Read it: Memoir

Memoir is one of those books that does a good enough job of setting the hook, but only just.

I don’t know if it’s the barely likeable protagonist or the occasional jarring wonkiness in an otherwise beautifully drawn black and white comic, but issue one of Memoir features a couple hurdles to clear if you plan on tagging along for the full ride. Thankfully, the story is intriguing enough to guarantee that I, at least, will be doing exactly that.

Memoir follows a young journalist on his quest for “the big scoop” as he tries to uncover the mysteries of a town whose inhabitants have lost their memory following what was, apparently, a tragic series of events.

Ben McCool’s story starts with a wonderful scene that grabs you instantly, but then quickly introduces a lead character you might have a hard time rooting for. The guy is arrogant and seems willing to step over just about anyone if it means he’ll earn a shot at breaking his big story.

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Review wrap-up

I have once again fallen behind in reviews. Rather than flood the site with a bunch of posts that, let’s face it, would be far too long-winded (I love to hear myself type), I’ve decided to round everything up here and spare just a paragraph or two (or five) per item.

It’s a real mixed bag, as I’ve got a CD, a comic, a movie and a video game all here for your consideration. (Spoiler alert: They were all pretty fantastic.)

Mumford and Sons: Sigh no more
I heard the tune “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons on the radio a couple months ago and did my damndest to remember the name of the song and/or the artist, ultimately forgetting both. That happened twice more, causing me loads of frustration. I was near my computer the next time I heard the song and immediately logged on to just download the whole album and be done with it.

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Read it: Locke and Key, The Stuff of Legend, Whispers in the Wall, Hotwire, Scarlett, X-Files/30 Days of Night

It's time for another round-up of comic reviews. Here's a look at a couple first issues and a few more beginnings to new arcs in ongoing series. I've got to start doing these individually. This is way too much content for a single post.

Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom

I'm starting to feel like a broken record shouting my love for this series to the mountain tops but, when a team provides such consistently fantastic work, I can't help but want to give them as much attention as I possibly can.

Locke and Key is, quite simply, the best reason to read current comics. Joe Hill has crafted a magical story of loss, love, terror and keys that can unlock more than your imagination. He's accompanied by the obnoxiously talented Gabriel Rodriguez, who puts together panels and pages better than just about anyone in the business. His characters are strong, their expressions speak volumes, the settings are gorgeous and the action is meticulously detailed.

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Read it: Mystery Society

Mystery Society is a new comic from co-creators Steve Niles and Ashley Wood with art done by the amazingly talented Fiona Staples.

Something like a cross between Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Warehouse 13, this book follows the tale of Nick and Anastasia Hammond, two super sexy mystical keepers of the peace (and thieves) who decided to put together a team to help them keep up with an ever-building workload.

When something goes wrong because an ancient artifact or magical item falls into the wrong hands, these folks are the ones who fix the boo-boo.

Book one follows Nick into Area 51 where he fights soldiers and robots to recruit a pair of twins with supernatural powers. Back home, Anastasia finds herself in a battle against a skull-mask-wearing zombie girl who heard about the Mystery Society and decided she wanted to join. Fun, right?

The stories are tied together by a humorously ordinary phone conversation between Nick and Anastasia as they each try to deal with their own batch of problems including flying bullets and undead kung-fu.

The first issue was a fun read and, like I said, the art is beautiful. I’ll definitely be sticking around for this one.

Read it: Turf

Turf is yet another example of how important a book’s cover art can be. I saw issue one sitting on the shelf, in all it’s edgy pulp glory, and knew I had to check it out.

The story is set in Manhattan during the 1920’s. Prohibition is in full swing and a plucky journalist finds herself out to grab the big story as rival gangs fight for control of the city. Political figures rub elbows with mob bosses in late night speakeasys as the police do all they can to stop the hooch from making its rounds.

