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I'M PUTTING THE COLLECTION UP!

I'm moving. Far, far away actually. In anticipation of said move, I'm getting rid of my comic book collection one (very random) lot at a time. The first lot is up for auction on ebay:

Click here

If there's a pariticular series you're looking for, shoot me an email at scfahey@yahoo.com. I'd rather sell my comics to people who actually want to read them than ebay buyers that are just going to turn around and sell them.

Graig Kent

1Checkmate Vol. 1: A King's Game

For those that have been reading Greg Rucka's work on his Oni Press series Queen and Country, you know exactly how talented the man is, and how adept he his at exploiting the espionage-meets-politics angle of the series. So, depending on your viewpoint you're either going to be very disappointed or very excited with his work on Checkmate, which is, essentially an exploitation of the espionage-meets-politics-meets-superheroes angle.

If you hate superheroes, you're going to be upset that Rucka's thinning out his spy-and-backroom drama repetoir by working similar angles at DC, but if you like superheroes, even a little bit, then this is like peanut-butter and chocolate mixed into an ice cream swirl on a hot summer's day� a little fattening, but oh so good. This series comes in the wake of Countdown, the Omac Project and Infinite Crisis, and may, in some respects, actually excuse, if not justify their existence (it's that good). Max Lord killed the Blue Beetle to protect his secret agency. His right-hand man, Sasha Bordeaux stood by and watched as he did it. The guilt is nagging away at her, and service in the new United Nations-sponsored Checkmate is her penance.

The new organization is comprised of two divisions, White and Black, each having a King and Queen, each King and Queen having their own Bishop and Knight to serve them. The White division is the bureaucratic side, while the Black is operations. The series starts with Green Lantern Alan Scott as White King and Amanda Waller as White Queen. Sasha is Black Queen while Thleb Khalid is Black King. Down the line there are super-powered beings and regular folk alike, the "rule of two" in effect meaning that if there's a metahuman in one position then their opposite must be normal. This is the framework of the book, with Sasha's complex and Waller's nature taking the primary character focus. It's a lot to take hold of, and I can see it falling apart in the reader's mind on a monthly basis, but in a collected format, it's a complex structure that rewards the reader for understanding.

There are three stories within this first trade collection. The first story finds Checkmate already threatened with dissolution thanks to China. This leads to some backroom wheeling and dealing while the Ops team encounter members of the Great Ten (seen in early issues of 52). Things play out on both angles in an interesting and unexpected manner.

The second story, a one-off, involves the selection of a new Black Knight from the normal humans that comprise Checkmate's Pawns. The ordeal is rigorous, but a new selection does emerge, one that nods to DC's War continuity of long ago (which is easily ignored if you don't know it).

The final story isn't actually a Checkmate story at all, but a Suicide Squad story. The Wall hasn't given up her old organization and being shut out of Checkmate's black ops means she has to get her influence in somewhere. It's a risky gamble to ignore your current set-up to revisit familiar ground, but Rucka makes it as awesome as the Ostrander series of old while also further enhancing the internal dynamic and tension within this series and the organization it follows.

Rucka certainly delivers the goods, not shying away from any of the elements it's representing. The superheroes are just as front and center as the covert operations and the UN debates. Rucka equally knows his characters, creating a richer, more complicated Mr. Terrific in 7 issues what JSA didn't really accomplish in 5 years. Although the lesser known characters have yet to have their shining moments, Rucka no doubt has a plan up his sleeve. Former JLAer Fire has her storyline set-up already, and it's only a matter of time before the others get theirs as well.

The art by Jesus Saiz is 100% fitting for the book. He draws the plainclothes naturally and he makes the costumes fit into the world just the same. He's not a superstar, nor is he going to spawn a legion of fans, but he can tell a story damn well, and with a series like this that's worth its weight in Michael Turners or Steve McNivens.

Queen and Country fans, you don't need to tread lightly, and you don't really need to care about DC Universe minutiae. You can jump into Checkmate and get an exciting twist on something you already know and love.

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FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

Gear TPB

"Mr. Blik, Gordon and Waffle were raised in a mega-mansion by Mrs. Edna Cramdilly who left the little darlings her house and every penny of her fortune when she died. But Mr. Blik, Gordon and Waffle aren't her grandsons, they're cats! The brothers live a life of freedom, adventure and, well, usually total mayhem. Whether they're taking on ferocious bears, mythical sea creatures, zombies, giant robots or aliens, these rich kitties just can't keep out of trouble."

