Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment

Writer: Roger Stern

Artist: Michael Mignola

Colors: Mark Badger

Publisher: Marvel

Published: 1989

Been a while...watching a lot of Glee...yeah I admit it. I am so conflicted by this show. There are so many things I dislike, yet I can't stop watching it. I've watched 18 episodes in 4 days! I can't stand the lip synching, the non-teen cast, the ridiculous plot lines and manipulative storytelling...and I'm really tormented by the sterilization of songs I like...yet I can't turn away...after this post, I'm gonna watch more. However the show really is a triumph...no matter how twisted it gets and no matter how manipulated I feel, I root for these characters. This feeling reminds me of todays comic: Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment.

The story follows two of Marvel's biggest and most powerful characters. One dedicated to life, the other to the subjugation of life: Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom. They each compete in a ritualistic magical competition and it's bizarre prize forces Dr. Strange to aid Dr. Doom on an insane quest into Hades itself to battle Mephisto (which is the Marvel equivalent of Satan).

On the surface this comes across as just another adventure in the Marvel U. But, inside this seemingly everyday tale beats a story of redemption, sympathy, and the need to win-no-matter-the-price for one of Marvels darkest and most evil characters.

Dr. Doom makes for a great bad guy; but he's still a bad guy. He's evil, narcissistic, manipulative, destructive, murderous, but in this tale, I root for him, all the way.

*Note: This is my first graphic novel review on Comix-365. Up until now I've avoided graphic novels, mainly because I've been adamant to focus on single issues. There are a number of reasons for this, but as of today, I'll try to post some graphic novels or collected works, especially ones that were intended to be graphic novels or are hard to find as singles.

Here's a link to some reviews I did for Chapters on a bunch of graphic novels and other stuff if you're interested.

Tek Jansen # 3

Writer: John Layman & Tom Peyer, Jim Massey
Artist: Robbi Rodriguez
Cover: Darwyn Cooke
Publisher: Oni Press
Published: September 2008

Issue # 3 has Tek Jansen (Stephen Colbert's Sci-Fi alter ego) furthering his war against the sinister Opticlons! This is about the only series that has consistently made me chuckle aloud.

Think he saw that one coming?

Futurama # 33: Attack of the 50-Foot Amy

Writer: Ian Boothby
Artist: Carlos Valenti
Publisher: Bongo Comics
Published: May 2007

I'm a bit behind in my blogging, so I'm going to try a new thing till I catch up: THE 90 SECOND REVIEW!

Today has Amy being doused with a spray that makes her grow till she is the size of King Kong. As can be expected the issue has scenes parodied straight out of King Kong. Also Bender starts emulating - 90 seconds are up!!!! Enjoy some scans:

Twas' Bender that killed the beast. 

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Liberty Comics #2

Love Diary

Writers/Artists: unknown but the cover has Dick Giordano credited
Publisher: Charlton Comics
Published: November 1962

One day before V-Day!

Here's an oldie. This issue has a few tales with very little differences between plot: couple fall in love, try to solidify their love but are stopped either by doubt, fear, parents, or circumstance, but in the end get together. Check some scans and you'll see what I mean:


What I don't get about these old romance stories is the preoccupation with depicting vanilla love. Why are all the characters white? Don't get me wrong here, I'm no racist (that I know of anyway), but I think it is a bit limiting that the characters don't mix it up as it were. That's one thing that always bugged me about the Archie comics. Archie could chase after Midge, Veronica, Cheryl or Betty, but Chuck could only chase after Nancy.

This exact situation reminds me of when I saw Snake and Joey from Degrassi the TV show giving a talk at UNB. I remember them saying that when the show started to air the show down in the USA, the number one complaint from parents were not the episodes concerning suicide, abortion, or so on, but when BLT dated Michelle, because he was black and she was white.

Well, I guess that's just another aspect of love: stupidity.

The Amazing Screw-On Head

Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Published: May 2002

The Amazing Screw-On Head is a secret government agent who answers directly to the President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Groin is Screw-On Head's faithful man servant. Emperor Zombie is the bad guy who enjoys dabbling in all things arcane and forbidden. Madam Patience is a vampire. Mr. Dog is a stuffed reanimated dog.

Interested yet?

