Plants vs Zombies:Lawnmageddon: Review

Published By: Dark Horse Comics

Release Date: November 6th 2013

For a very simplified tower-defense game Plants vs Zombies has been an epic success. One game made it to pretty much every platform under the sun and people were happy to buy it over and over again. Plants vs Zombies 2 has recently been released on iOS but fortunately I'm not reviewing that here so you're saved my ranting diatribe on the curse of fremium and the consumable approach to in-app purchases. Instead I'm looking at a Plants vs Zombies comic book.

Plants vs Zombies: Lawnmageddon is a hardcover book that collects the previously digital exclusive comics that finished a six issue run in August.

Aside from the simple-but-adicting gameplay, the original game had a wonderfully quirky sense of humour as well as a fun cartoony art style. It was not, however, well known for an intricate plot, so I thought it would be interesting to see how the world translated over to comic book form.

Although the game this is based on appealed to a wide range of age groups it should be said that this is very much a children's comic. That's not a bad thing, of course, but it's worth noting that the writing feels like a comic based on a saturday morning cartoon series. The puns come thick and fast and while more hit than miss you can usually be sure that if you laugh at something the exact same joke will be re-used a little later. Like the game, we open with an attack of zombies and are soon introduced to the two main characters, Nate and Patrice. I'm still not entirely sure why Patrice was in Nate's treehouse but the two meet and zombies are out for brains. Fortunately Patrice has a crazy uncle who might be able to help.

Crazy Dave, the only on screen human from the game, is shoehorned into the comic as the creator of the plant army. While it's nice to see him, it is a little weird how his speech can go from nonsensical, “urgs,” and, “args,” to coherent exposition and back again for no reason at all.

The 82 pages do fly by at a quick pace but this could also be because there's really not a lot of story here and what there is feels a little incoherent; it not only feels like a collection of individual issues but also like each issue was written by someone new and they only had a brief description of the story so far. A major motivating plot element from early on seems to be forgotten half way through and the resolution is not only incredibly convenient but also a little too abrupt.

The artwork throughout is pretty good. The zombies look like they've walked out of the game and the living humans look like they're visiting from a 90's cartoon. I was a little distracted by the fact that the two children seem to be based on Ben and Gwen Tennison from the Ben 10 cartoon and given their personalities I don't think this was entirely accidental.

As with so many things to do with Plants vz Zombies it would be easy to dismiss this as a cynical and lazy cash-grab and it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable to do so. But there is enough humour here to entertain younger fans of the game and it does have a certain charm that makes me think of Halloween specials. If it weren't for the fact that it comes out a week after Halloween I would say this would be a perfect seasonal read. The digital comics are still available, though, so perhaps it would be better to turn down the lights and give those a read instead. I give it three and a half cartoon zombies (and for those of you who are curious, it's the left half).

Mighty Avengers #1: Review

Published by: Marvel

Release Date: September 11th 2013

Previously on Mighty Avengers: Not much, this is a number one. But as the issue opens Luke Cage is focussing on the family life and running a group of heroes for hire, Doc. Ock is still swinging around New York in his broken-in Spidey-suit and an alien threat threatens a supposedly defenceless Earth.

The best part about picking my own comics to review is that I can cherry pick the good ones I think other people would get a kick out of. I simply don’t enjoy giving out bad reviews. So I was of two minds when I saw Mighty Avengers on the horizon; a ‘lower decks’ Avengers team that allows some of the not-so-famous characters to get in on a little of the Spider-Man limelight sounds great, after all. But then there’s the artist, Mr. Greg Land.

I have great respect for anyone who can make it as an artist, but Land tends to be little more than a photoshop filter with little respect for female anatomy. The thing is, I know that he is capable of some excellent work so when this book was described to me as his least obvious tracing of recent times I thought I should give him a chance.

This was a mistake.

Land’s ‘photographic referencing’ is as blatent here as it ever has been and the effect on the book as a whole is hugely distracting. This is a genuine shame too because there’s some really good storytelling here.

This issue manages to pack a lot into the page count with Ewing allowing each character their moment in the spotlight. It's nice too that the characters are brought together without getting into a huge punching match. They do fight, but it’s a verbal spar on the morality of being super-heroes for hire instead of helping where you’re needed. This is also a fight that lands some heavy blows that I suspect will have further repercussions in later issues. However, the price of spending time with the introductions is that the real threat only comes to light on the last few pages but while it does feel a little rushed, it really doesn't feel like a bad compromise.

