Geek Of The Week : Lady Mechanika # 3

Blimey . . . Tha’ Is One Very Big Arse

In Lady Mechanika # 3 from Aspen, the title character continues on her quest to learn the secrets of her past. A mission that had brought a dead mechanical girl across her path. When the mechanical girl’s body is stolen, Lady Mechanika sets off to track her down.

The trail takes Mechanika to the Cirque du Romani. Once there she is confronted by several of the circus performers. Her questions to find the mechanical girl aren’t met well, and this leads to Mechanical scuffling wit ht he circus’s knife thrower and his big cat.

The owner of the circus, Madame Divinite, breaks up the fight and things calm down. With cooler heads thinking, it is discovered that the mechanical girl is Seraphina, the daughter of the knife thrower, and she isn’t dead. It is revealed that the promise of fame and fortune lured Seraphina and her boyfriend away to join another circus. Although the it is deduced that the two lost performers weren’t lured away by another circus, but rather they were tricked to follow a mercenary working for the Blackpool Armaments Company.

After learning the new information Lady Mechanika and her associate travel to Mechanicon, the Annual Mechanika City Convention of All Things Innovative, Scientific, and Industrial. It is here that they find Nathaniel Blackpool, the person that Lady Mechanika believes is holding Seraphina. At the opening ceremony for Mechanicon, Blackpool introduces his Helio Arx, a giant airship and fortress that Mechanika believes she will need to infiltrate if she is to find the mechanical girl.

Lady Mechanika is an interesting and enjoyable comic book set in a steampunk world. The characters, costumes, and environment are all amazing. There is a great style and flare to this comic. The comic is written and drawn by Joe Benitez, with Peter Steigerwald providing colors, and Josh Reed on lettering. The story and characters are engaging, and the artwork is beautiful. This is a comic book that you should be buying.

Geek Of The Week : Non Player #1

This is a comic book that I wanted to review a few weeks ago, but it sold out and I had to wait to get second printing. Non Player #1 from Image is an action fantasy comic set in a video game world. The story opens with a convoy transporting Queen Fendra to the Riftlands. A human, Dana, and her Elvin companion stake out the group from a high ridge before deciding to plunge in.

An incredible sword throw takes down the Queen’s transport beast, and with the guard scrambling to protect her, the two attackers charge in. Dana leads a furious attack with a double sided blade that can also rotate to create one broad sword. She takes down a pile of guys before getting her self tangled up during the fight. That’s when her elf partner jumps in to lend a hand with his two small swords. Things seem to be going their way, only to have victory snatched away from them in the end.

Once the battle is over, the two adventurers reconvene in a huge parlor with a giant glass ceiling. This is a virtual meeting place outside of the game, but within the system. The room is inhabited with robots, tiny animals racing cars around, floating whales, and a small dinosaur destroying a model city. After a quick debriefing on the fight, Dana floats off to join the real world.

In the real world she lives in an average, messy apartment with her sister and mother. Dana is kind of testy with her mom, and the two seem to be a little exacerbated with each other. And now Dana has to rush off to her job at a Mexican fast food restaurant. While she rides off to work she activates a “lifeskin” that lets her see her real world as the fantasy world that she plays in.

Non Player #1 is a cool comic that gives you a little tease of this world. The game world has fanciful armor and weapons, and incredible war beasts. The head of the guard was riding some sort of dinosaur/rhino creature. And Dana has a winged flying cat of some sort. And the action is pretty intense. And while the game characters are very much of that  world, Dana and her friend have out of game chatter, talking about game strategy, and who else they could pull online, while they interact in this world. There are also some hints that the world could be taking on a life of it’s own. The real world scenario is short, but it ads some more texture to Dana, and I hope that we see more of her outside of the game.

Nate Simpson wrote and created all of the art for this comic. The story is fun with some fast action sequences, and also some characters moments as well. The story is just a glimpse of this world, but there are some hints that there could be more going on. And it has me wanting to know more. And I want to find out more about Dana. I enjoyed reading that little bit of out of game character of her as much as I liked seeing her in action in the game. I also like how the players are handled in game. Having them being aware that they are in a game, and talking about the game, instead of just being totally absorbed into becoming the game, is a fun take on the gamers.

The art is gorgeous. The characters designs are excellent, and the creature designs are awesome. The drawing is incredible with beautiful colors. I’m definitely buying the next issue.

Snake Eyes # 1

Snake Eyes #1 from IDW takes a G.I. Joe task force to Xixabangma, in the Himal Range, the thirteenth highest point on the planet. Six Joes that were in a team led by snake Eyes were killed, now he’s out to find the person responsible. So Snake Eyes take Ice Burg, Alpine, and Helix to an arctic mountain 18,000 feet above sea level where they uncover a Cobra outpost. The only problem is that base is locked up tight with no way for them to force their way in.

So it looks like they have to play the waiting game. Out in the cold. Hoping that they last. And so do their supplies. However, if the Cobras are home, Snake Eyes has an idea to lure them out, and that gives them a way to get in. Of course once they get their small band in, then what?

This is G.I. Joe at it’s best. A special ops team tracking down Cobra. Severe conditions that need special training and survival skills to pull them through. And some improvisation to help them pull something out of a hat. And that’s when the action begins. And of course its leading them in to an even harrier situation.

Chuck Dixon wrote the issue, with Robert Atkins the penciler on the bulk of the comic, and Augusttin Padilla on the flashback sequences. Juan Castro is the inker, with Simon Gough providing colors, and Shawn Lee is the letterer. The writing and art are both awesome. This is the mission impossible action that you want. Snake Eyes #1 gets a high recommendation.

