Sonic Boom!! ~ Nope still not up to date with this stuff
So, it seems that going on holiday, having a birthday, and a very long hangover, are not exactly the best ways to keep updated with articles on this site. So this week will be a mixture of reviews from the past three weeks, as well as a look forward to this weeks Fanboys vs Zombies.
On July 18th Boom released issues two of its new ongoing series Extermination (this was the one with the people who definitely are not Batman and Joker, as post apocalyptic survivors). This issue is a vast improvement on issue one, the story takes a real turn for the bizarre as we see the fates of other heroes, as well as the lengths that humanity will go to in order to survive. Once again the issue has flash backs, which now show us the moments surrounding the alien invasion.
The art is also seemingly better this time around, it has more of a heroic feel to it, the writing is better, with real moments of comedy, tragedy, and deceit thrown together in a way that allows the story to progress really well. This book has recaptured my attention.
Skipping forward a week saw the release of one of my favorite ongoing series by Boom Studios as Planet of the Apes issue 16 was released. In the previous issue, the ape leader Alaya, had been betrayed by her own council; whilst former Skintown Mayor Sully, was reunited with her long-lost son. In Part Four of the Half Man story, we discover that the corrupt government is actually being manipulated by a human, and not just any human, this appears to be Brother Kale; the priest who inspired the assassinations and riots in the early issues. The human army grows, as it begins attacking the human resettlement camps, and Sully’s son Julian, is shown just what Apes have been doing to humans. The ending of this issue is fantastic, a real shock moment in which we see just how long Brother Kale has been planning his current course of action. Now the issue states “the End”, and not “to be continued”, but we have seen this sudden ending of chapters before in this book. This is my only problem with this book, other than that, Planet of the Apes gets better every time.
Once again, jumping forward a week saw the release of Abnett and Lannings, Hypernaturals issue two. Now the last issue didn’t exactly inspire me with confidence, and I felt that the duo had written far superior space based (Cosmic) stories in the past; so, I was worried before I even started reading this issue. This issue was a slight improvement, we get some action, and the “monsters” are not quite what they seem. In fact, we discover that they are made up from any organic matter that was on the planet, including parts of a one member of the missing Hypernatural team. The fight is brief, and the new team return home unscathed, but clearly not ready. This is where the issue becomes good, as we get proper character development, the newbies arguing and showing exactly why they didn’t make the team the first time around, whilst older members thrash out their problems and make some interesting revelations, whilst trying to put together a team that will actually function. Whilst I still don’t think this is Abnett and Lanning’s best work, it’s better than the first issue, and based on that I will continue to read it for now.
This same week also saw the third issue of Sam Humphries “Higher Earth”, which had seemed interesting based on what information had been revealed in the first two issues. So in this issue Cable and Hope, sorry Rex and the girl with Red hair are on an Earth that never experienced the Extinction Level event that destroyed the dinosaurs, so it’s basically planet Jurassic Park. the humans of higher earth are, of course, destroying it, by killing the dinosaurs and striping the planet of all its resources. In the midst of this Rex is attacked by a Raptor, however, it is no ordinary dinosaur, it is in fact, a mech suit. This introduces us to Kurt the masked man who destroyed Hopes home planet. The twist then comes when Kurt is revealed to be an alternate world version of Rex. Fights ensue, and Hope kills Kurt, he has made mention of Sloan, a man who sent Kurt after Rex. We then skip to Higher Earth HQ, where we meet Sloan, who is also an alternate Rex, but he is not alone. Overall the Cable and Hope similarities are massive, and it does just feel as though I am reading the Cable series that span out of Marvel’s Messiah Complex story. However, the fortunate thing is that I actually really enjoyed that series, so this is a fun book for me.
Finally, the preview that I have been waiting for Fanboys vs Zombies issue five, at the end of the last issue, the group escaped the comic convention, only to find all of San Diego had been infected. First up have to say love the cover featuring the team suing the A-team van as an escape vehicle, and the alternate cover featuring a very Shaun of the Dead image of Zombies at the windows. Overall this issue moves the story along very very quickly. We get massive plot developments, and not in a good way (at first). We get a new character, and the departure of old characters. In one part we get a decidedly Deadpool-esque moment, in which a character breaks the fourth wall.
Once again Sam Humphries’ writing is superb, with his continuing geek and movie references that he slips in the story without them appearing forced. Jerry Gaylord’s art continues to impress me, and suits the story beautifully, with the continuing references to geek culture in the form of his Zombies. I know there is at least an issue seven as it was in Booms October solicitations, so I think I’m going to be a happy geek for as long as this book is being published.
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