an eye on and I plan to give it some more time to impress me.