A God Somewhere Graphic Novel Review

A God Somewhere
DC Comics - Wildstorm
200 pages
$24.99 (2010) Graphic Novel
ISBN 9781401226831

Contributors: John Arcudi, Peter Snejberg, Bjarne Hansen, and Wes Abbott

Synopsis: This is the story of three friends who grew up together and would be torn apart when one of them became a god.  Eric and Hugh are brothers, but complete opposites.  Hugh was good with studying and ended up mildly affluent while Eric was always a trouble-maker.  Both of them had good hearts and befriended Sam when they were kids.  More like saved Sam from getting beaten up for being the only black kid in school and an easy target.  They've been close friends ever since.

Now they're older and Hugh has a beautiful wife named Alma.  He lives in a nice house and has a high-paying job while Sam and Eric work at UPS.  Eric is happy, but Sam feels like he's missed his potential in life.  Hugh starts to feel like an outsider because of his higher social status.  The three plan to buy a boat together so they can reconnect.

Eric exhibits some extraordinary abilities

One night a meteor hits Eric's building and he's the only one left unhurt.  During the rescue operation to find survivors he shows incredible powers.  Some kind of miracle has changed him into a superman.  The media descends on him and his friends are unable to see him except in brief encounters.  Eric turns to religion to understand what has happened to him and begins doing good deeds.  He gains immense and unwelcome fame while losing touch with his family and friends.


A gap forms between Eric and Hugh which causes them both irreparable harm.  Sam ends up as a kind of sidekick to Eric and rides his coattails to fame.  What happens when a normal man becomes something beyond humanity?  Eric begins to change as his newly gifted powers set him apart from normal society.  What human authority can stop him when he's no longer human?  Is the world organized by God or by chance?  All that is certain is nothing will ever be the same.

Pros: An interesting take on the 'superbeing', good characters, competent art, suitably dark and shocking, definitely makes you think, Snejberg nails the emotional expressions of the characters

Cons: Snejberg's art is not particularly realistic, a few events were a little corny (like the LA showdown between a militia group and the police), probably offensive to people who are serious about believing in God

Mike Tells It Straight: John Arcudi writes a lengthy graphic novel to explore the moral crisis and resulting destruction a normal person would produce if randomly given superpowers.  This book reminded me of Arcudi's cult classic series Major Bummer where a slacker gains superpowers.  That series was funny while this story is grim and philosophical.  I enjoyed both and you know I love a good deconstructed superhero story!

Eric becomes a god-like figure

Arcudi focuses on the relationship between the three friends and its eventual breakdown once Eric becomes a demigod.  We see Eric, an essentially good man and a Christian, imbued with power that sets him apart from humanity.  He slowly questions why he needs to conform to human rules and society any longer.  The rift between brothers is particularly difficult to witness.

I really liked Arcudi's possible explanation for Eric's powers and the name of the book.  I won't give it away, but it's an interesting take on God and could be highly offensive to religious types.  Snejberg's art is pretty good.  He's done work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman and is highly competent.  His art is fairly simple and I almost would have liked a more realistic artist, but he really draws great expressions on the characters' faces.

I suggest A God Somewhere as a mature alternative to superhero comics which gives a unique take on what happens when a regular person receives great power.  It's not pretty and I have to say it's more believable than someone putting on a costume to fight crime.  Despite being 200 pages the book is actually a fast read.  Check it out!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Legend Mini-Series Review

Legend
DC Comics - Wildstorm
Comic Book Mini-Series
48/ea. = 192 pages (2005)
$5.95/ea. = $23.80

Published: Legend #1-4 (of 4)

Contributors: Howard Chaykin, Russ Heath, Al Vey, David Rodriguez, Darlene Royer, Wildstorm FX, and Rob Leigh

Synopsis: Professor Abednago Danner works to unlock the chemical key to why smaller creatures like ants have incredible proportionate strength.  He performs experiments in his own private lab in his home.  His wife, Matilda, is a god-fearing woman and frowns upon his experiments.  His work bears fruit as he creates an abnormally strong tadpole.  Has he unlocked the key at last?

Next he injects a pregnant cat and her kitten becomes monstrously powerful.  Danner decides that after the cat must come human trials.  Matilda tells him she is pregnant and his path is clear.  The baby is named Hugo and has incredible strength from birth.  Matilda is furious, but loves her son nonetheless.  The doting parents must deal with a frighteningly strong infant then toddler, but manage to raise him well and keep the secret.

