Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: José Luis García-López

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot combined Doctor Strange with Doctor Fate.

In Marvel vs DC, Axel “Access” Asher was passed on the powers and responsibility of keeping the DC Universe and the Marvel Universe separate. He quickly failed at this job and the universes did indeed merge together into the Amalgam Universe. Doctor Strangefate is the only person that exists in the Amalgam Universe that knows how it came about … and he wants it to stay that way. So, he sends a squad consisting of the Skulk (Hulk & Solomon Grundy), Jade Nova (Jade & Nova) and the White Witch (Scarlet Witch & Zatanna) to abduct Access. Unfortunately for Strangefate, he discovers that Access has hidden away the keys that will allow him to separate the universes again. Access beats a hasty retreat and Strangefate is left to ponder his failure at securing the existence of his very world.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez‘s art here is fantastic! The character designs he’s created are wonderful (especially the Abominite!). Ron Marz‘s story is perhaps the most important of the Amalgam one-shots. If Strangefate had succeeded, it would have eliminated the reinstatement of the DC & Marvel Universes. And, at the very end he reveals Strangefate’s secret identity. You’ll never guess it! The story’s end doesn’t leave much room for continuation but in this case, it’s well-warranted and the chase feeling of this tale sucked me right in.

On Ebay: Amalgam | Ron Marz | Doctor Fate | Doctor Strange
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Caliber Comics
Cover Date: 1996
Cover Price: $2.95
Writer: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted by: Warren Ellis
Artist: Craig Gilmore

Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate the curious problem of an English businessman named Robert Ferguson. His wife has been caught sucking blood from their infant and she’s also attacked her step-son, Jack Ferguson. Desperate for assistance, Ferguson believes that Holmes will figure out a way to cure her presumed vampirism. Naturally, it’s no issue at all for the world’s greatest detective to solve this problem … but, can you?

Warren Ellis has adapted a wonderful short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, here. There’s more going on here than what appears on the surface but our hero clearly sees that. The story does a great job of slowly pacing through everything and allowing Holmes to come up with clever and insightful deductions. This is the first Sherlock Holmes story that I’ve read and it’s set the bar extremely high. The only thing I can pick on it for is Gilmore’s dreadful artwork. I suppose it may fit the tone of the story but there are plenty of other moody artists that would have been much more capable. But, don’t let the art keep you from reading this one. It’s a keeper!

On Ebay: Sherlock Holmes | Arthur Conan Doyle | Warren Ellis | Craig Gilmore | vampires

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: November 1973
Cover Price: 20¢
Writer: Larry Lieber
Artist: Larry Lieber

Back in the 1800s, Wayde Morgan convinced his father to hire the Rawhide Kid to herd cattle, despite his outlaw status. Unfortunately for Wayde, some true rustlers decided this was a wonderful opportunity for themselves. They killed Wayde, stole the herd and the blame naturally fell to the Rawhide Kid, due to his past reputation. The task fell to Wayde’s brother, Cliff, better known as the Dakota Kid to take in the Rawhide Kid. But, when he found the framed gunman, the Rawhide Kid was able to convince the Dakota Kid who the real criminals were. You can bet there was a lot of lead flying as Rawhide went after the guys who framed him … and Dakota avenged his brother’s death.

Larry Lieber (that’s Stan Lee’s younger brother, for those not in the know) actually managed to avoid the almost unavoidable hero vs hero battle in this story … twice! This is a very impressive feat, if you ask me … as it rarely passes that two “heroes”, meeting each other for the first time, don’t fight each other first. The art’s quite good, too although I’ve got to take some points away for leaving so many backgrounds completely blank. Also, every sentence ends with an exclamation mark! That kind of gets annoying after a while! It seems like everyone is yelling! Even if it’s just a regular sentence!

I’d say this is an important comic as it introduces the Dakota Kid but, even with my limited knowledge of Marvel westerns, I don’t think he ever appeared again. That being said, it’s yet another story in the well-documented life of the Rawhide Kid but, a rather unimportant one for him.

On Ebay: Rawhide Kid | Larry Lieber

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: August 2010
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Victor Gischler
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Janus (the son of Dracula) attends the once-a-century gathering of the world’s vampires. Almost all of the vampire sects (Anchorites, Kriegers, Claws, Atlanteans, Sirens, etc) are present to bring their current issues to Dracula, the Lord of Vampires. In a bold move, Xarus (another son of Dracula), kills his father in a bid for power. The events that follow are an interesting look at how the rest of the chips fall now that the entire game has been overturned. Xarus is confident that he’ll be the new Lord of Vampires and with his new light-ending technology, he may have an edge that no other vampire does. But, will all the other sects play along?

Camuncoli‘s art is really wonderful. Each sect of vampires has its own unique look, which is helpful in identifying all the players. I never knew there were so many different types of vampires in the Marvel Universe but, now that I’ve seen them, it certainly makes sense that these centuries-old creatures are no longer all alike. Gischler sets up a great new board game for all of these characters and sects (most of which, admittedly, I never even knew existed). The status quo is destroyed in the first few pages and the rest of the story spotlights the beginning stages of putting the pieces all back together again. It’s fun and exciting and you really don’t know what’s going to happen next. There’s lot of sneaky underhandedness and misdirection to explore here. The ending leaves us with a new Lord of Vampires but it’s clear there’s a lot more story to be explored here. I’m looking forward to more!

