November comic books / cómics de noviembre

It took me a few days to read my November comics, but I’d like to share with you my opinions before I start reviewing them. This month I got to read some very interesting first issues, such as Great Pacific and Clone, which I’ll continue to buy. Sadly, that’s not the case with Bedlam, although I really enjoyed the script and the ideas presented in this first chapter, the art simply let me down. I’ve already written about Happy # 2 this week, but I intend to do the same with Lot 13, damn that was really great! I’m already writing about Frankenstein Alive Alive, which was delayed a few months but it was so amazing that it was totally worth the wait. 

Locke & Key Omega was also a very compelling first issue, although I can’t say the same about IDW’s Judge Dredd which lacks the sophistication and humor that only British authors are able to imbue in the lawmaker from the future. November also marks the end of The Boys with issue # 72, easily one of the best titles I’ve read in the past 6 years, and personally my favorite work from Garth Ennis. I’ll really, really miss it. And I promise to start reviewing it in 2013, because I just need to share with others how fascinating this was. And now, without further ado, here are November comics as per solicitations.

BEDLAM #1 
(W) Nick Spencer (A) Riley Rossmo (CA) Frazer Irving. Fillmore Press was once Madder Red, a homicidal maniac and criminal overlord who terrorized the town of Bedlam for years. Then he got better. This is what happens next. A double-sized introduction to a blood-soaked cityscape of murder, mayhem, and mystery by NICK SPENCER (MORNING GLORIES, THIEF OF THIEVES) and RILEY ROSSMO (REBEL BLOOD, GREEN WAKE)! 

BOYS #72 (MR)
(W) Garth Ennis (A/CA) Darick Robertson. THE FINAL ISSUE! The long day closes on the Brooklyn Bridge, as our hero finally meets his destiny. There's one last deal to be done, As Stillwell finds out the real cost of doing business, and one last surprise for Rayner too - as she begins her long-dreamed of political career. The Boys' story comes to an end in this final issue containing 24 pages of story! Contains 5 pin-up pages of brand-new art as well as a complete cover gallery!

CLONE #1 
(W) David Schulner (A/CA) Juan Jose Ryp, Felix Serrano From ROBERT KIRKMAN's Skybound imprint, comes a sci-fi story like you've never seen before! Dr. Luke Taylor's perfect life comes to a dramatic halt when an identical, bloodied version of himself arrives at his doorstep with news that he is one of many clones… and they're all after his pregnant wife and their unborn child!

COLDER #1 (OF 5) (MR) 
(W) Paul Tobin (A/CA) Juan Ferreyra Declan Thomas's body temperature is dropping. He never gets sick, never feels pain. An ex-inmate of an insane asylum that was destroyed in a fire, he has the strange ability to step inside a person's madness and sometimes cure it. He hopes to one day cure his own, but time is running out, because when his temperature reaches zero . . . it's over. 

FASHION BEAST #3 (MR)
Writer: Alan Moore Cover & Art:  Facundo Percio  Battered and bruised, Doll discovers that to defy Celestine is to look death in the eyes.  The world is on the precipice of nuclear annihilation and society focuses a vehement anger upon the extravagances of a fashion driven culture.  But as the tarot cards are turned, Doll finds that her obstinance has put her front and center among the playthings of a powerful madman.  And to be at the top is an invitation to be in the crosshairs.  Fashion Beast brings Alan Moore's unearthed masterpiece into the limelight after nearly thirty years!  Available with a Regular or Wraparound Cover by series artist Facundo Percio or Haute Couture Incentive (by Percio) or the very rare Tarot (by Paul Duffield) Incentive cover.

FATALE #4 (MR)
The surprise hit of 2012 continues! FATALE's first arc veers dangerously toward its crushing end... all the pieces are in place, Josephine and her lover are prepared to execute their plan, but only one of them knows what kind of men (or demons) they're dealing with. Nothing will go as planned, and there will be blood. And remember, FATALE is packed with extras - text pieces, art, paintings - that are only included in the printed comics, so don't miss an issue! 