This is not the description of Douglas Ten Napel's recently reprinted comic book, Gear, but rather Nickleodeon's description of their cartoon show Catscratch. The cartoon, if you havn't seen it, is pretty much as it's described, goofy, fun and lively entertainment for youngsters, but featuring a sense of humor akin to Dexter's Lab or Spongebob Squarepants that will keep the parents (and stoner college kids) entertained as well. It's popular, enough to have spawned its own Happy Meal toy line at McDonald's, and you can bet that Image is touting its connections to this new printing of Ten Napel's first comic book. But be warned, especially for the little ones, Gear is not Catscratch.

Yes, it's true that Catscratch and Gear share the same creator, and that there are characters named Waffle and Gordon (and Mr. Black became Mr. Blik) in both, and these characters even look the same (a note from Ten Napel states that he had actual cats with these names), but that's where the comparisons end. The happy go-lucky fun loving (if neurotic) nature of the Catscratch cats isn't wholly absent, but the surroundings of these characters is a whole different ballgame.

In Gear, animals are intelligent, and there are three dominant species on one continent, each vying for supremacy: cats, dogs and insects. The cats have sub-fractioned into the warring North and South, with the south cats of the city called Norman being the weakest, possessing only one run down giant robot, called a Guardian. Early in the story we meet Waffle, Gordon, Mr. Black and Simon, the latter of which dies and sudden and dramatic death before the end of the first chapter. The North Cats and the Dogs are joining forces, meanwhile there's a Dog commander desperately searching for the mythical Gear, an artifact that should provide it's holder the power to rule the world. The insects attack Norman, while Gordon and Mr. Black liberate an insect Guardian, and Waffle makes friends with a mantis named Chee. In a roundabout way, Gear is activated (and is not nearly the magical entity everyone believed), the Bugs and South Cats unite against their united foe, and victory is never assured.

This is a book that, although lighthearted, is about war. It's not so bleak that it's without hope, Ten Napel's penchant for use of Christian themes, here primarily Heaven and Hell, is strewn throughout, and is more blatant and less thematic than in later works. Heaven is presented obviously a place where the good people go, where they can become guardian spirits and help out in times of need, while Hell is a place where some can get a direct ticket. Ten Napel's structure for the story is manic, irreverent and upon first read, a little convoluted. But it's simplicity of the battle lines shines through with subsequent readings, as do the characterizations, the distinctive personalities much firmer than they may at first appear.

Originally published in six parts about a decade ago via Fireman Press (home of Scud: The Disposable Assassin), and collected once in black and white, this new volume is digest-sized and colorized giving it a whole different flavor than Ten Napel's original black and white work. It's neither better nor worse than the original publishing, just different. It's a fun read, and an necessary library addition for any who enjoyed Ten Napel's Creature Tech or Iron West. It's unfortunate that it's a little too heavy handed for the young Catscratch fans who could be a prime target for this, but despite the new, vibrant coloring job, this is probably ready for the tween-and-above market and not much younger.

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FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

Elgin Carver

6Punisher War Journal # 4�(Marvel Comics)

The media in this country have the capability (and the inclination) to draw attention to and hype� topics to the point of hysteria amongst the general population. Today it is bringing to a boiling point fear by the simple minded that, by living a civilized and comfortable life the surface of the earth will be heated to the point of mass death, a fate we have earned and deserve. In the early 1970s the fear of street crime so permeated the popular culture that most people were convinced that the downfall of Western Civilization, or at least America, at the hands of thugs was at hand. (Does anyone remember the Jamacian drug gangs that were to be the downfall on inner cities and it's focus in Predator II?) The police were helpless and the government would not allow the citizenry to defend themselves. From this delirium sprang the best movie Charles Bronson ever starred in, and a highly underrated film overall, Death Wish. While the success and quality of the� franchise rapidly deteriorated, creating three sequels, each more pitiful and unbelievable than the one before, the original was a cinematic gem on many levels. It is no coincidence that the year Death Wish premiered. the Punisher made his first appearance in The Amazing Spiderman. His family murdered by the Mob, Frank Castle swore eternal warfare on criminals in the guise of the Punisher, and he was just the man to deliver on that oath. Excepting the costume, which was clearly overdone and unnecessary, the knock-off was total and complete, and obvious to any reader. Like the movie producers, Marvel knew there was something possible with the premise, but had little idea what to do with it.