In the end the the most enjoyable aspect is the sense of humour in the writing that invokes a 90’s action movie mentality especially noticeable with the freeze-frame introductions of each hero. This willingness to have fun is prevalent throughout the issue especially with Doc. Ock's verbal mannerisms turned up to almost parody levels and it's almost worth the price of admission for the Splendiferous Spider Hero (no hyphen) alone. Almost.

There is a good story hidden in these pages and part of me wants to recommend it in spite of Land's work, but then I go back and see the porn lips and the unfortunate poses and I just can't do it. If you do like his style then you're going to get a kick out of this issue, but for the rest of us it gets two traced O faces and a heartfelt 'please try harder.'

Superior Spider-Man #17: Review.

Published by: Marvel 

Released September 4th 2013

Spider-Man v Spider-man in a new story pitting The superior against the (eternally) 2099 – who will be victorious? Or more likely, how long before they stop fighting each other and team up against a common enemy?

Previously on Superior Spider-Man: This issue sets up a nice new storyline, but Doc. Ock is still in the driving seat and the GPS is set to super-villain territory. The Hobgoblin, having had his secret identity broadcast to the world courtesy of our friendly neighbourhood super-hero, has been taken in by a new gang of Green Goblins who have found a way to fly under the spider-radar.

First things first: there are two Spider-men on the front cover so naturally they are not going to meet until the last shocking pages so stop getting your hopes up now and lets enjoy the ride – a ride that starts with 2099 Spider-Man fighting WWI fighter planes and a slightly bewildered looking T-Rex. Well that's all I need to keep my interest and if I had a Marvel drinking game I'm starting to think 'take a shot when Spider-Man fights a T-Rex' would be part of it.

We soon find out that time has been broken by the Age of Ultron storyline, and 2099's big bad, Tyler Stone, seems to be the target of some sort of attack. Since the Spider-Man of this time is his genetic offspring, he's going to have to go back to 1985 (2013) and make sure his parents kiss at the enchantment under the sea dance (people stop mucking with time). Switch to 2013 and Peter Parker is playing softball.

I never did learn the difference between softball and baseball, I would assume that the former uses softer balls... I've had a baseball thrown at me, I fully endorse this change.

It's an Otto Octavious moment here, with a nice inner monolog that lets us know how much he

relishes in the fact that the pot-bellied nerd he used to be is now a young athlete with his girl watching from the stands. It's a wonderfully written scene that not only gives a little insight into the character, but also seems to resonate with the wish-fulfilment themes of superhero comics in general.

The time-travelling intro goes mostly ignored for most of the remaining pages– the villain of the piece is introduced as ex-Horizon employee Tiberius Stone (any relation?) who seems to be whistle-blowing on Max Modell to the federal government. Time travel isn't the only thing we're  forgetting as Spider-Man looks to have throttled back on his return to super-villain decent some with nary a foot soldier or spider-bot to be seen in the whole issue. It's a 'new storyline' change in pace, but while it is a little jarring it would have been difficult to keep up the momentum without forcing a conclusion of some sort before they're ready. While I wouldn't call this the perfect jumping on point for Superior Spider-Man (we're only 17 issues in, I very much recommend going back to the start) it does mean someone could start now and not feel completely out of their depth.

It is worth noting that this is very much a number one issue; Slott  takes his time introducing the pieces and getting them into their starting positions for the rest of the run. The writing is excellent, as has been the case with most of Superior Spider-Man to date, and the pace is perfectly timed to make it feel like a lot more happens than actually does. The exposition-heavy dialogue and thought bubbles at the start are perhaps a little heavy handed, but it is necessary to get everyone caught up.

The series in general has been very good at not focussing on the action pieces, even letting background characters have a little development, and that doesn't change here. The bookend fight scenes are well done, but the development between them is just as interesting. One head-scratching moment, though, was a single frame appearance of Normie Osborn. This is a character I hadn't heard of from my teen years with comics so I had to look up what was happening with him these days and why he was a little... littler than I was expecting. It turns out not much has happened actually, so I'm curious where we're going with it.

The look for Superior Spiderman was basically defined by Ryan Stegman's art and he returns here with stunning results. The man even makes a group of people sat in a basement feel dynamic so when either of the Spider-Men suit up for action you know you're in for something special.

To conclude this is a fantastic read that will keep you entertained for several reads as you pick up on some of the more subtle points you may have missed the first time. I doubt it would convert anyone who's against the very concept of Doc Ock in a Peter Parker suit, but for anyone curious where this universe's Spider-Man is right now, there are worse times to dip your toe. I'm giving it five enthusiastic THWIPS before going off to read issue 18.

Sidekick #2: Review

Image Comics

Released September 11th 2013

Image comics have never been afraid of deconstructing the super hero; of taking the tropes we know so well and ask what really would happen if they happened in the real world? With Sidekick they ask the question, “what would happen to Robin if Batman died?”

Previously on Sidekick: The Red Cowl is dead, his sidekick, Flyboy, is left alone and penniless (bankrolling a techy superhero will drain even a billionaire's fortune it seems) in a world that doesn't respect him as a crime-fighter in his own right. Desperate for recognition he even stages a robbery so that he can save the day. And it looks like things are going to get worse.

As this issue opens things are, in fact, worse. Flyboy sits alone lamenting his super metabolism and how it makes it hard to get drunk like a regular guy all while trying to forget his fallen mentor. Naturally this is the moment that the Red Cowl's love interest decides to tell our depressed sidekick that she has some sort of psychic connection to our dead hero and that he may be still alive in some alternate time-line.

Did you just roll your eyes at that? I did too, yes he's going to be alive in an alternate time-line; that's how science fiction has told us multi-universes works since forever... but anyway, lets get back to the plot.

Or rather Plots as there really is rather a lot going on here. You have the hunt for The Red Cowl's assassin, the search for an alternate Red Cowl who doesn't have an exploded head, The desperate attempts to return to the superhero game (resorting to crowd-funding and sidekick auditions) and all important flashbacks to happier crime-fighting days when his mentor was still alive. And through all this you have the continued and tragic descent into depression and depravity. Those flashbacks, by the way are the only things that lighten things up this piece but even they have a golly-gosh-Batman cynicism smeared over them that stops them lifting the mood completely.

And that's a criticism I can't help but hold against the core concept of this story; my own comic reading history and the feeling that perhaps they should be a little more respectful to the source of their inspiration. At one point a character quite sincerely expresses that everyone just assumed there was something sexual between the caped hero and his young sidekick and this just felt like one deconstruction too far. Yes it was consistent with the world that's been created here and yes I picked an odd thing to be offended by in a sea of swearing and eviscerated bodies, but it just made me realise that we have actually seen Robin when Batman died and he did just fine thank-you-very much. I just wish they had a little more affection for the genre they're making fun of.

And yet I can't say that's a bad thing. This is to Batman what A Song of Fire and Ice is to Lord of the Rings. Yes I was offended but this is an offensive book. Maybe there is room for a narative that shines a light on the dark corners of DC that were once covered over by the comic book code. And it is a worthy story that I want to see through a little longer.

The last few pages, where our hero attracts the attention of a vampiric super villain, suggest that there's more to be told here than simply how many rock bottoms you can break through when you're mostly impervious to rocks.

The artwork is actually very good for the most part. It feels much like a pre-New 52 DC with a little less polish. Artist Tom Mandrake does, in fact, have a fair few Batman and Superman titles under his belt and that experience shows here, just without the same amount of time or people thrown at it. The comic never suffers from lacking that coat of gloss though, and if anything it helps with the sense of bleak desperation presented on almost every page; here it works that the shadows are comprised of sharp jagged penstrokes and characters who are a little rough around the edge look a little rough around their edges.

As a whole I can't say that this book is a pleasure to read; it's dark, depressing and filled with people I don't like and situations that seem disrespectful to comics I love. I thoroughly recommend you pick this up.

Because that's the thing; the people aren't always likeable but they are real, and yes it's uncomfortable but so is life and when the shit hits the fan you're going to end up with a room full of aerated shit... and I want to see where it goes. 

All things considered I give this book four Winnebagos in the desert cooking Meth while Malcolm's Dad stands around in his underpants with cancer.

The Halloween Legion: The Great Goblin Invasion: Review

Dark Horse Books. 

Released September 11th 2013

I should start things by saying something that too few Brits would confess; I love Halloween. Everything from the cheap scares, costumes and Candy, through to the historical background and spiritual significance. The horror movies, the ghost stories and the Halloween Specials (the latter we would usually get over here sometime around February!) I love them all. So when this 82 page Halloween book came up, I couldn't help myself from diving in.

The Halloween Legion: The Great Goblin Invasion tells the story of an unlikely group of heroes who face a UFO menace in a quiet and sleepy community. So far so generic, and expectations are set even lower when character descriptions tell us that the main character (in this, the one we relate to because she's the most human looking) is a supernatural orphan with a mysterious past and awesome powers who's discovering that the hardest part of her life is trying to be a teenage girl. It's all very Buffy then, but with Halloween costumes which, it would seem, is all I needed to keep reading.

And I'm glad I did, the story is wonderfully told in a way that keeps up the threat while still being accessible to children. The characters are well realised and their motivations and relationships are expressed through some interesting dialogue rather than by shoehorning information into unnatural conversations. Action scenes are handled nicely with the first one doing a particularly good job of setting a tone for the book while also introducing us to the team dynamic. While superhero quips aren't quite Spider-Man in their cleverness they do instead read like actual quips from people who are a little preoccupied with a fight for their life. The pacing too is incredibly tight for the most part with lots of fighty-fightey perfectly balanced with enough wordy-wordy to keep all audiences satisfied. That said, the narrative isn't perfect.

There is an over reliance on certain storytelling tropes that cheapen the experience some. Both good guys and bad have Drama Powers that The Tick would be proud of where battles are won or lost depending on what the plot requires rather than any realistic portrayal of powers. This goes as far as to introduce seemingly new powers to win a battle that just leaves us wondering why they weren't used earlier when they would have cut the invasion much shorter.

New and unexpected powers include the ability to cheapen a tender moment of sacrifice and, perhaps most annoyingly, the power of unsubstantiated exposition. One of the characters gains sudden insight into the motivation of a threat with no real justification beyond the fact that the  threat of the day, the UFOs filled with small non-speaking monsters, lacks a Borg Queen style speaker to tell us these things directly. I did find myself forgiving those things as I just sat back and enjoyed being told a fun Halloween story. And then there's the ending which was both bitter-sweet and heartwarming.

The fun story and interesting dialog are brought to live through some beautiful artwork throughout the book. The style feels very much like a children's book initially; the linework is rough to the point of sketchy and if I'm being critical I would point out that details like faces and even the dimensions of body parts vary not only from page to page but also from left arm to right arm. It's a style that initially had me wishing someone would just come along and ink it properly but, after a few pages, its charm won me over and I simply stopped caring that legs occasionally finished in scribbled stumps instead of feet. In fact the worst elements were the ones that probably had the most polish; the UFOs are basically dark, over blurred blobs in the sky that look like they were done on a computer completely separate to the hand-drawn appearance of the rest of the art. I can see where they were going with it, but it just felt too different to the established style to work.

But the colouring. The colouring of this book is simply beautiful to look at.

In case you haven't clicked yet, I am going to recommend you go out and get this book. Once you've read it for the story I recommend you go through and read it again looking at each individual page. Every one of them is a unified piece of art in its own right. The whole page perfectly captures the colours in that scene. There are no paged that break this; if a frame starts with sunset gold you will see that on the entire page and it works so incredibly well.

After the second read, have a look through the pages as they work with each other. With one exception I'll mention later you can follow the passage of time through the use of colours; you can watch the sun set, the darkening night and the promise of a new day expressed simply through the way the colour scheme subtly changes from page to page. It's one of those things that's so subtle it's easy to miss, but the actual effect on the reading experience is genuinely pleasing to see.

The Halloween Legion is a fantastic seasonal read and I can't recommend it enough to people with any childlike fondness for the season. From what I can tell this is a one off; a quick google search revealed a prose paperback but little else. I do know that I would love to see more stories with these characters in the future though. There are hints at future adventures in this book, though. The 'mysterious pasts' of these characters is never really explored and the one daytime scene that breaks up the flow of colours seems to exist purely to set up a school environment complete with a menacing adult figure with suspiciously grey skin. Pay attention, Dark Horse, if you print any more of these books I will be there with money in hand.

Five cackling Jack-o-lanterns for a wonderful read that's suitable for the Halloween kid in all of us. Even the actual kids.