Avatar Press » Reader Reviews

Cammy’s Captain Swing Review

Mark — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:48:26 +0000

Pick of the Week from the most energetic video review segment in the business, Cammy’s Comic Corner:

Blair on CROSSED #2

Mark — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:06:07 +0000

A good year for CRÃ‰CY

Mark — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:40:55 +0000

Seeing this recent review of CrÃ©cy by Chris Beckett at the Pulse reminded me that I should post some of the other acclaim for the graphic novel that I’ve run across in recent times. Alan David Doane named the saga one of his best books of 2007 (see his review also, which begins with the line “It’s entirely possible CrÃ©cy is the perfect Warren Ellis comic book.”). Then there was a Guardian writer calling it Best New Graphic Novel awhile back, and the discussion of the book on G4’s Fresh Ink segment.

Check out our CrÃ©cy section for more artwork and info. Available in comic shops and book stores all over.

Criticize This on Doktor Sleepless

Mark — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:09:58 +0000

I’ve been meaning to post this installment of Michael Goldberg’s comic book review video blog for Criticize This, which contains some discussion of Doktor Sleepless. It’s cool to see these short comic review video segments like this and Blair Butler’s Fresh Ink popping up.

G4 / Fresh Ink on Crecy

Mark — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:29:02 +0000

A recent Fresh Ink segment in which Blair names Crecy by Warren Ellis and Raulo Caceres her comic of the week.

G4 / Fresh Ink Talks Black Summer #2

Mark — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:23:21 +0000

G4’s Blair Butler discusses Black Summer #2, calling the title her favorite comic of the summer:

Criticize This takes on Black Summer

Mark — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:00:43 +0000

Via criticizethis.net. Black Summer talk comes about 1:20 from the end.

Black Summer #0 Reviews

Mark — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:39:43 +0000

Reviews for the just-released Black Summer #0 have started appearing:

Review: Frank Miller’s ROBOCOP

David — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 06:04:34 +0000

Frank Miller’s complete, original script for the Robocop 2 movie is finally available after two decades in this Avatar Press TPB. At last you can see Miller’s original vision for the film complete and uncut. Written by the acclaimed author of the Dark Night Returns, Sin City, and 300, Frank Miller’s ROBOCOP TPB is a must have for all diehard comic book and movie fans. But don’t just take our word for it, check out this review by comic book critic Tim Janson:

The story of Frank Miller’s Robocop turns out to be more of an interesting story than Robocop 2 itself. Coming soon after Miller’s enormous success with Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns, Miller was hired to pen the script to Robocop 2. Miller enthusiastically took on the assignment, but his excitement was short-lived. Miller would soon fall victim, as so many had before him, to the Hollywood studio suits who basically tore his script to shreds, leaving only the smallest tatters of his original story in place. Enter Avatar Press who acquired the Robocop rights. It was Avatar’s vision to finally let Miller’s original screenplay be adapted for the comics the way it was meant to have been on the big screen.

Miller’s Robocop is far darker, grittier, and bloodier than the film version. You’ll know this within the first few pages…Robocop has now come under the control of Dr. Margaret Love, whose ego and attitude are even are bigger than her chest! She sees Robocop as limited in directives and programming. She thinks Robocop should provide good PR as well as good police work. Meanwhile, OCP scientists are busy at work designing Robocop 2, yet continue to have failure after failure, all do to having the wrong type of human personality for the unit.

Robocop is reprogrammed and his three prime directives are replaced with 1881 directives that include things such as the “role-model” mode which causes Robocop to promote social values…such as turning off the fire hydrant keeping the city kids cool on a sweltering Summer Day. As you can guess, Miller is able to let his sardonic wit run wild with mock newscasts and TV commercials, similar to what he did with Dark Knight Returns. It all leads to a final climactic battle between Robocop and Robocop 2 in an extreme conflagration of violence perhaps unparalleled in comics.

While the film kept some elements of Miller’s story such as the Murphy’s recollection of his former life and family, and his reprogramming of his prime directives, the film lacks the dark humor and intensity of Miller’s story, all on display for the world to finally see thanks to Avatar Press. I must also mention the incredibly detailed artwork of Juan Jose Ryp whose somewhat frenzied style is perfectly suited to the story. Magnificent!

Written and reviewed by Tim Janson.

The Chronicles of Wormwood Reviews

David — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 07:05:34 +0000

Haven’t read the SOLD OUT first issue of the Chronicles of Wormwood yet? Check out these reviews to get a feel for Ennis’ next great series, then run to your local shop or try online to see if either have any extra copies. Issue #1 comes in both a standard and a Visions of Hell cover, both crafted by artist Jacen Burrows.

Escape of the Living Dead TPB Vol. 1

David — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 06:08:33 +0000

Any recent Avatar Press releases sell-out before you could get to them or just slip under your radar? Here are some reviews by industry critics to help you to decide which titles you wish to catch up on (first)…

THE TRUE SEQUEL TO NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, October 12, 2006

Zombie comics seem like they are all over the place nowadays but only one of them can boast being written by the co-creator of the original Night of the Living Dead film, John Russo. That book is “Escape of the Living Dead” from Avatar Press and it’s a must have for any zombie fan. “Escape” is really a pre-Dawn of the Dead sequel to the original film, set in 1971, just three years after the original zombie outbreak. The story also returns to its roots being set in Pennsylvania.

The Zombie outbreak seems to have been defeated although we learn that at some point the government began to capture and contain the zombies, rather than kill them, much to the frustration of local law enforcement who can only speculate as to the reasons behind the government’s interest in the undead. A small outbreak at a medical facility leads local cops to Doctor Melrose who claims to have developed a serum to cure the zombie plague but, just before he dies, says the secret is with his son.

Away from this action, a couple of local biker thugs set their sights on a semi-truck they believe to be loaded with electronics. They devise a plan to hijack the truck and steal the goods, only when the truck is opened it’s not Hi-Fi systems and TVs they find, but a trailer full of hungry undead.

Meanwhile Henry Brinkman runs a local roadhouse that is just opening for the day when the zombies attack. His daughter Sally narrowly escapes the flesh-eaters as she and her father take refuge in the saloon, hoping that help will arrive. Instead, three more outlaw bikers including the leader Bearcat decide to crash the party and take Sally for their own. Now Henry finds himself in desperate straits, trying to keep himself alive and find his kidnapped daughter.

What I really enjoyed about “Escape of the Living Dead” was it truly captured the spirit of the original “Dead” film. It maintained a small scale, centering on this small community, just as the first film did. In other words it stayed with a formula that works. This graphic novel is truly GRAPHIC! Characters are torn apart and eaten alive in visceral fashion. It’s not a book for the squeamish, that’s for sure! Credit penciller Dheeraj Verma and inker Lalit for delivering the goods in exquisitely gory detail! I also have to give praise to Avatar Press for not filling the book with sketch pages, pinups, and other fluff, this is 120 pages of pure story and art. Avatar continues to be one of the leaders in horror comics.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Warren Ellis’ Strange Killings: Necromancer

David — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 06:07:04 +0000

SOLID ZOMBIE ACTION TALE, December 30, 2006

The thing I love about the Warren Ellis material put out by Avatar Press is that it is so raw, so visceral. Unfettered by the kind of constraints he may have working for Marvel or DC, Ellis is free to assault the senses of his readers with stories filled with violence, gore, and profanity. Now that’s not to say that he is glorifying those things or even that he’s excessive. I’ve frankly always admired Ellis’ use of these tools both in subtle and extreme ways.

If anything, “Strange Killings: Necromancer” may be the most tame of his works for Avatar. It’s certainly is the least fantastic of his stories; a mix of adventure and zombie horror similar to many of the recent zombie films. Setting it apart from being just another mundane zombie story is the main character William Gravel, a British S.A.S. agent who just also happens to be a combat magician. Gravel is briefed by his superiors on a scientist who sanctioned by the British government to conduct experiments in chemical weaponry on a Philippine Island. The doctor has gone rogue and intends to sell his work to the highest bidder. Already several covert-ops units have gone missing trying to find the doctor, but that’s not what Gravell is assigned to do…His job is to locate an American journalist who has been snooping around the island and kill him before he can reveal his story in the media.

Gravell’s mission is quickly compromised when he finds the journalist is not a man, but a beautiful woman, trapped on this island with a horde of zombies, created by the doctor’s serum in hopes of creating a disposable fighting force. Gravell will have to use all of his physical and magical skills just to survive…but will he complete his mission?

