Review of "G. I. Joe: A New Beginning, #0," written by Joe Casey

 Review of

G. I. Joe: A New Beginning, #0, written by Joe Casey

Four out of five stars

 While the super soldiers known collectively as the G. I. Joe team have largely been put on standby, Cobra is still active and there are cells to be hunted down and destroyed. That happens here, but as usual the G. I. Joe members wipe the Cobra operatives out with no damage to their forces. Typical of the genre, the Cobra forces are largely hapless in the face of the super soldiers.

 However, the real action takes place in Chicago, where a human made metallic object from space crashes into the city. The devastation is tremendous, causing the full G. I. Joe team to be activated and travel immediately from their base in Wyoming to the site of the crash. While some are quick to leap to the conclusion of foul play, others hold out the possibility that it was an accident. Although how such a large object could survive reentry into the atmosphere intact remains one of the scientifically questionable aspects.

 Yet, the storyline proceeds rather well and given that this is the first issue in the story, the background is well developed. At the end, the reader knows what has happened and there are hints as to the responsible party. If you can suspend the usual disbelief regarding some of the science and the super soldier invincibility, you will enjoy this comic.

Review of "Elephantmen! #79," comic by Richard Starkings

 Review of

Elephantmen! #79, comic by Richard Starkings

Dark sf premise, science at its most brutish

 The premise of this comic is very dark. Biological science has developed to the point where it is possible to create transgenic mammalian organisms. However, once the embryos are created, human females are impregnated with them. The story opens with what appears to be a hippopotamus/human sitting down in front of a human male scientist. The name of the transgenic is Seven-A and he was the first transgenic that survived to be born. His mother died during the procedure and the scientist is one of the most cynical characters ever to appear in an sf setting. He states, “Thousands of women gave birth to my creations. None of those women survived. They were no longer necessary.”

 The transgenics were carefully controlled and programmed to do what was expected of them. Elephantmen is the generic term used to refer to them. A tiny machine was injected into them that suppressed and exaggerated their emotions to make them more effective and controllable. They were designed to be super soldiers, possessing the power of their animal side. Along with the hippo, there is the elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe and crocodile, among others.

 The story is very philosophical in tone, the scientist offers not even the slightest apologies for the death and destruction that his creations needed to be born and what they did in their “careers.” Seven-A is seeking answers of some form, for he is now more human than animal. He closes by saying, “It must have been a dark time that allowed a man like you to come into being.”  

Review of "Explorers Reunion Volume 1 Number 1," written by Terry Collins

 Review of

Explorers Reunion Volume 1 Number 1, written by Terry Collins

Five out of five stars

Adventures on the Jonny Quest model

 This is the first issue of a storyline with new characters. Fundamentally, it is a group of five, the brilliant male scientist, his super soldier sidekick, his extremely intelligent son, a boy his age from another culture and their dynamic pet. In this case the super soldier is the wife of the scientist, the pet is a Stenonychosaurus,  and the other boy is Hispanic. They are the Hunt family. Father Doctor Alexander Hunt, Mother Anita Hunt, Stan the dinosaur, Trex the son and Chico the Hispanic boy.

 There is an appendix at the end that gives short descriptions of the main characters, including what is likely the main nemesis, a brilliant woman named Kimberly Wolcott that was Doctor Hunt’s former partner. This checks one of the main boxes that first issues need to do, give backgrounds on the main characters.

 The story moves quickly and involves an invasion by a powerful robot controlled  by Wolcott. When both parents are unable to mount an effective defense, it is the quick thinking by Trex that allows them to defeat the menace. It is a good story, after reading it you find yourself pulling for the small press that publishes it to succeed.

Review of "Team Zero #4," written by Chuck Dixon

 Review of

Team Zero #4, written by Chuck Dixon

Five out of five stars

Based on a deadly race for technical spoils

The time is very late in World War II and the location is northern Germany. Since the Germans had demonstrated their significant superiority in rocket technology with their V2 bombs, the Allies are racing from the west while the Soviet Red Army is moving with all possible speed from the east. Their shared goal is to capture all the technical expertise they can, whether it be in structural parts, blueprints or in human form.

Team Zero is an elite unit that has moved into a village ahead of the Red Army and taken control over some of the rocket technicians. The advance units of the Soviet Army arrive shortly after and Team Zero leader Deathblow goes out to meet them. At first, the Red Army soldiers are rough with Deathblow, but when their commander arrives, he understands English and a somewhat amicable situation is established.

