If you are among the millions waiting for season 3 of GLOW on Netflix, the producers have managed a licensing deal with Idea & Design Works (IDW) for a 4 issue miniseries based on the show.
Stylistically, the artwork is more along the lines of modern animation (i.e. Steven Universe), mixed with Japanese anime/manga, given some of the character designs. The GLOW series, a show-within-a-show that reimagines the behind the scenes story behind the 1986-90 series, should have more of an artistic style befitting the era. However, artist Hannah Templer makes up for that with spot-on interpretations of the characters.
The downside is that this is a 4-issue miniseries, and if bingeing is your thing, the trade paperback collection will be along before the end of the summer.
Rating: Incomplete. We'll discuss this further after the miniseries ends in June.
==========================================
In the 1990's, Topps expanded from trading cards and Bazooka bubble gum to comic books. Like most independent publishers, Topps relied mostly on licensed titles, including The X-Files, Duckman, "Mars Attacks" (now at Dynamite), and Zorro, the latter written by 70's comics icon Don McGregor.
As the Zorro book was cancelled. then-publisher Jim Salicrup (now with Papercutz, formerly with Marvel) had promised a story arc that he said was a labor of love for artist Mike Mayhew. However, Zorro: Matanzas didn't see the light of day until Dynamite acquired a license in 2010.
The plotline is simple. Machete, one of Zorro's enemies, is now in a seat of political power, and has managed to make friends with Don Alejandro de la Vega, whose son, Diego, is secretly Zorro. Oh, the drama. Machete's machinations and manipulations are meant to embarrass Zorro, as well as discredit him. Unfortunately, this marks the coda to Dynamite's license, as otherwise Zorro is now licensed to American Mythology Press. I don't think McGregor & Mayhew ever got around to a sequel.
Rating: B-.
============================================
More than 50 years ago, DC Comics introduced Dial H For Hero as the new lead feature in House of Mystery, supplanting Martian Manhunter. The concept has undergone several revivals and reboots, dating back to 1980. The latest is a 6-issue miniseries that is the fourth, and, for now, final release from Brian Bendis' Wonder Comics imprint.
This time around, the "H-Dial" is a magic telephone, an old school model. The fact that it's a red phone is a nod to Batman, and the current holder of the "H-Dial" is a troubled Latino youth named Miguel, who simply doesn't like his current job, working out of a mayonnaise-themed food cart operated by his uncle.
Writer Sam Humphries is also the current scripter for Harley Quinn, so, of course, Harl makes a 1-panel cameo appearance in the opener. Then, it gets wacky. Miguel's first superhero alter-ego is a throwback to the 1990's, the kind of hero that someone like, say, Rob Liefeld would've dreamed up.
This is going to be one crazy thrill ride.
Rating: B-.
============================================
It isn't enough that Sabrina, The Teenage Witch will soon merit co-star status in Archie (more on that below), but she's got a new, 5-issue miniseries that will keep readers happy until Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa finds his brains and gets back to his word processor to get Chilling Adventures of Sabrina back on the shelf to complement the resumption of the Netflix series, which returns next month.
Anyway, this miniseries is set in the primary Archie Comics universe, and is a prequel to her current run, not only in Archie, but in Jughead's short-lived series, which was cancelled a while back, very quietly. The story is that Sabrina and her aunts have just arrived in Greendale (the setting of the 1996-2003 live-action series and all subsequent iterations of the franchise), so Sabrina is making new friends, including familiar faces like Harvey Kinkle. Writer Kelly Thompson and artists Veronica & Andy Fish have set about making this as opposite of Chilling Adventures as humanly possible, and that's a good thing. Just wait 'til you see their idea of a Wendigo......
Rating: A.
=============================================
News & notes: Beginning with Archie 705, out in May, as noted above, the book changes its title to Archie & Sabrina for five issues (705-9), and now, writer Nick Spencer will be joined by co-scripter Mariko Tamaki, beginning with issue 706. This should be fun.
1980's wrestling icon Jim Cornette is the latest wrestling personality to move to comics.
Cornette is collaborating with co-scripter Brandon Easton and artist Denis Medri to serve up Jim Cornette Presents: Behind The Curtain-True Pro Wrestling Stories, which will hit stores in August from IDW. Cornette covers the iconic 1980's & 90's, as the book promises appearances by Hall of Famers Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and the late Andy Kaufman, plus much more. 80 pages for $15 might sound a little cost-prohibitive, but there are reasons for the high price, compared to DC's 80-pagers, for example, which run for nearly half the price.
More Archie news: As mentioned above, Jughead may have had his last solo series cancelled rather unexpectedly, but the current narrator of Archie will be front & center again in June in a 5 issue revival of his 1990 series, Jughead's Time Police. The original version lasted about five issues or so, as memory serves, but the solicitation for the new book sounds even nuttier than the original, if that's even possible. In addition, the 3rd issue of Jughead The Hunger vs. Vampironica promises a reimagining of Li'l Jinx, last seen in Life With Archie (2nd series) as a teenager, but now known simply as Jinx, and rebooted as a cosmic character of some kind. I wonder just what Frank Tieri has up his sleeve this time.......
Titan Books has acquired the rights to Max Collins & Terry Beatty's iconic 1980's detective, Ms. Tree, and will reprint five issues of her original series in a trade paperback collection, out in July. Also, Titan is promising an illustrated autobiography of.......Santa Claus. Out in September, the book is credited as "As Told To" writer Jared Green, with Bill Sienkiewicz illustrating. This will be one for the little kiddo's.
Speaking as we were about Wonder Comics, Naomi will finish "season 1" in June. Seems there's a need for some down time to allow artist Jamal Campbell to begin "season 2", which probably will start before the end of the summer. The series was originally solicited as an ongoing title, but, much like Dynamite, Brian Bendis opted to change gears to ensure that Campbell, already a fan favorite, doesn't miss any deadlines. Wish we could say the same for Doomsday Clock, as one of DC's big event books is perpetually late, and for reasons the publisher is unwilling to share.
No comments:
Post a Comment