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Comics! With Richard and Carter

Punk Rock Jesus Review! (COMICS!)

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PRJ

Behold! The second coming of…Jesus Christ?

Religion. One of the biggest and most controversial subjects out there. There are a lot of Religions in our world, and everyone believe’s in a different one. Some people are Christians, some are Catholic, some are Jewish, and the list goes on. However, the one thing people avoid speaking of when it comes to Religion? The lack of it. That’s Right! I’m talking about Atheism. For many people, especially Americans, Atheism is incredibly taboo. It’s a subject so unspeakable for some, that any person who follows Atheism is just as taboo. Now, Atheism is a subject you normally see discussed in non-fiction novels, in news reports on the Today show, or Real Time with Bill Maher. So, Who would’ve thought it would be tackled in a comic book?

The comic in question is an amazing limited series from Vertigo called Punk Rock Jesus. Set in the not so distant future, Punk Rock Jesus tell’s a very different version of the second coming of Jesus Christ. In this version, the Shroud of Turin, believed to have been used in the burial of Jesus, is used by scientists to a clone the son of God. Once this happens, a reality TV show called J2 is produced to show the clone go from a bouncing baby boy performing “miracles” to a young atheist teenager. Yes, you read that correctly! The clone of Jesus becomes, spoiler alert, an Atheist. In fact, he becomes the voice of Atheism. He spreads the word just as the original Jesus spread the word of God, but in a more…punk rock way. Hence the title of the series.

The comic was created by one of my favorite comic artists, Sean Murphy. Murphy, whom normally just draws comics, decided to give writing a go. What he came up with has become one of my all time favorite comic series ever made. One thing that I truly love about this book are the characters. All the characters in this book are spectacular. My favorite is probably Thomas, whose the head of security of the island where J2 is filmed. While I don’t identify with him religiously, I relate more to the Jesus clone on that front, I found the character very compelling and completely badass! He’s this giant, brooding, Irish Catholic man with a somewhat dark past that we see unfold throughout the series.

Also, I loved that the story wasn’t preachy. Originally, Murphy had planned for the series to be a funnel, of sorts, for his atheistic rage. Doing that would have made the book feel very preachy, and turn off the reader. Thankfully, he was able to balance the themes out, and introduce grey areas in the story. Speaking of grey areas, the art in the book is the best! The artwork in PRJ, which is in beautiful black and white, is the best I’ve seen from Murphy. So stylized, and the layouts are astounding. Like previous comics Murphy has drawn, It was a challenge to turn the page. To look away from the beauty, if you will.

All this being said, the aspect I loved most about PRJ was the underground feel of it. The paper used, the lack of advertisements, the black and white art, all of it gave this book a really cool underground feel. Honestly, if this book were done in a more mainstream fashion, I think it would have lost something, or maybe wouldn’t have been as effective. Especially because the themes of this book are very anti-mainstream. In the end, Punk Rock Jesus is one of my all time favorites! I’m sure there will be some to find the series offensive or blasphemous, but I still BELIEVE everyone should check it out!

I give Punk Rock Jesus a 5 outta 5!

Comics! With Richard and Carter, General

Joe The Barbarian Review (COMICS!)

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Joe

Nothing better then a little escapism!

Hello everyone! I am Richard! The Awkward and Hilarious! Today I present to you a comic review. So sit back, relax, and read on! Anyways, one of the biggest movies that came out this week was Oz the Great and Powerful. As a Sam Raimi fan, I was really pumped to return to that magical dream land. Thankfully, when I saw the movie, I left the theater with a smile on my face. Unlike Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, a film I’m 100% sure this movie will be compared to a lot, Oz is a movie I’m not afraid to say I enjoyed without being made fun of. It wasn’t necessarily Great or Powerful, but it was just a fun time at the movies. Also, after I left the theater, I began thinking of some of my favorite tales with a similar premise. Someone from our world, in need of change, being transported to a brave new land of fantasy and impossibility.

Now, normal people would probably think of more traditional examples. Me, I thought of an awesome 3 year old comic called Joe The Barbarian. The story of Joe is penned by comic book legend, Grant Morrison, and is drawn by a favorite of mine, Sean Murphy. Joe The Barbarian follows a boy named Joe Manson. Joe, a creative and diabetic young lad whom tends to escape the harshness of his real life, fails to receive his daily needed dose of glucose. Once this happens, Joe begins to hallucinate a fantasy world inhabited by mystical monsters, as well as his action figures. Upon arrival, Joe learns he is the prophesied Dying Boy come to destroy King Death, and save the land for all!