To make matters more interesting, a clan of vampires has moved into town and a power struggle within the family could lead to Manhattan becoming the first city on American soil to fall to the bloodsuckers in their own quest for ever-expanding turf.

Taking things a step further, a spaceship belonging to intergalactic rum runners (I kid you not) has just crash landed outside of the city.

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Review: Random Acts of Violence

I was disappointed in Random Acts of Violence, the new graphic novella from co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray.

The premise was pretty brilliant: Two comic book writers, Ezra and Todd, create Slasherman, a homicidal maniac working under the belief that his killings are art and the grieving friends and family of his victims are the audience, receiving an emotional reaction you can't get simply by looking at a portrait or chiseled statue. The kicker comes when, at the end of one of the issues, the creators invite fans to “show us your best kill.” Meant to be an art/writing contest to allow a fan to take part in the creation of an issue, the book inadvertently flips a switch in the brains of several real life crazies who perform grizzly acts with the hopes of winding up in a comic book.

Other than the intriguing premise and Giancarlo Caracuzzo's art, the book has little more to offer than an unfulfilled promise to the reader of a violent comic that will force you to think. Palmiotti and Gray take several stabs at achieving this goal, but all fall regrettably flat. The first couple of pages are fantastic and feel like they are leading into something truly special. After that, though, the book goes straight downhill.

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Read it: American Vampire, Nemesis, Shuddertown

There are quite a few new comics hitting the shelves these days. Since many of these titles are quality work, I couldn't be happier to see such a resurgence in the industry.

As a slightly random aside brought on solely by my love for the book, I will say that if you are still not reading Joe the Barbarian, there’s something bad wrong with you. This one is something truly special. Daytripper, too, has remained pretty dang fantastic.

That being said, here’s a batch of newbies (American Vampire, Nemesis and Shuddertown) that might be worth your time...Or not.

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Read it: Choker

I was onboard with Choker, the new title from Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith, for about 95 percent of the book.

This being McCool’s first creator owned project, I went in knowing only one thing about the guy-- His name is McCool, so whatever he has to offer has to be quality, right?

As for Templesmith, I get all dreamy-eyed every time I see the guy’s work, so I knew I was in good hands when it came to the art. He is, in truth, the reason I picked the book up.

Choker number one begins with a wonderfully unsettling scene of a young woman being held captive in some creepo’s dungeon of a basement. We get the distinct feeling this girl is in some serious trouble and then, bang, we’re introduced to our story’s hero, Johnny Jackson.

Jackson is a down-on-his-luck ex-cop-turned-private-investigator with a crummy life, working in a crummy office in the crummy part of town.

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Read it: Joe the Barbarian

Joe the Barbarian is an odd sort of comic in that the vast majority of the story is told with pictures alone.

"But Echo," I hear you say in your thick, Russian accent. "Isn't that sort of the point of comics? To tell a story with pictures?"

Well, yeah, but when you have five sequential pages with not one scrap of text, it tends to throw the average reader off guard.

So, JtB has very little talking. That turns out to be absolutely perfect for this book about a boy with no friends, an overactive imagination and a single mother who has little time for him.

The lack of dialogue, coupled with some beautiful, darkly colorful art (if that even makes sense) helps draw you into this oppressively vast, lonely world where Joe's only friends are those that live in his head and line his toy shelves.

I can't imagine how hard it has to be to tell a story well with so little chatter, so writer Grant Morrison's script is to be commended. Sean Murphy's art, too, is awe inspiring in both his renditions of gloomy suburbia and those quick glances of the other world Joe will likely be spending a great deal of time in during the book's eight issue run.

As an added bonus, issue one is just a buck. Even at full price, though, I'd tell you this title is definitely worth a look.

(Don't forget to click on the pictures for a better look at the comic.)

Read it: The Last Days of American Crime

Clawing my way through a veritable mountain of backlogged comic books, I took a quick detour to squeeze in the first issue of recently released The Last Days of American Crime.

