Review: Dark Legacy of Shannara

A while ago I posted a review of the first book in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy.  Now, having just finished reading the second and third installments of the story, I thought it time to comment in a completely full-of-spoilers way.  So be warned: you should really really read the books before reading this.  Not just the most recent trilogy, but all of Terry Brooks’ books.  If you like them half as much as I do, you’ll be very happy.

The biggest thing I kept thinking while reading the trilogy was how hard the plot was to figure out.  Brooks set up certain things in a way that made me think he was going down familiar paths.  For instance I was sure finding the missing Elfstones was going to be critical to defeating the Demons. But in the end, it was rather inconsequential.  Which begs the question of why Allanon thought the quest was so important to undertake.  I’m sure Brooks has a reason why it was so important.  Perhaps because it was the only time the Elfstones could be retrieved, it was important to get them now.  But why was it important to get them?  And was retrieving the crimson stones enough?  It seems like there must be purpose in all of this.  It also seems that the demons and the forbidding are going to be important in the future.

I also enjoyed the philosophical quandary of the demons all being imprisoned due to their race and not their individual deeds.  We have seen a lot of evil humans and elves and other races in the four lands, and we have now seen that some of the demons, like Tesla, are not totally evil.  Therefore, shouldn’t there be a way to free demons who don’t do bad things?

 

The final thing I’ll discuss today is the return of the Ilse Witch.  She didn’t really accomplish much to stop the demon except for defeating their leader.  But he would have been stopped by the reestablishment of the forbidding anyway.  But now he’s not inside the forbidding planning revenge.  The quest to free Grianne was about as useless as the quest for the missing elfstones.  And I was surprised in the final use of the magic ring.

Terry Brooks is my all-time favorite author, and this series shows he’s getting better and better!  I await his next creation with great anticipation!

Statues- custom made

I recently completed this statue made to the specifications of a customer.  I also wanted to take a chance to let anyone out there know that I make all kinds of clay statues.  If you have any particular interest, let me know and I'll be sure to try my best to fulfill your wishes!

Review: Captain Midnight

“Captain Midnight, Ovaltine, and The Whip at the County Fair”

From The Statler Brothers’ song “Do You Remember These”

The above song, by one of my all-time favorite groups, was the first I ever heard of Captain Midnight.  When I saw that Dark Horse Comics was doing a Captain Midnight series, I wondered if it was the same Captain from the song.  It turns out is is.  And in a way it isn’t.

Captain Midnight, written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Fernando Dagnino, is a new version of the classic serial character. So I’d classify the series as a reboot, I suppose.  But since I know nothing of the original version of the character, I can’t really judge the news series based on comparisons to any old series.  Instead, I’ll just have to tell you how good it is.

Captain Midnight is the tale of a World War II superhero that is transported in time to the present during a battle in 1944.  The Captain is a genius inventor named Jim Albright who’s major accomplishment seems to be a flying suit, but it looks like he’s created lots of very interesting gadgets.  He’s currently on the run in the present as he isn’t sitting still waiting for the government to decide what to do with him.  Also, there seems to be a surviving, perhaps immortal Nazi running a criminal empire in our present day world.

And that should be plenty of story points to get you interested.  I will add that the book is very very well done.  The writing is engaging and the story keeps moving while the mysteries keep you thinking.  The art is top-notch also.  It has a retro but not dated feel. Dagino’s action sequences are exciting and clear.  His quieter moments are interesting and his architecture and technology is well crafted.  Also, every character has a clear look and distinctive voice.

It seems I’ve been on a WWII kick lately (see here and here) but Captain Midnight is both a great tribute to WWII comics and a great new modern idea.  Kudos to all those involved for putting out a great super hero comic!

Mutant Elf- the continuing saga

I would like to spend some time here talking about my webcomic, Mutant Elf.  I think this is a good time because this week marks the debut of the 5^th and latest storyline in the weekly series.  The storyline that ran the summer was first published online and in print in the 2013 SPACE Anthology, so this marks a “return” somewhat of new Mutant Elf stories.  Mutant Elf is the story of Tom Tyler, an author of youth fantasy novels who meets a real-life Elf.  This elf, named Myzla, is a special kind of elf—a mutant – who travels between our world and the world of the Fairy.  Her job is to round up other fairy creatures that have crossed to our world and send them back to the land of fairy.  Along the way, Tom assists in ways both clever and lucky.  The series also features Tom’s girlfriend Teri, a librarian with a very scientific mind.  Due to her low tolerance for fantasy Tom and Myzla keep their Mutant Elf adventures secret from her, as well as from the rest of the world.

And somewhere along the way, hilarity ensues.

At least I hope so.  When I worked out the concept for Mutant Elf I wanted to do a comic that I could have all kinds of fun with.  And I am having fun.  One thing I thought would be fun would be to start each storyline (except the two 8-page stories done for the SPACE anthology) with very similar scenes, which I have reproduced below.  The full stories are available here, and print mini-comics are available for order from me via my e-mail.  You can also send me comments and questions about the series if you'd like!

Review: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos

 No, I’m not reviewing a new self-published comic this week.  Rather, I will be discussing the classic Marvel Age series known as Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos!  I recently had the opportunity to pick up the Essential collection of Fury’s squad’s first adventures and reading them has been an absolute pleasure.  For anyone reading who does not know, Sgt. Fury is the very same Nick Fury who would eventually become the head of the counter-terrorist agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D.  In a slightly different incarnation he has been featured in the Marvel movies of the past few years.  The Howling Commandos (minus Fury) also made an appearance in Captain America: First Avenger.

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos was the Marvel Age of comics’ entry into the war genre.  Comics covering action during World War II have existed since the war was actually being fought, but there has always been nostalgia about the efforts of the good men who fought against Hitler and his ilk.  Stan Lee with Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers created a group of WWII combatants unlike any seen before or since.  The Howling Commandos were completely off the wall and extreme in their personalities and looks.  They weren’t by-the-book soldiers, but rather a strange assortment of characters that were the best anti-Nazi force the allied forces had.  They took on great challenges and succeeded despite overwhelming odds by using their unique talents and quick thinking to fool their opponents and pull off win after win.

I’ll try to give you somewhat of a feel for the individual members, but they’re hard to describe. (It’s better to go ahead and read the comics.)  Nick Fury works his men hard and never smiles, though we know he really cares for the men.  Dum Dum Dugan is huge and always complains about his wife and mother-in-law.  Dino is a famous American actor who uses his talents, including his ability to speak Italian and German, to infiltrate the enemy lines.  Percy is the proper British gentleman, who wields an umbrella in addition to a smg. Izzy is a great mechanic and munitions expert.  Reb is a southerner and has some ridin’ and ropin’ skills.   And Gabe is a jazz trumpeter who plays a bugle to distract and intimidate the opposition.  The group is known for being rather diverse, especially because Gabe is black and the US Army wasn’t desegregated until well after WWII.  But it works to perfection in this comic.  Just ignore the historical inaccuracy.

The Commandos manage to be light-hearted and fun while tackling some serious issues, including war and death and the toll upon people in occupied countries.  The Commandos often subdue their opponents without killing them, and the violence is very toned down.  Having been created in the 60s, there wasn’t a lot of violence allowed in comics.  Stan, Jack, Dick, and the others involved in this comic have been praised by many a fan over the years, and I don’t know if I’ve said anything new, but I’m glad I got around to reading these comics and I’d say it’s the best non-superhero comic Stan Lee helped create.  One last note: the final comic in the Essential collection is a Howlers’ reunion during the Korean War.  It was amazing the feeling of nostalgia I had despite the fact that I hadn’t waited years between this tale and the WWII stories!  Excelsior indeed!!

Review: The Serial Squad

I was at the Sandusky Art Walk (a local art-in-the-park type event) this summer and someone was looking at some sketches I had done of the Serial Squad.  As I was trying to explain the concept to him he asked “So it’s stuff like Captain Crunch?”  I had no idea where he had gotten that idea.  Then, a few hours later, it hit me!

Anyway, the Serial Squad is an excellent independent comic created by Paul Schultz, and is another comic I picked up at a recent convention.  Actually, I filled up my Serial Squad collection this year, as I had some issues from previous encounters with Paul.  Obviously, if I’m picking up more I like the book.  I’d say it’s my favorite independent super-group book.  And there’s a good reason why.

You ever read something, or even see a movie or TV show and think: What a great idea!  Why didn’t I think of that?!  That’s the Serial Squad to me.  The Serial Squad takes place in the 1940’s during World War II.  The US government has put together a group of costumed heroes to instill hope in America and defeat the Nazis (the most evil group of villains in history!).  The costumed heroes consist of actors who play costumed heroes in movie serials.  If you didn’t know, a movie serial is a story broken down into short episodes that was popular in the early days of Hollywood, including during WWII.  New episodes of a serial were usually shown every week in the local theater before the “main feature”.   Many of these serial involved heroic characters in action-oriented tales and some involved costumes.  Anyway, the government puts together a group of these Hollywood guys and sends them into real action using the abilities they’ve honed while doing their own stunts in the movies.  This leads to lots of high adventure in the classic Hollywood style and encounters with Nazi scientists and other weirdness that turns out to be more than just Hollywood special effects!  The story is gripping and I’ll warn you not to get too attached to any one character…they don’t all have happy endings!

As I noted above I have some Serial Squad sketches in my sketch book.  This Is because I am working on drawing a serial squad story, written by Paul.  I won’t say more about that here however.  You’ll have to check back here at another time.  First, you should go to Paul’s Site or his blog and order some Serial Squad comics!  You do support the allies cause, right?

Falcon vs Arnim Zola: 3 stages of art

I love it when I get the chance to scan a piece as I complete each stage.  I've been reading Jack Kirby's 70's Captain America run recently. It's one of my favorite Kirby runs.