Still on the Shelf #47 – Mr. Keen – Tracer of Lost Persons
Sometimes it is somewhat overwhelming the vast amounts of small press titles on the market today. Every month you can spend a huge amount of time pouring through Previews, and see a vast array of titles from publishers you have never heard of, from a wide array of genres.
Another striking thing about all of the small press books on the market today is that good or bad, there are very few superhero books among them. Sure you will see one or two, but the vast majority are stories that fall well outside the realm of the “superhero genre.”
Yet on occasion, you still see protestations of readers upset with the alleged dominance of the superhero genre in comics. If you look at sales figures, this is the case- but it is something that is not the fault of Marvel, DC, or any of the other top publishers out there today.
Sure the vast majority of Marvel titles do feature superheroes, but Marvel sells what people buy, like any industry leading company would. Clearly most people want to buy the very thing that some readers feel has an unfair stranglehold on the market.
Again, the argument comes full circle, right back to the small press. Here is where you will find your horrors, your mysteries, your dramas and crime stories- as long as you are willing to display a little patience and a willingness to sample a book without a certain logo on the cover.
You may remember a few weeks ago that I covered another Moonstone title, the Silencers. I was impressed enough with that book to want to check out another of their titles, and I am glad I did. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was an even more enjoyable read, and if possible, a better written story.
Cast of Characters
Mr. Keen, as the title might suggest, is something of a detective who specializes in finding people. He is extremely selective about his clientele, often employing a very rigorous screening process to decide if a person deserves his services. Contrary to what you might expect from a “noir” detective like this, Mr. Keen is not a downtrodden guy who is down to his last penny and drinks way too much. He is a very self-confident, private man who makes every effort to be totally professional at all times.
Ninette is a young French girl who sought to employ Mr. Keen to track down Lucien Denali, to take vengeance on him for the death of her sister. Ninette, to avoid spoiling parts of the story, has certain “eccentricities” that make her something of an unpredictable ally and client to Mr. Keen.
Mike Clancy, Mr. Keen’s assistant, usually takes part in the screening of his clients prior to allowing a meeting. He is much rougher around the collar than his more refined employer, and acts as muscle when needed. He has a vicious scar across his head, which makes him immediately recognizable when on panel.
Thoughts
The name Mr. Keen may be familiar to some of you – the character could originally be found in a somewhat mainstay radio drama that started back in 1937. Of course, instead of a bumbling, hunched, elderly white man, this new incarnation of Mr. Keen is a self-assured, young back man that has been described by the writer as a soft-spoken cross between Samuel L. Jackson and Avery Brooks.
Moonstone resurrected the character, along with several others, as part of their new “Moonstone Noir” imprint last year. Mysterious Traveler is a notable example. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons is a three part mini series that could almost certainly lead to future minis or graphic novels.
To begin with – the story is extremely well told. Justin Gray has weaved together a fantastic noir story, chock full of foreshadowing an allusion. It is a well thought-out piece, and I found myself enjoying it a lot more the second time through. As most good detective stories go, the real mystery is not so much who the villain is, rather, what motivates the characters involved in the story. As details are revealed, the reader will find themselves slapping themselves on the forehead, wondering why they did not figure that part out sooner. I found this to be true throughout this story.
The book is artistically stunning as well. Rather than a simple black and white book, the title is presented in gray tones, which allows for a much more vivid artistic rendering. Lee Ferguson, who has worked on some Marvel books in the pat (like the Chamber 4 issue mini), is just important to this storytelling process as Gray is. Almost everything you need to know about Ninette is explained artistically (if in a metaphorical fashion) in the first several images of the series.
Bottom Line
Each and everyone out there who has ever thought that it was not right that superhero books dominate the market as they do owe it to yourselves to check out this title, or others like it. Numbers wise, there are far more non-hero books out there, they just do not happen to sell as well. There is a wide array of other genres out there, books that are high quality like Mr. Keen. I have to ask, does it really matter whether or not it says Marvel on the cover or not?
Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons #1 is currently available. The release date of #2 is a bit sketchy – it is either already out, or will come out in the next couple of weeks (I am sorry, but I found conflicting information). In any case, all of this issues are available to order from your local comic store or online at Moonstonebooks.com.
