2016 Comic Challenge 225 Battlestar Galactica Zarek #01

TITLE-Battlestar Galactica Zarek #01
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

This is the start of a mini series that fills in the backstory to Tom Zarek,played by Richard Hatch on the show.

And while giving us the story of his childhood we find out more about the origins of the Cylons. Info that at least to me I hadn't heard before.

The art is decent. It does have that sameness feel that lots of Dynamite titles do.

Battlestar Galactica Zarek #01 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 222 Galactica 1980 #01

TITLE-Galactica 1980 #01
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

Sure I watched the Galactica 1980 tv show and it kind of sucked. So Dynamite took the idea behind the series and made it into a much better story.

Galactica has sent out the now fully grown Boxy and another Viper pilot. They find an old NASA space probe. Using the info inside it they discover where Earth is.

Of course they arrive and get attacked. Which almost causes an all out nuclear war to start.

While back on the Galactica Doc Zee has taken over.

Galactica 1980 #01 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 054 Mandrake the Magician #04

TITLE-Mandrake the Magician #04
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

So now the demon possessed Narda has merged with the castle and is on a rampage. Mandrake is trying to come up with and plan. And decides to get some advice from his partner Lothar. And after a talk with Lothar he figures out how to stop this demon.

And he does manage to stop it. But in the process Narda dies. So while Mandrake won he suffered a great loss.

With the delays and stuff I get the feeling this is the last of the King Feature heroes we will see from Dynamite. What I have read from this line is well done. But sadly it seems like the sale figures just aren't there.

Mandrake the Magician #04 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 053 Mandrake the Magician #03

TITLE-Mandrake the Magician #03
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

After a long delay issue 3 came out. Mandrake is trapped in the dungeon of his now former wife. Who is head of the Cobra.

And while Mandrake is trying to escape Narda is gaining more power from a demon. Who ends up taking over her body.

Mandrake and his newish sidekick escape the dungeon and make it to the throne room. But it is too late the demon has possessed Narda.

While the story is good. The art,which changed from the last 2 issues,is good.But the change from the more cartoonish style of the previous 2 issues to this way more realistic style is jarring. I am assuming whoever did the first two issues got behind and that is why the long wait happened.

Mandrake the Magician #03 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 052 Project Superpowers Blackcross #06

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #06
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

So our heroes stage a last stand against The American Spirit. And win.

Really hard to say much about this issue. It feels like Ellis ended his story and left it totally open for someone to carry on or just ignore it and reboot Project Superpowers again.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #06 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 051 Project Superpowers Blackcross #05

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #05
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

In this the penultimate issue I think Ellis finally reveals how this is connected to the previous Project Superpowers series.

Seems while trapped in Pandora's Box the heroes realized they could escape to another Earth. One with no heroes. But that had versions of themselves. So they are trying to come over and take over their other selves bodies.


And The American Spirit is trying to prevent them from escaping. Kind of like how in the first series he is the one that trapped the heroes in the box.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #05 gets a BUY!

2016 Comic Challenge 050 Project Superpowers Blackcross #04

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #04
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

The guy from issue one who set himself on fire returns. Right as Black Terror and Lady Satan are trying to figure out how to dispose of a body. Seems the guy is now possessed by the Flame.

And another agent gets attacked by the American Spirit.But the big thing is the deputy cop gets visited and I assumed possessed by the Women in Red. Who seems to say all the heroes are stuck in a prison,and this American Spirit that is coming is a kind of prison guard.

This is making me think that maybe this is all happening while the heroes were stuck in Pandora's Box in the first Project Superpowers series.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #04 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 049 Project Superpowers Blackcross #03

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #03
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

The agent reveals to the local cops the secret about the Black Terror analogue. WHo leaves the hospital with Lady Satan.

Then we cut to an old abandoned mansion. With a very Bruce Waynish man coming home after being gone for years studying abroad. He is contacted by who I must assume is the Green Lama.And allows Lama to take over his body.

Back at the medium who Lady Satan has possessed home,her boyfriend returns and attacks Rob AKA Black Terror. Which causes BT to punch the guy's jaw off.

So half way thru this series and I seem to have gotten a decent amount of the plot. The art this time seemed to have a bit more detail.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #03 gets a Buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 048 Project Superpowers Blackcross #02

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #02
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

Seems Lady Satan has crossed over. Our Black Terror analogue,who is in the town under witness protection program,gets a letter bomb. Which burns the Black Terror's skull and crossbones onto his chest.

And a government agent who was leaving town gets ordered to rush back.But on his way back runs into the American Spirit. Who kills him and mutters some cryptic shit.

The story thankfully is moving along at a decent pace. And I don't feel totally lost.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #02 gets  buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 047 Project Superpowers Blackcross #01

TITLE-Project Superpowers Blackcross #01
PUBLISHER-Dynamite

I have enjoyed all the previous Project Superpowers stuff,plus this having Warren Ellis at the helm,so I had to get this. But knowing how Dynamite is with delays I waited until the series was over to even attempt to read it.

This issue has a very Twin Peaks meets Project Superpowers feel. Set in a tiny NW town. With Lady Satan making an attempt to come over,from what I have no clue. Someone who I think is the Black Terror analogue. Dead body's with Stars and stripes clawed into them from The American Spirit. And oddest of all a man who self immolates.

The art is your standard Dynamite decent. Like Avatar to me lots of the art in Dynamite titles looks very similar.Can't really say much about the story so far,since this issue was just pure setup.

Project Superpowers Blackcross #01 gets a borrow.

Garth Ennis Mad Irish genius 01

The Boys Volume 1 The name of the game

Written by Garth Ennis

Art by Darick Robertson

The Boys is a creator owned series first published by the DC imprint Wildstorm. When it first came out I was not reading many comics and didn't bother to pick it up. Then the series was dropped by Wildstorm.This stirred up a lot of press for the book. And when it was quickly picked up by Dynamite Entertainment ,I went out and bought the first trade. The story is a world were superheroes are real. And there is a team of heroes that are sponsered by the government to keep and eye on the other heroes and make sure they don't get outta control. We start off with Wee Hughie an englishman who looks alot like Simon Peg,he is out enjoying a carnival with his girlfriend when she is accidentlly ran over by a super speed possessing hero who is chasing after a villain. This kills Hughie's girlfriend,and he settles into a deep bout of depression. After a few weeks he is contacted by Billy Butcher,the lead of the BOYS. Butcher has a huge grudge with all the various superheroes,and recruits Hughie to help make sure the heroes stay in line.Hughie agrees to temporarly join the team and meets the other members. Mother's Milk ,who seems to be the most level headed. The Frenchman,a small man who goes into major rages of violence. And The Female,a quiet asian woman who works on the side for various mafia types. This trade reprints the first 6 issues and is mainly about how Hughie decieds to join the team,and his first mission in which they send a warning to a team of super powered teenagers. Turns out this group of teens are sexual deviants and have almost no morals. After a quick fight,The Boys end up beating the shit outta the teens and Hughie accidentlly kills on of the teens. This causes Hughie to have second thoughts about being a member of the team. But thanks to a chance meeting of a cute blonde girl in Central Park ,he agrees to keep working with The Boys. This girl it turns out is the newest member of this universe's version of the JLA. And we see how this JLAish team is also full of some of the most dispicable people. The trade ends with the feeling that eventually The Boys and JLA parody will end up in a huge war. Garth Ennis is one of my fave comic storytellers,ever since I read the first issue of "Preacher" he has been one of the few writers that I will pick up anything he does. And he doesn't dissapoint. The trade is full of the usual Ennis black humor,and of course he street level way with words. Darick Robertson is an artist I hadn't seen much from before,but his art on this title is good. He is able to draw the various scenes of ultra violence ,and even his scenes of plain conversation are eye catching. Overall Boys volume 1 gets a A-.