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This week: whole bunches o’ new and recent stuff] Including. . .

Prime Annual #1

(Malibu Comics)

Writers: Gerard Jones and Len Strazewski Artist: Norm Breyfogle

Big stuff. Big 50-page story, big blobs of bio-slime, big bloated bad guys, and one mother of a big hero- -Prime! Yep, the Captain Marvel derivative with the Stephen Platt physique is getting even bigger in his first-ever annual. Marking the occasion are special guest-star Hardcase, a dramatic new look and direction for the Primester, and the return of fan-favourite artist (and Prime co-creator) Norm Breyfogle.

Prime is both literally and figuratively the biggest star of Malibu’s ‘‘Ultraverse’’ comics line. Like classic Fawcett-tumed-DC character Captain Marvel (or Shazam!, ashe’s often mistakenly called), Prime is a scrawny boy (Kevin Green) who can transform into a big super-hero. A really big super- hero. Heck, he’s a gargantuan, walking mass of muscle complete with a biologically generated cos- tume. Y’see, ‘‘Prime’’ is a super-body Kevin grows around his own kiddie physique, thanks to experiments performed on Kevin by the evil (drumroll, please) Dr. Gross! Unfortunately, Prime is still a little kid inside, and like so many super- heroes he comes across as a super-powerful adoles- cent roughneck (although Prime, at least, has an excuse- he really IS an adolescent).

This annual reunites Prime with his creator, Doc Gross, who abducts the comatose super-hero- ine Starburst in an attempt to use her and an unwilling Prime as (ugh!) superhuman breeding stock. Unfortunately for Gross, Starburst’s devoted boyfriend (ultrahero-turned-actor Hardcase), is un- derstandably upset about Doc Gross making off with his girlfriend-tumed-paperweight. Unfortu- nately for Hardcase, Gross uses the hostage Starburst to make Hardcase do Gross’s dirty work: namely, capturing Gross’s prodigal ‘‘son’’, Prime. The inevitable super-heroic slugfest ensues, and then our heroes join forces against the warped Dr. Gross and his equally warped genetically engineered serv- ants (like Fifi, the shape-changing poodle from Hell-- you gotta love it).

This annual also reunites Prime with artist Norm Breyfogle, whose fluid, sometimes abstracted and somewhat cartoony sense of design won raves on Batman. Breyfogle’s atmospheric artwork— thick, liquid lines, with lots of shadow and amor- phous layout-- seems ill-suited to anything other than a specialized atmosphere (not unlike moody Tom Mandrake, who finally found his niche with The Spectre), and I’ve been pessimistic about the post-Batman Breyfogle; however, he seems to work with Prime. The character is grossly exaggerative, and Breyfogle conveys that effectively and still reins himself in sufficiently to credibly draw more ‘*normal’’characters like Hardcase. Breyfogle’s stuff is particularly well-suited to the slimy Dr. Gross and his minions-- it’s the most goop you’ Il see this side of a ‘‘Masters of the Universe”’ Slime Pit

(a horribly dated and terrifying reference, I know-- .

how about a Star Wars trash compactor?).

October 25, 1994

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co, KS Gs AUR: 5

As for authors Jones and Strazewski, they turn in a solid script here: fast-paced, logical, some- times witty, and with some interesting character development on the part of Prime. In fact, both Hardcase and Prime come across as believable, likable and engaging personalities. All in all, a worthwhile read.

Hellshock # 1 (Image Comics) Creator/writer/artist: Jae Lee

After eyeballing Jae Lee’s grotesquely dis- torted takes on such Marvel characters as Namor and Iron Fist, I winced and tucked them away in my file of Mercifully Forgettable Comic Book Atroci- ties. So, I checked out Hellshock # 1 with something best described as morbid curiosity-- especially since advance buzz on the book had Lee’s new creation pegged as equal parts demon and angel or some- thing. Well, after reading Hellshock # 1, 1 don’t know. I want to like this book; the character design is intriguing, the cover is very cool without resorting to pricey techno-gimmicks, and the story has a compellingly dark, almost hypnotically dreamlike atmosphere. Unfortunately, there’s virtually no plot: the sparse, 14-page lead feature consists of two unresolved and as-yet unconnected plot threads: an abused child named Josh who seeks refuge in the streets, and a long-haired stranger discovered at a murder scene in a church. What’s it all mean? Not even the Shadow knows. It looks and reads well, but there’s just too little here to justify buying the comic (the remaining pages are filled with pin-ups and a rejected early draft of Hellshock). Hellshock has potential, which subsequent issues may yet tap into successfully, but this first issue was little more than an expensive prologue. It may not be back to the drawing board, but a little more time spent there in the first place would have made all the difference.

Doom’s IV

(Image Comics) Creator/writer: Rob Liefeld Pencils: Mark Pacella

Oh, the colossal perversity of this thing. ’'d give it a critical tongue-lashing of Biblical fire-and- brimstone proportions, but my metaphorical mouth would be number than whichever portion of Rob Liefeld’s mind handles his writing chores.

Doom's IV are a team of reluctant adventur- ers on the run from the Doom’s Corporation, an evil corporate giant with advanced technology coming out its ears (literally, in the case of their sinister, melodramatic and sorta disembodied leader, Syber Idol). Our corporate baddies ceaselessly pursue our heroes, three of whom are renegade products of Dooms Corporation technology (Burn, Brick and Slyder). Their leader, Grimm, is a grim (surprise!), battle-hardened, cliche-ridden, high-tech, enigmatic warrior from the future (in other words, yet another recycled version of Liefeld’s inexplicable break- through character, Cable).

