by Gavin Foo

 THE WAKE #6

Writer: Scott Snyder
Art: Sean Murphy
Colours: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Andrew Robinson

I gave up. I gave up trying to guess what could be in store with this issue - and I’m really glad I did, because this world has unfolded in a totally different manner that I could never have expected. 

We are now in the last half of this 10-part series, and now we are fully introduced to Leeward, our new protagonist. It is 200 years later, in a world and landscape changed beyond recognition. Snyder and Murphy have even created new colloquialisms for this new world, and new infrastructure. 

by Tiff Douglas

Out of all the reasons why people love comics so much, do you think self-deprecation is a popular one?  Do you think that when we read about all the wonderful things these colourful characters are doing, we resent the lives we chose for ourselves? We can use that feeling to motivate us or we can stick our noses further into our comics and let it be enough for us just to dream. This is why WANTED by Mark Millar is such an important book and why it’s more insightful than you think.

Somewhat enjoyable film (that had almost nothing to do with the comic) aside, Wanted is a fabulously random, shocking, hilarious and profound read. You are introduced to Wesley who is so utterly forgettable and dull, that he could die every day and be reborn in the morning and no one would notice.  His detestable cowardice rules his life and he constantly complains about the hole he is sitting in that he dug for himself with his shiny new spoon. He makes you want to shake your book violently, with the hopes of knocking some sense into a fictitious character.

Then his world gets turned upside down.

 

by Jake Douglas


Let's think about the big picture for a second.

The ocean that we swim in is home to over 230,000 different forms of life. Each one of those life forms has an individual history. Every year, thousands more are discovered as we venture deeper into the mysteries that the ocean has to offer.

It comes as no surprise that it's this unknown element of the planet that we live in, that has inspired countless creative minds over the course of human history.

With literature, we have Jules Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, and HP Lovecraft. In films, we have The Abyss, Deep Star Six, Jaws, Leviathan, and Deep Rising.

There also seems to have been a recent surge in the comics industry based around the wonders of the sea, with The Wake, Great Pacific, Gestalt Comics' The Deep, and now Undertow.

by Jade Lindley

Going on with your life without the person you love is tough. Whether it's them not knowing how you really feel, you being afraid to tell them, or just out right rejection; it's hard. But what is harder is seeing the one you love grow older right before your eyes, and you could end that by simply making them like you. With each breath that they take, it's as if they are inviting death into their lungs, into their heart, into their whole being. And with each day that passes, you have to watch them leave you. 

Now reverse the coin and imagine you are the one who can't make time go slower. Imagine being so in love, so whole and complete yet knowing you will never get to spend an eternity with them. You would be thinking an array of things. Will they ever love someone as much as they have loved you? Will they be okay? Will your eventual demise break their heart, the way it breaks yours slowly with each day that passes? 

American Vampire Volume 2, has two stories that are very different and overlap in such a smooth and subtle way. Yet it's the story of the love and inevitable heart break between Pearl and Henry that really stands out. 

by Gavin Foo

*WARNING* Definite spoilers!

Welcome readers, and appreciative viewers of sequential art! ‘The Fine Line’ is a column delving into the depths of and celebrating the works of the artistic person(s) that work so hard, day and night, line after line, page after page to deliver unto us our weekly comics!

Hellooooo there! Here we are again, picking up where we left off with part 2 of our little insight into the works of Sean Murphy. Last week, we covered a couple of his earlier works, stopping just shy of mid 2011, after Hellblazer: City of Demons. A few months later, Survival of the Fittest emerges from the ominous  shadows - a limited series for Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire. Set during the first years of World War II, the tale drops Agents Felicia Book and Cashel McCogan of the Vassals of the Morning Star deep into the heart of Romania, where they must retrieve a scientist rumoured to have found the cure to vampirism. 

by Bob Bruno 

The penultimate chapter of Jeff Parker and Marc Laming’s highly enjoyable Defenders of the Earth modernisation, adds just the perfect amount of real-world grit, while sacrificing none of the comic strip characters’ sense of fun or adventurism.

Following the dire events of last issue, with the portal between Mongo and Earth now open, Ming the Merciless uses the energies of the King’s Watch to force the Earth into a global technological shut down, as his armies arrive and poise to take the planet. Meanwhile, Flash Gordon, the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician push back against Ming’s infantry forces on the streets of London.

