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: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: May 2002
Cover Price: $2.99
Writer: Todd Dezago
Artist: Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary; second half by Ivan Reis & Randy Emberlin

In a bid to take over New York City, Bonham and his insectoid-vampire clan blow up a bomb underneath the city. The explosion derails two subway cars; each of them happen to have a super-hero on board: the Thing in one, and She-Hulk in the other. It also reaches an underground lab owned by Roxxon and led by Dr. Jonas Harrow in an attempt to create an army of synthezoids. The captured synthezoid that he’s studying? That’d be Dragon Man! And, did I say captured? Well, that explosion sets him free.

So, once the Thing and She-Hulk meet up in the subway tunnels they’re caught in a big battle with Dragon Man and Roxxon. On top of that, both parties find themselves under siege by a swarm of insectoid-vampires! And, if they can’t stop them, they’re headed topside to feast on NYC.

For a double-sized issue like this, not much really seems to happen. It features some art by Bryan Hitch (who’s pretty well-regarded these days) but it looks kind of sloppy to me (although his cover is great!). And, as much as I really enjoy the Thing and Dragon Man … this story kind of fell flat for me. There’s plenty of action here but no characterization to give the book any kind of backbone. The book’s ingredients have plenty of potential but unfortunately it just didn’t reach it this time around.

On Ebay: the Thing | She-Hulk | Dragon Man | Todd Dezago | Bryan Hitch

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: Big Bad World Productions
Cover Date: 1999
Cover Price: $3.00
Writer: Jim Krueger
Artist: Phil Hester

In 1933 London, a young boy plants an idea in Ian Fleming‘s mind. Nine years later, that idea has come to its fruition in the form of the Fly Boys – a squad of British soldiers armed with flying suits. The story follows the group on a recon mission over Castle Ausblick. However, everything doesn’t go as planned and the Fly Boys find themselves attacked by the Germans, who are hoping to capture the Fly Boy technology for themselves.

Well, this is certainly a unique comic book. It’s laid out in the “wide-screen” style and only has 12 story pages. There are no ads but it includes four pages of sketches accompanied by writings from Krueger about the idea behind Fly Boys. Plot-wise, it’s a neat bit of retro-fitting WWII history with some nifty flying technology but the book fails to establish much else. Although, to be fair, we’re only working with 12 pages, here. As always, Phil Hester‘s art is seemingly basic at first but the more you study it, the more you unravel. Krueger could have something cool on his hands here but, 12 pages of story is just not enough to hook me.

On Ebay: Fly Boys | Jim Krueger | Phil Hester