My drawing / mi dibujo

FLY VOL II #1 (OF 5) A CVR MACK (MR) 
(W) Raven Gregory (A) TBD (CA) David Mack Written By Raven Gregory Cover A By David Mack Wizard World, Pop Culture Addict, Comic Buzz, Talking Comics and Geekadelphia - Best Comic of 2011 The series that everyone is talking about returns and a BRAND NEW STORY ARC BEGINS!!! After the life shattering events of the last volume of FLY, Eddie is now a broken man set on a path of self destruction he may not escape. Meanwhile Francis sets his end game plan in motion and the Hero is about to get a deadly taste of his own vengeful medicine. The critically acclaimed series continues! Set in a world where the super heroes aren't really heroes at all...How far would you go to Fly® From the creative team of the hit series Alice in Wonderland and featuring three incredible covers by the legendary David Mack (Kabuki), Ale Garza (Deadpool) and Darick Robertson (The Boys).

FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE ALIVE #2
(W) Steve Niles (A/CA) Bernie Wrightson
Legendary artist Bernie Wrightson returns to Frankenstein with a comic series that picks up at the end of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's classic novel, hailed as one of the greatest horror stories of all time. Frequent Wrightson collaborator Steve Niles provides the script for this epic, decades in the making.

GREAT PACIFIC #1 (MR)
(W) Joe Harris (A/CA) Martin Morazzo. 'TRASHED!' Part One Chas Worthington dreams of big things, solving bigger problems, and making his mark on the world. Only no one takes the twenty-one year-old heir to one of the biggest oil fortunes in history very seriously. That is, until he turns his back on his cushy life of wealth and prestige, and seeks to solve an environmental disaster twice the size of his native Texas known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The epic sci-fi adventure and survival tale begins! 

HAPPY#2 (of 4) 
(W) Grant Morrison (A/CA) Darick Robertson. Trapped in a mob hospital at the mercy of the cold-eyed torture expert Smoothie and his team of dedicated sadists, the only hope for Nick Sax is Happy the Horse! With three days to Black Christmas, can our unlikely duo stay together long enough to stop Pedo-Santa's rampage?

HIT-GIRL #4 (MR) 
(W) Mark Millar (A/CA) John Romita. Mindy finally gets an ultimatum: No more Hit-Girl or else. But when danger lands on her doorstep, Hit-Girl may face her biggest challenge yet: not spilling blood on the living room carpet. Meanwhile, Red Mist lives out his Bruce Wayne fantasy abroad. A limited edition variant by Geof Darrow will be released for this issue.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #517 
(W) Matt Fraction (A/CA) Salvador Larroca • If Tony Stark isn't Iron Man, then who's the guy in the suit® • Zeke Stane digs for he truth • Spymaster racks up his victims 

JUDGE DREDD #1 
(W) Duane Swierczynski (A) Nelson Daniel, Paul Gulacy (CA) Zach Howard & Various In the 22nd century, crime runs rampant in Mega-City One, home to over 400 million citizens, robots, criminals and lunatics. The only line of defense between anarchy and chaos are… the Judges. And Judge Dredd is the toughest of them all. In this, Judge Dredd's 35th anniversary year, IDW is proud to re-introduce Judge Dredd to America in this all-new ongoing series.

LOCKE & KEY OMEGA #1 (OF 7) 
(W) Joe Hill (A/CA) Gabriel Rodriguez The Locke family's story began in 2007 in Welcome to Lovecraft, and after five years of tension and terror, there are only seven issues left to their story. The beginning of the end starts here. Dodge has the Omega key, and nothing can stop him from using it…

LOT 13 #1 (OF 5) (MR) 
(W) Steve Niles (A/CA) Glenn Fabry • A terrifying new horror series from the ghoulish minds of Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and Glenn Fabry (PREACHER)! • A family making a cross-country move makes a horrifying discovery in an old apartment complex. Can they survive the night?