Created by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini, TLDOAC came as a welcome kick to the groin following the hours of standard comic fare I had been gorging myself on.

In the not-too-distant future, the U.S. government is preparing to release a radio wave that will, quite literally, make people incapable of committing a crime. As the deadline for the switch approaches, the details of this top-secret event creep dangerously close to going public.

So, officials conveniently slip another story to the press to distract the masses: Paper money is about to become obsolete and all funds will be distributed by strictly controlled federal machines. With no paper money, there can be no drug deals or prostitution. There can be no cheating on your taxes. There can be no robberies involving cash. Not a single cent would be unaccounted for.

So, we’ve got money going out the window and, shortly after and unbeknownst to the public, people aren’t going to be able to do bad things to one another anymore. What is Graham, a federal employee/small time crook in charge of guarding one of the new money machines, to do?

You guessed it, pull off the biggest, and possibly last, heist of all time.

TLDOAC has a gritty, noir feel that drips off the pages. Tocchini’s art is striking, wet and perfect for the seedy world Graham lives in.

Book one opens with a fantastic, if not a bit cliché, mob-style questioning involving a lit cigarette and a carelessly sloshed jug of diesel fuel. The book continues to set up the score with Graham getting to know two of his three partners on the heist. Every damn character seems to have ulterior motives and there are dirty dealings aplenty. And this is just book one of three!

Issue one is 64 pages with no ads to break up the action, so you really get to dig into the story before being forced to wait two months for the next installment. At three times the content of a regular comic, TLDOAC comes in at just a dollar more ($4.99) than what you usually pay for 22 pages. In short, it’s terrific bang for your comic buck. It doesn’t hurt that the content is top-notch, either.

Read it: Daytripper

There’s something subtly beautiful about Daytripper, in terms of both its story and its art.

Twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba have managed to surprise me with this offering, creating the first book in a long time to pull an actual “wow” from my lips after turning the final page. Like a carefully planned attack, the book loads its punch through the first twenty-one, seemingly casual pages, and then goes for the knockout with a final moment you won’t soon forget.

Daytripper demanded a second read from me and, this time through, I saw how I was being expertly groomed for the moments, and I’m assuming story, to come.

So what the hell is this book about, anyway? In truth, it’s something of a study in subtlety. The story follows Bras de Olivia Domingos, a Brazilian obituary reporter/aspiring novelist who is about to go on a journey to discover what matters most in life.

For a comic, not a lot of “action” actually occurs in the first installment of this ten-part series. This is not to say nothing happens. Quite the contrary. Everything happens. But far be it for me to ruin such surprises.

The first issue of Daytripper sets the stage for the series, introducing us to Bras and the characters that will no doubt be vastly important in the coming issues. We follow Bras on what appears to be an average day, slowly learning the ins and outs of his humble existence through expert storytelling and pacing.

He walks his dog. He gets coffee with a friend. He talks on the phone to both his fiancé and his mother. Not the stereotypical crack-and-sizzle-type stuff these funny books usually offer, but it’s all oddly entertaining.

Bras is the son of a famous author with dreams of one day becoming an accomplished writer himself. He spends his days writing obituaries for the local paper, dedicating his own life to telling the life stories of others.

While Bras may not be as well known as the artists, athletes and politicians he writes about, something tells me his story, and all the people and events that make it up, will be every bit as important.

Best of 2009!

It feels like I’ve taken in a lot of entertainment over the past 365 days. Despite that fact, I had some real trouble coming up with a few of these “best of 2009” selections.

In the end, I just sat down and wrote down the first thing that came to mind when asking myself, “what (fill in the blank) did I enjoy most this year?”

Keep in mind staticEchoes.com has an editorial staff of exactly one person and, as such, I still missed out on loads of games, movies, etc. this year From what I did get around to, though, the results follow.