In 2010, when this story was being told, I was only reading Batman related series. Later in the year, I began to explore other areas of the comic world. Specifically comics written by people I really love. One of my favorite writers of all time is Grant Morrison. At the time, the only Morrison book I was reading was his amazing Batman and Robin series. One day, I had a conversation with a fellow Morrison fan, chit-chatting about the latest adventure of Batman and Robin, and he told me about this awesome book called Joe the Barbarian.

It was a limited series, written by Morrison, being done over at Vertigo, which is an imprint of DC Comics. Once he gave me a short summary of the story, I became incredibly excited to read it. So, I patiently waited for the hardcover to be released. Once it hit the store shelves, I raced to the nearest shop, grabbed myself a copy, threw about thirty some dollars at the cashier, and raced back home! I didn’t leave my room at all that evening. I was so into what I was reading.

One of the aspects I loved most was the character of Joe. I related to him in so many ways. Minus the diabetes, the kid was basically me. I’ve always been someone who kind of lives inside their own head. Trying to escape reality because it’s too much for them to handle. Admittedly, I related so much that it was kind of hard to read this book. It reminded me of similar struggles I’m going through currently that I’ve tried to avoid through escapism. That being said, It was good to be reminded of those things, strangely. It made me even more invested and sucked into this comic.

Another interesting aspect was the way it was written. While this comic features the usual Grant Morrison writing style, it didn’t feel like a typical comic from him. The story was much more straight forward, and less metaphorical. It’s always nice to see writers challenge themselves and/or try something new. All that being sad, the greatest thing to come out of me reading this comic was discovering Sean Murphy. Murphy’s art work in Joe was so amazing that it became difficult to even turn the page. I’d literally just be sitting on my bed, gazing upon a brilliant castle, witnessing an epic battle, or marveling at the forest lands of this beautifully drawn world.

After I read this book, I fell in love with the work of Sean Murphy. Since then, If I ever find anything sporting his name, I instantly have to purchase it. Even the freaking cover of the hardcover, depicted above, is amazing! Just look at it! It’s all kinds of spectacular! Anyways, if you haven’t been able to tell, I really loved this comic. It’s not my favorite tale from Morrison, but I consider it one of his best!

I give Joe The Barbarian a 5 outta 5!

Comics! With Richard and Carter, General

Django Unchained #1 Review (COMICS!)

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“What’s yer name?” “…Django. D-J-A-N-G-O….The D is silent.”

Howdy, folks! This is your bounty hunter from another mother, Richard, here! Today, I present to you a comic book review! However, this is not just some regular comic review where I chit chat about Batman’s latest adventure in Gotham City. No…This is a review of a comic book adaptation of a Quentin Tarantino film script! Specifically, his original script for his latest film: Django Unchained! OH MY GOD! That is freaking awesome, peeps! This is not something you usually see in comics. Also, what’s really exciting about this is the comic series will be a straight adaptation of the ENTIRE script.

This means that if there is something in the script that didn’t make it to film, it’s probably in the comic! The first issue was released today, and I’m loving it, in case you can’t tell. I will say this, if you don’t want to be spoiled in anyway…AVOID THIS COMIC! Once again, It’s a direct adaptation of the script. So, avoid it, or wait until the film comes out to pick up issue one.

Anyways, Issue one starts off with a group of slaves being escorted to possibly another location to continue their unfortunate slavery. During their journey, The slaves and slavers meet a dentist named Dr. King Schultz. They also meet his horse, Fritz. Schultz is looking for a particular slave that he believes is among the group. As expected, that very slave is among the group, and his name is…Django. Schultz attempts to acquire the slave by politely purchasing him, but the slavers won’t budge. Instead, Schultz is forced to aggressively purchase Django. Schultz and Django then ride to the nearest town to chat about why this has all happened. Apparently, Schultz is actually a bounty hunter looking for some people Django might know. So, he enlists Django to help find these people, and kill them.

First off, I’m so glad this is a direct adaptation of Tarantino’s script. I don’t think there is a single writer out there who could have done a Tarantino script justice. Especially in the dialog. Tarantino dialog is always rough, witty, and fun all at the same time. That’s probably why I hate most film adapted comics. The writers can never really capture the voice of the story or the screenwriter. I will say, the dialog does get a bit wordy at times. Even more so when Schultz is speaking, which is most of the time. That being said, if it were bad dialog, then it would be an issue. Thankfully, the dialog is amazing, and totally fun to read.