UNWRITTEN #42 
(W) Mike Carey (A) Peter Gross (CA) Yuko Shimizu. The land of the dead is just a story, but Tom Taylor is going there anyway on a rescue mission that hasn't been tried since Orpheus - provided he can get the door to open in the first place. And provided the worlds of story are still there... A hungry vampire and two misfit lovers gather around the campfire in 'Live Like Lazarus.'

UNWRITTEN #43 (MR)
(W) Mike Carey (A) Peter Gross (CA) Yuko Shimizu. What do Baron Munchausen, a Jane Austen heroine, a homicidal bear and three bad rabbits have in common? They're all either helping or sabotaging Tom Taylor on the next leg of his quest to find Lizzie and bring her back from the land of the dead...

WALKING DEAD #104 (MR)
(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn (CA) Charlie Adlard. If you won't handle this... I will. 
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Tardé algunos días en leer mis cómics de noviembre, pero me gustaría compartir mis opiniones antes de empezar a reseñarlos. Este mes leí algunos primeros números muy interesantes, como "Great Pacific" y "Clone", y seguiré comprándolos. Lo triste es que ese no será el caso con "Bedlam", aunque realmente disfruté con el guión y las ideas presentadas en este primer capítulo, el arte me desilusionó. Ya he escrito sobre Happy # 2 esta semana, pero mi intención es hacer lo mismo con "Lot 13", qué buen número, demonios. Ya estoy escribiendo sobre "Frankenstein Alive Alive" que se atrasó algunos meses pero fue tan asombroso que la espera valió la pena de todas maneras.

"Locke & Key Omega" tuvo un primer número cautivador, aunque no puedo decir lo mismo del Judge Dredd de IDW que carece de la sofisticación y el humor que sólo los autores británicos son capaces de imbuir en este justiciero del futuro. Noviembre también marca el fin de "The Boys" con el ejemplar # 72, sin duda uno de los mejores títulos que he leído en los últimos 6 años, y mi obra favorita de Garth Ennis. La extrañaré mucho, de verdad. Y prometo empezar a reseñarla el 2013, porque necesito compartir con otros lo fascinante que fue. Y ahora, sin mayores preámbulos, aquí están los cómics de noviembre.

BEDLAM #1
FILLMORE PRESS fue alguna vez Rojo Enloquecido, un maníaco homicida y un señor del crimen que aterrorizó a la ciudad de BEDLAM por años.

BOYS #72 (MR)
El largo día termina en el puente de Brooklyn. ¿Cuál será el destino final? Hay un último trato que debe hacerse, y una última sorpresa.

CLONE #1
La vida perfecta del doctor Luke Taylor se ve alterada cuando una ensangrentada versión idéntica a él toca su puerta, se trata de uno de muchos clones suyos que lo persiguen a él y a su esposa embarazada.

COLDER #1 (OF 5) (MR)
La temperatura del cuerpo de Thomas está bajando. Él nunca se enferma ni siente dolor. Tiene la extraña habilidad de meterse en la locura de los otros, y a veces curarla. Y espera, un día, poder curar la suya.

FASHION BEAST #3 (MR)
Maltrecha y golpeada, DOLL descubre que desafiar a CELESTINE es mirar a la muerte a los ojos. El mundo está al borde de la aniquilación nuclear y la sociedad se enfoca con ira vehemente en las extravagancias de una cultura dominada por la moda. Con las cartas del tarot, DOLL descubre que su obstinación la coloca en medio de los planes de un poderoso lunático. 

FATALE #4 (MR)
Todas las piezas están en su lugar. El plan está listo para ser ejecutado, pero ¿a qué clase de hombres (o demonios) se enfrentan?

FLY VOL II #1 (OF 5) A CVR MACK (MR)
Luego de los impactantes eventos del primer volumen, Eddie es ahora un hombre arruinado y rumbo a la autodestrucción. Mientras, Francis empieza con sus planes, el héroe obtendrá una cucharada mortal de su propia medicina. En un mundo inmoral, ¿qué tan lejos llegarías con tal de poder volar?

FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE ALIVE #2
La historia inicia justo donde termina la obra de Mary W. Shelley.

GREAT PACIFIC #1 (MR)
Chas sueña en grande, sueña con solucionar problemas serios y dejar su marca en el mundo. Pero nadie se toma en serio a este chico de 21 años, heredero de una fortuna petrolera. Hasta que él la da la espalda a su cómoda vida, y trata de resolver el desastre medioambiental de Texas.

HAPPY#2 (of 4)
Atrapado en un hospital de la mafia a merced de un torturador experto y su equipo de dedicados sádicos, la única esperanza de Nick es el Caballo Feliz. Faltan tres días para la navidad negra, ¿podrá este curioso dúo mantenerse unido y detener al Papa Noel pedófilo?

HIT-GIRL #4 (MR)
Mindy recibe un ultimátum: los días de HIT-GIRL se terminaron. Pero cuando el peligro llega a casa, ella enfrentará su más grande reto. No derramar sangre en la alfombra de la sala. Mientras, RED MIST se va de viaje. 

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #517
Si Tony no es IRON MAN, ¿quién es el tipo dentro del traje?

JUDGE DREDD #1
En el siglo XXII, el crimen asola a Mega-City Uno, hogar de 400 millones de ciudadanos. La única línea de defensa entre la anarquía y el caos son los jueces. Y JUDGE DREDD es el más duro de todos.

LOCKE & KEY OMEGA #1 (OF 7)
El principio del fin está aquí. Dodge tiene la llave Omega.

LOT 13 #1 (OF 5) (MR)
Una familia que se muda al otro lado del país descubre algo horroroso en un complejo de departamentos. ¿Podrán sobrevivir esa noche?

UNWRITTEN #42 (MR)
La tierra de los muertos es sólo una historia, pero Tom Taylor irá allí de todos modos en una misión de rescate que no ha sido intentada desde los tiempos de Orfeo… siempre y cuando pueda abrir la puerta. Un vampiro hambriento y dos amantes marginales se reúnen en “Vive como Lázaro”.

UNWRITTEN #43 (MR)
¿Qué tienen en común una heroica Jane Austen, un oso homicida y tres conejos malos? Ellos ayudarán o sabotearán la misión de Tom Taylor. 

WALKING DEAD #104 (MR)
Si tú no arreglas esto… yo lo haré.

The Theater # 1 - Raven Gregory & Martin Montiel

Rodin Esquejo

I’ve frequently said that horror is one of my favorite genres, but finding true horror is often a difficult task. Horror stories should be shocking, scary and powerful. And The Theater manages to accomplish just that. I had read the first issues of Raven Gregory’s Fly, which I enjoyed tremendously. How could I not love the notion of a high school student getting high not on dope but on an addictive substance that would grant him the power of flying?

The Theater is also an example of how an original writer can shed a new light on all too familiar subjects… At the beginning of the issue, we see a young couple going to an old theater to watch a horror movie. The movie is about zombies (my favorite horror subgenre which is why I wrote a zombie story for volume 6 of The Gathering, on sale now! www.grayhavencomics.com).

Some people complain about zombies’ overexposure but I frankly couldn’t care less about those opinions. In fact, I can never get enough zombies (whether in movies or comic books). The real problem is lack of creativity when it comes to zombies. Rest assured, Raven Gregory creates a magnificent zombie saga in less than 22 pages: the living dead virus spreads throughout the world, humanity is on the brink of extinction and, suddenly, scientists find a way to eradicate the zombie plague. Now it’s time for humanity to rebuild the world. Money has no use in this new world, as no businesses or companies have survived the apocalypse. Technology has been lost… people don’t even have electricity or phone lines anymore.

