2/24/11 HHH review: Morning Glories: For a Better Future vol.1 tpb

I take a look at Image's latest sexy title Morning Glories : For a Better Future vol.1 (image)TPB $9.99 by Nick Spencer , art: Joe Eisma

Plot/premise:

Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country, but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted but troubled new students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves! 

the opening page 

Gord Says:
     Nick Spencer is basically playing 20 questions with himself and we're watching him play caz the questions are crazy and we are curious to see where the hell this is going.  I don't know what really to say , there's so much going on in this story , from super natural to psychological thriller to teen drama to slasher to murder mystery , .. etc. Whether Spencer is using cheap parlor tricks or intellectual stimuli , it doesn't matter I dont know how this ends but I want to know.

   I really like the fact that Spencer is writing on his own pace and doing this the way he wants to.. he's not cramming things into a short series and hurrying himself up. The further this series moves forward , the deeper and more complicated the plot and characters get. I read this in monthly floppy form and again in its collected form.. it reads much better together , I get the feeling this series will be even better when its complete.

    The questions Morning Glories creates within it's storytelling is boundless , it will initiate discussion in your head that will border line schizophrenia. What's the M Night Shylaman twist to the school and characters? What's the big secret behind all of this ? Who's this ,and who's that? What the fuck is that about? what the hell is going on ?... It's magnificent

 

The Good:
     The value for the trade is as good as it gets. Its collects the first 6 comics priced at 3.50 each , over 190 pages.. for TEN BUCKS $10!!!! I recommend highly just based on that. They're clearly using the Crack Dealer business model..  give that first hit for cheap , get you hooked and cash in long term on our addictions. .

The Bad:
      I dont have much negative to say about this title. 

Verdict: Dig it or Ditch it

I DIG IT like Seinfeld , Elaine , George and Kramer dug Melrose Place.



Value Rating: $10/10...  I would've paid 15+ bucks for this trade. Best value out there. I paid over $20 for the comics.

" You're a little short to be a storm trooper" - Hunter, Morning Glories

2/17/11 HHH Review: The Waking

This week I get into Zenescope's The Waking (zenescope) tpb $12.99 by Raven Gregory , art: Vic Drujiniu

tpb cover  by David Finch. Kids can be the creepiest little fucks on the planet

#3 variant by Eric Basluda/ Neil Ruffino

Plot/Premise: 

   In the big city, police detectives investigating routine murders discover that the victims of these crimes are coming back from the dead in search of those responsible for ending their lives. Now the detectives are in a race against time to find the source of the recent "wakings" before the victims deal out their own brand of bloody justice. Meanwhile, a father with an incredible ability must choose between avenging his daughter's death - or losing her forever!

from the opening pages The Waking will hook you

Gord Says:
   I wouldn't be spoiling anything if I said this was a "zombie tale with a twist". For everything that I like about The Waking there were some lesser issues that nagged me while reading this.  


   Let me say right off the bat that most of my criticisms of this book are a result of the constraint space. This book should've easily been a 6 issue set opposed to the 4. One of the main issues I had was the underwhelming execution of plot points , in how they ended so abruptly and that was a result of not having enough time to extend scenes. 

   The opposite end of my critique is the back bone of the storytelling and that's the suspense build up. Gregory did a masterful job in building the suspense and stringing me along. Unfortunately as previously mentioned the limited space cut scenes short and somewhat under minded the incredible work Gregory did. It was like playing spin the bottle and waiting for the bottle to stop spinning , the butterflies are exploding , the anticipation is melting your innards , your excitement to see where it stops is too much... then the bottle stops and you get a peck from whomever. Happens so fast you dont get to enjoy it or even notice who it was. 

     I'm not familiar with Drujiniu's art but he's pretty good , he has a good sense of perspective and playing with angles. He made some scenes move off the pages, in particular ones when the action starts to pick  up, There's some good chemistry building here between Drujiniu and Gregory. 

    

Lets get an investigating team on how a dude whom wears tighty whities gets laid

The Good:
    Everything in general from characters , plot , dialogue ,...etc. You ever hear the expression " jack of all trades , master of none".. The Waking was very good in all areas but didn't  knock it out of the park in any specific area. Though if this was 44+ pages longer , who knows...

