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25th April 2024

DG Stewart

DG Stewart is the editor of WCBR and is a content contributor. He completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in literature at the University of Western Australia in 1989, and is an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University in Australia.

Drones #1 (review)

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Drones #1 (review)
(IDW Publishing, April 2015)
Writer: Chris Lewis

War comics have a long pedigree. American publishers have been periodically obsessed with the US Civil War and its aftermath (Western-themed comic books), the best example of which perhaps is DC Comics’ title Jonah Hex (1977-1985, 2006-2011). From there, we have World War One and the unusual title, Enemy Ace (DC Comics, first appearance 1965) which was an homage to the famous German pilot known as the Red Baron. World War Two titles have been published in abundance, including DC Comics’ Sgt Rock (first appearance, 1959) and Marvel Comics’ Sgt Fury and the Howling Commandos (1963-1981). British war comic book title Commando has been published since 1961 by DC Thompson & Co, and is approaching its 5000th issue. The Vietnam War was the subject of a Marvel Comics’ publication called The ‘Nam (1986-1993). Missing from this list of recent-ish wars is the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the Spanish-American War and the Russo-Japanese War. each of which were extraordinarily significant but have escaped publishers’ memories.

This title is a war comic from this century, where war is waged at high altitude with high technology, destruction and fire delivered upon Arab insurgents upon remote and casual appraisal. The first to third and fifth pages of the issue capture this perfectly. It is a thoroughly contemporary war comic far removed from the grit of hand-to-hand or bayonet-led combat, or the noble air chivalry seen in Enemy Ace.

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The Revisionist #1 (review)

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The Revisionist #1 (review)
(Aftershock Comics, July 2016)
Writer: Frank Barbiere

Amongst the melange of themes, there is something quite 1980s about “The Revisionist”. The art is certainly very reminiscent of Walt Simonson or Trevor von Eeden when they were doing pencils for the major US publishers in the 1980s. But it is the plot and dialogue which evokes an urgent, unpolished, self-conscious eighties theme. A reader could be forgiven for thinking that the comic was set during the Reagan years and that the dialogue and art are a clever allusory mirror backdrop (a wonderful example of this was Warren Ellis and John Cassidy’s dunk into the varied period styles of Batman ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s in “Planetary/Batman. NIght on Earth”, (Wildstorm Comics, 2004)). But, disappointingly, the story is described as set in the “present day”, and the urgency and unpolished writing is happenstance.

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Alpha King #1 (review)

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Alpha King #1 (review)
(Image Comics, May 2016)
Writers: Brian Azzarello, Nick Floyd and Simon Bisley

Promotional tie-ins between comics and various goods and services are commonplace. Most usually these tie-ins are linked to toys or movies. Some of these have been exceptionally successful, for example, “Transformers”.

More blatant, perhaps, is various American publishers’ efforts to promote cars. In one instance, “Rush City” (DC Comics, 2006-2007), the comic’s existence was to facilitate the promotion of the Pontiac Solstice, a sports car. Dark Horse Comics’ “The Hire” (2004) similarly promoted BMW, a car brand. The Wall Street Journal has reported on Marvel Comics’ efforts to promote DaimlerChrysler AG’s Dodge Caliber car in various titles including Spider-man, and also on Marvel Comics’ deal with Nike’s “swoosh” logo, whereby Marvel Comics undertook to feature the logo within various comic titles over a four-to-six month period.

“Alpha King” is an unabashed promotional tie-in. The goods promoted by the comic, however, are novel: a microbrewery called 3 Floyds Brewing Company uses the comic to promote the brewer’s pale ale in the context of an interdimensional war involving sword-wielding demons. This is as ridiculous as it sounds. The plot begins with an amusing-enough gag: some soldiers in an army of ogres discuss Tolkein, before being rallied to a siege. The story then jumps to a bearded brewer in modern day America, who encourages kids to slip around the corner of the vat and sneak in consumption of the beer.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1 (review)

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1
(Marvel Comics, June 2016)
Writer: Chuck Wendig

This is a six issue mini-series by Marvel Comics based upon the movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015, LucasFilms Ltd / Walt Disney Studios).

“Star Wars” comic book adaptions are very popular, and recent spin-off titles have centred many of the main characters (we have recently reviewed “Vader Down”, by way of one example). Some of these stories are bubbling with creativity, fuelled by the sheer enthusiasm which so many imaginative and ardent writers have for the franchise.

With that in mind, we warn you: Do not buy this comic book if you expect that the title contains anything new.

It does not contain any tangential plot lines arising from the motion picture. It does not contain any new backstory to any of the characters. In promoting this title, Marvel Comics should have (but did not) make it extremely apparent from the copy on the cover that this comic is a very strict film adaption. The story does not deviate at all from the movie, save that it is an edited version of the first few chapter of the movie plot. Here is an example:

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