On Ebay: Dracula | Victor Gischler | Giuseppe Camuncoli

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Gary Frank

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot teams Wonder Woman with the Punisher in a battle for the life of their son.

How do you bring the separated couple of Diana Prince and Trevor Castle back together again? Kidnap their infant son, Ryan. And, that’s exactly what Thanoseid does in an effort to blackmail them into telling him where the all-powerful Infinity Links can be found. But, before they can face off against Thanoseid, they must fight their way through his minions in Armaghetto, including Big Titania, Granny Harkness, Monarch, and the Female Furies. Once they get to him, Thanoseid ends up destroying the young boy … but, will this bring the couple together once again or drive them apart forever?

While Gary Frank‘s art here is sleek and great to look at, I was initially unsure of who the main two characters were amalgamations of. Because of that, the Punisher seemed like an odd match-up against a combination of Thanos and Darkseid. Once it was revealed who Frank Castle was combined with, Thanoseid’s motivation and true evil plan made a lot more sense (although it still doesn’t explain his first name, Trevor – unless it’s a reference to Wonder Woman’s beau). But, even with the revelation, the story still didn’t really draw me in and the ending didn’t do much to make me wish for more.

On Ebay: Amalgam | John Ostrander | Gary Frank | Punisher | Wonder Woman
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Date: November 1996
Cover Price: $2.95
Writer: Brian McDonald
Artist: Mitch Byrd
Cover Artist: Paul Lee

Back in 1931, three Cajun trappers discover someone’s been taking their catches and leaving the skin behind. They also come across some large, strange-looking footprints and a skinned human body. Two of the Cajuns think it was a gator that did all this but Mr. LeBlanc knows better. LeBlanc knows it was the Gollywomp! He tells the urban myth of the half-man, half-frog creature who still wanders the swamps but his friends don’t believe him.

So, they set out to follow the tracks of the gator (or Gollywomp) and kill him to keep their future catches from being stolen. But, the tracks lead them to a frightening sight … the Gollywomp (actually, it’s a Predator). The three Louisianan men try to take down the Predator with their guns but the alien creature’s got abilities and weapons of his own. In the end, it comes down to LeBlanc and the Predator. To the loser … death. And, to the winner … dinner!

This was a quick read combining some action with an ultimately unimportant urban myth. The story itself had an ending that was reminiscent of some old EC Comic and the art was pretty solid, although easily upstaged by Paul Lee’s cover. As a one-shot, it was hard to establish much concern for the three Cajuns … which becomes a bit problematic when analyzing a Predator comic. Y’see, basically the main character is always the bad guy. So, the adversaries it comes up against are the people you’re supposed to root for. Unfortunately, with the one-shot format, the story doesn’t usually contain enough characterization to make you care about the people. And, that’s what happens here. There’s not much on these three Cajuns to make you hope they’ll beat the Predator. On the other hand, the Predator is just one of thousands (maybe millions) of an alien race. And, one that we’ve never seen before … so, it’s hard to care about the Predator’s fate, either. But, even with all that in mind, I really enjoyed this quick one-shot read and I liked that it included a scene that illustrated the Predator race’s warrior respect in battle.

On Ebay: Predator | Mitch Byrd

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Date: December 1995
Cover Price: $3.50
Writer: William Messner-Loebs
Artist: Tomm Coker

The evil Mr. Gone kidnaps Gen¹³ along with a host of children by transporting them all to the outback. With the help of the Maxx and the Brothers Tortoise, the team tries to figure out a way back home. Freefall and Burnout manage to teleport back to the real world by following Gone through a teleport hole in reality. Back on planet Earth, the two heroes find the real-world Maxx, Julie and Sarah who help them figure out a way to defeat Mr. Gone and rescue everyone from the outback. The question remains: Whose Outback were they trapped in?

Tomm Coker‘s artwork is hard to pin down. He’s got some real shining moments here (like the giant floating monkey … and his Isz look as if they were drawn by Kieth himself) but some of his humans look strange (especially their faces). I guess I’m just spoiled by Sam Kieth’s art when it comes to Maxx books. It’s nice to see this crossover written by William Messner-Loebs (the scripter for the Maxx) because I think the balance between the Outback and the real world would be hard to handle for a writer who wasn’t familiar with the concepts. And, while his name is on the title of the book … this story isn’t really about the Maxx, all that much. It focuses more on Gen¹³ as they adjust to the strangeness that is the Outback. So, if you’re looking for some more Maxx/Julie story, you’ll probably be a little disappointed. However, if you’re interested to see an outsider’s perspective on the Outback … then this is the place to be.