This comic is one of those stand alone issues that make your head spin. Equal parts humorous and horror-like, this tale won the Eisner Award for Best Humor publication. The art is spooky, deep, and forbidding. The characters are unique and bizarre, and the story itself seems like it was birthed in a dream after a night of boozing. This is a must have for any serious comic fan. And if you're not serious, you can always check out the animated cartoon based off the comic. It's just as funny. Maybe even better, 'cause it's got Paul "I'm not drinking fucking Merlot!" Giamatti, David "Oh Dear" Hyde Pierce, and Molly "Superstar" Shannon as the voice actors. Just awesome.

Walt Disney's Mickey & Donald # 17

Writers: Carl Fallberg, Carl Barks, Ted Osborne, Paul Murry, John Lustig, Jan Kruse, Bryon Erickson
Artists: Paul Murry, Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, William Van Horn, Don Rosa
Publisher: Gladstone Publishing
Published: March 1990

Merry Christmas! Hanuka, Kwanzaa, miscellaneous day of celebration.

Today is the day that love is in the air and gifts rain like rain on a rainy day. Whenever I think back on previous Christmas's I'm flooded with memories of food, gifts, and Christmas TV specials. One special that always stood out in my mind was Disney's retelling of A Christmas Carol. What a great cartoon.

Well I was able to find a Disney Christmas comic. It's no A Christmas Carol, but it'll have to do. The comic is jumbo sized, with several tales. The first one has Mickey and Goofy in the Wild West as conductors for a railway. They are charged with delivering the pay to a group of miners. Too bad a certain evil Pete has his eyes on that pay as well. The second tale has Uncle Scrooge, Donald and the boys trapped on a tropical island over the holidays. The next longer tale involves Mickey getting caught up in some hi jinks, and finally Donald on the hunt for a perfect Christmas gift. Also, there are a few short gags thrown in. All in all a nice Christmas comic for the Disney fan in all of us.

Have a great X-Mas! Enjoy some Mickey madness!

Peter Rabbit 3-D

Writer/Artist: Harrison Cady
Publisher: Eternity Comics
Published: April 1990

P is for perplexed at how difficult it is to find 3-D glasses in Peterborough! I found this 3-D comic of Peter Rabbit in a 25 cent bin, and instantly knew it was going to be awesome (which it is), but it didn't come with 3-D glasses. At first, I visited Michaels (a chain art supply store) to get the material to make my own, but was told, not politely either, they didn't carry red or blue film. I then went to a few toy and book stores and was told no as well. Damn, I thought! What kinda world do we live in where a guy can't get his 3-D on!

I eventually ended up finding them in the same bin that I found the Peter Rabbit issue. They were included in a special 3-D Wildcats/X-Men crossover issue, illustrated by Adam Hughes. Now, considering how difficult it was to find them, I'm never going to give them up. (Click the link - you know what it is and you know you want to!) Much to my disappointment, they don't really work with the 3rd Rock From the Sun 3-D episodes. I think for that type of 3-D I need the clear type lenses. Thus the search begins again!

Apparently, Peter Rabbit didn't just come from the mind of Beatrix Potter. Another Peter Rabbit existed who was more of a trickster, unlike his coat-less counterpart. This Peter Rabbit was created by Thornton Burgess in 1914 and was later adapted to newspaper format by Harrison Cady.

The 3-D version is just that, reprints of the old Sunday strips, but this time in 3-D! Now, most kids think that 3-D is lame, what with all the special effects of the howizts an' whatszits, but this comic really benifits from it. It's almost like Peter Rabbit is leaping off the page! (Had too...)

One particularly funny tale has Peter Rabbit reading up a book called "How to become a Detective." After reading it he becomes inspired to sleuth out some crimes. He ends up following two suspicious characters, a turtle and snail. They seem to be poking something in a tree. Peter, deciding he has caught them in a crime, jumps out and exclaims: "Villains, I've got you at last." At this point, the turtle orders the snail to hide in his shell as he is going to "swat her." By "her" he means a hornets nest! Peter ends up being stung all over as the turtle and snail watch peacefully in their shells. Now, I can't even begin to tell you how awesome that is, but let's just say: "Awesome" - and in 3-D!

Oz the Manga # 6

Writer: Frank L. Baum
Adaptation/Artist: David Hutchison
Publisher: Antartic Press
Published: November 2005

O is for the Oz's wonderful Wicked Witch of the West!

