Comic Review: Wolverine/Nick Fury: Scorpio Rising

Published: 1994
Written by: Howard Chaykin
Art by: Shawn McManus

Marvel Comics, 49 Pages

Review:

This graphic novel release in 1994 brought an end to the trilogy of stories that saw Wolverine and Nick Fury team up.

Fans started referring to it as The Scorpio Trilogy and I’m not sure if Marvel ever officially adopted that name. The reason it’s called that, though, is that the two bookends of this trilogy feature the character Scorpio, who has close, personal ties to Nick Fury.

Oddly enough, I think the middle story, which doesn’t feature Scorpio, is definitely the best of the trio.

With that, I’d say that this was my least favorite but I still liked it for the reasons why you should like a comic with Wolverine, Nick Fury and a style that’s not made for younger comic book readers.

This, like its two predecessors, has a much harder edge to it than a standard monthly Marvel comic and that’s one of the things that made me gravitate towards these one-off graphic novel releases.

Overall, this did a decent job of bringing the Scorpio stuff to a close and altering the character in a meaningful way. And while I wasn’t into the art in this chapter, this was still a short and action-packed tale that fits well with the other two Wolverine/Nick Fury team-ups.

Rating: 5.75/10

Comic Review: Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection

Published: 1989
Written by: Archie Goodwin
Art by: Howard Chaykin

Marvel Comics, 66 Pages

Review:

I have loved the hell out of this graphic novel’s cover since I was a little kid hanging out in comic book shops with very limited funds. So I never actually bought this back in 1989 or the years that followed and I hadn’t actually read it until now.

While I enjoyed this it’s pretty average for what Marvel was putting out in their popular graphic novel series at the time. With a script by Archie Goodwin and art by Howard Chaykin, I went into it with pretty high hopes that this didn’t live up to.

Although, it’s still a pretty cool, action-packed book. I just felt like the story needed more pages to really be fleshed out and that things felt rushed and then it was over.

I did enjoy Chaykin’s art, as I usually do. I dig his character design and his patented style and it did a good job setting the tone for this story. But like the story, I wish there was more.

Still, this is beefier and a bit more adult than the standard single page comics of the era. I thought the villain was kind of neat but he barely got a chance to develop in any sort of meaningful way in just 66 pages.

Rating: 6/10

Comic Review: G.I. Joe: Hearts & Minds

Published: November 23rd, 2010
Written by: Max Brooks
Art by: Howard Chaykin, Antonio Fuso
Based on: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by Hasbro

IDW Publishing, 132 Pages

Review:

Hearts & Minds is a pretty interesting collection at first glance.

The book is written by Max Brooks, son of the uber talented Mel Brooks, as well as the author of World War Z and its spiritual predecessor, The Zombie Survival Guide. There are no zombies in this, however.

Additionally, this is a collection of short character studies featuring several popular characters from G.I. Joe lore. This all takes place within the confines of the IDW continuity but it helps to give quick intimate glances at characters without trying to do it within a larger, multi-character story.

While I like the idea and like some of the characters showcased, the stories are really short and just sort of like a flash in the pan of a character’s life. This book really just went by too damn fast. I almost wish that each story was the length of a standard issue and that Max Brooks was able to make this like a 12 issue event, as opposed to this super quick read.

I’m not blaming Brooks for the minuscule content, that is probably due to whatever contract agents, lawyers and accountants in a San Diego office agreed on. But ultimately, this feels like bones with very little meat.

Some of the ideas and glimpses into the lives of the heroes and villains of this franchise were just enough to whet your palate and leave you wanting more. But more never came.

Good idea, nice art, cool ideas but shoddy execution. This wasn’t an attempt at good storytelling. It was more or less a way to throw Max Brooks name on a book in an effort to try and grab sales without much effort by all parties involved.

Rating: 6/10
Pairs well with: The early G.I. Joe stuff by IDW.

Comic Review: American Flagg! – Definitive Collection

Published: December 24th, 2008
Written by: Howard Chaykin
Art by: Howard Chaykin

Dynamite, 406 Pages

Review:

American Flagg is considered a classic and a masterpiece by many comic book aficionados since it was running regularly in the 1980s. I never read it back then, I was pretty much only concerned with G.I. Joe, Star Wars and superhero comics at the time. It was also much more adult than what I was ready for back when I was in elementary school.

I did finally pick this up, after Comixology had it up for free for Unlimited subscribers. I’ve heard only good things and thought that it was an experience that was long overdue.

Sadly, it didn’t resonate with me. Maybe it’s because it feels like a relic of that ’80s era and it doesn’t work outside of that time, other than being nostalgia for those who loved it back then.

I will say that the writing is pretty good and that the artwork is better than what was the standard, at the time. I like the character design, use of color and the tone of it. I just couldn’t get into the narrative despite the writing being mature and better than what I used to read back in the ’80s.

With those who I’ve talked to about it, this is often times compared to Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s work on Robocop, as well as the original Robocop film. It may even have hints of Blade Runner. While those are all things I like, I just couldn’t get enthusiastic about American Flagg, which actually disappointed me.

I wanted to like it at more than just a visual level. I just felt that the characters were too generic and simple but then again, maybe that’s the point, as they live in a superficial, entertainment obsessed society. Still, it didn’t make for an interesting read, as it was difficult to feel a connection to any of the main characters.

I liked the talking cat though.

Rating: 5/10
Pairs well with: Has similar themes to Robocop and Watchmen.