But! This is something I expect from Tarantino! I know he is going to wow me when it comes to writing. The real thing to look at is the artwork. The artist on this comic is R.M. Guera. The art in the comic is very rugged, tough, dark and stylized. It’s a style that nicely fits the story. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, though. Some of the faces are a bit weird at times. Other then that, I really dig the artwork. It very much looks like a western comic. Overall, I’m very happy with the way this first issue turned out. Also, it was nice to get kind of an early peek at the first few moments in the film!

I give Django Unchained #1 4.5 gun shots outta 5! I realize half a gun shot is odd, but that’s my rating!

If you would like me to review the rest of the series as it comes out, tell me in the comments! Also, please subscribe to Channel23hahaha on Youtube! I’d really appreciate it!

Comics! With Richard and Carter, General

The Underwater Welder Review (COMICS!)

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Here is some advice for those whom seek to become comic book readers: Follow the creators.

H-E-L-L-O everyone! It’s your cosmic comic reader from Gallifrey, Richard! If you can tell, I just made a Doctor Who reference. Why? BECAUSE I LOVE DOCTOR WHO! What does it have to do with this review? Absolutely nothing! Now, The rule mentioned up top is a rule I’ve tried to live by since I started reading comics. Mainly because it makes for a much better experience. The flip side of that is to follow characters when reading comics. However, Not every Batman, Superman, or X-Men book on the shelves is worth reading. Plus, If you follow creators, It will lead you down roads of comics you never would have been to if you’d just followed characters. One of those roads is the road of Indie comics.

If you ask any hardcore comic reader, including myself, where to find the best comics these days, They’d probably say Image, Dark Horse, or any other creator owned publisher. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love books from DC and Marvel. Heck, the majority of the books I follow are from DC. That being said, the best quality work comes from indie comic books, and I never would have discovered this if I’d only followed characters. Also, I never would have discovered this if it wasn’t for my friend Nick who works at my local comic shop, Bills Books and More.

Anyways, one of the creators I’ve started following like crazy is a guy named Jeff Lemire. A lot of DC fans might know him from his amazing comic runs on Animal Man, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., or Superboy. However, some of his best work are his original comics like The Essex County books or Sweet Tooth. Recently, Lemire released a new original graphic novel called Underwater Welder. After reading it without any breaks, I can easily state that Underwater Welder is the best original graphic novel I’ve read this year! I love it so much, I’m going to call it the best of 2012 before 2012 is even over! Yea…I just did that! If someone can officially remove Pluto as a planet of our solar system, then I can do this!

So, Underwater Welder follows a character named Jack Joesph whom works as an underwater welder off the coast of Nova Scotia. Being an underwater welder is a tough gig, but Jack is about to experience one of the toughest jobs anyone could have…being a father. Now, as the story progresses, we see Jack straying further and further from the pressures of fatherhood and other personal issues. That is, until one day something…unimaginable happens to him. An experience that leads him to discovering the truth of things in his life, and turning him into a better person fit to be a Dad.

The biggest theme throughout the book seems to be the relationships between fathers and sons. A theme that hits rather close to home for me. I won’t go into the details of why, but I will say this book means a lot to me on that aspect. As far as the other aspects go, this book is just as amazing and touching. I love the way Lemire writes his characters. They seem so real to the point where you start to think these are actual people. You relate to the characters so much on so many different levels. Even when the book goes into it’s weirder more complex story beats. Plus, you really care about every single character present, and the situations they go through.

Now, in case you aren’t aware, Lemire also drew this book! His artwork might be hard for some to get into, but I found it beautiful! His artwork is very serial and stylized. Plus, with the way the story is, his artwork fits perfectly. I couldn’t see anyone drawing this book besides Lemire. I don’t think it would have the same impact if it were drawn by someone else. The fact that Lemire plays both writer and artist gives the themes more of an emotional punch when they play out, if that makes sense.

I honestly can’t find a single thing wrong with this book. I’m sure it has it’s flaws as most things do, but I fail to see anything. I am just too in love with this book to care about the flaws present, if any. At the end of the day, In my opinion, Underwater welder is a masterpiece in comic form. It tells a personal, weird, and compelling coming-of-age story about a Man on the verge of parenthood. Its a very real tale told in a Twilight Zone fashion, and its worth multiple reads.

I give Underwater Welder an easy 5/5!

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