Justice For Hire

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/JFH,_Justice_For_Hire_comic_book_issue_01_cover.jpeg

Written by- Jan Lucanus and Jan C Childress

Art- Antonio Rojo

Publisher- Creative Impulse

The Hook- Two martial artist takes up their parent business of disking out Justice for hire. They add their own twist to it, using media and reality TV. This tell takes place in a world that a throwback to 70’s martial artist but still take place in modern day

Always like the heroes for hire idea. It takes me back to the A-Team. It is good for a comic because you get different clients each time. Here it involves 3 heroes. There are, white male, a female and black male.  There race worth mentioning because it seems to have a MOD SQUAD type vibe...fro and all. While the girl wears high boots and dress like a sexy limo driver. The two males are long time friends who trained together and who fathers were martial artist. One thing I like is they didn’t kill the parents like most super hero origins. Well at least, not at the start. So it no Simba...or Bambi mom scene at the start. This gives a good old school vs. new culture clash because the parents don’t like the way the kids show off a bit. While the younger crew figure it about business. We don’t know yet which is wrong since I am only 1 issue end, but something tells me the show boating will get them in trouble. You have to suspend some disbelief that they would be allowed to go on. One scene involves a sex trade where they opening...well sex trading. Instead of just sending the FBI, CIA, or you know arresting them the SECOND they leave the building they send the martial arts crew in. Also they allow someone getting a head shot on national television. As bad as 24 hours news have gotten it hasn’t reach faces of Deaths level yet. But they establish in this world this is par for course where you can accept it. It even at the point they have completion with rival heroes for hire groups. That a neat idea I hope they explore. Also it shows not everyone cool with how they do business. The arts pretty sweet with a nice dark pencil style. The clothes people where is a nice throw back that I expect people to whip out a bottle of colt 45 at any second. It’s a fun read with some nice action scenes. The action scenes are fluid and shows motion well.  The character isn’t super deep but the passable enough to get you through the action story. All it all a very good read B

The Dream Police

The Dream Police issues 1-3

Writer-  written by J. Michael Straczynsk
Artist-  Sid Kotian.
Publisher- Image
https://imagecomics.com/content/view/dream-police-is-a-mysterious-fantasy-series-sure-to-intrigue-readers

The Hook- Dragnet meets the the movie DREAMSCAPE

plot- I discovered the Dream Police a few years back as a one shot. It was under Marvel Icon line and written by Michael Straczynski. It was basically Dragnet in the dream world. Two police, walk around the dreamscape to make sure everyone dreams going ok and no one getting out of line. The make sure the figments (actors) in the dream doing their Job and dreamers don’t mess up the dreamscape too much. It was a nice little one shot, pretty fun. When Image decided to make a sequel...and make it a series I was worried how they going to stretch this concept. Because it seem like a concept that works as a one shot because you don’t have to explain too much. Like for instance do dreamers know about the dream Police? If not why would they look at figments of their imagination with that much authority?  Why would you listen to something that was created by you watching too much David lynch before bed. The story in the series explores on the world and explains a few things. It adds mystery when one of the dreams cops question who they are, why do they do what they do, and disappears and gets replace for doing so. The other cops don’t seem to notice he now has a female partner, till he himself starts dreaming of his old partner. Something Dream cops were never able to do. It also adds in a cool concept of people who create nightmares...a group of being that freak the dream cops out but apparently have a place. The world is pretty interesting. I like that the dream cops but just there to help and really care about the dreamers. They basically there to make sure you don’t go crazy and upset when it fails. Some of the dreams cops themselves not that deep least on the surface. It takes a few comics for you to see personality. There basically BY the book. Also sometime it seems no stakes...since some people can’t die. Not sure they have the) if you die in the dream you die in a real world) thing. So the stakes won’t be super high. That say the mystery slowly adds stakes. It one shot stories, but with a big mystery throughout that builds. I like that type of storytelling sometimes. The arts pretty good but wish they go more wild with it sometimes considering the world they in. I hope they get more creative as time goes on. Some might thing it a little too metaphoric and trippy. But that stuff right up my Alley. If like stuff like inception and Dreamscape, you like this. So far it was a fun ride.