 You can just hear the windshield wipers

The Bad:
   Aside from not being long enough. The book itself had a 8 page preview for Neverland and some more ads. I'm not a fan of previews and ads.. Im not paying to get a 8 page glimpse of Neverland. However I'm a little more forgiving  with indie publishers understanding that they need to promote from within. So I wont be as scathing as I am with Marvel and DC with their selfless preview garbage. 


Verdict: Dig it or Ditch it
I Dig it to own it. I dig it like I dig making out with any girl caz.. its any girl. It's original ,  its well thought out and in the end I had a fun time with this book. Its worthy  of shelf space for any collection.


Value Rating: $13 cover price.. I'd pay $10.50/$13 for this. 

#4 variant cover by Eric Balsuda/Neil Ruffino

As powerful as Hate can be ... Sorrow can be just as strong. 
But In the end ..its our love that makes us fall

2/9/11 HHH Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

This week I take a look at IDW's best kept secret that everybody knows about... I have no idea what that means...

Locke & Key : Welcome to Lovecraft vol.1(IDW) hardcover by Joe Hill , art: Gabriel Rodriguez 

plot/premise:
   Locke & Key is a dark supernatural tale about three siblings whose lives are thrown into turmoil after a vicious attack on their parents. Sent to live in Keyhouse, the Locke family home in Lovecraft, MA. Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode try to adapt to their new surroundings, but youngest brother Bode won't give up his delusion that some of the doors in Keyhouse are magical portals if you use the right key. 

 Bode's WTF expression is a perfect compliment to this sensational book

Gord says:
    Locke & Key is part of the HP Lovecraft universe but that's not relevant to appreciate this title , its a stand alone series so no worries for noobs like myself. For a brand new series Joe Hill does a fantastic job in laying out the landscape , introducing characters and moving the plot along in limited space and time. I think Hill mastered the skill of multi-tasking his story telling , managing to have his characters move the story along while adding some depth to their characters.

   The house itself is just oozing with boundless potential to take this series in so many directions down the road. Each mystical doorway can be activated with a mystical key to act as a portal to various places and time , also can give special abilities like exiting your soul from your body dependant on the doorway and the key... man , this house is just weird but in a good Clockwork Orange kind of weird , not in the OH SHIT Carrot Top looks like a tranny mannequin  come to life weird

   I found myself caring for the lead characters , the kids in particular , Bode , Kinsey and Tyler Locke. From their adverse beginning to watching them deal with themselves , the house , new town .. the Locke kids aren't  douchey as I worried they might be. In particular the youngest Locke ,  Bode , having little kids as one of the main stars can be trickier than it appears , you could easily end up with this annoying bastard! 

   The main antagonist is a tragic and cold soul that stains each page with that hollow face. Joe Hill developes a chilling , disturbed person  using intricately placed flashback scenes to give the tragic origins of the antagonist , then Rodriguez takes over with his pencil work to make the violent rage and bloodshed come alive.  Not to mention the other dark mysterious figure thats a major player  that made me feel like doing this after

     Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez's collaborated work is the back bone to Locke & Key's success. Their chemistry was fantastic.. the flashbacks and switching of characters was so vital and elegantly done that it doesn't get noticed in the aftermath caz we're too busy applauding the end product. I can easily see why Fox picked this series up for a tv series.

 

Bode gives a summary of what Locke & Key is about

Good News:
The series is on going though rather than sold in a on going continuous series , IDW delivers them in 6 issue sets. The collected books are of high quality and look nice on the shelf.

Bad News:
Though it does come with some extra art , its only 5-6 pages worth. At the very least they should add the floppy covers for collected editions. It could be worse , they could've thrown in ads for other IDW titles.

 The "Jan Brady" of the Locke family , Kinsey  making a new friend

Verdict: dig it or ditch it
I dig it like Charlie Sheen digs locking up coked up porn stars in hotel broom closets. On Amazon the hardcover is only $1 more than the soft cover. There's currently 3  volumes available with the 4th just finishing up in floppies(each collected volume consist of 6 issues).

value rating: from its $25 hardcover price.. I feel I would pay $21/25.  The actual story is flawless , just needed more extra goodies. 

If they could only bottle HP Lovecraft's sauce