 Deathblow and the Soviet commander get to know each other and hint at their shared objective, although both know the other is lying. There is a woman and young girl among the Germans captured by Team Zero and some of the Soviet soldiers start the tentative steps of raping them. All falls apart very quickly, with the battle for the village and the rocket secrets now between the Americans and the Soviets.

 This is a good story because it is based somewhat on actual history. There was a race among the erstwhile allies to the German rocket bases so that the technology could be exploited. As history played out, the Soviet Union was the first nation to launch a satellite, and the first nation to put a human into space. From these facts, it is easy to determine which side won the race depicted in this comic.

Review of "Division 13 Week 1," comic created by Randy Stradley

 Review of

Division 13 Week 1, comic created by Randy Stradley

Four out of five stars

Could be the start of something

 One task that I enjoy doing is finding a comic that is the first issue of a series. I then evaluate it for the completeness of the introduction of the characters and the story. Therefore, when I found this at the local used bookstore, I had to purchase it.

 There is a great deal packed into this issue, not all of which is completely explained. The main premise is that some humans contracted a strange infection called the Vortex. Some died from it while others were forever changed, somehow acquiring extraordinary abilities. Those considered dangerous to society are held in the highest security facility in the United States. Most of that facility was constructed by unknown agents and the areas where the unusual humans are held and studied is called Block Thirteen.

 The story opens when three of the unusual humans are trying to enter the complex and free one of their kind from their captivity. So far, the story is understandable. However, there is the introduction of a group of silver colored bipedal creatures that talk like religious zealots and are able to teleport into the complex. Once there, they begin vaporizing the human guards and parts of the structure.

 This episode ends with a cliffhanger where the three unusual humans manage to get away, apparently avoiding the silver colored creatures. While the reader does have their interest and curiosity piqued, it would have been helpful if there had been more explanation of how many humans were afflicted by the vortex, how many died and how many were transformed. One panel with these numbers would have done a great deal in bringing the reader up to speed. It would also been helpful to learn more about the silver creatures. For example, why are they so quick to destroy.

Review of "Lazurus, Family Part Two," comic written by Rucka, Lark and Arcas

 Review of

Lazurus, Family Part Two, comic written by Rucka, Lark and Arcas

Five out of five stars

Powerful families fight each other and themselves

 The premise of this story of an apocalypse is that a few small families control the world, and they have a low opinion of the masses. When a location is stated, three categories of inhabitants are given. The numbers of family, serfs and waste. For example, in Los Angeles the respective counts are 3, 322,274 and an estimated 2,874,500 waste.

 Each family has a designated individual called their Lazarus, considered their James Bond type of agent. The focus is on the Carlyle family and there is bickering to the point of death threats between the children of the patriarch. The families engage in all manner of actions against each other, including going to war. Any hint of disloyalty within the workers of a family is considered treason and punishable by death. Yet, the family members plot and counter plot against each other.

 We are given a look inside Los Angeles and the majority of it is the most horrific of slums. Family members travel only in military style convoys amidst the despair and hopelessness. The storyline indicates that like the warring princes of feudal times, the families will do little to aid the suffering.

 This is a great story, for if you replace the families by corporations, this is a trend we see in the world. A consolidation of power among a few extremely wealthy and influential corporations and by extension a billionaire class whose wealth continues to expand at incredible rates.

Review of "Fantastic Four 511," written by Mark Waid

 Review of

Fantastic Four 511, written by Mark Waid

Five out of five stars

Superb and oddly self-referential ending

 This is part three (of three) of one of the most unusual stories featuring the Fantastic Four or any other comic book characters. Ben Grimm has been “killed,” his body is being kept alive by Reed Richards’ machines. The story opens with the Fantastic Four, with Grimm as a human, at what are supposed to be the gates to heaven. Yet, they bear the unmistakable signs of having been designed by Reed Richards.

 After a bit of quizzing and some internal fighting, they manage to pass the test and the doors are opened for the admittance of all four. They pass through a bizarre space of geometric objects until they arrive at the residence of the Supreme Being. In what is one of the greatest twists ever to appear in comics, they find that the mighty one is not what they thought, but still from their perspective all-powerful.

 I loved this comic so much that when I finished it, I went back to the beginning and read it again. It starts slowly but has one imaginative ending.