Monster

Superheroes in general are often associated with engaging in constant and unending battles against one foe or another with little in the way of reason behind them, while giant kaiju-style monsters often aren’t held in much higher esteem thanks to their overall penchant for destroying large cities, but doing little else. So one wouldn’t expect a superhero vs. kaiju comic to come across as anything resembling high art, but creators Cullen Bunn and Steve McNiven don’t seem to care that “Monsters Unleashed” #1 isn’t going to win any awards for literary excellence. Recognizing that not every comic has to serve the purpose of challenging readers’ intellects, Bunn and McNiven deliver the kind of story that instead allows their minds to take a rest and simply enjoy the big-budget action. To wit: A giant unidentified monster swoops down and attacks Boston, and the Avengers arrive to battle it. Meanwhile, another attacks London, and the X-Men show up on the scene; you get the idea. And that’s

J.M. DeMatteis, Bruce Timm and Rick Leonardi’s “Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Wonder Woman” #1 expands on the history of this parallel world version of Bekka, who was originally created by Jack Kirby as one of the New Gods and was recently introduced into a new continuity by the recent “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” direct-to-video movie. “The Dream” is a chronicle of Bekka’s introduction to Planet Earth and her role among humans. Timm and DeMatteis tie Bekka’s journey and her ideals to the era of JFK and MLK. The story opens with a classic visitor from space introduction. Bekka’s fight with a dinosaur-like monster looks cool, but it has no connection to the rest of the story. Leonardi obviously enjoyed penciling this scene, but the mechanisms of the monster’s arrival and the reason for its retreat are left vague. The plotting and narration feel forced. Bekka crash-lands in India but spends the rest of the story in America. India has no role in the plot except to give he

J. M. DeMatteis and Matthew Dow Smith’s “Justice League: Gods and Monsters – Batman” #1 collects the first three chapters of the digital prologue to Bruce Timm’s upcoming “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” direct-to-video film. Presenting an interesting take on the Batman mythos, the debut issue also delivers a nice change, inserting a stand-in for Bruce Wayne. The new Dark Knight, Kirk Langstrom, not only has ties to the Batman legend but also tracks along a “what-could-have-been” path that makes alternate realities memorable and immersive. In this re-imagining of the Justice League, however, the core trinity — Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman — are not as noble as they are traditionally interpreted. This is especially the case for Batman, who tracks very closely to Marvel’s Morbius but is constructed with enough nuance to stand independently. A variety of type treatments help to tell the tale, from Langstrom’s perspective to the media following the actions of the Batman to the

Pteranodons and biplanes. Well, singular biplane, but multiple pteranodons — that is exactly a small portion of what “The Boys” collaborators Garth Ennis and Russ Braun bring to “Where Monsters Dwell” #1. Dono Sanchez Almara joins the duo for colors and Rob Steen brings the letters to this comic book, which is branded with the “Secret Wars” logo and carries a “Parental Advisory” label. As an abandoned island princess dreams of a feast set with spiced orangutan and crocducken (which, I’m imagining, is a more exotic take on turducken), readers learn just what type of man Karl Kaufmann (a.k.a. the Phantom Eagle) is, thanks to Ennis writing the legendary pilot an exit cue. As “Where Monsters Dwell” #1 continues, Ennis somehow builds a convincing case that, while Kaufmann may not be fit to serve as a role model, he certainly hits the spot as the type of scamp people like to be entertained by. Ennis rounds out the cast with Clementine Franklin-Cox (Clemmie), Kaufmann’s mechanic Winch, and

Writer Franco Aureliani and artist Agnes Garbowska bring “Peach and the Isle of Monsters” #1 to Aw Yeah Comics! via the Comixology Submit program. A coming of age tale with a young female protagonist, this comic book is certain to appeal to fans of both creators, but more importantly, it delivers a complete, approachable tale. “Peach and the Isle of Monsters” #1 overcomes a very verbose beginning where, through no fault of his own, Marshall Dillon’s word balloons threaten to completely choke out Garbowska’s art. That happens three pages into this comic, but by the sixth page, the story finds its rhythm and Garbowska is afforded more real estate to draw her incredibly expressive characters. Garbowska’s art defies ages for her subjects, but is certain to appeal to readers of all ages as it treads between storybook, manga, comic strip and comic book art. Peach and her newfound allies appear as though they could step out of the panels in “Peach and the Isle of Monsters” #1 and stroll r

