Issue in 5 Friday..! (Serenity: Leaves on the Wind)

Miss out on Dark Horse Comics' Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1?
Well, here's a quick synopsis in just 5 panels..!

Issue in 5..! Skyman #1

In case you were wondering what was up with Dark Horse Comics' 'Skyman' #1, here's a review of the book in just 5 panels. Hint: I'd wait and see if this book gets better...

Throwback Thursday...

Grendel: Devil by the Deed
By Matt Wagner
1986

Matt Wagner created Grendel thirty years ago. After much thought about the stagnating comic scene he went about creating to of his lasting characters, Kevin Matchstick(From Mage) and Grendel. Grendel was born out of the idea that a book about the villain of the story could be more compelling than the one told about the hero. By making Hunter Rose a suave, beautiful, cold, cunning and incredibly intelligent, Wagner had all the things he needed to create one of the most memorable characters to come out of the 80s. All he needed now was a book, sadly due to funding issues at Comico, Grendel's first story was never finished. But Wagner sat on his idea until he could find a place to tell his story. The opportunity came when he was writing and drawing Mage. 

“Devil by the Deed” started out as a backup story in Mage. Four pages every issue that slowly delved into the fascinatingly tragic story of Hunter Rose. Wager had a lot of story to cover and not a lot of ground in which to cover it. In an experiment that many people (including Alan Moore) was original and fascinating. Mixing prose and sequential art, Wagner's tale of Grendel was a sight to behold. While this technique may not be the most original, it is certainly one of the best executed. The art and text flow together so well it does not feel as though it slows down the story. The book moves at a brisk clip and rarely lets up. While Wagner's early art may be a bit jarring to some readers who are familiar with his current style, it is still fantastic cartooning. With characters who move fluidly and whose posture reflect what the text doesn't spell out for you, Wagner's more cartoony style works with this story so well you may forget how any misgiving preciously held. 
Minor spoilers ahead, I will try and not give too much away, but there is a lot of ground covered and it isn't a very long book. 

Hunter Rose is destined to fail from page one. The story is told post postmortem by a reporter named Christine Spar, who has some connection to Hunter. The three central characters of the book are Hunter Rose, the enigmatic assassin and crime lord, Argent a three hundred year old wolf man who is the city's protector, and Stacy Palumbo, a young child who Hunter adopts and who also has a strong bond with Argent. 
Little is known about Hunter Rose's early life and it is glossed over rather quickly, yet the seeds of what he will become are planted there. Rose is exceptionally smart, a gifted fencer, and everything comes naturally to him. Losing the love of his life at seventeen he embarks on the only challenge left to him, dominating the world the surrounds him. Adopting the guise of Grendel and with his electrified bladed fork, he become the most dangerous and feared crime boss on the east coast. The rise of Grendel is great to behold but his fall is even more fantastic. He doesn't fail because the wolf Argent is such a great detective and deduces everything. He doesn't fail due to incompetence in his organization. He fails because he underestimated the one closest to him, because of his ego and because of his own heart. 

Matt Wagner's opening tale in the greater world of Grendel is wonderful. Thankfully even though Hunter Rose may have perished, there are still other stories told with him. Even though the mantle and curse of Grendel is passed on throughout the centuries, Hunter Rose remains a favorite of most Grendel fans. Is it because he is what a villain should be? Charismatic, intelligent, suave, beautiful and deadly? Is it the simple and elegant costume? It could be all these and more, but it seems clear that Hunter is the Grendel most glom onto. 
If you are curious about Grendel then “Devil by the Deed” is a great place to start. If you want more Hunter Rose there are a few other stories that focus on him , “Behold the Devil” is a favorite of mine. There are also two anthologies, “Black, White and Red”, and “Red, White and Black” both delve deeper into Hunter Rose's past and also have some fantastic art from creators like: Jill Thompson, Tim Sale, Duncan Fegredo, Mike Allred and a ton more. All of Hunter's exploits are also available in a handy digest sized omnibus which is well worth it. Grendel has been around for thirty years, and while not every Grendel is as charming as Hunter, they are all fascinating and as long as Matt Wagner will tell his stories, I will keep reading them.

Buttery Flow Presents: Buttery Comic Roundup 3...

In this 50-min session, I review Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier for DC, Terry Moore's SiP vol.7, Larry Hama's run on Wolverine, Alan Moore's Tom Strong Omnibus Ed. vol.2, Scott Lobdell's run on Generation X, Ken Garing's Planetoid, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mignola and Sandman vol.2 "a Doll's House' by Neil Gaiman.

*phew*

2 Cent Reviews - Everything part 1

Hey everyone and welcome back to Oz' 2 Cent Reviews, where our reviews are short (about 2 SENTences worth..get it?) and get straight to the point.  I took a nice holiday break but I'm really eager to get back in it!  So without further ado, this week is Transfusion 2, Saga 8 and 9, Wolverine and the X-Men 23, New Avengers 1 and 2, X-Factor 250, Nowhere Men 2, Fantastic Four 3, Multiple Warheads 3, Justice League 15, Justice League Dark 15 and Flash 15.  Come back sooner then usual because I still have another half-pile to go!

 Nowhere Men #2: I've dropped this book. There are two parts to this story, one that bores me and the other that I enjoy. The negative is the latter reminds me too much of the movie Prometheus. They even have a David type character. Pass.

 Transfusion #2: Smoky, beautiful art throughout. Story: struggle of the final living forms on Earth, the vampires. Versus the robots. Both their sustenance is blood and the human race is just about extinct. What's a poor bloodsucka to do?

 Multiple Warheads #2: Original as always, accompanied with great art. So much scattered treasure in some panels it had my eyes working. You have to liberate your imagination to truly enjoy all the merits of this book. Brandon Graham filled my 2012 quota for stoners actually making it in the industry.

 Justice League #15: Earlier in the months, this issue was solicited to feature the addition of new members Shazam and The Atom. That got me really excited. So where the fuck are they? Instead, we get part 1 of 5 Atlantis Rising (or whatever) which just felt like a sub plot from Flashpoint. The Atlanteans are attacking again...yawn. Really Geoff Johns? You pulled a switcheroo on us in the solicits to push a Fish-Man story? Weak.

 The Flash #15: When will the exposition stop? Flash did nothing the entire issue but sleep. This book is supposed to be about the fastest man alive but it's moving too slow. I get they are baking a love pie here but fuck man....four months of this monkeying around? Yes I went there. Close to considering another drop here.

 Wolverine & The X-Men #23: I'm really glad this arc is done. I'm ready to be entertained again. Stop wasting Nick Bradshaw's talents on this circusy shit. Circus of Crime, these guys ain't.

 Justice League Dark #15: Where did Amethyst go? I really feel like I missed an ish. ReFocusing: The death of magic starts here. The team travels to a mystically rich dimension and a few of our anti-heroes feel the burn. Tim Hunter is the key to everything and Constantine is the man to turn him but the young mage continues to refuse his birthright. Which is bad timing since, as always, their lives hang in the balance.

 New Avengers #1: Hickman sure does love using the set-up method in his premier issues. If you're not a fan of comics for the written word, then I wouldn't suggest trying New Avengers. Anyway, Black Panther is the focal point here, but it ends with an assembly.

 New Avengers #2: It's more talking heads in issue two but keeping in mind the cast involved, it was pretty fucking awesome. Black Bolt steals the entire issue with two panels.  All goodness and future potential aside, I still noticed a giant lack of Beast. What up with that Hickman?

 Fantastic Four #3: A much better show this month around. Finally, things start happening to the first family. Interesting things. Tentacley things...

 Saga #8: This book always leaves me clamouring for more. The last page mind-fucks always shock your scrotum from the inside. The story is going to be insane once fully collected, especially for new readers. Saga, book of the year hands down.

 Saga #9: The all-Will issue. Also, it's the formation of a new zoo crew and they are pretty much the anti-thesis to our main cast. Hopefully, things can end happy and they can all become a big family. But knowing BKV, there will be blood. Always.

X-Factor #250: So X-Factor is awesome again. I'm still not sure what the intention of BREAKING POINT was since almost everyone that left seems to be back. Not complaining though. This first chapter (to the current arc) starts off thumping. Thumping everywhere.