This is another purchase of mine that was based solely on the cover. That and it's a manga of Wizard of Oz. I've have this strong passion for re-inventions of pop culture staples, such as the Wizard of Oz. That, and I just love seeing babes all painted up green. Hey, once again, I'm not being sexist. My girlfriend once put on this green face mask to rejuvenate her skin, and I must admit, it was kinda sexy, especially when she ordered her winged monkeys to tear our neighbors scarecrow to pieces. Eee hee hee...

Issue 6 has Dorthy being captured by the winged monkeys and forced to work in the Wicked Witch's castle. This is because she won't give up her silver slippers. Meanwhile, the cowardly lion is being starved. The issue ends with Dorthy, at her breaking point, tossing water on the witch, whereupon she melts into nothingness.

The OZ manga sticks pretty close to the original story. The only differences is the emphasis on manga style drawing, you know, girls with big eyes, evil pointy faces, and a big robot (Tin Man). If you're interested in other Wizard of the Oz adaptions check out:

Marvel Wizard of Oz
Avengers Fairy Tales # 4
Futurama Season 4 Episode 3: Anthology of Interest 2
Twisted Land of Oz
Wicked
Wizard of Oz 1982 cartoon
Oz no Mahou Tsukai
Family Guy Wizard of Oz

Nitro

Writer: Betty Quan
Artist: Michael Dixon
Publisher: True North Comics
Published: 1999

N is for NITRO!

For anyone who grew up in Canada and watched CBC then you'll know that when I say Heritage Moment, instantly the one liners will spring forth: "I smell burnt toast," "You know I cannot read a word," "Thru the air, across the ocean, the first time ever," "faster than a speeding bullet,"and many proud Canadian more. When I was growing up, one Heritage Moment that stood out for me was: "They say there is one dead Chinese man for every mile of that track." This wasn't because I was especially fond of it, but growing up I met some, no, a lot of people that only knew Chinese people so far as that commercial depicted them. So yeah, I knew that commerical pretty well.

In case you haven't guessed, I am of Chinese descent. But before you go on to think this post is going to turn into a cry fest over racial injustices, think again, because the NEXT 5 POSTS ARE GOING TO DETAIL MAJOR AND MINOR RACIAL INJUSTICES I'VE HAD TO ENDURE OVER THE YEARS!

Just kidding! The only way I'm ever going to dish out that pain is if I'm getting paid to do it. Man's gotta pay da bills so, MONEY, THAT'S WHAT I WANT!

But to answer any questions that I may have brought up during that little glimpse into my past, I'm not really bothered by the whole dead Chinese building railroad thing being quoted towards me repeatedly. Chinese folks are on the upswing, so don't worry, revenge is on its way.

Ok, moving along now. The Nitro comic is pretty much the Heritage Moment expanded a bit. The comic has a bit more grumbling by local workers complaining about the Chinese immigrants, and a bit more on the families the Chinese workers left behind to work in Canada. The comic is nicely painted and definitely delivers the same message it's TV counterpart does.

Also, for anybody who has ever wondered why Chinese immigrants tend to live in communities called "Chinatown," and tended to be owners of restaurants, nail shops, laundry mats, it has nothing to do with "that's just the way they're inclined," but everything to do with immigration laws and the need for self-preservation. Without getting into too much historical record, on July 1st 1923, the Canadian government banned Chinese immigration. This was the only law to exclude people on the basis of race. For the next 24 years, Chinese immigration was next to nil. This destroyed many families and peoples lives and because of this blatant discrimination, Chinese turned to self-employment options, such as restaurants and laundry mats, and began to form communities of their own. Really, it was the only way they could survive.

So, if you're as outraged/saddened as I am over this injustice in Canadian history, next time you're out on Canada Day busting a beer down your gut, take a moment and pour some on the ground for the Chinese and every mile of that railroad track.


Now let's enjoy Bruce Lee fighting:

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1, Chapter 1

Writer: Kazuo Koike
Artist: Goseki Kojima
Publisher: Futabasha, Dark Horse Comics
Published: 1970, 2000

L is for Lone Wolf and Cub!

Up until this point I've been trying to be bit of a purist. I've tried to just focus on single issue comics, the standard size of 32 pages. I've avoided the graphic novels, unless they can be broken down into single issues, and I've also tried to stick to original publishing dates and publishers as best as I could. However, today being the letter L (I'm starting to remind myself of Seaseme Street), I had the choice of reviewing Lady Death or Lone Wolf and Cub, and I had to choose the latter. That's not to say that Lone Wolf and Cub is superior to Lady Death, but I can't justify writing a post strictly about Lady Death's boobs. Not yet anyway.