On Ebay: Maxx | Gen 13 | William Messner-Loebs | Tomm Coker

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: January 2000
Cover Price: $1.99
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Ethan Van Sciver

In 1996, Marvel’s non-mutant super-heroes (the Avengers and Fantastic Four) were seemingly killed in a battle against Onslaught (a hybrid of Professor X and Magneto) but, actually, they were transported to an “imaginary world” created by Franklin Richards. The heroes’ lives and stories were reborn there, told slightly differently but utizlizing a lot of familiarity at the same time. A year later, the heroes returned back to the mainstream Marvel Universe … leaving the “Heroes Reborn” alternate world hero-less. In 2000, Marvel launched a series of one-shots that focused on characters found on the “Heroes Reborn” world.

With no one left to defend the innocent and good people of this world, a group of five would-be heroes answered the call to super-hero-dom!

Mant – a janitor who now wears Hank Pym’s Ant-Man suit
Miss Thing – killed Wolverine and is now armed with his remains
Panther Cub – the son of a Wakandan valet … wearing an oversized Black Panther costume
Amazo-Maxi-Woman – the Super-Adaptoid has gained sentience … and a female form
Sterling – the residual energies from the Silver Surfer … in a human form

 
Their mission, as assigned by S.H.I.E.L.D., is to take down a dangerous villain who has killed their best officers and stolen the helicarrier. This villain happens to be the very same man who united these five heroes into a team … the merc with a mouth, Deadpool (who was previously the Swordsman from the “Heroes Reborn” Avengers team)! So, the team storms the Helicarrier and fights their way to him in the Control Room. In a long-winded explanation, Deadpool explains how he went from a civic-minded super-hero to an overweight, crazy villain. Before the Remnants can even take their mentor down, he escapes on one of a dozen missiles aimed at the moon. Every bit as crazy as he is in the mainstream MU.

Now, I’m a fan of lame/obscure heroes and villains. I run the Great Lakes Avengers website, after all … but this team took lame to a whole new level. Remnants was an extremely appropriate choice for the team name … unfortunately that doesn’t redeem the rest of the book. We don’t even get to see any final battle at the end! The villain just beats a hasty retreat. And, the story’s not the only thing to pick on … Ethan Van Sciver’s art is inconsistent here, too. Some pages look great (page 6) and others look awful (page 17)… almost as if another artist was brought in. What makes this book a hidden gem is that it’s a little-known book featuring Deadpool … written by Joe Kelly (perhaps the most well-regarded ‘Pool writer). But, unfortunately it’s still not enough to make this team of losers appealing.

On Ebay: Heroes Reborn | Joe Kelly | Ethan Van Sciver

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Cary Nord

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot invisioned Bruce Wayne (Batman’s alter ego) as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In this tale, the Green Skull is deposed as ruler of Hydra by his daughter and her lackeys. Meanwhile, against Nick Fury’s orders, the loose cannon S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Bruce Wayne, has an assault against Hydra planned. In the invasion, both sides learn that the Skull’s last move was to set in motion a doomsday device that can’t be stopped. And, as it goes off in the last page, the question begging to be asked is “how far-reaching are its effects; and can our heroes possibly survive it?”

This is a quick, action action action read. Lots of cool characters thrown in on both sides of the book. The heroes have got Bruce Wayne, Nick Fury, Sgt. Rock, Moonwing (Moon Knight/Nightwing) and Huntress (Barbara Gordon). On the eeeeeeeeevil side we’ve got the Green Skull, Madam Hydra (Selina Luthor), a Mr. Freeze/Baron Strucker combo, a Nuke/Bane combo and Deathlok (the brought-back-from-the-dead Jason Todd cyborg). I wasn’t overly impressed with Nord’s art here but, long-time comic fans are sure to appreciate the amount of combo characters created here. And, even though it’s extremely action-oriented, the story hints at a lot of characterization, as well … including a romance between Wayne and Huntress … and the circumstances that led to Jason Todd’s death. The last page ends on a cliffhanger that’d make me want to read the next issue, which qualifies it as a success in my book.

On Ebay: Amalgam | Chuck Dixon | Cary Nord
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: February 2010
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Tomm Coker

Forty years ago, Logan was witness to a gangland murder after spending the night with Katrina McCann, a cocktail waitress. Turned out that Katrina was the girl of local mob boss, Phil DeBlasio, and he had his guys give Logan a pounding. Now, a mysterious letter has drawn him back to the scene of the crime with hopes of uncovering the truth behind that long-distant night. He finds it suspicious that he came across his old fling again, after all these years … and a new, young girl is pursuing him who has some secrets of her own. Who summoned him there? What are these women hiding? And, will Wolverine find the long-since-missing criminal?

Although the cover depicts him in costume, this really isn’t one of those costumed adventures. There’s no big, cliche-spouting super-villain to take down. But, it’s another neat look into Logan’s shady and mysterious past. The artwork is appropriately moody and sketchy, enhancing the “pulp” feel of the storyline. It’s unlikely that any of these characters will resurface again in any significant role but, when one has lived a life as storied and well-traveled as Logan’s, there are sure to be tons of bit characters with only one or two tales to tell.

On Ebay: Wolverine | Stuart Moore | Tomm Coker