Game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves- This one, at least, was a no-brainer for me. Three months later and I still find myself returning to the single and multi-player modes of this gaming gem. Uncharted 2 had a fantastic story, top-notch gameplay and enough going on onscreen to warrant multiple playthroughs just to catch everything. Games don’t get much better than this.
Honorable mention- Demon’s Souls

Television Show-
Battlestar Galactica- Season 4.5 came to a close in early 2009, but this year marked the beginning, middle and end of the journey for yours truly. I finally invested in the entire series in boxset form and consider every penny money well spent. Season 4.5 was one of the best of all with a conclusion that literally left me weeping like a small child. Every episode of the series was of the highest quality, making BSG one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It’s that damn good.
Honorable mention- True Blood

Comic Book

Hotwire- Picking a favorite comic from the year was especially tough for two reasons. 1) Due to their size, I’m able to get through more comics in a year than anything else, making recalling many of them a real chore. 2) Despite the number of comics I got around to, many still sit on the backlog stack just waiting for my attention. Some of those, I’m sure, are absolutely fantastic. In the end, Hotwire-the story of a digitally enhanced super detective cutie who hunts down ghosts-got top honors for the simple fact, no matter what the backlog looked like, I always stuck Hotwire on top. I enjoyed the story so much, I refused to wait any longer than absolutely necessary to continue it.
Honorable Mention- The Boys

Album
Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live- I know I just reviewed this album a month or so ago, but I can’t seem to keep it out of my CD player for very long. My favorite musician of all time, I have yet to see Mr. Waits live in concert. Glitter and Doom, at least, gave me the opportunity to pretend I was actually there. Beautifully flawed, I can’t stop listening.
Honorable mention- Them Crooked Vultures

Read it: Locke and Key- Crown of Shadows, Supergod, FVZA

Locke and Key- Crown of Shadows:

Before I get to my comments, let me first say that if you haven't read the first two volumes of this excellent series, Welcome to Lovecraft and Head Games, you will have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on in Crown of Shadows.

With that being said, I recommend this first issue of the new arc just as wholeheartedly as I recommend the first two volumes. Joe Hill's writing is getting sharper as he begins to fully realize the world he's created and Gabriel Rodriguez's art is as solid as ever.

The two highlights for me were seeing the antagonist, Zach, made as vulnerable as everyone else and the awesome ghost fight that spans a fourth of the book's pages.

If you've read the earlier stories, you don't need me to tell you to grab this one ASAP. If you're new to this world of ghosts, keys and doors that lead to all reaches of the imagination, I suggest you find some trades and get caught up. It looks like this third trip to Key House is going to be every bit as good as the last two.

Supergod:

I'm not sure what to think of Supergod. The idea of the world's superpowers genetically creating their own "saviors" only to be destroyed by them is interesting and a lot of the text (the post-apocalyptic recordings of the seemingly all-knowing scientist Simon Reddin) gives us plenty to think about but, for me, Supergod doesn't work so well as a comic.

Garrie Gastonny's art is great and Warren Ellis' words are as engrossing as ever, but the lack of character and world are a hindrance here. The comic is one long lecture accompanied by pictures. While I appreciate having all those pretty images to look at, they feel sadly unneeded.

I'm interested to see where the story is going, but most readers will likely want to pass on this one.

FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency:

I can't say enough about Radical as a publisher. Not only have they delivered great books like Hotwire and Shrapnel, but they're doing it in a way no other publisher dares try--no ads, glossy print and loads of content. FVZA is the latest evolution of Radical's push to be one of the top publishers out there. The first of three issues costs $4.99, a dollar or two more than most books, but there's literally twice the amount of content.

But we're here to be entertained, amiright? What good is all that content if it's not engaging? While I'm more or less sick of the whole vampire craze, FVZA does a decent job of changing things up a bit, warranting at least a look. The bloodsuckers of this world are grotesque, violent and impotent. While some sexuality is shown in this first issue, the ending lets the reader know that will almost certainly be the last of it. These vampires aren't here to woo you or send shivers down your spine. They are here to, and I quote, "rip out your #$%^ing throat."

Zombies take a backseat this issue, but I expect to see more of the horribly hungry hordes in the coming issues. Issue one is, primarily, a history lesson. You learn, along with two of the main characters (slayers-in-training), that vampires and zombies have been around and known about for hundreds of years.

While they were thought to be extinct, both sets of baddies are back in action and the FVZA, originally started by President Grant, must be reestablished quickly if humankind is to stand a chance.

It's a meaty read for a fair price and the content is pretty entertaining. For those who prefer their nosferatu to come sans sparkles, FVZA might be just the thing for you.

Read it: The Stuff of Legend

Free comic book day is a mixed blessing. There are so many options but, dammit, you can only pick one book to take home free of charge.

As such, each year I try to pick up something unique or outside my regular pull list. This year’s choice was a first chapter preview for the book “The Stuff of Legend” and, blazing through that delectable appetizer; I immediately added the title to my must-have list.

Just glancing at the book’s cover, you would not be faulted for assuming The Stuff of Legend has a few things in common with Toy Story. Much darker and profound, though, The Stuff of Legend would be more akin to a Toy Story directed by, say, Guillermo del Toro.

Set during World War II, Stuff of Legend begins with the kidnapping of a young boy, pulled into his closet (and the world of lost toys beyond) by the Boogeyman.

The child’s loyal (and some not-so-loyal) toys decide it is their job to retrieve the boy, and so a brave few band together and march into the darkness to save the day.

Through the closet door, the toys become blood and bone beings- a stuffed teddy bear is a towering monster of teeth and claws and a featureless wooden Indian Princess becomes a savage, agile warrior. This is a nice touch since, being vulnerable, the sense of danger becomes very real for our small group of heroes.

What begins as a story about cuddly play things quickly evolves into a gritty battle between good and evil with a surprising amount of violence that demands the reader understand this is not the children’s bedtime story they first thought it would be.

Mike Raicht and Brian Smith write the story well, but Charles Paul Wilson III’s artwork is what really drew me in. The book is stark, beautiful, enchanting and detailed. Each page offers something new and amazing to see.

Book one has entered second printing and will likely be available alongside the first release of book two. If you missed out the first time around, don’t make the same mistake twice. If the content stays this solid, The Stuff of Legend might actually live up to its name.

Read it: Kill Audio

From the mind of Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria, The Amory Wars) and co-written by himself and Chondra Echert, Kill Audio takes readers on a tour of the World of Sight and Sound where the abstract is given form and one small, indestructible man must take up his role as the savior of all.

Where did he come from? What is his true destiny? Why can’t he die? We don’t know that yet.

What we do know is that issue one features loads of promise for a series that could become the next sleeper hit.

Kill Audio (the name of our regenerating hero) is on a quest to find the all-knowing Clockwork and discover his purpose in life. Self-admittedly borrowing from The Wizard of Oz, Audio befriends three bizarre misfits along the way including a coke-head rooster, an alcoholic skeleton in a beaver suit and a pillow. Yes, a pillow.

While issue one does a fine job of setting up this surreal world, the reader pretty quickly realizes an attitude of “just go with it” will serve best when traveling a land where an army of knives carrying knives hunts our hero, cement shoes can appear out of nowhere and musical references pop up on just about every page.

The characters are unique and fun and the world is wild and well realized.
The writing, too, is pretty dang good. Humorous, dark and edgy, Sanchez and Echert make a great team.

The art, though, is what really jumped out at me. Newcomer Sheldon Vella is quickly establishing himself as a creative force to be reckoned with. The back matter for issue one features a note from Sanches wherein he claims Vella is able to effortlessly pull ideas from his head and put them onto the page. The detail is deep, the style is refreshing and the use of red as the only color other than black and white creates a striking combination.

Put together, we have ourselves a rather fantastic start to a series sure to turn heads in the months to come.

