Comic NEWS! Dark Horse brings Ghost back

Dark Horse Comics' gonna bring back Ghost this year!
Ghost, that's right!
Remember her?

Dark Horse will launch a new series featuring Elisa Cameron this summer.

She will first make a quick comeback in Dark Horse Presents #13 before having a new on-going returned to her.


Ghost will now be written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and illustrated by Phil Noto!

It's gonna be a simple reboot, rather than a continuation of her previous series.


Noto redesigned her look as you can see above and below, and there's a nice interview of both creators on comicbookresources
Ghost will start back from her origins/mysterious murder story-arc.


She was one of Dark Horse's most successful original creations.
We'll see how this turn out if will be the worthy successor of the original comic that launched Adam Hughes' career.

Check out some more sketches by Phil Noto:

Nice designs. A bit less classy (exposing more leg-action and whatnot), but still captures pretty much the same feel as the original.

Wait and see~

AtoZ - B is for... The B.R.P.D.

Eyz' ComicBook Alphabet Challenge! 
Today, B is for... The B.P.R.D.!!

New letter!

I wasn't sure if I was gonna keep this alphabet strictly "superheroic" or not...but I guess I won't be only  using "capes" for this personal challenge!
Today's character is © by Dark Horse comics

ComicPanelsOfTheWeek: I got a friend

(Click for bigger pic)

From the pages of Star Wars Legacy #14 © Dark Horse Comics

CBR Dr. Horrible

You watched the webisodes and love both the DVD and CD of Dr. Horrible?
Well, here's more of Captain Hammer, Moist, Bad Horse and all the others!

Comic title: Dr. Horrible and other Horrible Stories
Written by Zack Whedon
Art by Joelle Jones, Jim Rugg, Farel Dalrymple, Eric Canete

Published by Dark Horse Comics
From 2010
Lineup Dr. Horrible
Format: Trade paperback containing Dr. Horrible #1, all three digital comics from MySpace Dark Horse Presents and a new original sixteen-page one-shot.


When you want to start off a media franchise, most of the times companies go to Dark Horse Comics for the comic book part.
That's what Joss Whedon did with his Firefly/Serenity and Buffy series.

Since Dr. Horrible was such a huge hit with fans and went on  to win several awards... he couldn't let this untapped idea full of potential go to waste...

This comic is sort of a Dr. Horrible's prequel

The Dr. Horrible comics started first with 3 tie-in comics published online on Dark Horse's page and collected in omnibus collection full of other online comics called MySpace Dark Horse Presents...
Then a one-shot was published as a stand alone comic.
This Trade Papaerback collects all that, one new original story and connects all stories through a larger plot.

All are written by Zack Whedon, the art used in all these comics are all quite distinct, mostly cartoony and the main characters for story really stand out and are quite recognizable.
There's also a great introduction by the cast & crew of the live version of Dr. Horrible.

Bad Horse! Bad Horse! Bad Horse, He’s Bad!

Who is this comic for?
Well, mostly fans of Dr. Horrible.
The stories go to a great lenght of creating a background to each characters...but you'll be lost in all this probably if you're not familiar with them..

All the stories happen and are constructed around a signing of Captain Hammer in the park.
It happens just before the movie itself, before Horrible receives his invitation to the Evil League of Evil and finishes his Freeze Ray.
One story covers Captain "Nathan Fillion" Hammer and his reaction to fans and villains, another why Penny was so alone, the secret origin of Moist and why he joined Horrible, Doc' Horrible's background and hatred for heroes and finally a special tale of the Evil League and Bad Horse.

All stories are pretty good and in the same spirit of the movie (well...minus the singing..).
It's a very nice way to start off a little expanded universe for this, now, media-franchise and perfect to read while awaiting for the recently announced Dr. Horrible 2!

Overall, a nice, decent enough, Dr. Horrible comic series!
They're perfectly in tone with the actual Dr. Horrible movie, Zack Whedon took specially care of the characters' portrayal.

The birth of the archenemies-dynamic between Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible is well presented and thanks to the different character tales, well structured.

A good read for fans, non-fans might check it out if they're curious about these characters.
Read it if you sound interested by all of this!~

I give it:

  2 / 3 FlamingCarrots!

CBR Predator: Concrete Jungle

It's time for more Predator stuff!

Today's review, the comic book that inspired the name for that Predator game!

Comic title: Predator: Concrete Jungle
Art by Chris Warner & Ron Randall
Written by Mark Verheiden

Published by Dark Horse Comics
From 1990
Lineup Predator
Format: Trade paperback collecting Predator #1-4

Just after starting making comics about the Alien franchise in '88, 20th Century Fox launched a Predator line as well under the same publisher, Dark Horse.

It wasn't to adapt the movie, but to expand the franchise, to create a whole new original universe, which is in my eyes a better move, more creative in the end.

Concrete Jungle was the first story-arc that was created from '89 to 1990. It set the bar for future Predator comics as well as developed new concepts that would be kept in the movies later on...

Schaefer's brother is about to have one helluva week...

