After last issue of Superior Spider-Man find out where the character goes from here in issue #10. Then see him again in Deadpool #10. There’s a few now titles to check out. Bounce #1, Green Team #1, Occupy Comics #1, and Solid State Tank Girl.

Chin Music #1 Review

By: Rob Neil Gruszecki

            The sound of a pin carving into metal reverberates around the dingy office. Scratching an eerie text into the tip of a bullet that illuminates mystically as it is being created. The messy office room is no stranger to liquor and magical etchings that have been sliced into the furniture, displaying a wide array of incantations and sigils. A candle is placed in the centre of the wheel chipped into the desk’s surface with ancient symbols and orientations that draws the energy towards the middle. Lighting the candle only after lighting a smoke the strange occupant of the office loads his revolver and fires out his window into the unknown.

Chin Music takes us back to the rise of Al “Scarface” Capone and the endless conquest spearheaded by Eliot Ness with the goal to bring down the bootlegger and notorious gangster. A journey into a revisionary work that integrates elements of magic, horror and superhuman ability makes the first issue an exciting and brutal new take on the legend of the rise and fall of the American Mafia. Filled with graphic and grotesque imagery whether it be of a recently decimated corpse crawling through a dessert wasteland or a unit of intensely powerful cultists with burning red eyes, Chin Music starts off with a very mysterious and frightening first chapter.

From the creator of 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre and the recent Transfusion, Steve Niles scripts this new and very unique crime/horror amalgam that is very sparse in dialogue or word balloons but slick with its storytelling. Niles has a way of scripting very minimalistic that keeps the pacing in his book rapid but smooth. You really get a feel for his tone and voice even though it is mostly quiet which makes his writing very tense and dramatic. When it comes to not cluttering up the page with balloons and narrative boxes, Niles has mastered stuffing his comics full of substance, character development and atmosphere while not having to waste any words.

Tony Harris handles the art in Chin Music and forms the other half of an excellent team on this new series from Image. His style at times borders on a cartoonish take on the material which makes for an even stranger approach to the already supernatural premise. His work differs greatly from what you might be familiar with from Ex Machina or Starman but fits perfectly with the flow of the book. With such a quiet component dialogue wise it is all up to Harris’ ability as a visual storyteller for many of the pages and what he conjures is a complete success, transitioning very effortlessly and keeping the pace quick and encapsulating.

With one of the coolest surprises in store for the final page and a complete package both fast and action oriented to enjoy, Chin Music is a worthy investment from an imprint that has continuously produced the peak in creator owned comics over the past few years. Chin Music issue number one is a start to an ongoing comic that puts the best of both Steve Niles and Tony Harris on display and doesn’t restrain either of their strengths.

Rob Neil Gruszecki is a writer, musician, podcaster and Wednesday Warrior

Dear Ghost Factory. What Should I Read? Comic Reviews & Weekly Comics Round-Up Podcast at www.Geekstampede.com

Music www.Ghostfactorymusic.com

@Ghost_Factory

A few new comics launching this week for you to check out 12, Reasons to Die #1, Chin Music #1, Grimm #1, and X #1.

Ten Grand #1 Review

By: Rob Neil Gruszecki

            Longing arms stretched out towards a lost lover. As consciousness comes, so does the wretched realization of what can no longer be yours. Joe Fitzgerald has died for love and continues to haunt the barren streets in search of an early drink and a prospective client for his particular talents. At the cool price of Ten thousand Joe’s skill can be bought and your troubles could be over. All this done to get a few remaining minutes with those longing arms, the angel who reaches for him in his dreams.

Debbie, a pierced and tattooed punk, wanders into Lenny’s Bar around 3:30 with an envelope and a proposition for Joe. What she asks is both a tall order and a complete mystery in Joe’s world as the particular target of Debbie’s problem is one that should not be alive today. One that is responsible for Joe’s predicament to begin with. One with both feet deep in the horrific world of monsters and demons, the very world where Joe find’s his eternal soul resurrected and recycled over and over again. All for those outstretched arms. All for a moment with Laura.

The Joe’s Comic imprint responsible for Rising Stars and Midnight Nation is back to showcase more of J Michael Straczynski’s (Babylon Five, Spider-Man) writing as illustrated by a myriad of talented artists. This time around in its revival, Ten Grand kicks off the Image homed imprint with a PI Noir type story, laced with hellspawn and magic, illustrated by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Fell, Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse) who’s style is a perfect fit.

Straczynski plots Ten Grand with a clear and well realized world from the get go throwing you into a mystery already unraveling within the mind and waking life of Joe Fitzgerald, a disgruntled hitman for hire. Smoothly transitioning the audience with calculated precision and a passion for the tale being told. Joe is written with a very gruff and bitter tone reminiscent of the Hellblazer incarnation of John Constantine from Vertigo which is a welcome characterization and makes for an excellent blend of detective and ghost story with a broken hero as the lead. With generally lackluster hopes for the book initially as I have never found Straczynski’s work to be for my tastes, I can gladly say that I will for sure be on board for the rest of the series and that the writing in Ten Grand was a great representation of his talents.

Ben Templesmith has a very eerie and twisted sort of style which fits seamlessly into the world of Ten Grand. His characters burst with personality and their expressions are full of emotion. There is a surreal aura that hovers over the environment and Templesmith’s colouring work brings it to life in a bizarre way, combining swirls of smoke echoing in each panel, colour pallets shifting dramatically between scenes and darkness that paints each event in the first issue with a feeling of tensity, anxiety and terror. Monster designs and sick imagination makes the interiors of Ten Grand a huge success.

Of the several covers I was lucky enough to get Cover B by Bill Sienkiewicz which is a horrifically painted beauty. The main cover by Templesmith is another excellent version amongst others by Jae Lee and Ryan Sook.

The first issue of Ten Grand is a Noir/horror hybrid, blending together themes of eternity, resurrection, murder, demons, love and money, starting the latest  incarnation of Joe’s Comics very strongly. Definitely a first issue not to be missed.

Rob Neil Gruszecki is a writer, musician, podcaster and Wednesday Warrior

Dear Ghost Factory. What Should I Read? Comic Reviews & Weekly Comics Round-Up Podcast at www.Geekstampede.com

Music www.Ghostfactorymusic.com

@Ghost_Factory

Thanos Rising #2 is new this week. Other Marvel highlights include All-New X-Men #11, Age of Ultron #7, and Superior Spider-Man #9. J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith launch Ten Grand #1. Black Bat #1 from Dynamite. The anticipated Movement #1 from Gail Simone will also be new this week.

Jupiter’s Legacy #1 Review

By: Rob Neil Gruszecki

            Spencer Sampson has dreams. Dreams of a better tomorrow and a salvation for his country, currently on its knees due to economic crash. Dreams of the highest peak of human potential. Dreams of an island where all his questions will be answered and a foundation for the heroes of the future can prosper and thrive, a beacon to humans alike setting an example of humanitarian and egalitarian utopia.

With the help of his lover, brother and a drunken ship’s captain, Sampson will reach his home and build a better life for those who walk the Earth for the many years to come.

Brandon Sampson has goals. Aspiring to polish off free drinks in a VIP area of the most popular clubs in the States. Aspiring to take advantage of groupies who flock to his fame and status and are then directed to the Men’s room to wait for him. Aspiring to hold onto his contracts with Samsung and Omega to earn money by simply having the Sampson brand as a surname instead of using the powers that his genetics gifted him with.

Chloe Sampson has plans. Plans to impress her mother with her unflinching charitable persona and endorsement deals. Plans to finish off a few lines of superhero nose candy and plans to direct her body comfortably towards the ground for some rest and unconsciousness.

Things don’t always go as planned

Goals aren’t always achieved

Dreams are often nonsense

            New from Image comics this week is the long awaited return to comics from the creative duo of Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, WE3, The Authority) and Mark Millar (Civil War, Kick-Ass, Wanted). It has arrived in the package of a cynical look at the Superhero genre exploring responsibility of the superhumans and the reality of what children of Golden Age heroes from the stock exchange crash of the 30s would look like in our entitled and ‘cult of celebrity’ modern fall of America times.  As you would expect, the children of the proud and altruistic Utopian are douchie, spoiled, ungrateful brats. With the attitudes of the Seven from Garth Ennis’ The Boys, perhaps turned down a few notches and brought to a more realistic perspective, the new wave of children of the mighty who have come before them are more concerned with upcoming television appearances and where the next hit will be.

The dynamic between Spencer Sampson and his brother Walter fades from hopeful and compassionate to a classic argument between heroes as they discuss what approach to human crisis is better taken, whether it be as an interventionist god that sets all the problems of society straight or simply to help guide civilization towards the light and possibly influence their evolution to the great species that they could be. With this debate comes the “with great power comes great responsibility” mindset but what “responsibility” is that exactly? With the first issue of Jupiter’s Legacy we are painted a very clear and promising picture of what type of universe we will be living in this age of powers as developed by the dream creative team.

Mark Millar has never particularly been a favorite of mine and often I find his stories inorganic, delivering shocks and twists that seem forced and eye-rollingly silly. Lately however, for example in his recent Secret Service mini-series with Dave Gibbons I have begun to enjoy more of his work finding that series to be particularly fun and enjoyable. Jupiter’s Children is a story that I feel is a very obvious tale from him and clearly set in a wheelhouse he is comfortable preforming in. I don’t in any way mean to denounce his scripting in this book instead to state that this just seems like familiar territory which isn’t a bad thing at all. In a mere 20 pages Millar manages to squeeze a lot of world building and character set-up in without feeling rushed or wasting a single page. We see the rise of the Golden Age heroes, their offspring and the inevitable downfall of the team dynamic in a jaded world not to mention an insanely entertaining super villain fight that was exciting and really funny. Ultimately, you can tell you are reading a Millar Superhero comic as his cynical, Ironic voice shines through quite clearly through the pages of the self-proclaimed “Greatest Superhero Epic of this Generation”… *Que over-the-top eyeroll.

The main reason to pick up this book is by far Frank Quitely’s incredible interiors. No one else can really draw detail like Quitely and he manages to make the abundance of talking heads in the book interesting and insanely beautiful. A simple panel showing a distant empty island is gorgeous and moments like that throughout Jupiter’s Legacy make it one of best looking books so far this year. His depictions of typical cape fisticuffs is the high point of the book for me as the Utopian and his followers pummel an alien with an anti-matter battery in his chest all the while trapping the monster in a psychic painting to separate his mind from his body. Stylistically, Quitely & Millar are a perfect fit for this book as the facetious tone of Millar is complimented through the lens of Quitely’s unique pencil work. Frank Quitely is one of the best living artists in comics and with the first instalment of Jupiter’s Legacy he continues to prove it.

Jupiter’s Legacy is definitely a comic worth picking up if for the art alone but also for an interesting family drama that will obviously explode into something far bigger with its continuation. Simply heed the words of the ever modest Mark Millar, “…This is your big superhero summer event and you don’t need to buy a lot of crap tie-ins to enjoy it. It’s bloody great!”. I may hate to admit it but I don’t necessarily disagree.

Rob Gruszecki is a writer, musician and Wednesday warrior

Follow him on twitter @Ghost_Factory

Listen to his music www.ghostfactorymusic.com

This week Jupiter’s Legacy by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely launches. Don’t miss out on this one there will be four covers available. Before Watchmen concludes with Comedian #6. Super hot book, East of West #2 will be here. Scarlet Spider #16 features homage cover by Ryan Stegman of Superior Spider-Man #1. Morning Glories #26 will be FREE.