Hugo Danner goes to war!

 The boy grows and questions his unusual strength compared to other children.  His father warns Hugo that others will fear his power and he must always be good to justify his strength.  Can Hugo keep his immense power a secret and live a normal life?  He grows up in the time of the Vietnam War - will he make a difference in that losing battle?  What about his discovery of women and sex - can a normal woman handle his inexhaustible stamina?  What happens when you are born the strongest creature on the planet?  Will your power corrupt you or do you walk softly among the ants?  This is the story of a true super man.

Pros: Great angle on the classic super man tale, Chaykin's writing is good, Heath's art is simple and efficient, inspired by the book that influenced the creation of Superman

Cons: Art is a bit inconsistent, pretty expensive cover price, cover blurb is not entirely accurate - Chaykin does a 85% adaptation of Wylie's novel

Mike Tells It Straight: Howard Chaykin adapts Philip Wylie's novel Gladiator with a few changes.  He puts the time period during the Vietnam War instead of the first World War, gives Hugo Danner an insatiable sex drive, and cuts out the bank vault rescue which resulted in criminal suspicion.  I think all of these changes were good and the story remains a great look at how difficult it would be to have incredible power.

"It tickles."

You really get a feeling for how alone Hugo feels around other people.  The sex angle was pretty funny for the most part, but Chaykin's portrayal of the war was the best part.  You can really sympathize with Hugo as he tries to do the right thing, but realizes it's not as easy as it sounds.  Heath's art is good - he creates some great character expressions, but it's a bit inconsistent throughout.

Wylie's novel is a great work which resounds in any time and may have been the precursor to the most popular comic book character of all time - Superman.  Chaykin and Heath do a commendable job on bringing this tale to life.  I'm a sucker for a good deconstructed superhero story - although the original book predates superheroes.  I recommend checking this out if you want a mature, science fiction story about what happens when man tries to become super man.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Clash Mini-Series Review

Clash

DC Comics

Prestige Format Mini-Series

48/ea. = 144 pages (1991)

$4.95/ea. = $14.85 

Published: Clash #1-3 (of 3)

Contributors: Tom Veitch, Adam Kubert, David Hornung, and Todd Klein

Synopsis: Joe McLash (or 'Clash' to his friends) works for his dad smuggling precious artifacts out of foreign countries.  Clash is good at what he does and doesn't give a damn about anyone else.  His latest caper in Afghanistan turns awry with Joe's lover, Helen Rojas, paying the price of Joe's dangerous lifestyle with her own life.  Clash is not a man to pause and reminisce as he heads back to his father in New York to collect a fat paycheck.  He's sick of the old man hoarding ancient knick-knacks and plans to sell them off one day to have a big party.  

The artifact Joe brings back from Afghanistan is an ancient mask which looks familiar to his dad.  Forty years ago the old man and his business partner, Roy Tavish, were trekking across Asia when Roy found the most amazing loot.  He mysteriously disappeared the next night with the location of the discovery, but Joe's dad uses the loot to start his business (and feed a growing Joe).  The mask appears to be from the same place and before you know it the McLashes are headed back to Asia on a treasure hunt.  

They camp with the Turkomen in an ancient region once called Panja.  The chief of the tribe wants to sell the artifacts for guns to fight a neighboring warlord called Mustafi, but most of the villagers hate the McLashes.  In the night an assassin comes to kill them and turns out to be a beautiful woman.  She and Joe fall in love as her knife glistens in the dark opposite his machine pistol.  The next day they discover a massive cavern filled with the remnants of a mighty civilization.

On the lowest level of the buried citadel in a hidden chamber is a strange stone apparatus surrounded by hideous statues.  Joe's dad accidentally triggers the apparatus and is jolted with arcane energies.  He suffers massive burns, but survives and is strangely powerful.  Joe uses it and is filled with power!  He is superstrong and can fly - now he's in control of his life and can do anything he wants.  

Joe doesn't care where the power came from, but the Archons are not happy he has stolen their secrets and refuses to do their bidding.  What really happened to old man McLash's business partner Roy Tavish all those years ago?  Is Joe truly free or will the Archons use his newfound power to pull his strings like a puppet?  How will the world react to a real life superman?

