Still on the Shelf #6 – Usagi Yojimbo
Still on the Shelf #6 – Usagi Yojimbo
Originally published April 29nd, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.
Overview-
If you like samurai rodentia, Usagi Yojimbo is the book for you.
My first exposure to this character, as I am sure it was for many of you, was in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon during the late 80’s. However, the character of Miyamoto Usagi (initially based on the 17th century samurai Miyamoto Musashi) has been around since the early Eighties. Granted, this version of Usagi is very much out of time, but it does give you a good idea of who this character is.
Usagi is a rabbit ronin (a samurai without a master) who roams the land of Feudal Japan at the time of the Shogunate. With the land under a single ruler, the importance of the samurai has been diminished. With no wars to fight or masters to serve, Usagi wanders Japan on a quest of enlightenment. Often, he is seen with his nephew Jotaro, who he serves as mentor and teacher. The comic is currently drawn in black and white, and put out by Dark Horse Comics. Stan Sakai, who created the character, has written and illustrated the title since the beginning.
Thoughts-
One of the most impressive things about this title is the coherent story. Sakai is obviously well versed in Japanese culture and history, and his wealth of knowledge and research is plain by reading the story. In addition, he shows great skill in sacrificing authenticity in favor of artistic license, when it serves the purpose of the tale. Anyone who has read and enjoyed James Clavell’s Shogun will love what this comic has to offer.
The art is not spectacular, nor is it meant to be. And while there are some light elements of humor, it is certainly not the focus of the title. Fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might expect similar comedic content (after all, what is funnier than animals that can use martial arts?), but Usagi Yojimbo does not, in any way, rely on laughs.
I picked up a copy of #64 and #65, and enjoyed both of them. Each of these issues stood alone, and both would be excellent points for a new reader to jump into the story.
Bottom Line-
This title is a reader’s comic. Stan Sakai storytelling style sucks you right in, and his art does nothing more than enhance the tale.
I have nothing but praise for Usagi Yojimbo. The only drawback to this title may be the $2.99 cover price, since the art is in black and white. However, with 24 pages, and absolutely zero ads, you will get your money’s worth.
Usagi Yojimbo #66 is due out May 28th, and #67 will be out June 25th. This title comes out 9 times a year, so if you get hooked, keep that in mind. There are also several Trade Paperbacks of past issues available. If you are looking to add a new issue to your subscriptions, this is a good place to start. Usagiyojimbo.com, the official Usagi Yojimbo website, is a great place to start if you want more information about this great comic.
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April 22, 2003
Still on the Shelf #5 – Betty and Veronica
When this column was originally posted, it included a reader poll asking the simple question – Betty or Veronica? What should not be a surprise to anyone, the result of the poll was an exact tie. No wonder Archie has such a hard time…
Still on the Shelf #5 – Betty and Veronica
Originally published April 22nd, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.
Betty and Veronica, mainstay characters of the Archie Comics line, first appeared in the 1940s, where their eternal battle over Archie began. They got their own title, Archie’s Girls: Betty and Veronica, which was re-launched in 1987 as simply Betty and Veronica. Largely ignored by comic collectors and fanboys everywhere, Betty and Veronica, either tucked away in the corner of your favorite comic book retailer with the rest of the kiddy titles, or in the aisles of the local grocery store.
Like your favorite Sunday comic strips, Betty and Veronica has changed very little over the decades. The art is simplistic and reminiscent of Blondie, and the stories are typically short and sweet. If you are looking for a story heavy on situational humor and ultra-light on character development, this title is for you.
The Story so Far?
Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge are your arch-typical high school girls at Riverdale High. Veronica is rich and vain, and very much on the egotistical side. Betty, on the other hand, is less sophisticated, but more good-natured. While both are boy-crazy to an extent, they very often end up fighting over Archie. The stories tend to revolve around superficial matters, as most strip-style comics tend to. Appearances by Riverdale’s other notable students, Jughead, Reggie, and the renowned Archie, commonly factor into the humor. Be it petty bickering over boys, clothes, shopping, or one-upsmanship, Betty and Veronica’s escapades always unfold in a formulaic, often humorous manner.
Issue #187 features six short strips, all of which are light in humor and substance. The stories range from Betty’s troubles in her responsibility of selecting a prom king, to a bird-watching trip, to outfit coordination. All of the stories are well suited to your average newspaper strip, short, sweet, and to the point.