The story opens this time in New York City.
Detective Schaefer and his partner Detective Rasche are caught between turf wars between gang lords...
The city is havin' sort of a crisis, shoot-outs, war, high criminality... and a very hot summer time!

That is when our story's Predator decide to pick on the locals.

You probably guessed it, the story (which was in fact created before the movie) has a very familiar set-up.
Predator 2 might be an original sequel but does recycle lots of elements from this comic book!
As many as it almost seems like a comic book adaptation rather than the "original" sequel you thought it was!
But don't think the two follow the same path.
Predator 2 might share many similar aspects, Concrete Jungle doesn't share as much elements..for only the first of the 3 acts takes place in the city amongst gang wars...

This time around, the mano-a-mano fight takes place in the middle of the story...

The story follows this newly introduced brother to Schwarzennegger's character in the first Predator movie.
Schaefer follows the gangs... and meets his very first Predator in NYC in the first issue!
The fight it out...and Schaefer gets "tagged".

Is this monster connected to his brother disappearance?
What's the link with this mysterious conspiration and government guys?
What's General Phillips hidding from him about these creatures?

Schaefer tracks down the monster to South America, Columbia, where he ends face to face with it as well as a drug lord...
Big classic mano-a-mano combat against the alien...
Schaefer is now in possession of a Pred helmet..goes back to Big Apple...and...

It's an invasion!!

The final act brings the character back to the streets of NY...
And a Predator invasion!!

You see, Concrete Jungle isn't the same kind of story as the ones seen on theatres..
It's a lot more epic on a scale-aspect, more scifi-ysh and, even if written before P2, bridges the gap between those two kind of movies.
The first part of the movie, very much like Predator 2, tries to bring new elements and a new setting to the franchise. (unlike the movie, it's not in LA but New York)
The second part goes back to the jungle, much familiar, and has the big confrontation take place in the middle of the story...
The final act rather than trying to redo more "one on one" combats against the Predator or something of the same scope, goes wider, wilder and ends the story in a much climatic final.

The writing, as with most Dark Horse comics, is pretty consistent, well done.
Not incredible, but it works for this kind of movie/tv-to-comic adaptation.
The art is pretty nice, the new Predators are similar to the movie ones, yet kinda unique as well.
Only the color is sort of "moody". Like red-ysh in crisis, dangerous situations, yellow-ysh for dialogues, etc...

Overall, it's a great Predator entry in the franchise!

It would even work as a movie (I like to count it as the real 3rd movie, with the other Concrete Jungle game as the next one and Predators as the 5th "big Predator story").
It predates (arf :P) the 2nd movie, offers the same basis, yet could easily work in the franchise after that installment.

I really dig this comic.
Sure, there might have been better Predator comics later on, but this one set the bar and the foundations of future Predator works.
It introduced many aspects such as their "civilisation" aspect (a whole specie of alien hunters, which we only thought there was only one in P1), new weapons, their spaceships, and many more!
The story also partially uses the fact that the government knows about these monsters, which is one of the main plots of Predator 2.

Anyway, if you like the monster, the movies or are interested in checkin' some good ol' scifi comics from the 90s, you might wanna try Concrete Jungle!

I give it:

  2 / 3 Aaylas!

CBR Ghost OMNIBUS: Vol. 1

Something new! Something different!

Like always, my goal with these Comic Reviews is to shine some light on some underrated books or show my opinion on the more mainstream titles.
This time, it's a little lesser-known book, called...

Comic title: Ghost OMNISBUS: Volume 1
Written by Eric Luke
Art by Adam Hughes, Terry Dodson, Scott Benefiel, Matt Haley and more!
Colors by Various...

Published by Dark Horse Comics
From 2008
Lineup Ghost
Format: Omnibus-Trade paperback containing Ghost Special #1, Ghost vol.1 #1-12, and "Sweet Things" from Decade of Dark Horse #2.

During the 90s, most comic books were all about super giant buff dudes with tons of pouches, guns and ammo everywhere or skinny underage girls doing karaté kicks with barely any clothes on (nor a proper body structure). You may know this era as the glorious Rob Liefeld years, the rise of Image comics. During that time ever at Marvel or DC, it was all about supra-muscular heroes with irrealistic guns, big angry dudes with 'tude. Marvel had the X-Force, Cable, etc.. DC had Superman using guns, Azrael, etc..

Few "original" new titles tried a different approach.

Ghost is a comic series about a dead woman that came back to life as a, well, a ghost and was trying to find how she died, why and who killed her.

A ghost using guns? Now that's something you don't see everyd..AGH!..

Well, to be honest, it's not too far from the 90s typical successful series. But it uses its own twists!
Eric Luke created is own twisted unique universe with Ghost.

Elisa Cameron died in unknown circonstances for some reason. But she can't remember anything from her past life, the details are blurry and she only grasps some little facts about her past life.

Now as a ghost, Elisa can pass through walls/kinda everything. Though she seems to be unable to pass through nor break jade...
She doesn't know why, she doesn't understand how things work now.
She can also turn invisible. To combat crime, she uses two little double .45 calibers (when the bullets leave the gun they became material while Elisa can still stay in her immaterial form).

