Thursday, September 29, 2016

2016 Comic Challenge 251 Alien Encounters #04

TITLE-Alien Encounters #04
PUBLISHER-Eclipse comics

I love anthology comics. And this is one of the best 80s Sci Fi anthology titles. Originally it was published by Pacific Comics. Until the name Alien Worlds.When Pacific went under Eclipse brought it back under a new name.

This issue has 3 stories. And they are a nice blend of various sub genres of Science Fiction. You get a serious story,followed by a comedy story,followed by a story that would have fit perfectly in Weird Science from EC.

Of course this being an anthology title you never knew from issue to issue how it would be. This issue turned out to be damn good. With the great Gardener Fox writing one of the stories.

Alien Encounters #04 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 250 Hellstorm Prince of Lies #01

TITLE-Hellstorm Prince of Lies #01
PUBLISHER-Marvel Comics

During the early to mid 90s comic boom lots of odd titles came out. Hellstorm was the one that stood out the most to me. I figured when I heard it was coming out it would be similar to the 70s Son of Satan series. Turns out I was wrong.Instead of the standard superhero stuff Hellstorm felt more like Marvel's attempt to  take a forgotten character and do a Vertigo like series with it.

Hellstorm has his powers back. His wife Patsy Walker is catatonic. And instead of being the hero/anti-hero he was decades ago,he is pretty much pure evil. He has embraced his inner demon.

Rafael Nieves wrote this issue,and the great Michael Bair handles the art chores. Never read much from Nieves,and this is a decent issue. Bair I have loved his art for a long time. But I have always heard he is too slow to do a monthly series.

Since this came from Marvel during the speculator boom of course it has to have a cover gimmick. The gimmick is the cover is made of this odd paper. The solicits referred to it as a parchment cover.I do question the idea of using a gimmick cover on this issue. Mostly cause Damien Hellstorm is a very niche character. Plus there is a segment of the comic fandom that will not read this series because of Damien being the son of Satan.

Another thing that caught my attention was how this issue has the approval of the Comic Code. I seriously doubt they even read the issue. Really this entire series would at least get a PG-13 rating and sometimes going into R rated territory.

Hellstorm Prince of Lies #01 gets a buy.