(NOW before I get the "oh you're just a sexist juvenile pig who can't get past Lady Death's boobs and focus on the epic emotional story of good versus evil," let me just say that I've done nothing wrong by stating that the Lady Death comics are only about boobs. For your information, I like boobs. My girlfriend has boobs, and she likes me,...at least she puts on the appearance she does...aww jeeze I hope she does...'cause I sure as hell don't want to relive my teenage years where my only date on a Saturday night was a Lady Death comic....)

So, today I'm reviewing Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 1: The Assassins Road, Chapter 1: Son for Hire, Sword For Hire, even though it is not a standard North American comic format. The opening chapter sets the tone for the entire series. It has Ogami Ittō (Lone Wolf) using his son to finish an assassins job. Ittō is hired to kill a local lord, but he needs to bypass the Guardians Eight, who are superior guardsman. Ittō sends in a false message that leads the Guardians to arresting him and his son as would be assassins. He and his son are then bound and taken before the Lord he was sent to kill. Daigoro, his son, ends up crying because he needs to pee, so the captors release Ittō to assist his son. Ittō ends up taking this moment of freedom to kill the lord with a concealed spear he had hidden in the baby cart. He then dispatches the Guardian Eight in a fury of sword strokes. The story ends with he and his son leaving untouched.

If you feel ripped off I gave away the entire plot of this story, which I did, don't worry, there are 28 volumes with about 5 or 6 chapters apiece, so you'll have plenty of reading ahead of you. Trust me, it is worth it, especially if you like historical fiction, graphic fights, father/son issues, and an epic bloody revenge story. Of if you don't have the time or money, rent the movies. They're pretty awesome in their own right. Let's just say Ogami Ittō puts Arnold's title of One Man Army to shame.

The Incredible Hulk # 49

Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Cover Artist: Kaare Andrews
Publisher: Marvel
Published: March 2003

I is for the indomitable incredible HULK! SMASH!

The only reason I picked this issue up was because of the cover by Andrews. It's an homage of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, which is a tale concerning a young boy named Max and his journey into wild country. Sendak has a wicked drawing style. He is able to keep the monsters cute, but not so cute that you would want to hang out with them. They're still monsters after all. In an interview with Maurice, he states his inspiration for the monsters were his family. He goes on to say that when he was growing up the real monsters were his aunts and uncles, with their big noses, and monstrous features, and they would tug and bug him to no end.

Where The Wild Things Are is currently in production to be a live action movie directed by Spike Jonze. Apparently, however, after a screening with some children, the movie was too scarey, with kids crying and demanding to leave the theatre. The studio heads are not a fan of this development, so I hear they are going to be re-shooting some or all of the film. Too bad. I would love to see the original.

Ok, back to business, the Hulk comic. Now, the Hulk is the split persona of Bruce Banner, a scientist who was blasted with gamma rays. To me it's just a green spin on Jekyll and Hyde, but with a contemporary spin. Hulk has since been turned into several live action movies, starting with the 70s version starring Lou Ferringno as Hulk and Bill Bixby as Bruce. In the last few years it has been adapted into two major film adaptations.

The first Hulk film directed by Ang Lee focused on the emotional anger that fueled the Hulk, and the relationship between father and son. This film was not a favorite of Hulk fans, but from a story level, I thought it worked very well. Some of the most interesting aspects of Hulk is the comparison between Bruce and Hulk, and what drives them. Also, having seen (and liked) Eat Drink Man Woman, it comes as no surprise that Lee would focus on family relationships as fuel for the green fire.

The more recent Hulk starring Liv Tyler and Ed Norton got back to basics. They scrapped the family/emotional arc and got to the smashing. Which, really is what the Hulk is all about. Smashing, and lots of more smashing. So, in this regard I really liked the film. In many ways, the two films are psychological manifestations of the duality between Banner and the Hulk. Each film views Hulk from a different perspective, but in the end, they are both Hulk films though and through.

Oh, the comic review: Hulk kills a guy/monster named Pratt, and something or the other. Hey, I only bought the comic because cover, so I have no idea of the storyline up to this point, and couldn't really figure out the big picture. Next up:



THE LETTER J - YEAH J! 

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