Thoughts Betty and Veronica is like a crocodile- a living relic of an ancient time in comics. The art is not meant to stun the eye, and the story does not aspire to literary proportions. Regardless, it is fun, in a simple way, and suitable for all ages. And even though the very first issue of Archie’s Girls: Betty and Veronica boasts a value of nearly $2000, never will you see a current issue create a buzz amongst collectors for a potential increase in value. The title remains true to what comics were always supposed to be about- good natured and fun reading, without having to worry about fingerprints or bent corners.
Bottom Line-
Betty and Veronica is certainly not a title many of you will have pulled for you each Wednesday, but it is one of the last books on the market that are suitable for all ages. This, and the other Archie titles, are just the kind of book you would buy your child, to pique their interest in the hobby you so much enjoy. That aside, Betty and Veronica represents something that many collectors agree is missing from comics today- humor. And I can not stress enough one aspect of this book that I find most appealing- its utter lack of collectibility.
Pick up a copy of Betty and Veronica or Archie, roll it up and stick it in your back pocket. Enjoy a comic without detesting what the latest artist has done to your favorite character, or enduring the annoyance of a gaping hole in continuity when the writer forgets a fact from a character’s history.
In short- go out and enjoy a comic for what it is. A story, not a museum piece
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April 15, 2003
Still on the Shelf #4 – Meridian
Still on the Shelf #4 – Meridian
Originally published April 15th, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.
With Crossgen gaining in popularity, how does Meridian hold up to scrutiny?
Meridian is one of the first books to come out of CrossGen Comics. Admittedly, to this point, the last CrossGen book I read prior to preparing for this column was the CrossGen Primer, and based upon their phenomenal success, I thought this would be an ideal time to take a close look at one of their original titles.
The world of Demetria is the setting for this story- a planet where the surface is uninhabitable. The populace lives on floating islands held aloft by the effects of a mysterious ore, which they travel between using ships made of wood also affected by this ore. Meridian is the first of these islands, and the focus of the story. Sephie, the main character, currently holds the title of Minister of Meridian. Sephie is also a Sigil-bearer of this world. The Sigil is a mark found upon a select group throughout the CrossGen Universe, it indicates those who have been selected to weild certain powers. Sephie posseses “The Power of Renewal.” Ilahn, the major villain of this book, also bears a Sigil, which signifies he too holds a power, “the Power of Destruction.”
Last Issue-
Meridian #34 is a Key Issue, which is a place where CrossGen recommends that new readers interested in investigating the title jump in. CrossGen’s use of these “Key Issues” is a great concept- basically you are treated to something of a recap of the major events that occurred in previous issues that have relevance to the story at hand, without giving a long, boring, and detailed recap of the entire history of the comic. On this concept I commend CrossGen. Though for the regular reader, these issues seem to offer very little that is new, it certainly is a great way of pausing, orienting the reader into the direction the writer wants to take the story, and then taking off from there. Most comics jump from story to story with little or no direction, and that certainly results in some confusion when pieces of a story a reader might find important are dropped with no fanfare. Issues like this one tell you up-front what is important, so there is no confusion. It is a bit much to take in all at once, so I would recommend anyone interested in taking a look at this title begin with this issue, and read it twice.
I also took a look at issue #33, which basically tells the story of Jad, a major character thought dead by everyone. There is no doubt that he is going to resurface in a later issue. As you might imagine, he is alive and well, stranded on another island. Issue #33 chronicles exactly what he does to get a ship from the island’s inhabitants, and escape.
Thoughts-
If you are into art- this is the book for you. The entire book is beautifully drawn, and work is simply stunning. I am also highly impressed with the color- it is vibrant and deep- I really feel that there are few better examples out there of art in comics today. Steve McNiven and the rest of the team definitely deserve a great deal of credit for their work. Unfortunately, the art really seems to be the best thing about this title.
Meridian is supposed to be geared towards female readers. However, though I am not a young female, I still like to think that I can recognize a good story, regardless of whether or not the story is directed at me. While the general premise of Barbara Kesel’s story does lend itself to a deep and complex fantasy tale, I found it to be lacking. The ideas are good, but things progress at a fairly slow pace. While I am all in favor of patient and well thought-out storytelling, I do feel that there is a lack of substance: much of the major happenings in the story are glossed over, in favor of some pretty seemingly inconsequential dialogue and narration. When something major does occur, it just seems to point towards something even MORE major, that will happen sometime in the distant, undefineable future. I find it to be pretty off-putting. Perhaps the story does flush itself out in the long term, but that is something that is very difficult for a new reader to wait out, especially at $2.95 an issue.
Bottom Line-
I can’t recommend that this book remain on the shelf, as there certainly is an audience out there for it. If you appreciate amazing art, and look to that over story when deciding what books to purchase, I highly recommend this one. In addition, this one really is something I feel would be good for young women. Sephie is an intelligent woman with a good sense of responsibility who is not just another example of half-dressed, unrealistically sexy, ditzy comic heroines that are all-too common in an industry that is undeniably dominated by a male customer base.
Meridian #34 is available now, with #35 due on shelves on April 30th. In addition, CrossGen’s website does offer comics for view online- Meridian #1 is available in the free section, with most of the others available there for view with a paid subscription.
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April 8, 2003
Still on the Shelf #3 – Sleeper
Still on the Shelf #3 – Sleeper
Originally published April 8th, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.
Overview-
Sleeper is a relatively new title from DC’s Wildstorm label. Right on the cover of each issue, you can find the words “Suggested for Mature Readers.” I would heed this advice- it is certainly not for the kiddies. The story takes place in a pretty brutal world of criminals- not the “secret layer,” or invincible fortess type of supervillian hang-outs, rather a more modern, more dirty world of sleaze bars and criminal subculture that seems a lot more realistic. You have drugs, sex (of many flavors), murder, and of course, super powers. And not a drop of it is gratuitous.
Holden Carver, otherwise known as (only once, as a matter of fact) as the Conductor, is a member of an underground criminal association of “post-humans” (mutants, superhumans, whatever you want to call them). Mind control seems to be among the most common of powers up to this point, but Holden is a bit unique in that he is completely immune to mind control. His power derives from an alien artifact that was absorbed into his body, acting as a parasite. This parasite absorbs all of the pain and trauma that Holden is exposed to, and allows him to redirect it at other people. There is a pretty telling scene in the second issue where Holden asks to be shot, so that he could then direct that pain to an out-of-control colleague, to snap him out of a killing frenzy. On the more personal side, it seems this parasite also prevents Holden from feeling pleasure, or any other emotions for that matter. This leaves Holden despondant, and he often experiments with different things (sexually and otherwise) to simply feel SOMETHING. Far from a superhero story, this title is all about espionage and the criminal underworld. It just happens to take place in a world where super-powers are a very real thing.
The Story So Far
Tao, the leader of the International Association, the criminal organization which Holden belongs to, starts off the first issue explaining to Holden that he believes that a fellow agent is a spy for the government, and he sends Holden out to asses the situation. A series of events and flashbacks inform the reader that Holden himself is indeed the double agent, imbedded by a man named Lynch and the International Orginization, a security agency described as more top secret than the CIA. It seems that while Tao is highly successful in his endeavors, the government, when it comes down to it, has no idea what Tao is trying to accomplish. Holden is placed in the organization in hopes that he will be able to work his way up the ranks, and try and discover the method behind Tao’s seeming randomness. So, for the last several years, Holden has been operating as a criminal, waiting for the time when he can be of use to the I.O.. Only, as the story pregresses, it becomes clear that he has become less-than-fond of the “Good-guys.”
Thoughts
Personally, I am a story guy when it comes to comics. And while I really feel that Sean Phillips did a superb job with the art (this is a classic example of when the art matches up to the comic perfectly), it was really the story here that grabbed me. Ed Brubaker weaves a very intricate story here, and having heard absolutly nothing about this title before reading the first issue, i was sucked right in. As Andrea Speed mentioned in her Advance Review of Sleeper #1 (this was also posted on comixtreme.com), Brubaker offered a personal, money-back guarantee on the quality of the story in this book. I can see now why he was so confident about that- and it is pretty clear that he will not be paying out too much money to unhappy readers.
While the tale is filled with sex and violence, it is only appropriate considering the nature of the story. And rather than using it gratuitously, Brubaker uses it tastefully, for depth. The most graphic of sex scenes are used to depict Holden’s desire for feeling of some kind, the violence serves the purpose of advancing a major stoy idea, or adding further depth to character’s like Genocide, Holden’s sometime “partner” in the organization who he has become friends with.
Each character thus far has had his or her own brand of sickness and depravity- they are villians, after all, but Brubaker allows that to exist while still putting the focus on the character’s themselves.
Bottom Line-
Get this book. Now. Sleeper #1, #2, and #3 are available for sale now. Sleeper #4 is due out April 27th. Right now, this book has it all. I am not so sure about the long-term, however, since the whole focus of the story seems to revolve around taking Tao down from the inside. Once this occurs, it is tough to see where Holden will go, so the book could really suffer at that point. But, that is a long way away (and any number of twists could occur by then), and by all accounts, this is the best new book I have read in a while.
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