If you want more mature vigilante stuff for your comic book fix then you might want to invest in some good ol' GRENDEL. MATT WAGNER's story of betrayal and legacy has gotten a lot of good reviews for the past decade or so and now Grendel squares off against pulp classic hero THE SHADOW.
Here's an excerpt on the interview that Wagner did with CBR: Q:Tell me about the origin of this series. It's been quite a while since you've done a Hunter Rose story -- why return to him now, and in this form? A: The last time I worked on Hunter as a character was the "Behold The Devil" series for the 25th Anniversary, and I've been kind of flexing my pulp muscles over at Dynamite for a while now. I did some 30 issues of "Zorro," the 20 issues of "Green Hornet: Year One" and "Shadow: Year One," most recently. This new project come out of an e-mail from Dynamite Editor-in-Chief Joe Rybandt. He's been a big fan of my work for a long time -- in fact, when we first met, he showed me his Grendel tattoo. So his e-mail says, "I went to bed last night thinking about this, and I couldn't fall to sleep. What if we did a Grendel/Shadow crossover?"
I did the two Batman/Grendel crossovers years ago, and I've been offered the chance to do many, many other crossovers since then. I always turned them down because, after Batman, where do you go? But this idea I bit on immediatly because I'm a huge Shadow nut. As big a Batman fan as I am, I think I'm an even bigger Shadow fan. Just about the time that I was getting into comics as a real fan, more so than just a reader -- the time I became aware of the world of fandom that surrounds comics -- around when I was 12 or 13, DC had ads running in their books announcing their first Shadow series drawn by Mike Kaluta in the early '70s. That was very intriguing to me. My parents were from the World War II era, so they grew up listening to "The Shadow" on the radio, and by the '70s you could get old episodes of the radio drama on vinyl. Then, about a year after the comic debuted, Pyramid Books started releasing the old Shadow pulp novels with beautiful new covers by Jim Steranko. I got a whole big mega-dose of the Shadow all at once and just fell in love with the character. So when Joe brought this up to me, I thought, "Yeah, this is a natural. If there's one character I could set Grendel up with besides Batman, it's the Shadow." And when I wrote him back. I said, "I think I've got to draw this one as well as write it." I guess we'll have more details surrounding this crossover come New York Comic Con 2013.
Gail Simone proves that she's not only capable of writing Batgirl and her adventures, she's also well versed in dishing out sword and sorcery tales such as Dynamite's RED SONJA # 1 together with Walter Geovani. This issue starts fast and then drags on a bit till we reach the cliffhanging conclusion. Regardless of the pacing though, you can see a strong woman written in this new book. A strong woman who knows what she wants, knows her limitations and knows when to look desperate.
Like all traditional fantasy books, we get to see only a part of the story behind Sonja. First time readers might be confused about the she-devil's origins but I'm sure Simone would tackle that in the near future. This issue however focuses on her time as a slave and her eventual freedom after a siege. Much is left as vague as possible to thicken the plot for future issues. The action is intense here and I'm a bit sad that we don't fully see Sonja in all out berserker mode. In #1 she's pratically just like a cat playing with mouse. We do see bits of pieces of the Red Sonja that we all grew up and admired. The mean spirited, red haired warrior that can cut down men in the battlefield much like how we are with the game Fruit Ninja. RED SONJA isn't a world building romp through the worlds of barbarians and vipers and wizards but the look and feel is definitely there. The issue also shows that when Simone is writing something that's in her element, you really see her bring life to the characters with every tick and every nuisance and small talk. Heck there were even some funny bits in the dialogues that sucks you right into the story and reminds us how fragile Sonja's newfound 'friends' are. Verdict: 8.5/10 RED SONJA # 1 is still available in all Castle Geek branches and online through Comicx Hub (click HERE).
Tim Kring's one famous TV series HEROES is finally getting a comeback AND more importantly getting said revival in comics format!
CBR reports from SDCC 2013 that Dynamite Entertainment has picked up the rights to publish an ongoing comic book with writer Cullen Bunn helming the project.
Here's what Bunn had to say regarding which character gets first appearance on the book:
Not the Actual art
"Right off the bat, Claire is going to be our point of view character. The first issue is centered more on her than anyone else. That said, you're going to see most of those core characters early on in the first few issues. Hiro was the character I always liked most in the show for a number of reasons. So you'll be seeing him and Sylar and a bunch of others who will get thrown back into the story early on. Claire, Hiro and Sylar will be big right off the bat, but it won't be long before you see all the core characters." Looking good. I always was a big fan of HEROES and even though Season 3 was a big pain in the ass, I still welcome this.
