HAUNT When you see a book co-created by the likes of Robert Kirkman & Todd McFarlane and then penciled by Greg Capullo (eventually the full time penciller) you might all ready have an idea of what you'll get (and you're probably right).
I've always been a fan of using superpowers without a costumed superhero involved and this books delivers exactly that. Don't let the image fool you, that's not a true "costume" he's wearing, in as much as Spiderman's black costume wasn't a costume either.
If you've never read it, Haunt is about the ghost of Kurt Killgore (a C.I.A. operative) "haunting" his ex-priest brother Daniel. When the two join they create the entity known as Haunt!
As I said this isn't your typical "superhero" book as Daniel is eventually offered his dead brothers old job with the C.I.A., receives weapon's training, combat skills, and is sent out into the field by a brand new director as the previous one.....well that would be telling.
This book is paced really well with each issue being constructed around an action scenario that keeps the plot moving in fast forward, and Kirkman giving us just enough character development to balance it out into a complete package each month. Like the television shows we've begun looking at that would make a good comics here, Haunt almost feels as if they've done exactly that: take a television pitch and script it out into monthly comics with it's giant set pieces (drawn of course), international local, and lots and lots of covert manipulation and subterfuge in a sort of renewed cold war setting.
RED HOOD: The Lost DaysLike Jim last week (with Justice League: Generation Lost) I've never been a huge fan of Winick's work accept when he writes Jason Todd as the Red Hood. His original run back in Batman: Under the Hood has recently been turned into Warner Bros. latest animated DC feature (and it's good - if you don't mind the characters being redesigned each movie like Pierre does :). DC has released this new mini-series to explain how Jason went from being a corpse to the Red Hood. If your a general Batman fan then this book is for you with familiar Batman characters and locales galore.
Gritty, edgy, and fast paced Jason's journey is set to span at least a couple of years (the story, not the book) as he zig zags the world learning how to be a sniper, an assassin, about explosives, about poison, and generally just how to kill - things that Bruce never taught him while he was Robin. Considering his mission the irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife...
[BATMAN 635 Page 4]The last time I can remember painfully waiting 30 days before I could return to the comic book shop to buy a comic was the Titans Hunt (Nov 1990) story line in New Titans which I can't believe has been twenty years.
To that end we're giving you THE BLACK HOOD this week as your free comics.
"Black Hood Comics was the name of an American anthology comic book series published by MLJ Magazines Inc., more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for eleven issues between Winter 1943 and Summer 1946. The series featured MLJs costumed hero Black Hood, and "Boy Buddies", featuring Shield's partner 'Dusty the Boy Detective' and Wizard's side-kick 'Roy the Superboy', together with humor strips." ~Wikipedia
[ Black Hood 9 ]
[ Black Hood 11 ]
- Read 'em!
The idea of a superhero costume has become narrowed I think by the genres own careless fourth-wall breaking. I don't think superhero comics should needlessly call attention to it by having the characters in-story refer to the costumes as "tights" and "spandex".
ReplyDeleteOr as sometimes happens in movies "rubber" when they're trying to sell audiences imaginations on the idea it's body-armor.
In the context of superheroes what is a costume if not a reoccurring design meant to express in a kind of lyrical visual language a distinction between that character's default normal or ordinary self and who or what that person is when their powers are in use. But isn't something transforming the person themselves in the same sense that Banner becomes the Hulk.
It can be just an expression of a another identity that conceals the mortal one but also be something that has some actual in-story purpose and function to it as well. Whether it be symbiotic goo, transforming power armor, or one magic word that gives a guy a tiny white cape.
Thank you for the heads up on Haunt! I've been wondering about that series as it sounded sort of like the type of thing I would dig!
ReplyDelete@MattComix
ReplyDeleteThat's deep Matt. I was thinking that some characters look DAMN cool in costume, while some stories work better without one. :)
@Jim
I know I dig it!