Pros: Very early Adam Kubert art shows a lot of promise despite a few rough edges, cool concept by Veitch with the theme of an alternative 'superman' in the real world

Cons: Joe is an unlikable character (so's his dad), dialogue is stiff and sounds campy, Nadja the assassin taking an interest in Joe is pretty unlikely (some assassin she turns out to be)

Mike Tells It Straight: I liked the concept behind Clash and enjoy Adam Kubert's art (not a huge fan of his brother Andy however).  The story was a cross between Indiana Jones and Superman, but with a violent twist.  I felt Veitch's scripting wasn't great and Joe was an annoying punk given god-like powers with no real purpose to his life.  He was a complete schmuck and it was hard to identify with him.

Almost all of the characters were depthless caricatures with no real personality.  Nadja's character made no sense - she's an assassin one minute and Joe's sex puppet the next.  The Archons and the ancient power-giving machine were the only cool parts to the story.  Overall Clash gives us some frustrated male wish-fulfillment and the outline of a good story, but not enough to be quite memorable.  You can probably find it cheap and don't bet on a collected edition anytime in the future.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

The Programme Vol. 2 Trade Paperback Review

The Programme Vol. 2
DC Comics - Wildstorm
Softcover Trade Paperback
144 pages
$17.99 (2008)
ISBN 9781401219987

Contributors: Peter Milligan, CP Smith, and Pat Brosseau


Reprints: The Programme #7-12 (of 12)

Synopsis: A group of Soviet superhumans awaken in the modern day to wreak havoc upon the world.  They were derived from failed US experiments thirty years earlier.  The CIA attempts to coerce their sleeper superman into fighting the Cold War monsters, but a rogue scientist altered his programming toward liberal tendencies and he mistrusts the government.

Your Soviet superheroes

The Soviet super killers descend upon Las Vegas, the bastion of capitalism, like locusts and destroy everything in sight.  Growing more desperate the government reawakens Senator Joe, a black superhuman brainwashed to believe he is Senator Joe McCarthy, the extreme anti-communist.

Somehow he is able to convince Max to fight against the Soviets, but they are overwhelmed in battle due to a lack of conviction.  Meanwhile a race war is brewing in the southern US as unease over the Talibstan events back at home spiral out of control.  Senator Joe is roughly awakened from his programming and defects.

 Now Max is the only hope of the US against the resurrected Cold War superhumans.  He lacks sufficient belief in his cause to be truly effective and the CIA attempts a last ditch ploy to revert his programming back to unquestioning loyalty.  Can they repress his morality and force him to do their bidding?  Failure means the death of capitalism and society as we know it.  What about the corrupt CIA operatives angling for a coup to seize control of the US in the wake of destruction?


Pros: Complex plot with many twists and turns, mature/interesting superhuman concept, dark storyline, decent ending


Cons: The race war seemed forced and a bit implausible, art is too murky and dark


Mike Tells It Straight: Milligan finishes his deconstructed superhero epic The Programme.  The finale was suitably grand with a fair amount of plot twists and comeuppances.  Race war section felt forced and art (now with CP Smith doing colors too) became even less coherent/murky - detracted from the experience.  Maybe if Smith were inked by someone else it would have worked better.  

I felt the story was  entertaining, but lacked any true addition to the core concepts.  Milligan just polishes and puts his own spin on them.  Good if you like conspiracy theories and slightly more realistic superhuman battles. Okay effort and a lukewarm recommendation.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

The Programme Vol. 1 Trade Paperback Review

The Programme Vol. 1
DC Comics - Wildstorm
Softcover Trade Paperback
144 pages
$17.99 (2008)
ISBN 9781401218157

Contributors: Peter Milligan, CP Smith, Jonny Rench, Pat Brosseau, and variant cover to #1 by Ethan Van Sciver


Reprints: The Programme #1-6 (of 12)


Synopsis: American soldiers acquire several German scientists at the end of World War II along with an embryonic, prototype superbeing.  They covertly develop a superhuman program during the Cold War, but something goes wrong.  One of the young scientists on the project rebels and alters the right wing mental conditioning being artificially induced upon the superman.  He writes in broader liberal thought patterns and ruins the project.