“Strange Killings: Necromancer” is a solid action/horror yarn. Ellis quickly jumpstarts the story and rarely lets off the accelerator. These zombies are among the most foul, rotting things, virtually dripping with ooze but have insatiable appetites. Gravell is like James Bond meets Doctor Strange and a wonderfully colorful character. My only real complaint is that the art of Mike Wolfer is only average, decent but nothing special. I’d really like to have seen what a top-notch artist could have done with the story.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

J.R. Lansdale’s The Drive-In

David — Mon, 08 May 2006 06:04:59 +0000

TRUE DRIVE-IN HORROR, May 8, 2006

The Adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s “The Drive-In” is as much about humanistic horror as it is supernatural. A devious, and visceral lab experiment with humans as the test subjects. A group of young friends in Texas decide to spend an evening at the Orbit drive-in movie theater to see an all night long horror film festival with movies like “Evil Dead”, “Dawn of the Dead”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and more, but the terror will soon turn all too real. Best friends Jack and Bob, along with sheepish Randy, and tough biker Willard think they’re in for a long evening of horror classics and beer when the appearance of a meteor changes everything. Suddenly the four friends find themselves trapped in the drive-in with hundreds of other customers by an otherworldly force. They are virtually cut off from the rest of the world by a darkened sky and an impenetrable wall which virtually melts anyone who tries to leave.

Without any means of calling for help, and dwindling food supplies from the concession stand, it is the reactions of the captives that provide the true horror. Some rage forth to try and takeover the concession stand for themselves, others decide that end of the world sex is the way to go, while a fundamentalist Christian movement starts up preaching the way of God. Jack retreats into a shell and has to be pulled out of his self-imposed isolation by Bob who has a hidden stash of food in his car. Meanwhile Willard and Randy’s relationship soon turns grossly symbiotic. The pair takes over the concession stand and are struck by a bolt of lightening which should have killed them both. Instead, the pair’s bodies have become virtually fused together in a twisted, corroded form that now calls itself the Popcorn King. This demonic dark lord soon has most of the residents worshipping him as a God, even as he feasts upon their bodies. Bob & Jack soon realize that they may be the only hope of salvation for the survivors as they hatch a plot to destroy the Popcorn King.

Lansdale’s original story is adapted by Christopher Golden who is probably best known for his Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels as well as writer of the Buffy comic for Dark Horse. He is aided greatly by the beautifully chaotic artwork of Andres Guinaldo who captures the drive-in in all its animalistic glory. The true horror isn’t the demonic Popcorn King but seeing how humanity quickly degrades in the face of adversity. Typical, and outstanding Lansdale and a fine job by Golden and Guinaldo. The graphic novel also includes an interview with Landsdale.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Lansdale and Truman’s Dead Folks

David — Wed, 11 May 2005 06:07:56 +0000

Short But Gruesome Zombie Ride, May 11, 2005

Joe Lansdale is one of the best horror writers in the business today and it’s great to see someone putting out comic adaptations of his stories. His graphic and visceral style is well-suited to the comics. This tale is based on a classic Romero-esque zombie story he wrote called “On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks”. It’s sort of a Dawn of the Dead meets Omega Man type story. Lansdale provides an introduction in the book that features are by Tim Truman, best known for his Grimjack series for First Comics back in the 1980’s. Lansdale touts Truman as the finest comic artist in the business. That may be stretching things a tad bit but Truman is very good. Oddly though, while the full page illustrations in this book by Truman are quite gorgeous, the actually story art is somewhat bland and has a rushed look to it. It’s done strictly in black and white with out any grays or even zip-a-tone to give the art and depth or shading and Truman’s usual fine line work is missing.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus was released causing the dead to return to life to feed on the living. Pretty standard stuff there. A bounty hunter enters a desert strip club where they actually have nude female zombies as the entertainment. Their mouths are sealed shut so they can’t bite and the sign outside advertises them as “perfumed and maggot-free”. Nice…The bounty hunter is after a murderer named Calhoun and after a brief brawl, he takes his prey into custody. While driving through the desert they’re attacked by a tank-like vehicle and captured by a band of zombies and fanatical nuns who serve a man who calls himself Lazarus. This man, we discover, is the one who actually created the virus that spread throughout the world. He’s now using the blood of those not yet affected to try and find a cure. Lazarus has found a way to control the zombies and they now worship him as a God. With the help of one of the nuns who knows Lazarus is mad and wants out, the three escape into the desert for the final, grim climax to the story.

Like much of Landsdale’s work, this is a raw, bloody, and bleak tale. There’s no heroic figures here to root for. The story is short but intense. The idea of lap-dancing zombies is thoroughly bizarre but probably quite accurate if a situation like this ever came to pass. Using a Disney-style theme park as the lair of Lazarus and his zombies was a nice little dig as well. I’ll give the story five stars but I still think the art could have been a bit better, especially having seen Truman do so much outstanding work over the years. This one is definitely for mature readers.

Reviewed by Tim Janson