Martin Montiel

In this scenario, a father and his son must readapt to this new world. They live on a farm, and slowly, very slowly, they manage to restore it just like it was before… That is, until one day, the last of the living dead surprises the unsuspecting family and, before being neutralized, bites the father. Now, the man’s destiny is clear, after surviving the zombie apocalypse he’s doomed to die and then to walk again as an insatiable creature. His son can’t kill him, they’ve been through so many experiences together that he simply can’t pull the trigger. What can they do in this desperate situation? And, at the same time, why is the theater from the first pages filled with the stench of decomposing bodies?

after the zombie invasion / después de la invasión de los zombis

Honestly, I applaud Zenescope for putting out this remarkable title (and for choosing Rodin Esquejo as the cover artist). And I would like to emphasize the work of Martin Montiel & Novo Malgado, two truly talented artists. Just like in Fly, Gregory divides this comic book in two: one part is set in the theater, and has a particular art style, while the other part is the movie the guy and the girl are watching, and has a different art style. I loved the combination of styles and the almost visceral emotion conveyed in some of the pages. Really outstanding work. 

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unexpected attack / un inesperado ataque

He comentado con frecuencia que el terror es uno de mis géneros predilectos, pero encontrar terror de verdad es a menudo una tarea difícil. Las historias de terror deberían ser poderosas, causar impacto, y dar miedo. Y "The Theater" logra todo esto con éxito. Había leído los primeros números de "Fly" de Raven Gregory, y los disfruté mucho. ¿Cómo no me iba a fascinar la noción de un alumno de secundaria que en vez de drogarse con marihuana usaba una substancia adictiva que le confería el poder de volar?

father and son / padre e hijo

"The Theater" nos muestra cómo un escritor original puede darle nuevos giros a temas ya conocidos... Al inicio de este número, vemos a una joven pareja entrando en un cine viejo para ver una película de terror. La cinta es sobre zombis (mi subgénero favorito y es por ello que escribí una historia de zombis para el volumen 6 de The Gathering, a la venta aquí: www.grayhavencomics.com).

Hay gente que se queja acerca de la sobreexposición de zombis, pero yo, personalmente, siempre pido más (en cómics o en películas). El verdadero problema es la falta de creatividad en relación a los zombis. Y por eso valoro el magnífico relato zombi que Raven Gregory crea en menos de 22 páginas: el virus de los muertos vivientes se expande por el mundo, la humanidad está al borde de la extinción y, repentinamente, los científicos encuentran una forma de erradicar la plaga zombi. Ahora la humanidad debe reconstruir el planeta. El dinero ya no tiene sentido en un mundo sin empresas o negocios. La tecnología ya no existe... no hay electricidad ni líneas telefónicas.

En este escenario, un padre y su hijo deben readaptarse a este nuevo mundo. Viven un una granja, y lentamente, muy lentamente, empiezan a restaurar las cosas. Hasta que un día, el último de los muertos vivientes los sorprende y, antes de ser neutralizado, muerde al padre. Ahora, el destino del hombre está claro, luego de sobrevivir al apocalipsis zombi, está condenado a morir y caminar de nuevo como una criatura insaciable. Su hijo no lo puede matar, han pasado por tantas cosas que no es capaz de jalar el gatillo. ¿Qué pueden hacer en esta situación desesperada? Y, al mismo tiempo, ¿por qué el cine de las primeras páginas guarda el hedor de cadáveres en descomposición?

Honestamente, aplaudo a Zenescope por sacar un título como este (y por elegir a Rodin Esquejo como portadista). Y me gustaría resaltar el trabajo de Martin Montiel & Novo Malgado, dos artistas de gran talento. Al igual que en "Fly", Gregory divide este cómic en dos: una parte se desarrolla en el cine, y tiene un estilo particular de dibujo, mientras que la otra parte es la película que el chico y la chica están viendo, y tiene un estilo distinto. Me encantó la combinación, y la emoción casi visceral expresada en algunas de las páginas. Un trabajo realmente de primera.