After working with him on a handful of Overstreet covers, it became clear that he was as intelligent and kind as he was talented. His unexpected passing left a hole in the industry. So, when Graham Nolan’s Compass Comics offered this 144-page, hardcover collection of Storming Paradise, I was eager to back it. I’m so glad I did.
This new collection was first offered as a crowdfunded package, but Zorro – Remastered Edition will soon be in comic shops and bookstores. The slipcase was exclusive to the crowdfunded version, which also offered a beautiful black and white version, Zorro – Indisputable Edition.
Without spoilers, Team America Racing is a motorcycle racing and stunt team that has been targeted by an unknown malefactor, and they’re protected by an unknown benefactor. It’s a good, fairly normal comic book set-up.
At the peak of the Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin run on The X-Men, the Dark Phoenix saga was one of the most memorable stories ever told with those characters. The creative team had long before put their respective stamps on the team, and at that time everything was building to the story’s epic conclusion in X-Men #137.
In addition to a general noir atmosphere and treating crime as a character study instead of an event requiring a solution, their stories have consistently featured elements of cinematic pacing and the illusion of natural dialogue (no small feat in a comic book format). They’ve also often focused on central characters who were situationally or morally compromised.
In 1982, creator-ownership received a huge shot in the arm from Steve and Bill Schanes through their Pacific Comics imprint. The company launched Jack Kirby’s Captain Victory, Mike Grell’s Starslayer, and Neal Adams’ Ms. Mystic, in addition to many other titles, with the creators retaining the rights to their work, a far cry from the usual arrangements in those days.
Writer Geoff Johns, artist Jason Fabok, and colorist Brad Anderson continue to deliver one of the best serialized comic books on the market today, and one of the reasons Rook: Exodus is so good is that it is fundamentally science fiction rather than a superhero comic in disguise.
By the time Avengers #160 arrived on the stands, it had gotten around that Wonder Man was back, so it was a great time for The Grim Reaper to make a return appearance. In the hands of Shooter, penciler George Pérez, and inker Pablo Marcos, the story is vintage Marvel magic. With flashbacks to the origin and development of The Vision (there are great story reasons the android is closely tied to Simon Williams), previous Grim Reaper appearances, and Wonder Man’s death and return.
Following the Liberty Legion four-part crossover in Invaders #5, Marvel Premiere #29, Invaders #6, and Marvel Premiere #30, which reintroduced a number of Timely Comics characters, writer-editor Roy Thomas and pencil artist Frank Robbins got back to creating new original characters the following issue.
It was neither the most likely of pairings nor would it last long, but the original outings of Secret Agent X-9, which premiered in January 1934, teamed one of the great practitioners of mystery fiction, Dashiell Hammett, with one of the most significant comic strip artists to ever ply his craft, Alex Raymond.