The Punisher received his own title in the mid-1980s in what was originally sold as a four issue limited-series, stepped up to a five issue series by number 2 and then kept on going for a number of years after. Marvel seemed to think they had something to say with this character as they spun off three other titles, including a Punisher War Journal title previous to the one under discussion. Sales soon proved that whatever Marvel thought they had to say was not being well communicated to the readers, or perhaps their fear of street crime was so diminished (or interest so sated by the rest of the media) that sales began to falter for all Punisher books, and their publication eventually halted. Frank Castle, and his Punisher personae was not through with the public however. He has returned as a guest star in many comics, in television cartoons, and in movies, none of which have been as satisfying as the original idea suggested they should be. At least not until the Marvel Max titles took him on, with adult language and situations, reflecting a more realistic set of circumstances, attitudes, associates, and conditions. This series seems to stand outside the Marvel superhero universe, for the most part, and the Civil War event, so encompassing of everything Marvel, seems to demand that Frank be included. Rather than disrupt the success of this Max title, the Punisher War Journal has been revived to bring him into the fray.

The Punisher is Marvel's version of Batman as he was originally conceived. Over the decades Batman has morphed to such a degree that many people classify him in the superhero category, despite the fact that he has no "super" powers, and have completely forgotten his status as The World's Greatest Detective. He began as an avenger but lost his way. Frank Castle has no such problem. But drawn into the Civil War, he perforce must face those that easily outclass him in power, even when he is as heavily armed as possible. His face off with Captain America diminished both characters and advanced nothing. Whether the writers realized that or not, this issue places him against a number of Marvel's terciary level of super villains with results one might expect. The most interesting aspect of this issue and others in the Civil War epic, is whether Marvel will use the opportunity they have given themselves to allow all the war's dead to stay that way permanently.� If they can, they will have lost little and gained much. Despite the fact that in this issue the Punisher uses what is generally a feminine method of killing in the real world, and somewhat unsatisfying in the Marvel world, let us hope the publisher has turned him loose on that heaving mass of unneeded, unwanted, and uninteresting villainy that has overpopulated the books for so long, and clean up the landscape.

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THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

9Action Comics # 845 (DC Comics)

Superman started superheroes. He almost killed superheroes when DC, in as blatant a money grubbing act as ever perpetrated in a capitalist society, attempted to take full advantage of an investing bubble by "killing" off Superman and packaging the book so that it was unreadable. Lunatics actually stood outside bookstores, offering to sell copies for many times the cover price the instant the store's supply ran out. Even more idiotic people were paying that price and turning around with an ever increasing fervor and looking for other suckers. This was the pin that pricked that speculation bubble, and the industry of comic publishing teetered on the edge of extinction. Between those two points, his origin and his death, Superman remained the gold standard for superhero comics and during the 1950s, despite the low quality of stories and some would say the art as well, he practically was the sum total of superhero comics.

�While there would have been a magical symmetry had the industry been brought down by the very character that created it, survive it does, after a fashion. For the past year or so, Action Comics and other mini series involving Superman has revitalized this greatest of heroes. The depths of his personality has not been plumbed nor has the value of his qualities been truly evaluated. DC and their writing staff is beginning to realize this and assigning suitable talent to address those oversights. In this issue Geoff Johns and Richard Donner look not only at Superman, but are investigating those peripheral personalties that make up this world. Bizzaro is reinvestigate as others (let it be a surprise) rear their heads. This continues a process that started at least a year ago and continues at a high level of quality and appeal.� Adam Kubert's artwork� and the perfectly suitable coloring by Dave Stewart work together to make this one of the better DC books out today. Kubert's covers, which appear to be black and white ink on kraft paper, are as appealing and iconic covers as anyone has done lately. As long as we are forced to follow these stories in a 32 page format rather than thick books providing depth of coverage and content, this is about as solid an issue as we can expect to get.

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FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS

2Reid Fleming Worlds Toughest Milkman�#1-9�(Deep Sea Comics)

Originally a newspaper strip in an underground newspaper in Vancouver, Reid Fleming is/was a comic that straddled the gap between underground and mainstream comics, and straddled it well. A hard drinking, tough to the bone, take no prisoners milkman who battled his customers and his boss, was published by his creator David Boswell independently, by Eclipse Comics for some issues, and then by Deep Sea Comics, which seems to be a nom de plume of Mr. Boswell again. Whatever the truth about its publication history, and whatever status one might wish to file this comic under, this is one of the wittiest and funniest comics ever created. Uncle Scrooge, Little Lulu, Peanuts and Dennis the Menace comic books (much better than the strips), the original Plasticman comics, and a very few others rise to this level, but content and attitude set Reid Fleming into a category all his own. You are unlikely to find them in the boxes at your local comic shop, but can be had directly from Mr. Boswell at his web site. If you are disappointed in their quality, put up your dukes, you need to be corrected.

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FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS