HOWARD the DUCK / PRINCESS LEIA / GLC / NINJAK / BIG MAN PLANS [Reviews]: The ‘Big’ Con Job.

It’s this week’s Fistful of Comics— and we surely have MORE than a Fistful!

Waaaaaffff!

Howard the Duck #1 is one of the funniest first issues I’ve read in a long time. It breaks the fourth wall barrier with side notes and direct conversation to the readers, much like the old school John Byrne She-Hulk days. It’s a great introduction to the character for those that have no previous knowledge– or those who want to forget that their only knowledge is of the 1980s cult classic movie.

Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals, the upcoming Kaptara) is as expected, perfectly suitable for this title. He captures and delivers Howard’s trademark sarcasm and snark which left me cracking up at every swipe of the page. Joe Quinones (Captain Marvel, Dark Avengers) matches the writing with popping visuals and great details. There really isn’t anything like this story from the other “big name characters” and I’m so looking forward to reading more.

The cameos were to be expected and didn’t disappoint. With Howard being a detective in the Marvel Universe, I expect to see many crossovers and cases that tie into the rest of the MU.
Pick this title up, you won’t regret it. 4.5/5 Holy Shits this is great!

Big Man Plans #1 tells the origin of one little man and his angry revenge on those who have taken his humanity away. From the creative mind that brought you The Goon and not for the kids at home — but masterly delivered and exquisitely illustrated — BMP may just be the crude sleeper hit of 2015.

Born with dwarfism, Big Man lived a troubled life since the day his father died and his sister was stolen away from him. Utterly broken down and with no where to turn, the U.S. Army enlists BM for an off the books Vietnam tunnel mission. BM soon becomes adapt at his job flushing out the Vietnamese soldiers in their tunnel bases. After the taxpayers find out about missing funds that had been paying the way for BM’s missions, he is sent home where he drinks himself to rock bottom till he is delivered a mysterious letter that changes everything!

What Eric Powell (The Goon) and Tim Wiesch (Hellboy) deliver with this new comic is equal parts hilarious and crude. If you appreciated the humor in The Goon and unsolicited destruction — with a mix of sex (yes, use that dirty imagination of yours) — you will love everything about this comic. If it’s not a well-placed grenade under a chocolate milk sip cup or a Dwarf beating a man with a crow bar and his cock out, BMP has a ton to offer.

Powell and Wiesch work as an amazing team, reworking the average crime drama into something so much more. It’s BIG, its CRUDE and Big Man Plans #1 is my pick for Best Miniseries of 2015 thus far. Oh wait, there’s 3 more issues… 5/5 Munchkins agree!

I opened my dropbox to find that my fearless leader of GHG had sent me another comic assignment. I downloaded only to discover– it was Marvel’s Princess Leia 001. I squealed like my gay friend Jason when he sees Michael Kors sale online.

For realz doe.

“This is a geek girl’s wet dream” I screamed! My cat looking amused and judgmental. Also, he had that “feed me bitch” look clearly only wanting me to finish opening the can tuna so he could eat. I opened the can and quickly read this masterpiece.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo, in a nut shell — besides hustling down to Meltdown as fast as I could to buy, smell and breath in the damn beautiful thing in fresh paper — the story starts off right at the end of the 4th episode, A New Hope, when Leia is giving Han, Chewie, and Luke medals. She gives a speech to the crowd whom seem to feel as though she is not mourning her people and family as much as she should. Her people begin to gossip and whisper that she is an ‘ice-cold princess’ in demeanor. However, we peeps all know, Leia is out to protect her people by any means necessary (cue: BDP!). Leia befriends a woman Alderaan pilot named Evaan whom helps her to sneak out so she can take matters into her own hands and help her people.

BOOM Alderaan. BOOM.

Princess Leia comes packed with some awe-inspiring art by Terry Dodson (Uncanny X-Men), and the clever story by Daredevil‘s Mark Waid really pens the tail on the ewok. Ouch. Not only have they brought in a classic heroine, but they have begun a great beginnings of a series that I hope will do very well, as I am sure they will. Mark and Terry… the force is strong with you… and also with Marvel. 4/5 Bibles.

Smart this comic is. This comic smart is. Is this comic smart? Smart comic this is.
[insert yoda voice with one of those phrases]

Ninjak #1 by writer Matt Kindt (Unity), and artist Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy) is a slick, action-packed read that reintroduces readers to Valiant’s popular super-spy amalgam of Batman and James Bond (or, more appropriately, Derek Flin). I must admit, I wasn’t aware of the character prior to this reading, but the story starts promisingly enough, with Ninjak’s action-packed rescue of Agent Roku—a super-deadly engineered assassin—from a Russian facility.

