REVIEW: American Century #1

Written by Howard Chaykin & David Tischman
Penciled by Marc Laming
Review by Will Dubbeld

I’ve discovered a strange predilection for picking up Howard Chaykin comics.  I bought, on the cheap, a good chunk of American Flagg after having read but 2 or so issues.  Satellite Sam? Preordered. Blackhawk, Shadow, Century West, Midnight of the Soul, etcetera etcetera.
All of ‘em. Either preordered or gleaned from the nation’s Dollar Boxes.
The odd thing is, I’m not entirely sure why.
His early work was technically adept, but his art certainly seems to have degraded a bit over the years and his writing, while always pushing the envelope, always shoehorns in lurid sex and racial slurs almost to excess.

Whatever issues I have with Howard Chaykin’s writing and art certainly doesn’t dissuade me from picking up a 14-or so issue run of his American Century series.
For example…
Just to pluck something random out of the aether…  

REVIEW: Weird Western Tales starring Scalphunter #46

Wordsmith: Gerry Conway

Illustrators: Dick Ayers & Geo Evans

Letterer: Shelly Leferman

Colorist: Allen Milgrom

Review: Madman

I’m not going to lie, I totally bought this book solely because of the cover. I mean, who could refuse, what the with the very white man-looking Indian about to skewer a dandy cowboy, with a flower in his hat, and some dude in a white suit and top hat hiding in the bushes with a Gatling gun taking aim at a formation of US soldiers, Scalphunter…sold.

I had no clue what I was getting into with this book. I expected I would be let down but I also knew I was going to buy it. There are so many things wrong with just the title alone, and I’m sure there will be riots…. urm…protests about it. I don’t imagine either of the Big 2 would be putting out a title such as this in the present day with all the political correctness going around…except maybe if Ennis were writing it, but maybe not even then. I mean, isn’t ‘Merica past such stereotypes?

Personally, I don’t care, I just wish my Redman was a little more red. Granted, this comic was printed in 1978, one year and four months before I was born, and I don’t exactly remember the status quo in the late 70s, but it’s hard to believe DC was that insensitive towards conquered peoples…

’Merica.        

REVIEW: Catwoman #1 of 4

Story:  Mindy Newell
Pencils:  J. J. Birch
Inks:  Michael Bair
Colors:  Adrienne Roy
Letter:  Agustin Mas
Review:  Art Bee

In my youth I was all about Marvel superheroes (Fantastic Four and X-Men mostly), Star Wars, and Batman. Batman himself was not my interest in the DC comics; his adversaries were. All of his villains, with only a couple of exceptions, pique my interest. They all form a lattice through the city of Gotham, and it’s their personality quirks that elevate Batman’s qualities. At the heart of this group of baddies is Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman.

Catwoman #1 is the first of a four-issue miniseries published in 1988 and was aimed to provide a backstory for the longtime ally/villain/love of Bruce Wayne (if for some weird reason you need that spelled out, that’s Batman). Catwoman is the one person that seems to always strike some of the deepest blows to our caped crusader.

So how does this story kick off Selina’s story?
…as a hooker…beaten and left for dead next to a dumpster behind a Catholic church.
This is how a woman writer wants to portray Catwoman…really?

REVIEW: Darkhawk #7

Well, readers, it was a tough call this week. Diving into a longbox produced two candidates for today's review:

1979s Fantastic Four #209, 1st appearance of fan-favorite HERBIE, wherein the FF pal around with the Champions of Xandar and seek out the World Eater, Galactus! All while Skrull treachery is afoot...

The other choice was 1991s Darkhawk #7, wherein the titular crimefighter busts up some drug dealers or something.

Sorry, everyone...

Writer: Danny Fingeroth
Breakdowns: Mike Manley
Finishes: Ricardo Villagran
Review: Will Dubbeld

Hoo, boy. Darkhawk, huh?
I'm not exactly sure why I collected this book, but I'm sure it's because it was the new hotness at its premiere. I can understand why I collected Sleepwalker.
It was rad as hell. That's why I collected Sleepwalker.
Darkhawk on the other hand was somewhat less than rad, but for some reason or another I have the first 25 or so issues of this nonsense. However long it took for a foil cover to pop up...

I didn't really refresh my memory on the Darkhawk series before diving into this issue. I remember he was a teenager who found a MYSTERIOUS AMULET that enabled him to transform into a black-clad, cable-clawed agent of justice and at some point in the series Tombstone ripped out his heart.
Okay, THAT was rad.
Other than that I was almost going in a cold read with this issue. Nuggets of Darkhawk that were lodged in the ol' memory banks reappeared as I read on. His legal-eagle mother, younger twin brothers, etc. Darkhawk really fell into that early-mid '90s trope of a late-teens/early 20s white male thrust into mysterious power. Danny Ketch, Rick Sheridan, Chris Powell, 30% of the New Warriors...