Read it: Old Man Logan

I’ll be honest; I’ve grown a little sick of Marvel and DC over the past few years.

It all started around the time House of M hit. Then it spread to World War Hulk, Civil War, Final Crisis, Blackest Night, etc.

At first, events seemed like a pretty cool idea- A universe of characters united by a common cause. Then I realized, in order to truly stay in the loop, that meant my pull box would have to jump up to about 20 additional titles a month. And let’s not forget the one-shots, spin-offs and aftermath stories.

In short, I’m sick of events.

While I’ve weaned myself off most long-running monthlies to avoid being pulled into the next epic, multi-book storyline, I’m still on the lookout for a cool story arc to draw me back in. About a year ago, Mark Millar brought us Old Man Logan, officially one of the coolest reads I’ve come across in a while, Marvel or otherwise.

The idea was simple: What if, one day, the bad guys won? What would that mean for the world and mutantkind as a whole? Or, more specifically in this case, what would that mean for everyone’s favorite hairy knucklehead, Wolverine?

The series opens on a desert farm where Logan has settled down to raise a family. The Hulk gang, now his landlords, are demanding rent and poor Wolvie has no way to pay it.

One day, a face from Logan’s past shows up and offers him a chance to make enough green to pay off the Hulks and live peacefully for quite some time. This business venture will require Logan to head cross-country and face a slew of surprising obstacles along the way.

Logan agrees, but on the condition that he won’t have to fight. He has, in fact, sworn to never fight again, much less pop his deadly claws.

Who will Logan meet along the way? What sort of trouble will he and his old friends get into? What could have gone so wrong in the past to make Wolverine so ashamed of the killer instinct he once prided himself on? What would Venom look like if he attached to a T-Rex?

The answers to these questions and more are found within the pages of Old Man Logan, soon to be a graphic novel, and boy is it an great tale. Silly at times, but great all the same.

More a love letter to fans of comics than anything, OML is packed with epic moments and cool cameos, all leading up to the rebirth of the killing machine known as Wolverine.

In a day where many titles take themselves a bit too seriously, Millar and crew have dared to think outside the box with some decent writing and some of the coolest art to grace the pages of comics this past year.

It’s an awesome read, it’s self contained, and it’s original. Enjoy it.

Comics: Locke and Key, Resurrection, Kickass

Kickass: This is a comic. This is a very, very good comic. In fact, this is one of the best comics I've read in quite some time. The name suits it quite well. You can pick up issues one through three of Kickass in one volume for the price of a single comic. That's like three bucks, folks. If you like it, issues four through six can be found in singles and that'll bring you up to date on the story so far. Good-good stuff about a boy who decides to be the first real person to dawn a superhero costume and how that impacts himself and the rest of the world as well. Very realistic. Very good. Did I say it was good yet?

Resurrection: Every alien invasion movie ends when mankind finally emerges from the ruble of our fallen cities, the aliens finally defeated, and a time for rebuilding on the horizon. This is exactly where the comic Resurrection begins. The original series was black-and-white with the occasional naughty language thrown around. A ridiculously cheap (I think three bucks. Seriously.) book combining the first six issues (the whole series so far) will be coming out soon completely in color and with all bad language taken out in order to reach a wider audience. As a fan from book one, I'm sad to see the indy feel go, but it's nice to see the publishers really get behind this book and push it into the monthly market. Reminiscent of 24 and full of great characters and plot twists, Resurrection is a read I'd recommend to just about anyone.

Locke and Key- Head Games: Yet another chance for you to get in on a comic book series as it begins. Look for Locke and Key- Welcome to Lovecraft as a trade paperback, but this new arc saw the release of issue one just two weeks ago. So far, it looks to be just as entertaining a read as arc one with plenty of mystery unraveling with the turn of every page. There’s great art, strong characters, and intriguing ideas. From Joe Hill, son of Stephen King, Head Games is looking to be every bit as chilling and entertaining as something you'd expect to see from the master of terror himself. Here's hoping this will be another feather in the cap of an up-and-coming writer.

Comics: Wasteland, Locke and Key

I'm back, once again, trying to expand my dear readerseses horizons with not one, but two comic book offerings.

Wasteland: Cities in Dust- First up is Wasteland: Cities in Dust. My only qualm with this post-apocalyptic western is the fact the story is so well told I kept having to backtrack to enjoy the art since my eyes would not slow down long enough to take it all in the first time through.

The story takes place somewhere in the U.S. after an event called The Big Wet, leaving the world a baron wasteland (get it!) where humankind (and not-so-humankind) has divided into scattered tribes of those wishing to live more simple lives and those striving for the progress that may have damned them all in the first place. The world is amazingly fleshed out and the characters are interesting, believable, and full of some captivating dialogue.

This first volume collects six issues for ten bucks, so you really can't go wrong. Wasteland is a fantastic read.

Locke and Key, issue 1- IDW Publishing's latest offering, Locke and Key, comes from the dark and twisted mind of Joe Hill, son of uuber-author Stephen King and author of his own New York Times bestseller Heart-Shaped Box. With Gabriel Rodriguez (Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show) taking on the art, this maniacal duo have put together what could evolve into a sleeper hit for fans of things that go bump in the night.

Set in the sleepy New England town of Lovecraft, Locke and Key revolves around three siblings who, upon moving into their family home of Key House, discover not every door simply leads to the next room.

In this first issue, Hill does a good job of setting the scene, letting readers know little can be labeled "ordinary" in the world his characters inhabit. From a madman being guided by an unseen force to gruesome encounters and other-worldly experiences, mystery and intrigue drips from every page.

While Hill is busy cramming a lot of story into a single book, Rodriguez returns with his trademark style utilizing bold colors and meticulously detailed character expressions. The art does a fantastic job of saying what the characters can't and, as such, compliments Hill's words perfectly.

There's a lot of heart and plenty of emotion packed into this first issue and I for one eagerly await my second journey into Key House. For those who like suspense with plenty of brains, Locke and Key should be a perfect fit.

Pax Romana- Read it!

I haven't updated about comics yet because, since staticEchoes was formed two months ago, I haven't found much in the world of word bubbles that really warranted comment.

That's changed.

I offer up Jonathan Hickman's Pax Romana for your reading pleasure. Mid-2007 I got into Hickman's first project The Nightly News. If you dig comics, I highly recommend you give that one a read. If you don't like comics, I still think you aught to check it out. You might be surprised. Everything this guy brings to the table is top-notch and actually manages to exercise that gray matter set atop your neck.

Hickman has a very unique art style, presenting his pages and stories in a fashion reminiscent of a magazine layout. It works surprisingly well. Equally important, his stories are fantastic, well thought out and wholly believable. I can't think of many folks working today who do their own books cover to cover and manage to produce such amazing content in both art and word.

I'd like to tell you what Pax Romana is about, but the core of the story has not been revealed just yet. The premise, however, is this: At some point in the future the Vatican decides to send a military group back in time to save the Roman empire and, in the process, alter the course of human history; a history where mankind commits countless atrocities and, eventually, the Catholic religion is all but extinct. Despite that build-up, Hickman promises his book is not about religion, but rather sociology. I don't care what it's about so long as the remaining three chapters are as entertaining as the first.

Pax Romana is a meaty read with lots of art to enjoy and plenty of content to let sink in. Hickman has a brilliant head on his shoulders, so prepare to be blown away with how well thought out and structured his latest work is. This is a truly engaging read.

I know comics are gaining ground in the mainstream world these days, but I also know many still consider them kid books or something meant for basement dwellers when they're not rolling twenty-sided dice. I assure you such is not the case with this title. You like thinkin? You like readin? You like intricate artwork? I highly recommend you give Pax Romana a chance.