The action is inter-cut with flashbacks from Ninjak’s (real name, Colin King) childhood, showing his escape from his rich (if detached) parents’ opulent home, at the dead of night, to catch samurai films in town. Juxtaposing his childhood with the action-packed present helped give a very clear picture of who Colin is (and was) and what shaped his skills and independent streak; although it did affect the pacing later on in the story—a flashback that felt superfluous dragged on the present proceedings in a way that made me reread the segment to see what the point was of it all. Mann’s art is slick and workmanlike, and was very reminiscent of Jim Lee’s detailed, sharp lines; it gets the job done, but doesn’t do much more than that.

This issue sets up a larger storyline that will be interesting to see concluded, and if the flashbacks are handled more deftly, I’ll gladly be there for the ride. 4/5 Super Spy Mansions.

Southern Cross comes to us by writer Becky Cloonan (American Vampire) and artist Andy Belanger (Kill Shakespeare). The story follows Alex Braith as she boards the Southern Cross to reclaim her sister’s remains and to dig a bit deeper into her mysterious death on the planet, Titan. However, not everything is as it seems at the core of the ship. She don’t “love to fly and it shows”.

The great thing about reviewing pilot issues of indie comics is that you have absolutely no idea what you are walking into. Picking up a Spider-Man #1 comic? You know what you are getting. Same with any other mainstream superhero(ine) book (although some may argue at this point that Image is mainstream; thanks, Walking Dead!) Cloonan brings a great nuance to the series, introducing a number of characters in a very natural way– making it easier to keep track of so many in a first issue. Belanger’s artwork is crisp with an indie flair. The colors are as muted as our protagonist, but seeing as it takes place on a ship, it makes everything work that much more.

The end to the issue might as well have been a gigantic question mark, and although the question of whether or not to buy this in single or trade paper back is entirely up to you, it’s this week’s “must-read.” End of story. 4.5/5 Boarding Passes to Titan.

The final issue of the New 52 relaunch of the Green Lantern Corps is here, which looks at the lives of anyone not named Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner or Kyle Rayner. Although I haven’t kept up with this comic, I couldn’t miss jumping at the chance to cover my personal favorite Green Lantern– John Stewart; and, no, I’m not talking about the guy that kicked Seth Rollins and every rightwing Republican in the balls (not necessarily my views, but you know). No, we’re talking about Stringer, Janek, Stacker, Luther, Heimdall, and the next Shere Khan. Well, at least I’m hoping Mr. Elba lands this casting. Imagine him and Chris Pine? Dopeness.

Getting back to the comic, familiar John Stewart fans know that one incident in particular haunts him — and us — more than most: The destruction of the planet Xanshi. It haunts him mainly because HE caused it with a headstrong move. Now what happens when an older, wiser John is confronted with an identical situation so many years later? Will one GL’s past affect another planet’s future? These questions make for a nice end to the series. I love Van (The Flash) Jensen‘s “Will I make the same mistake twice?” device, and even better is the dialogue between Stewart and his subordinate GLs.

One difference between this new retelling of the incident and the original is that John initially arrives at Xanshi with Katma Tui instead of the Martian Manhunter. Also a treat is the artwork from Bernard Chang (The forthcoming Batman Beyond) and Mirko Colak (Deadpool) and their vivid recreation of the Xanshi‘s explosion in the beginning. Now, for the important question: Where does the GLC go from here? I suppose we’ll let Convergence decide that now, won’t we. 4/5 Belser Bibles.

So when our editor “Monsignor” Moody selects which comics he assigns for us individuals to review, I kind of wonder his thinking process. Ahhh, The Big Con Job #1 made perfect sense to me: A book about a group of actors who were once on a famous cult TV show — called Buck Blaster — who, now many years later, are just struggling to get financially by on the nostalgia of appearing at conventions. As time has gone on, they get less and less fanfare to help line their pockets and therefore they are beginning to fall into desperate situations. Of course, because this is comics, it all takes to extreme circumstance.

The Divine couldn’t have been more sucked in by this book. Being a fanboy that spends ridiculous amounts of time and money going to these conventions and meeting either stars of yesterday or today, I know all too well that fame is fleeting. But Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn) and Dominike “Domo” Stanton (Fanboys vs. Zombies) have found a way to bring these characters’ despair to the page in a way that is so remarkably honest. The dialogue between them is so lined with sadness that you’re immediately pulling for the entire group.

Stanton’s art also conveys so many great examples of emotion and heart to wonderfully accommodate this story. Just one panel alone of a man in the rain with his cat left me with an unforgettable impression. But without giving too much away, the series has to be able to go somewhere; thankfully, the last page reveals some great story potential. Thanks for Con-ing me into another book on my pull-list, Moody. 4.5/5 Washed Up Convention Guests.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post