Reviewing The Owl # 1 written by JT Krul with art by Heubert Khan Michael and cover by Alex Ross from Dynamite Entertainment. This is of course is done in partnership with Castle Geek and Comicx Hub. Wanted to get my fix of pulp and detective stories so I picked up Dynamite's "The Owl". JT Krul never did wrong by me (although that's not the case with the more die-hard Green Arrow fans) and I'm always happy to see published art by my friend Heubert Khan Michael.
Nick Terry is the Owl and he's been gone for half a century. Now that he's back, he seems lost more than ever. That alone is a pretty good plot. It's a pretty linear storyline and a used one at that but the way it's presented is fresh. Straightforward dialogue for this book, nothing to really go ga-ga over. However it's the small quirks and the character beat that makes up for the lack of grit. Still we can see the slow planting of seeds for future arcs here in this book. Halfway through the story and it we're already treated to a nice mystery already. Good times still. I loved Terry's drive for justice; seeking to right all wrongdoings whenever he can. It's really the art and the pacing that makes it very interesting. Michael's art is just to die for here in the book; and that's totally unbiased. The movement that The Owl does is very dynamic. The artist conveys so much raw power and confidence in each panel where we see don't even have to worry that the guy will get hurt while working. For me the biggest turn off here would have to be the magical element, the urn. It's a deus ex machina back in the old days and it's being used once more. It does help however that we see Black Terror in suspended animation albeit in a short panel. Without the urn, this would've been rock solid, a tale of heroism and duty and justice with a flare of mystery on the side. Will I buy it: Yes, The Owl # 1 is a good issue, again with some rough edges but it does have it's charm. It's really easy to sell this character in spite of having 20 to 30 different 'heroes' having the same M.O. as he does. A couple more polishing here and there and it has the makings of a truly great book. Grab your copy of The Owl # 1 from Castle Geek with branches in Glorietta and the Collective; you can also order this issue online by clicking HERE. Verdict: 8.5/ 10 Oh and don't forget, Castle Geek will be playing host to the artist Heubert Khan Michael on July 20. He'll be doing sketches and sign books as well. Click this link for more information - LINK
After months of anticipation, CASTLE GEEK brings you DYNAMITE SUPERSTAR - Heubert Khan Michael for another signing event, this time for this new book - THE OWL!
THE OWL (W) J. T. Krul (A) Heubert Khan Michael (CA) Alex Ross Fear the shadows, the Owl has returned! Lost for 50 years in an ethereal limbo, the Owl has come back to find a violent and desperate world of strangers. The woman he loved is gone, but he remains determined to continue his fight for justice. Can the Owl withstand the challenges awaiting him... or will this new reality crush his body and spirit? Catch him at CASTLE GEEK Glorietta on Saturday, July 20, 1:00PM, have your copies signed, and your blank covers sketched!
Plus! CASTLE GEEK presents to you the grandest raffle prize yet! WIN! ONE (1) CGC Graded, Yellow Label, Sketched Blank Cover by Heubert Khan Michael (courtesy of our friend Jun Pamintuan)
ONE (1) Official Replica of THE OWL Script complete with Artist Sketches on the pages! SKETCH MECHANICS: - There will be SIX (6) Slots for Heubert Khan Michael at P500 (one character only) - Sketch slots will be given to those who have purchased the book - Sketches will be on a first come first served basis and will only be done in Blank Cover Variants bought on that day. - No reservation of sketches allowed. RAFFLE MECHANICS: - For every P1000 purchase of DYNAMITE COMICS that includes Heubert Khan Michael's THE OWL you get ONE (1) Raffle Coupon. - Once drawn, winners must be present to claim their prize. - Raffle of items will start at 5:00PM And there’s more! ONE DAY SALE! Back Issue Bins at P100 each! (DC, Marvel, Image, Vertigo, and all other publishers) CGC GRADED COMICs at 30% OFF! Complete Sets at 20% OFF! Join us together with other DYNAMITE Artist for this momentous event happening only at CASTLE GEEK Glorietta! See you all!