Doom’sIV act and sound much like Liefeld’s X-Force, but what’s almost hilarious is the degree to which this book echoes the Fantastic Four. The basic concept is a clear derivative, but a detailed

catalogue of the pilfered elements would do noth- ing more than devour column space and make Jack Kirby do a few more revolutions in his grave. Suffice it to say, this baby’s roots are showing.

In Doom’s IV’s defense, the characters’ collective plight is interesting, and Brick is a very likable character who successfully fuses a few old elements in an appealing new way: he’s sort of like a sensitive 90’s, single-father cross between the Fantastic Four’s Thing and Marvel’s Sandman, complete with two small kids. Grimm is a bore, Slyder is arrogant and conceptually unoriginal, but Burn is somewhat interesting and believable-- al- though she too is conceptually weak (her power: she gets hot), and rather whiny and pathetic to boot.

The often melodramatic and frequently un- natural dialogue seldom hits the mark, and the scripting in general seems to be grasping at cliche- ridden straws. Heck, beyond poor writing quality there’s even full-blown errors in the dialogue at times. These and other glitches (like a segment in # 2 where Grimm is miscoloured as Slyder) make me wonder if what this and a few other Image books could really use is some good editing. I know half the fun for the Image guys is the opportunity to spread their unfettered creative wings, but there’s no shame in having an objective party take a sharp pencil and a critical eye to this stuff. A little polish seldom hurts.

And speaking of polish, Pacella and his assorted inking accomplices don’t have it. The exaggerative, hyperactive, sloppy draftsmanship is sadly typical-- subtle nuances of emotion, storytell- ing and character design are nowhere to be found (my personal favourite snafu is how Burn’s hair seems to occasionally change length over the course of the first two issues). This book has potential, but until and unless it improves, Doom’s IV is best four-gotten. (ARGHH!!! Horrid puns do assault mine senses!!! --ed.)

Normalman/Megaton Man Special # 1 (Image Comics) Writers/Artists: Jim Valentino, Don Simpson and friends

This one-shot isa satirical look at the comic book industry with Jim Valentino’s Normalman and Captain Everything, Don Simpson’s Megaton Man, Larry Marder’s Mister Spook and Bob Bur- den’s Flaming Carrot as our tour guides. A lot of it is pretty funny and dead-on (I°ll always laugh at Flaming Carrot’s Cable imitation), but a lot of it is also pretty mean-spirited (including some need- lessly nasty swipes at John Bye, Marvel Comics, Malibu Comics and Peter David). It’s fun stuff in spots and throws some light on a lot of things wrong with the comics industry, but it didn’t have to be quite so venomous. A kinder, gentler touch would have made this a more comfortably entertaining read. ‘ Noteworthy oddity: is it just me, or is the cover to this sucker a take-off on the old Superman vs. Muhhamed Ali special? Just wondering.And finally, a survey of a few post-Zero Hour DC Comics series and the ‘‘zero issues’’ that intro- duced or reintroduced them. . ...

_ Arts and Entertainme

Aquaman is one of DC’s most familiar enduring figures, though you mightn’t recogni him now: his many misfortunes (including the cent loss ofa hand to some greedy piranha) have him a somewhat nasties character complete \ shaggy hair, thick beard, and spear-hand prosthei - and le was one of the Super Friends? Sheesh

Nasty new attitude aside, the current ser is not Aquaman at his best. No visual or contin update of the character has equalled his woeli short-lived Pozner-Hamilton incarnation (from first Aquaman mini-series), and prolific writer} ter David is lapsing into hackwork here with acterization often limited to semi-snappy dialog and smart-aleck humour. It’s pretty lightweig

‘scripting, and the artwork even moreso (Egel:

and Vancata’s stuffis slick but sparse, and Egeland grasp of anatomy is seriously shaky).

On top of that, the zero issue is a dam p1 introduction for readers unfamiliar with Aquama continuity-- all we can glean from Aquaman #4) that he’s a hero from Atlantis: exactly who he what he does and how he came to be are touched but never truly illuminated. Heck, since J have scoped the latest post-Crisis revamping Aquaman’s history, even I was in the dark as to parentage and its significance. Confusing unsatisfying all around (and why didn’t Crisis, Zé Hour, or even the Titans Hunt manage to weed 0 Aqualad?).

Catwoman # 0, by contrast, is excellé both as reading material and an introduction to character. Veteran bat-scripter Doug Moench an entirely new origin for Batman’s larcenous 10 interest herein, one which is much more detail imaginative and apt than the character’s previ incarnation. Moench returns to Catwoman’ 10 in sculpting a character who is criminal but sy) thetic (a far cry from the murderous ex-hooker recent years), shedding considerable light on ! personality and what shaped it. Moench ¢ manages to do this in a polished, artfully comp# self-contained story that is good reading in its with superlative illustration by Jim Bale Catwoman # 0 is good stuff, as well as a solid it to a good series. 3

Fate is another story, and a bad one at U Many readers may remember the enigmatic, gol helmeted mystic Doctor Fate, one of the ™ original and enduring characters from the 1940 Well, the good Doc survived all those years om) fall victim to this inane (and scarily persis! grim-and-gritty revamping trend: more specifica” Doc is rendered powerless and split into his com nent parts (Kent and Inza Nelson) during “ Hour. The demystified and rapidly aging Ne! then turn up in Fate # 0, where the new demos the block zap them dead just as the Nelsons P their powers’ and paraphernalia on to the ™ generation-- nasty mercenary Jared Stevens, " reshapes their totems into weapons (forging F@" helmet into a giant knife, for instance) and s¢'s* to kick supernatural butt in the DC univers¢ # kind of Deathstroke/Conan/Dr. Fate hybrid. in ated body stocking and armed with more 2" accessories than Liz Taylor, Fate (as Stevens “

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