Convergence: Green Arrow #2 - A Review

To say that Oliver Queen wasn't prepared to meet the son he never knew he had would be an understatement. And he really wasn't expecting to meet an older version Dinah Lance from another timeline and her daughter when he and Connor Hawke were suddenly transported to an abandoned Metropolis. But this odd family reunion must be put on hold as one truth becomes clear - father and son must battle mother and daughter for their fate of their respective worlds.


Christy Marx wrote a wonderful script for the second half of this special. The fight between both pairs of heroes is a satisfying bit of action, but what really sells this story is the character work. All of our heroes are portrayed as being intelligent and competent, with Marx perfectly capturing both Ollie and Dinah as experienced strategists who know how to play off of one another's weaknesses. This is incredibly welcome given how often they're both portrayed as hot-headed idiots who can't plan their way out of a paper bag. And I really like Marx's take on Olivia "Black Canary III" Queen, who gets more characterization and personality here than she ever did in the Kingdom Come tie-ins.


I've been a big fan of Rags Morales since his work on Geoff Johns' Hawkman and the work we see here adheres to his usual high standard.  Hopefully we'll see him on another monthly title soon enough. Claude St. Aubin and Nei Ruffino also do a fine job in finishing up the artwork for this issue.

Convergence: Green Arrow #1 - A Review

I know I said I was done with Convergence last week. And yet, I felt compelled to give the Green Arrow tie-in a shot. Not just because it's Green Arrow but because I wanted to see how Christy Marx - who authored the excellent Conquests Of The Longbow adventure game - wrote my favorite Robin Hood inspired hero.


It is another place. Another time. And it came to pass that Oliver Queen found himself in Metropolis at a time when he was feeling lost and without purpose.  The raising of the dome gave him some purpose as the only costumed hero in town. But Green Arrow is not the only one protecting the city...

Elsewhere in Metropolis, a young monk named Connor Hawke also fights to protect the weak and helpless from a new gang - the racist Brothers Of Purity. Hawke is something of a Green Arrow fanboy and is overjoyed when he finds evidence that his hero is in Metropolis.  When circumstances force the two men together, a dark secret will be revealed - that Connor Hawke is Oliver Queen's long-lost son!


Marx spins a wonderful Elseworlds tale here about how Oliver and Connor might have met under decidedly different circumstances.  Both characters are written true to form, with subtle nods in the script and artwork pointing to hidden sides of both characters. For instance, I loved seeing Ollie crafting a trick arrow, as many writers rarely depict Ollie as being capable of making his own arrows and forget that Ollie was an amazing engineer when it came to weapon design back in the day.

The only real flaw with the script - and I can't fault Marx for it - is a subplot built around the idea originally proposed by Brad Meltzer in The Archer's Quest that Oliver Queen was a deadbeat dad who knew about Connor years before the two met. I've gone into the general impossibility of this conceit elsewhere so I won't repeat that rant here. Suffice it to say this storyline adds nothing to the larger narrative, existing only to create artificial tension before the action truly begins.


The artwork for the issue is generally good, though there are a few oddities. Rags Morales has been a favorite of mine since his run on Hawkman though some of his pages here seem rushed and I'm not sure Claude St. Aubin's inking style is a good match for Morales' pencils. And the color art by Neil Ruffino is uneven, with the shirt sleeves of Ollie's costume alternating in whether or not they match his jerkin.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #6 - A Review

I'm several weeks overdue in covering this book, which I only discovered had come out by chance.  However, since the comic itself has not had a new issue come out for over a year, I feel little guilt over being late in covering it.  In any case, it has proven worth the wait.

Curiously, Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword seems to be migrating further away from its apparent purpose - anthologizing comics based around Robert E. Howard's less famous creations.  Yet of this issue's five stories, three are devoted to Conan the Cimmerian!  Still, one can't complain.  Even the weakest story in this volume is better than the current Conan the Barbarian comic and all of the stories contained within this volume feature top-tier talent.

Two stories continue on from the last issue.  One is the tale of Bran Mak Morn - Howard's Pictish hero.  This story by Ian Edgington sees the chieftain fighting a battle of wills against a shaman who disapproves of Bran Mak Morn's efforts to cease his peoples' barbarous practices of human sacrifice.  It is a bold tale, skillfully retold with amazing art by Richard Pace.    

The other continuing story centers upon the origins of Dark Agnes - a red-haired swordswoman who had as much a hand in inspiring Red Sonja as Robert E. Howard's historical heroine Red Sonya of Rogatino.  Fans of Gail Simone's Red Sonja book would do well to pick-up this issue and Issue #5, for Dark Agnes's adventures will hold similar appeal.  The artwork by Aaron McConnell proves a skillful substitution for last issue's Dark Agnes artist, Francesco Francavilla.

The remaining three stories are equally appealing.  The issue's opening tale - Sargasso of Sand - centers upon Conan's misadventures as he gets lost in the desert and is confronted by a mad captain who seeks to make his ship sail upon the sand itself.  John Jackson Miller's script is a humorous one and the artwork by Phillip Tan lives up to his usual high standard.  

The second Conan tale - Demons of the Summit -  is a fairly standard tale.  Barbarian meets girl.  Barbarian loses girl.  Barbarian kills monsters and wizards to get the girl.  Despite being formulaic, the tale is well-told and greatly enhanced by the excellent artwork of Tony De Zuniga.

The final story of the issue - Child of Sorcery - proves to be the issue's best.  Small wonder given that it is based on a story by Birds of Prey author Christy Marx with a script by legendary comics writer Roy Thomas!  Though this story also details Conan's efforts to save a woman from enslavement and defilement, the heroine is no helpless prize to be won.  The artwork by Ernie Chan is reminiscent of the classic Marvel Conan comics for all the right reasons.

In short, this book is a must read for all fans of fantasy in general and Robert E. Howard in particular.

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.