Jeff Parker employs here the tried and tested formula of separate individuals uniting to combat an alien invasion, a formula recently made famous by the Avengers.  What firmly and fundamentally sets this story apart however, and prevents it from ever being tired, is despite the colourful costumes this isn’t a story about superheroes at all… It’s about adventurers. These characters aren’t gods, monsters or super-soldiers, they’re three normal men and an illusionist, bare-knuckled, with horses, planes and handguns, fighting against an interstellar tyrant and his army of ray gun armed beast men, teleport devices and giant lizards. These practical aspects of the story alone are enough to put Kings Watch on a far different trajectory than both the Avengers and the Justice League. There was a wonderful line of dialogue in issue #3 spoken by the antagonist, Cobra, which was more than enough to sell me on Jeff Parker’s take: “We seem to be running into the toughest living obstacles. Fitting for such an undertaking.” A fascinating idea that from crises rise the greatest among us.

by Jake Douglas 

I like to think that when Batman runs into a smug 135 year old Sherlock Holmes in Detective Comics #572 and breaks off mid sentence after realising who he is, that he created a time paradox, resulting in a chain reaction that unraveled the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroyed the entire universe.

Outside of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles original mysteries, Sherlock Holmes has been thrown all over the space time continuum in books, films, TV and yes, comics. He has been tossed in with the likes of Fu-Manchu, the Predator, Jack the Ripper and Dracula. In some instances Sherlock has even faced the creepy characters that normally reside within Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. He has even been re-imagined to form entirely different characters like Gil Grissom from CSI, and Gregory House from... House. In the comics medium, whether it was intentional or not, Batman is Sherlock Holmes. You don't throw a comic book out there with 'The Worlds Greatest Detective' plastered all over it and expect for it not to garner comparisons. 

by Chris Davidson

She-Hulk #1

Writer – Charles Soule  //  Artist – Javier Paulido

Not knowing a thing about She-Hulk I was surprised to learn that her transformation was due to Bruce Banner saving her via blood transfusion. The first few pages set up the tone for the book quite quickly as it’s a light hearted book and something the industry is severely lacking in. It’s actually quite surprising how fitting Soule feels for this book and I truly believe he should stick to lighter themed books.

Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) is an attorney who has been working extremely hard for the last year, and spending many nights working late. It’s time for her yearly review and she is expecting a worthy pay rise, lamentably she is informed that there will be no increase. Quite upset with the information she promptly quits and decides to drown her sorrows with alcohol. A woman by the name of Holly Harrow stumbles upon Jennifer who decides to help her in regards to Tony Stark stealing her late husband’s technology. It’s a case Jennifer is more than happy to take considering she is close friends with Tony; a simple 5 minute talk will have everything sorted out surely. Jennifer tries to play by the rules through Tony’s attorneys who won’t allow her to see Tony himself. Things get a bit violent when she decides to side step the attorneys and break the rules to get to Tony.

The artwork by Javier Pulido is very simple, this is not a bad thing at all though as it melts perfectly with the light hearted approach from Soule.

by Lewis E. Ryan

Welcome to ‘Marvel NOW… NOW!’, an ongoing series in which we take a look at how the Marvel universe’s rebranding is progressing. The series will be aimed largely at trade collectors like myself rather than monthly readers. So, really the title is ironic, as ‘NOW’ actually happened months ago and anyone following the continuity monthly will be far ahead of this. Anyway, game on! This week, I’ll be looking at the not-so-jolly green giant’s contribution to this continued consolidation, Mark Waid’s The Indestructible Hulk. The first trade was released this month and it is titled Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Interesting.

by Chris Davidson

Writer – J. Michael Straczynski  //  Artist – Sid Kotian

Straczynski may have been the man that created the amazing TV series Babylon 5 and he seems to have a very large list of accolades next to his name but this story was not very attention grabbing. Minis that are 5 or less issues generally do not have much room for the story and characters to breath. They tend to feel rushed or the pace is so slow you wonder how the book could possibly become exciting or engaging. This book encapsulates many of the problems attributed to minis.

We are introduced to Allison, a private investigator who specialises in stopping the world from ending; it’s a speciality that has been passed down for generations. Al is the first female in the lineage to take on this task, it would have been her brother but she never had one.