G.I. Joe #1

“The Commander is dead. He was murdered by a traitor from within. How this was allowed to happen – and who is responsible – is our secondary concern. Cobra is without a supreme leader . . . and that is intolerable.”

G.I. Joe #1 from IDEW kicks off the race to see who will become the new Cobra Commander. The council has set Major Blood, The Baroness, Vikrim Khallikhan, Oda Satori, Rodrigo Vargas, Krake, and Tomax, on a course to bring as much pain and loss to G.I. Joe as they possibly can. And who ever racks up the most death and destruction will be named the new Commander.

The Baroness sees that Cobra Commander’s body is put to rest, and that a suitable cover story is in place to explain his demise. And then its on to business. She wants the Commander’s seat, and she’s forming schemes and alliances to see that she gets it. Using intel that she’s obtained, and she’s not sharing, and promising to reward those loyal to her, she puts agents in place to make a hit on a Joe squad. Using heavy cover and stealth, two Cobra agents start sniping the Joes.

Using quick thinking and battle expertise, Leatherneck, Stalker, and Recon turn the tables and puts Cobra on the run. And while they take one down, the other Cobra trooper manages to make a daring escape. Back at The Pit, Cobra might have found a way to slip a couple of agents past the Joe’s defenses, and it looks like the fireworks are really about to start.

G.I. Joe #1 is setting up an all out war against the Joes. Cobra is bent on their demise, and they are hitting hard and fast to keep the G.I. Joe team back on their heels. Although the Joes are showing why they’re the best, and they aren’t about to back down. The issue starts off with a bang, but the ending is setting up even more mayhem for the next issue. Along with the action, there is also some plotting going on, and I like getting a taste of some internal scheming, politicking, and potential backstabbing going on within the Cobra ranks. I hope thats something that will continue, and maybe even escalate, throughout this storyline.

Chuck Dixon wrote the story that has me anxious for the next issue. The artwork is excellent. Javier Saltares is the penciler, with Christopher Ivy as the inker, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Shawn Lee doing the lettering. The comic looks great, and their story telling has me eager to turn each new page. An all around excellent comic.

G.I. Joe : Cobra Civil War # 0

“Any moron with a gun can achieve a body count. But style – well, style must count for something.”

This week I read G.I. Joe : Cobra Civil War #0 from IDW. I haven’t been keeping up with the Joes, but the Civil War story got me interested and so I picked up this prelude comic book. The comic is split into three short stories, each one is intended to be a lead in to the three new Joe titles that IDW will be launching; G.I. Joe, Cobra, and Snake Eyes.

The first story is G.I. Joe, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Javier Saltares, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letters by Shawn Lee. The story has a Joe recon team investigating Springfield, a former Cobra town. In the wake of Cobra Commander’s death, the Joes haven’t been able to receive clear intelligence on what has happened, or on how extensive the damage is to the Cobra organization, so they’re starting an investigation. Springfield is deserted. The entire town has packed up and bugged out. However, the Joe team walks into a trap, and encounter a new player in the Cobra ranks, Krake. With the element of surprise, and Krake’s killer instinct, the encounter doesn’t go well for the Joe team.

The second story is Cobra, written by Mike Costa, with art by Antonio Fuso, Colors by Arianna Florean, and letters by Shawn Lee. The story has a select group of Cobra officials meeting via video conference. The Baroness has been appointed to by the Cobra Council to way out the situation for everyone. Cobra Commander is dead. Cobra has lost a grievous amount of personnel, infantry, infrastructure, equipment, and R&D. And now they are going to strike back. The Council is putting gathered group into a contest. Whoever eliminates the largest number of their enemies, or deals them the most crippling blows, will be made the new Commander.

The announcement leads to bickering, infighting and mistrust. And while some of those that have been gathered show their doubt for the situation, the Baroness assures them with cold certainty that it is true. And just as the arguing is heating up, a surprise visit from a former leader stops everyone instantly.

The third story is Snake Eyes, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Agustin Padilla, Colors by J. Brown, and letters by Shawn Lee. The story has Lawhound, Scarlett, and Snake Eyes investigating a murder scene is North Dakota. The victims area a group of Joes that were placed until the leadership of Snake Eyes. And its a mystery as to who could take out his unit. Someone was able to bypass the Joe’s command protocols, lure an elite fighter unit into an ambush, and dispatch them easily. As Scarlett and Snake Eyes investigate the scene, they come across Bushido, badly injured, but the one survivor of the attack. Just then Snake Eyes picks up on the trail of the two assassins responsible for the hit and gives chase. The two Cobra agents wear visors like Snake Eyes, and they are able to use a couple of Trouble Bubbles to escape. As they escape they reveal that they are working under the orders of Raja Khallikhan, a man who has his sights set directly on Snake Eyes.

Each story has a different art style to it, and all three do a top job of illustrating the stories. The stories are short, but they do wet your appetite to see what happens next. I’m a little disappointed to see that the event title Cobra Civil War may be a misnomer. It doesn’ look like Cobra will be fighting themselves, but rather making an intense effort against G.I. Joe. But that’s not a bad thing. The prospect of an amped up battle against G.I. Joe being taken up by Cobra on multiple fronts looks like it could be a wild ride. And there’s always the possibility of infighting and back stabbing happening in the Cobra ranks. And perhaps it will lead into an all out Cobra Civil War yet.

Overall, its a solid issue, and a good lead in to the event, but I don’t think that this comic book is essential reading for the upcoming story. I don’t think that you will be lost if you buy the number ones to the three new comic series without reading this, or that you’re really missing out on anything. But I do think that reading this will have you interested to see more. If you want a little introduction to what’s happening, especially if you haven’t been following the previous G.I. Joe titles, this issue will get you interested to see how this war is going to shake out. G.I. Joe : Cobra Civil War #0 is worth giving a look.