REVIEW: What If? #19: What if Spider-Man Had Never Become A Crime fighter?

Writer: Peter Gillis
Artist: Pat Broderick
Inker: Mike Esposito
Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

I absolutely can’t help myself. If I come within 100 yards of an issue of What If?, I can sense a disturbance in The Force, and a few moments later I'm makin' it rain Washingtons all up in the Dollar Boxes' business. If I find some Spider-Man What Ifs that’s when I bust out the trench coat and the Matrix moves . . . Practically a reflex.

You have to admit this issue’s question is relevant, interesting, and, if you really think about the answer, a multifaceted minefield of potential. Now, I’m not kidding myself in regards to how this book will end. Let’s be honest: these fantastic bastard one-offs usually have pretty lame, corny, predictable endings, but not always.

The issue starts with the Watcher narrating the familiar origin of our favorite neighborhood wall-crawler from the fateful spider bite to the point Peter lets his Uncle Ben's killer get away. The Watcher opens a window to a different reality and instead of letting the thug go Peter stops him, not out of heroism but for publicity. Jerk.

REVIEW: Ka-Zar #1 - 2

Storytellers: Mark Waid and Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Letterer: Todd Klein
Review: Art Bee

For a very long time Marvel was the best from my point of view. Over the last year I have made my more recent opinions very clear of how they and DC conduct business. What a wonderful feeling to read something from an era when Marvel actually liked their readers and respected them.
While at my LCBS and resting my armpits from my crutches, the “K” back issue box compelled me to thumb through it and that is how I came to own and read Ka-Zar #1 and #2.

Other than what I have gathered from X-men comics, Ka-Zar was a great mystery. It was nice to open a Marvel first issue and not be bombarded with origin story information. When these were released in 1997, Marvel was subtle about providing background information, which made it seem more of a reminder than a re-education. Also this approach adds value to the story rather than delay it.

REVIEW: Savage Dragon #3 (of 3)

Creator, writer, artist, inker: Erik Larsen
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Review: Will Dubbeld

Hot damn, first wave Image, you are out of control!
In an occasional fit of brevity, I'll presume everyone is familiar with the Image coup of the 1990s and not go on at length. The long & short of it pretty much entails a good majority of hot Marvel art talent leaving The House of Ideas and forming their own company free from the shackles of work-for-hire contracts.
Kudos for them, I'm all for creators rights!
On the downside, a majority of these gentlemen were artists and not writers.
Not by a long chalk.
I give you Savage Dragon no. 3 as an exhibition . . .

I would've been about 12 years old when Image exploded onto the comics scene, and explode it did. My adolescent fandom bade me buy as many of these hot new titles as possible, and buy I did.
Spawn, Youngblood, Brigade, The Maxx, et cetera, ad nauseum.
Purchases certainly included Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon.