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

Scam

Scam
Publisher- Comix Tribe
Writer- Joe Mulvey
Art- Joe Mulvey

The Hook- Its a classic heist movie with Super powers. Double crosses, fast talking, and action

Imagine if you had super power. What would you do Save the world, help stop crime, maybe save some kitten?  Naa you would do none of that crap. You would go to Vegas and get to thieving. That is the idea behind this. It has couple of low level thieves with big level dreams using their powers to do it. The plots pretty cool. They tossed you in it pretty fast showing you the heist that turns bad quickly. The story follows a couple of thieves who could rip off by one of their partner and they seek revenge. The revenge goes bad and they force to work with the double crosses to face an even greater threat. It has a lot of factions going against each other. It is pretty good. Lot of this thing hence all if the plan actually make sense. That once everything is revealed does everything hold up if you read it again from the start. Lot of the times in these things it doesn’t. But here it all make sense. They knew the right amount of double crosses to do. They didn’t get to crazy and say “It was the DOG the whole time”. The art is very good, very colorful and it’s the atmosphere. Some of the powers pretty creative and the dialogue pretty crisp. I do wish they did more creative things with the powers and the setting. They didn’t really explore Vegas that much. It kind of could have taken place anywhere. I kind of wanted to scene with these guys just going to town on the Casino and either getting away or getting in trouble for it.  Of course that may because the character is smart enough not to pull that stuff. If it was me I probably end up got buried in a desert because I got blackjack 1000 times in row. But it still might have been fun to see. Also they didn’t use the power that much. The end also seem kind of rush. Think originally it was meant to be a longer miniseries and they missed some deadlines. Still its real fun story. The art was very good and colorful. It’s a very breezy read. Like if your order a nice heist flicks on Netflix.

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.

Forgive me father

Forgive me Father

Company – www.thecreatureentertainment.com

Written and Creature by John Ulloa

Art- Ulises Carpentero- Arts and Pencils

       Greg Narvarsa- Colors

The Hook- Taxi Driver with a priest and a non Jail Bait Woman. Or Falling Down with a priest

Plot- This is follows two people. It follows a down on her luck Hooker, and a priest obsessed with her who wants to clean up the town. The type of priest that probably starts his sermons with “On Day a rain will come”.  He starts of as not that insane. He has dreams about the woman but nothing to crazy till later on in the story. It is a death of one of his flock, and the woman’s confession that drives him over the edge. I like that it not a regular revenge story. You’re conflicted about what he doing.  The people he kills may have it coming but him doing it for F up reasons. He ends up causing a lot of fall out for the woman and not really helping her us much as he thinks. Its 3 issues, and then it are done. So you get an ending and nice story with a good flow. The arts pretty nice, very vibrant strong strokes, and have a dark and muddy feel. It fits the story. The story can be clique at times. The Hooker's back story is a bit by the numbers of a downer. But to be fair most really hookers probably have that story. I doubt you get into street walking if your life going GREAT. Although given how hot she is and the age of the internet escort sites, does she have to go that way. But then again the story feel like one of those 80’s/ 70’s revenge flicks. You get the idea the city a hell hole and you feel the despair. So everyone storyline fits. The action scenes pretty tense. B

M3

M3- issue 0 and 1

Publisher-  Vice Press M3comc.com

Writer- Erica Schultz

The Hook- Young Machiavella Maria Marcona parents were assanated in front of her when she was a child. It left her with only one person to take care of her..the man who assainated her…DUH DUH. Grown up the hitman try to keep her out of the lifestyle but to no avail. She become an assain and goes on a mission of revenge while an FBI agent chasing after her. All while a conspiracy happens around them that they both need to figure out.

To book took me by surprise. I was leaving the comic con and basically the last book I grab before catching the train. I figure 3 dollars why not. When I read the name of the character and find her name was Machiavella…I thought this was going to be a bucket of stupid. I assume it would be hitmen talking about Philosophy while they sip on wine. But it better then that. Its really cool. First the art if pretty good. It very stylish and fit the dark action movie tone. It has a lot of style. The style is realistic but with a bit of a heighten tone. It’s a painted, almost photo and cell shaded style. The style makes you buy it as an action movie thriller.  The main character is sexy but not in a Charlie Angel skimpy clothing type of way. Nor is she unstoppable. If she tries to Leroy Jekins her way through 30 arm guards it will end badly for her. So she is force to be smart. It is a nice scene in issue 2 where, her plan messes up due to a rather small error and she freaks out a bit.  It makes her force to use her brains to get out of things and you get to see her plan her hits. So it gives it an Authenticity. This is not to say it doesn’t have big character that happily chew the screen. It leaves room for cool dialogue for you to enjoy. The relationship between her and the hitman who adopted her is pretty interesting. Now I only got issue 0 and 2. I don’t know if there an issue 1. So I may be missing some details. But I may not get why should I root for this particular killer over the others at time. Nor why should the surrogate father who killed the parents in the first place get off the hook