Credit Where Credit is Due –
Mr. Keen – Tracer of Lost Persons is
Written by Justin Gray,
Drawn by Lee Ferguson,
and Lettered by Terri Boyle.
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February 16, 2004
Still on the Shelf #46 – Sword of Dracula
Well, I am sure you all have seen our newest Creator Discussions forum here at Comixtreme, headed up by writer Jason Henderson. We have gotten a good taste of one of his bigger titles, Sword of Dracula, over the last couple of weeks. I thought now (prior to the release of Sword of Dracula #3) would be a good time to let you all know just what that title is all about.
There is a group of you out there who love all-things vampire. No doubt, you are already picking up this title and enjoying the hell out of it. For me- vampire stories are hit or miss, and must be ventured into much more carefully. Recent films like the Blade series left me wanting, while TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer were the sorts of things I really enjoy, but not so much for the vampire aspects. It takes a really specific brand of well-thought-out vampire story to make me really want to sink my teeth into it (so to speak). So how does Sword of Dracula hold up?
Cast of Characters
Ronnie Van Helsing is a member of a special-forces type unit called the Polidorium – an organization devoted to hunting down and eliminating Vampire cells throughout the world. The team was content with tracking down “small-time” vampires, until Ronnie pushed them towards a much bigger target- Dracula himself. The assault did not go as well as good be hoped, and the Polidorium is not so inclined to chase such a big target any longer. This does not stop Ronnie’s drive to take down the big guy himself, however, and that drive is sure to cause tension between her and the Polidorium in the future.
Samyaza and Azazyel are Nephilim, fallen angels who have escaped their permanent prison in the Dead Sea. These “fathers of all vampires” and have returned to find an object called “The Blue,” which they will use to return to power on Earth. They believe Dracula has this item, and set out to track him down and reclaim what they believe to be theirs.
Dracula himself is everything you always thought him to be, and more. He has the ability to control blood itself- and keeps a large cache of it handy. He uses blood to create everything- from his army to his transportation- to the giant, splendid “castles” he lives in. He can also create an unbreakable sword from the blood seeping from his thumb when cut, and uses it as a devastating weapon against intruders who get too close. His ability to manipulate blood with his mind makes him nearly impossible to approach, and deadly to all those who cross his path.
Thoughts
I have to say off the bat that I have enjoyed this series a great deal. One of the things I hate the most about the vampire stories I hate is that they tend to make changes to traditional vampire lore, without so much as an explanation as to why. Sword of Dracula is much different. There are changes to a few things you “know” about vampires, but they are all logical evolutions and are explained as such. Jason Henderson clearly has done a great deal of research (as outlined in some of his “afterwards” essays), and the steps forward he has taken from classic Dracula stories not only make sense, but are presented in a very clear manner.
The story itself is intriguing and deep. Instead of hero/victim X has a run in with a vampire and kills it, the conflict in Sword of Vampire is not so much between Dracula and the Polidorium, rather between those two camps and the Nephilim who have returned to retake their seat of power. Though all sides are at odds at the moment, it does seem pretty clear that at some point, Dracula and the Polidorium will have to work together to take out the insanely powerful Nephilim, as contrary to both of their natures as that may be.
The art is in black and white, which I normally have no problem with. In Sword of Dracula, it is highly detailed and intense which is ideal for this sort of story. The only problem I have with it is the inking on the first two issues. Greg Scott used extremely liberal amounts of black ink in the art, which made for a sometimes-frustrating read. Trying to sort out the chaos on each panel is difficult at times, though not impossible. It is workable, and does not ruin the overall presentation of the book, but I found the stylistic choice to be something of a drawback. Perhaps it was his way of compensating for the lack of color, or a pure style decision on its own, but the excessive black kind of looks like big ink blobs at times. As I said- it is not a “killer” problem- just a personal one that was quite easy to overcome as the story unfolded. Sometimes even the extreme amount of black helps the panel- you have to take the good with the bad I suppose.
A new artist, William Belk, takes over as of issue three, and the art style is indeed very similar. Thankfully for my eyes, however, he is much lighter on the ink than Scott, which to me was a welcome change. Hopefully this trend continues through the rest of the series- as my only gripe with the book was fixed with a simple artist change, I really have nothing left to complain about!
Bottom Line-
Sword of Dracula is a vampire story told right – recommend it to all of you who have even a little interest in the genre. It takes a lot for me to enjoy a vampire story, as skeptical as I am about most such stories nowadays, but it did not take me very long at all to get into this series. It is well worth the cost of an issue to check out.
Issue #3 of the 6-part mini “The Elders” is due out the first week of March. This is one of those titles that could continue on as a series of “minis,” not unlike Noble Causes, if the demand is there. The first two issues are on shelves now at your local store or online. Also, if you want to do a little hunting, a preview to Sword of Dracula can be found in Digital Webbing Presents #10. This preview can also be read for free online at SwordofDracula.com.
Sword of Dracula is
Written by Jason Henderson,
Drawn by William Belk (Greg Scott, first two issues.)
and Lettered by Ed Dukeshire.
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February 9, 2004
Still on the Shelf #45 – Oh My Goddess
I have told many of you again and again my general dislike for manga and anime. From cartoons to comics, I felt the art style was far too exaggerated and silly, and the story style was far too hazy and random to fit my tastes. Granted, I had not sampled every possible kind of manga on the market, but when one does not like apples, they tend not to go about trying every single kind of apple out there until they find one they like, now do they?
My personal tastes aside, however, Manga comics are a legitimate and somewhat popular style, and there can be no doubt that there is a devout fan base of the genre out there. I finally realized through my work on this column (and the X-World Newsletter in particular), that I continue to know next to nothing about that branch of comic art. If I were to consider myself an authority of any kind on what comics you should be reading, I felt to completely ignore that genre all together (covering only the manga hybrids I personally liked) would not be keeping in that goal.
The vast majority of Dark Horse’s comic line-up falls in the realm of the manga comic, so I thought it would be best to start there in exploring the manga genre for the purposes of this column. My selection this week – Kosuke Fujishima’s Oh My Goddess.
Cast of Characters
Keiichi Morisato, frantically dialing the phone trying to find a restaurant that is open, accidentally dials the “Goddess Technical Help Line. Belldandy, a Goddess for the service, is dispatched to him to solve the “problem,” and she grants him one wish. Thinking is just an elaborate prank (probably from his dorm roomates, who find pleasure in abusing him), Keiichi wishes that Belldandy would be his girlfriend, forever. Of course, it is not a joke, and Keiichi’s wish is granted. Keiichi is kicked out of his “all-boys” dorm for having a girl in there, and Belldandy takes him to the temple where he will live with her.
Urd and Skuld are the two sisters of Belldandy, and they live with her and Keiichi in the temple. Urd is the oldest and flashiest of the three sisters, most akin to the party girl, and often pushes Keiichi to become more confident with his sister if they are to be “together.” In the issues I read, her magic license was revoked (perhaps having something to do with the fact that she is part demon), and while still a goddess she has none of the powers that go along with it.
Skuld, the youngest of the three sisters, is more of a technological wiz than, content on building her mechanical marvels rather than relying on magical gifts. After being bored with her job as the “Systems Manager” in heaven, she decides to come down to Earth to stay with her sisters. Among her creations is the robot Bampei, who is a regular character in the series.
Thoughts
Contrary to everything I expected, I really enjoyed what I read of Oh! My Goddess (Just where in the heck is that “!” supposed to go, anyway?). It is lighthearted and funny, and very, very easy to get into.
The art style is not as exaggerated as some of the cartoony manga that I really despise, but it is still very distinct. One positive thing I can say about it is that when recalling the issues I read, I actually remember them as animation. I am not really sure if that is due to the art style, or the slow storytelling style. Unlike most American comics that I have read, there was very little in the way of dialogue or narration. I could very easily see four or five issues of Oh My Goddess being squeezed down into one issue of your average American title.
Another thing I found interesting was the recap at the beginning of each issue. Unless it was the beginning of a brand new story, you are “retold” what happened in the last page or so of the last issue. It helped give the story a greater sense of continuation, and made things much easier to follow. I liked that idea a great deal, and would not seeing that sort of thing done in other comics I enjoy reading.
Of all of the comics I have read in a very long time, I think that this is the most ideally suited to market towards the young female audience. There are romantic themes throughout this title, but not the oversexed lust-fest that seems to go hand in hand with romance in some American attempts at a young girl’s book. Keiichi and Belldandy’s story is a very sweet and innocent one, and extremely G-Rated. This is not to say that this book is all about romance, but it does play a large part of the plot from time to time.
Bottom Line-
As luck would have it, a brand new issue of Oh My Goddess is due on shelves this Wednesday, February 11th, and it is the first part of a brand new story arc. I think this title is much better suited to the digest sized Traveler format that is popular with similar manga books today due to the slow, steady storytelling style, but dropping nearly $20 on one of those just to try out a new title is a bit much. There is also a cartoon of this cartoon, though I have not seen it, and it might be another way to get a good idea of what this title is all about. It does follow a roughly similar story line. I don’t know if they show it on TV or not over here, but you never know.
In the end, I am glad I put aside my dislike for the more obnoxious brand of anime/manga to give this book a chance. No, this is not going to turn me into a hardcore mangaphile, but it is nice to know that there are some real gems in that genre. I can almost guarantee that you will see other manga titles covered here sometime in the future.
Credit Where Credit is Due –
Oh My Goddess is
Created, Written, and Drawn by Kosuke Fujishima.
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February 2, 2004
Still on the Shelf #44 – Rose and Thorn
Way back in 1970, a new character appeared in a back up story in the Superman’s Girlfriend: Lois Lane comic- well, two new characters if you want to get specific- Rose and the Thorn. As the story was told then, Rose Forrest was a young woman who’s father- a police detective’s murder at the hands of a gang called the 100. Rose, non-violent by nature, found herself unable to do anything to avenge the death of her father. As a result, her mind fractured, creating a whole new personality: Thorn. Thorn emerged when Rose was asleep, and took up the mantle of a costumed crime fighter whose goal was the fall of the hundred.
For many of you, there should have been no doubt in your mind that I would eventually get to this new title here. I have made it pretty plain over the last year that Gail Simone is on a very short list of writers who I will read no matter what kind of book they put out. Though Rose and Thorn is quite different than anything she has written in the past, she continues to demonstrate her skill in weaving a story. The fact that she can jump from the wacky humor of Agent X and Deadpool to “kid’s stuff” in Gus Beezer, then on to something as dark and twisted as this makes me respect her all the more.
This new version, Rose and Thorn, is a much more down to earth and gritty than its Silver Age counterpart. So much so, that I wondered why it is not a Vertigo title. Sure. it takes place in Metropolis, and yes, it roughly based on a DC-Universe character, but so far Vertigo seems a better fit. Its quality of storytelling and style of art would fit very well among the titles there, and so far no current mainstream DC Universe characters have made an appearance. Perhaps that will change as time goes on.
Cast of Characters
Rhosyn Forrest was the daughter of a police detective who was brutally murdered, along with her mother, by a gang called the 100 when she was a child. The resulting temporary insanity (and an attempted homicide) landed her in Siamare Youth Care Facility, an asylum in Metropolis. As in the real world, very little in the way of productive therapy took place, and Rhosyn was prone to violent outbursts with a fascination for sharp objects.
Dr. Warren Chritlow is an experimental psychologist who took Rhosyn under his wing to test a new radical therapy he was developing. He trained her to take all of the violent impulses she felt and lock them away into a corner of her subconscious, and keep them there where they could not surface. The result was a fracturing of Rhosyn’s mind into two distinct personalities – Rose and Thorn.
Rose is generally the dominant personality, the one of the pair who has the ability to control and restrain the subordinate Thorn. Rose is a completely passive individual, unable to react violently to any situation. This makes her a classic victim, unable to defend herself under any circumstances. This was the price of her release from the asylum, and she could not be happier with the result.
Her counterpart, Thorn, began as a chaotic jumble of violent obsessions and tendencies, which Rose managed to completely lock away. Over time, Thorn matured along with Rose, becoming a more stable personality. Once unpredictable and irrational, Thorn developed into a more sound “person,” less apt to lash out in an unfocused manner. She remains violent and homicidal, but will kill randomly. Though she is almost completely trapped in Rose’s subconscious, in times of great stress she has proven that she can escape when need be.
Now that Rose is out of the asylum, Thorn has made it her goal to avenger the death of her parents. To accomplish that, she will have to hunt down and confront the 100.
Thoughts
Rose and Thorn is everything Epic should have been, and everything Marvel’s Ultimate Universe could be. On one hand, one of the most exciting things about Epic was its potential to re-introduce obscure characters back into the Marvel Universe with a more modern edge. On the other, the point of the Ultimate Universe is to retell the origins of decades old characters with a modern twist. DC has taken both of these goals to heart with this series, and Simone has taken the concepts and ran with them, making a truly unique title in the process.
The uninformed may look at this title as a blatant rip-off of the similar Daredevil character, Typhoid Mary. However, Typhoid first appeared nearly twenty years prior for the first time in Daredevil #254. One wonders if this obscure heroine at all inspired Ann Nocenti, as the characters have very similar foundations.
One quite radical difference between Typhoid Mary and Rose and the Thorn was the fact that Typhoid was very much the villain in the story, first becoming an assassin for the Kingpin. Though Rose Forrest was clearly suffering from a severe psychological condition, she was still very much a hero in the spirit of the time.
Today, with Gail Simone at the helm, the two characters are closer to one another, yet still miles apart. While Typhoid, the dominate of three personalities, is a bloodthirsty killer, Thorn is a calculated one, intent only on protecting Rose, and exacting revenge on the 100 for the loss of her parents. While Typhoid remains in control once she has surfaced, Rose continues to be the dominant personality once Thorn has taken control, and is eventually able to reel her back into the subconscious. Thorn is only able to surface in times of great stress, when Rose is unable to cope with the situation at hand. To this point, anyway.
In the end, Typhoid Mary remains very much a villain at heart, while the modern Rose and Thorn is more of a conflicted individual, on one hand pure and innocent, and on the other, a violent obsessive/compulsive that is less villain and more tragic antihero. In many ways, Rose and Thorn is by far the more complex and fascinating character of the two.
The art and presentation do a lot to make this story more tangible. The evolution of the “room” Rose keeps Thorn locked away in is particularly fascinating. It clearly develops as Rose matures, and it provided a very effective metaphor for the struggle Thorn endures when she tries to break free. There is also clear definition between the styles Adriana Melo uses between the real, outside world, and the place Rose has created in her mind. It makes the dialogue between the two much easier to understand when they are bouncing back and forth between two places nothing at all alike.
Bottom Line
This is only a six issue min-series, but that does not mean the character could not pop up again in the DC universe. One drawback of this is that Gail has a pretty distict style of writing that kind of “brands” a character, which makes her a tough act to follow. The writer who followed her on Agent X could not pull it off, and though there are no plans for a creative change on Birds of Prey anytime soon, you could almost envision a rough transition on that book as well if the right writer isn’t selected to follow her. This may not be a problem, however, as Simone has an exclusive contract with DC at this point, and judging by the work she is doing for them so far, I doubt they will be looking to let that contract lapse any time soon. In any case, if this title does well, you can bet that a second mini could be considered in the future.
Rose and Thorn issues #1 and #2 are already available- issue #3 is set to be released on February 18th. It should not be too difficult to scrounge up the first to issues to get up to speed- I highly recommend it. This mini series would make an ideal trade paperback, but that is never a certainty, so I would not simply wait- this book is too good a read anyway!
Credit Where Credit is Due –
Rose and Thorn is
Written by Gail Simone,
Pencilled by Adriana Melo,
Inked by Dan Green,
Colored by Alex Bleyrert,
and Lettered by Jared Fletcher.
Well, I have dropped a few hints about an “upcoming contest” over the last few weeks. I don’t know how many of you were really pacing in anticipation over what I could mean- but trust me, you should have been! The wait will be over next week, as I announce the “contest” to celebrate my first year writing Still on the Shelf. I have some really awesome prizes lined up for the winners (trust me, they really are), so please be sure to check back next week for ALL of the details, and how to enter! Thanks for reading, and see you next Monday!
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