The "Talibstan Terror" wreaks havoc
on US military forces

Thirty years later a monstrously powerful superbeing begins wreaking havoc in Talibstan.  Nothing the US military throws at the creature can stop it.  The being wears a soldier outfit from the former USSR.  It is revealed the Soviets managed to steal information on the superhuman project from the US and built their own arsenal of monsters.  The creatures have awakened, but the world has changed.  They seek out their creator in a Siberian prison camp.

Now the US has no alternative except bringing their failed superman back online.  Max is an over-the-hill bar owner who only cares about tending bar and screwing his girlfriend.  One day some government spooks show up and bring him in for questioning.  They tell him he's got powers and is the only one who can stop the monster in Talibstan.  Yeah, right.  He's not buying it and doesn't want anything to do with the lying government.

In order to bring Max around the government unleashes their other failed superhuman - a black man who thinks he's Senator Joe McCarthy, the fanatical anti-communist!  The Soviet superhumans make a splash in the US - right on the strip in Las Vegas and start destroying everything in sight.  Will Senator Joe knock some sense into Max in time to save the day?  Don't bet on it.


Pros: Dark storyline, mature/interesting superhuman concept, lots of twists and turns


Cons: Art is hard to decipher - too dark and shaded, Max is kind of a loser superman


Mike Tells It Straight: I'm a sucker for a good deconstructed superhuman story and The Programme seemed like the perfect way to satisfy that hunger.  The setup was pretty standard with Nazi scientists taken in by the US military to perfect their superhuman experiments.  We have a group of Soviet superhumans released and running amok in today's political climate (although I don't know why Milligan didn't just use Afghanistan instead of fabricating Talibstan).

Seemed like a good setup, but the art is too murky and the plot doesn't seem fresh.  Milligan is a great writer and he does a very good job with this book - polishing up the standard liberalism ruining the fascist superhuman  plot.  I hope the second and final volume gives us a worthwhile ending.



TO BUY and Recommendations:

Supergod Hardcover Review

Supergod
Avatar
Hardcover
128 pages
$27.99 (2011)
$17.99 (2011) Trade Paperback
ISBN 9781592911004

Contributors: Warren Ellis, Garrie Gastonny, Felipe Massafera, and Digikore Studios

Reprints: Supergod #1-5 (of 5)

Synopsis: On the eve of the end of the world a scientist recounts the cause of humankind's demise.  He explains mankind's inherent urge to create deities and gods to worship as the root of our downfall.  A superhuman arms race between nations bred impossible, remorseless beings of ultimate power.  Once these beings were loosed upon the earth it was only a matter of time before the apocalypse.

Krishna's first act to save India - population control!

In India scientists create a supercomputer built within cloned flesh and fashioned to resemble the god Krishna.  China builds a man with the ability to meld flesh into complex biological structures.  The United Kingdom secretly launches astronauts into space only to have them return fused to a spacefaring meta-fungal colony.  Iran births a creature of pure, uncontrollable and destructive energy.  The United States turns one of their astronauts into the six and a half billion dollar man.

This looks kinda familiar - is it one of those visual metaphors?

Pros: Covers are interesting, Ellis writes some cool sci-fi concepts, art by Gastonny is competent, suitably dark and ominous, widescreen action (and destruction), mature

Cons: Plot has a few holes, not much explanation for some events or abilities, didn't like the tag line "Praying to be saved by a man who can fly will get you killed", Gastonny's art is not fantastic - felt like the dialogue/words didn't connect to the actual art sometimes

Mike Tells It Straight: Ellis writes a good high-concept science-fiction documentary in Supergod.  It's not your typical superhero story and puts a fanciful spin on what real-life superheroes might be like - i.e. world-destroying beings of unparalleled destruction.  The story is a commentary on human nature and our need to believe in something higher than ourselves.  Ellis is very good at this type of widescreen, super-scientific story, but the art was a bit weak (covers were neat). 

If you like Ellis' work on The Authority and Planetary then this book will be a perfect fit.  The deconstruction of the superhero genre was started way back in the early '80s by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman on Miracle Man, hit the mainstream with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Moore's Watchmen, and dragged through the mud by Rick Veitch's The One and Bratpack.  Will this be a seminal work for Ellis?  Only time will tell, but it's thoughtfully epic and a noteworthy read. 

TO BUY and Recommendations: