Todd Klein's Blog, page 112

And Then I Read: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR Season 2 #4

Image © Ahoy Comics.

First, I love the Steranko Hulk homage on the cover!

In “The Black Cat,” Michael Kerr is a Washington lobbyist funneling auto-maker money to congressmen in return for legislation in their favor. As a reward, he’s given a prototype smart car, one that seems to anticipate his every destination and is ready to take him there in a flash. Before long, friction develops between man and car that does not end well. As Kerr is quite unlikeable, that was okay with me.

“The Gold Bug II” takes place in space, where an astronaut is depending on his robot servant to some important work. I liked the art on this one, but found the plot a bit hard to follow.

Hunt Emerson’s “Poe and the Black Cat” two-pager is easy to follow, and as funny as usual.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE DREAMING #19

Image © DC Comics. Written by Simon Spurrier, art by Bilquis Evely, colors by Mat Lopes, letters by Simon Bowland, cover by Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn

The climax of the previous 18 issues seems to be gathered here and in the next issue, which I am guessing is the last of this particular storyline. I like the way it’s drawn on so many elements from Neil Gaiman’s original run without anything feeling like a retread. The servants of Dream — the original Dream — are gathering once more to confront the current Dream Lord, Wan and his other, darker version, who Wan doesn’t even seem to know about. Lucien has recovered his mind and his story, and with him are Matthew, Cain and Abel and many others including Dora, the recent addition to the Dreaming cast. The ancient symbols and segments of Dream’s power have been gathered as well, and the confrontation and climax are impressive and enlightening so far, with more to come next time. Good work by all involved!

Recommended.

And Then I Read: DRAGONFLY & DRAGONFLYMAN #4

Image © Ahoy Comics. Written by Tom Peyer, art by Peter Krause

The contrast in approaches to the modern grim version of these characters on Earth Omega and the retro light-hearted version on Earth Alpha continues to make for an interesting comic. On Earth Omega, Dragonfly’s teen partner Stinger is trying to trick their computer into revealing secret info, while the villain Kaktus attacks Dragonfly himself. Kaktus’ costume and back-story are both unusual. On Earth Alpha, teen partner Stinger is instead helping Dragonflyman by throwing punches for him when the hero himself is unable to fight his criminal opponent The Devil, whose Temptatron rays can turn anyone evil. I’m not sure why exactly the contrast of the two is so effective, but I suppose it’s the polar opposites that attract, so to speak. Of the two worlds, I find Alpha more appealing. I wonder if there are some out there who like Omega better?

Recommended.

And Then I Read: JIMMY OLSEN #8

Image © DC Comics. Written by Matt Fraction, art by Steve Lieber,
colors by Nathan Fairbairn, letters by Clayton Cowles.

Here we are at issue 8 of this 12-issue series, and my reaction remains the same: I enjoy reading it, I find it funny and love the many nooks and crannies of the DC Universe it stumbles through and mocks, but I still find the overall story confusing. Jimmy himself is a hoot, fully embracing his own wackiness. He loves visiting Gorilla City, for example, as we see above. “I go there all the time!” he says.

The story is told in a series of short vignettes from one to several pages. Storylines weave in and out. All of them are amusing. The opening quartet of pages mimicking four versions of Superman from some years ago is quite good. But, who is the porcupine guy? Why is Jimmy’s brother closing down his fan club? Why does his successful playwright sister tag along with him? These and other questions remain, and I don’t mind. It’s all good.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR Season Two #3

Image © Ahoy Comics

This comic rides the fence between humor and horror, and I tend to find the funnier stories work better for me. The cover, for example, is pure humor with the addition of Batman TV-show sound effects. The lead story is a modern take on Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum,” with the victim a black CIA agent who is under constant suspicion by his bosses, and finally undergoes torture like that in the Poe story. No humor here, and I like the Poe version better.

The second story, a version of Poe’s “The Raven” by Linda Medley is more to my liking. Medley uses her skill with anthropomorphic animals to give us a raven who is an actor and offered the part of a tormenter of a certain poet, paid for by the father of a woman he’s courting. The only problem is it pays peanuts…literally.

Finally, the silent two-pager by Hunt Emerson of Poe vs. The Black Cat is as entertaining as ever.

Recommended.

Incoming: BATMAN, CREATURE OF THE NIGHT Hardcover

Image © DC Comics.

Years in the making (fifteen according to Kurt Busiek in his afterword), this four issue series is collected in a hardcover that should be out soon. Kurt’s idea was to create an Elseworlds type Batman story that is as resonant and compelling as his SUPERMAN, SECRET IDENTITY, my favorite Superman story, that we worked on more than those 15 years ago. I like this one nearly as much, though I can’t say it’s my favorite Batman story, I would have to give that nod to BATMAN: YEAR ONE. It’s quite good all the same, with the Batman of this story a creepy, supernatural partner to a young Bruce Wainwright as they try to solve the mystery of his parents’ murder, and then to find a place in the world. But what exactly is this Batman, and where does it come from? That’s the real story, and it’s a good one. John Paul Leon’s art is perfect for this book, too, full of mood and shadows. It’s unlike any other Batman story I’ve read, and I highly recommend it.

And Then I Read: DRAGONFLY & DRAGONFLYMAN #3

Image © Ahoy Comics, written by Tom Peyer, art by Peter Krause,
colors by Andy Troy and Paul Little, letters by Rob Steen, cover by Jamal Igle

While at first I missed the interaction of characters between the two Earths (Alpha and Omega), I’m now enjoying their two separate storylines equally as much. Earth-Omega’s focus is on the anger of Dragonfly’s teenage partner, who wants to quit, but isn’t being allowed to. The hostility in each direction is growing. On Earth-Alpha we’re introduced to the absurdly-named Lady Dragonflyman, as seen on the cover, who it seems is going to replace Dragonflyman’s teenage partner, something he’s not happy about. Nicely done all around.

Recommended.

Rereading: RED PLANET by Robert A. Heinlein

Cover and interior illustrations by Clifford Geary.

In the past I’ve written about some fictional versions of Mars, including those by Edgar Rice Burroughs, C.S. Lewis and John Keir Cross. This is my favorite by far.

The alien creature pictured on the dust jacket (which I’ve never owned) is actually Earth colonist Jim Marlowe wearing a protective suit. In his arms is a Martian pet he calls Willis, who plays a major part in the story. Jim and his friend Frank, their families, and many other colonists are living a nomadic life, with half the year spent in the southern colony of Charax, the other half in the northern colony of Copais. Earth government on Mars, and the Earth company that supports the colonies are at Syrtis Minor on the Martian equator. Jim and Frank are about to head there for college. Willis is a most interesting and amusing creature, full of curiosity, intelligent, able to speak English, and also able to record and play back anything he hears, which can cause problems for Jim, but he’s determined to bring the “bouncer,” as the colonists call them, with him, and does so.

On the way to school, Jim and Frank have a layover at Cynia Station, and they go exploring in the nearby Martian city. There we learn much more about real Martians, who are highly intelligent, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous, but Willis makes new Martian friends right away, and the boys are taken deep into the underground Martian dwellings where they ceremonially “share water” with Gekko and other Martians, making them water brothers, a rare honor. Gekko and his tribe are very impressed with the friendship between Jim and Willis, and want Willis to stay with them, but he insists on leaving with Jim and Frank.

When the boys get to school they find a very hostile atmosphere created by the new head of the school, Mr. Howe, just brought in from Earth. He rules with an iron hand, imposing all kinds of new restrictions, and soon has Jim and Frank ready to mutiny. The last straw is when Howe takes Willis from Jim and locks him in his office. When the boys make a successful midnight raid to get Willis back, the bouncer’s recording ability reveals a plot by the company that will endanger their entire colony. Jim and Frank decide they have to sneak out and return home to tell their parents and everyone in Charax what’s happening, but they are soon on the run from the company’s police and in danger of dying in the frigid Martian night.

One of Heinlein’s best books for younger readers, this is full of great ideas, clever plotting, action and thrills, and like most of Heinlein’s books, memorable characters. The Martians in this book are the same as the ones in his adult novel “Stranger In A Strange Land,” and this book makes a good prelude to that one.

Highly recommended.

And Then I Read: CAPTAIN GINGER Season 2 #1

The new season of Star Trek/Battlestar Galactica/Lost in Space with cats is an enjoyable return to the troubles facing the space-faring felines, this time with added dogs. Captain Ginger, his argumentative crew and disfunctional ship have arrived at a planet with a colony of dogs, who are broadcasting a steady bark at all comers. Should they make contact? Meanwhile, systems on the ship are going off-line one by one and no one seems to know why except perhaps Science Cat, who is having hairball issues.

This series written by Stuart Moore and drawn by June Brigman and Roy Richardson is entertaining, if a bit short on humor this time. I do like the variety of characters and the storyline is interesting. Recommended.

And Then I Read: ENCHANTRESS FROM THE STARS by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

Cover and illustrations by Leo & Diane Dillon

This book was first published in 1970, I somehow managed to miss reading it until now.

Elana’s father and a young man and woman in his crew have been sent on a mission by the Federation’s Anthropological Corps to the primitive planet Andrecia, where the inhabitants, who are at the civilization level of medieval Earth, are threatened by a more advanced high-tech civilization, the Imperials, who have space travel and plan to colonize Andrecia and put the local inhabitants, any who survive their takeover, in a small reserve. The Imperials don’t consider the Andrecians human because they are primitive. Elana is still studying to become a member of the Corps, but she stows away aboard the landing craft with her father and his crew. Once on the ground, Elana finds herself drawn into the plans to save the Andrecians from the Imperials. To do that she must play the “Enchantress from the Stars,” and convince a local man, Georyn, to be come a hero and save his people using the “magic” she can teach him. This plan will be perilous to Georyn, but it’s the only way Elana and the others can save the Andrecians without revealing themselves to the Imperials. That group is carving out a base in the Andrecian forest with a massive earth-mover the Andrecians see as a dragon.

As the story unfolds, mostly narrated by Elana, but also by one of the Imperials, we follow Georyn and his brother through their trials and quests to become heroes, and we see Elana and Georyn becoming more than just teacher and pupil. What began as a fun adventure for Elana becomes a difficult test for her as well, and a dangerous one.

At first I didn’t care for the way the different levels and viewpoints of this story were handled, but over time I was drawn into it and in the end found it a rewarding read. The Federation of the story is a bit like that of Star Trek, but they must keep themselves hidden from more primitive peoples to avoid interfering with their normal evolution. Science posing as magic is not a new idea, but it’s handled well here, and gives the fantasy aspects a fresh feel.

Recommended.