Working from a script by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, Roger Langridge brings yet another Archaia-published Henson gem to shelves. Writing and drawing this tale, Langridge brings the same enthusiasm and spark to these pages as he brought to “The Muppet Show.” Originally intended as a television special, “Jim Henson’s The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow” fits nicely as a comic book tale. Set in Turkey Hollow, turkey capital of New Hampshire, this book stars the Hendersons — Timmy; his sister, Ann; and their aunt Clytemnestra. Happy to live their lives, sharing meals, music and chores, the Hendersons literally stumble across the monsters of Turkey Hollow. From there, as happens in made-for-TV specials, the plot takes a turn, Langridge ratchets up the suspense and paves the way towards a happy ending. That’s not to say “The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow” is without surprises. Langridge drops in plot twists and amps up the stakes more than once, never needing to expand the cast bey

It’s the monster who gets all of the page time in Steve Niles and Damien Worm’s “Monster and Madman” #1, which is billed on the cover as “the secret history of Jack the Ripper and Frankenstein’s monster.” It’s a clever idea, establishing a tie between one of literature’s more horrific characters and a real-life serial killer who was a whole different kind of horrific, but the series’ first issue doesn’t quite get around to exploring it yet. Instead, the debut serves as an introductory, albeit necessary, explanation of how Frankenstein’s monster actually survived his apparent demise, taking place not long after the conclusion of Mary Shelley’s original novel. Niles makes good use of it, though; his monster is one coming to better understand mortality, or in his case, potential immortality. Not just his own, but also that of others, and when presented with the opportunity to kill, his character further matures. Niles plays up the notion of a misunderstood monster living in a dark and o

The worst thing about “Legion of Monsters” is that it’s not an ongoing series. Thanks to fantastic work by Dennis Hopeless, Juan Doe and Wil Quintana I felt more love and investment in these characters than I do for most characters I’ve read about for three times as long. In the final issue of “Legion of Monsters”, Elsa Bloodstone and Morbius the Living Vampire discover that the demonic virus that’s infecting the monster population was inadvertently caused by Morbius, himself. Morbius makes plans to blow everything to oblivion in the hopes of destroying the virus but Elsa somewhat brilliantly releases Farkas from his prison so that he can absorb the virus. Unfortunately, Farkas absorbs the virus all too well and becomes his own monstrous threat which Elsa, Jack Russell and Manphibian race to contain before Morbius blows them all sky high. Dennis Hopeless’ writing continues to impress. The plotting for this book has been excellent, managing to tell a smart story with plenty of twist

“Legion of Monsters” started out as one of the best Big Two minis of the year. It was fun and insane and gorgeous. It’s still gorgeous, but the fun and insanity stand aside for a moment to let the plot mechanics grind into play. There is a lot of exposition at play, including the groan-worthy cliche of a new flashback finally revealed to come into play. The mini can surely get back on track with Morbius knowing the whole deal now. Dennis Hopeless and Juan Doe work best when juxtaposing these frightening characters with simpler emotions and interactions. There is a page where Morbius and Manphibian loiter in the fallout of their emotionally charged fight. The heat has passed, each creature is just sorry, and they sip their coffee in silence. I’d much rather see these things room together in Manhattan with hilarious results than have them battle together against Dracula. The first comic might never happen, but it doesn’t mean the same spirit can’t be infused into the second. Hopeless w

“Legion of Monsters” is one of those mini-series that you find yourself wishing was an ongoing immediately. Easily one of the best books I’ve been reading from Marvel of late, this series is completely fun, full of great characters, and tightly plotted. In this issue, premiere monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone and the Legion of Monsters hunt down and investigate an infection running through the local demon population, making them even more dangerous than usual. While N’Kantu and Manphibian go to Hellstrom for assistance, Elsa and Jack head down into hell itself. At the same time, Morbius is up to something mysterious and possibly no good. Dennis Hopeless’ script strikes just the right tone with a lot of humor to cut through the potentially dark ideas and characters. The result is a well-balanced tale that is a rollicking good time with just enough substance to keep things significant. Hopeless gives his characters compelling and nicely distinctive voices, and you can feel the relation