Bit by bit, she remembers or find more about her past. And the story follows Elisa/Ghost as she wreak havoc through the city of Arcadia.

This first omnibus collects her very first and earliest adventures.

She even got quite a memorable rogue gallery during her early run~

This series never was a huge hit back in the day. I suspect a lack of interest from the 90s comic book readers for a book without huge muscular dudes, anorexic girls or gigantic guns. That would explain some later Dark Horse crossovers with Ghost and other more marketable characters...

But it woudn't be for a lack of quality, talent involved or originality!

This omnibus covers her first adventures.
Trying to understand her condition, meeting her first villains (Joe Yimbo , Dr. October, Cameron Nemo ..), finding her sister again...
I kinda prefer the issues featuring her own cast than the crossover ones trying to raise interest in the book.
X (appears in the very first issue and many others), Dark Horse answer to the extreeeeeeme~ attitude is kinda ok, in an "over the top" kind of way.
But I could do without Barb Wire, King Tiger and the Furies... 

Eric Luke is a pretty good writer, the whole story has a sort of mystery/noir/detective/crime/hardboiled feel to it. (apart from crossovers, which are you usual superhero stuff)
There's a lot of contribution from famous and cult artists, specially Adam Hughes, which I love the style, and Terry Dodson. I don't really find these page to have aged that much.

 
Overall, it's very immersive story.
It's very easy to lose yourself in the streets of Arcadia, with it's grim and art deco-ysh settings.

The story is pretty original and unique. You'll find yourself asking for answers, wanting to know more about the "hellish place" Elisa shortly goes in everytime she teleports across the city.
I personally really dig Nemo, the satan-like figure she created which becomes a regular foe for Ghost.

These omnibus Dark Horse's been releasing are a very fun way to discover comic runs from the past, from the early 80s to the 2000s. I'd say, if you're interested in this whole story and character, give it a try ;)

I give it:

  2 / 3 FlamingCarrots!

Blog entry06

Ah!
Finally finished that Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on the Xbox 360!
Finally, cause it was turning a bit repetitive at the end.

I kinda like those recent Spider-man games for the "being Spider-man in New York" aspect. Yes even the movie games. But they aren't very good, it's a fact. Treyarch, responsible for most of them since the first movie and billed as co-developer on this last one, are  getting a bit lazy each new game...

This game should have used some little Arkham Asyleum aspects. Not talking gameplay-wise or spirit, this is Spidey afterall.. But on the development aspect of the game.
Like using actual Spider-writers.
The plot was pretty bad and stupid (I'm sure 12 years old will love the symbiote/Venom/dark suit aspect of the game... but seriously, I couldn't count the plotholes on my hand nor the absurdly bad written dialogue!)
And the game could have used some past Spider-man cartoon voice actors. Only Wolverine (dubbed by the same guy from the Wolverine & the X-men cartoon series) was good, I mean really good. And compared to his acting, the others sounded reaaaally bad, I mean worse than they actually were. And Spider-man, who's the main character in this, huh, spider-man game, was sooo bad..... Arg...
It seems like they voice acted the scenes in chronological order. The game started really bad, with a Spidey not sure he was voicing him good then went a bit geeky and over the top.. but got kinda average/ok around the end. So I started a new game (to unlock the new game + mode) and realized how bad he truly was at the start of the game... yuck....

Anyway, final words on this game. Fun physics, decent gameplay, average fighting system, repetitive missions/sequences, fun web slinging, nice boss scenes, bad story, bad Spider-man, great Wolverine and not enough cameos (really? Only Moonknight, Black Cat and Luke Cage stayed in this symbiote-invaded NYC? I can buy the Fantastic Four and Avengers being out saving the universe, which they mentioned, but were was the Punisher or Daredevil? you know, those who know Spidey and usually meet him in every day New York stories??)...
 
Oh yeah, and the game box totally makes you think Venom would join your side as your Dark ally like Wolverine does for the good side... but since he's the one causing all this (totally out of character too), he's only the Godzilla-like final boss (King Ghidorah-style).
I would kinda have prefered they use another symbiote, say Carnage, as the one causing all the trouble and have Eddie Brock join and help Spidey instead! That way it would have been 1) true to the character's personality and 2)totally kickass for kids, I'm sure they would have loved Carnage in this mess game.

Oh, and I played me some Puzzle Bobble 2 the other day.
Also known as Bust-A-Move 2.
Really fun game^___^
Tought I should share this pic with ya:

Yes, making your own Puzzles is totally fun and they don't even turn out easy all the time once you try them. (mostly because of the random colours you may get)

Playing this on the Sega Saturn, in case you're wondering.

I've been reading the Ghost Omnibus Volume 2 lately.
She's a nice original character from Dark Horse. The comic book publisher that not only makes a ton of comic adaptations (Terminator, Predator, Aliens, Star Wars, Serenity, etc..) but created a lot of very imaginative characters which were brought alive in movies with more or less success along the years (The Mask, Hellboy, Sin City, Barb Wire, Mystery Men...)

But I'm not here to talk to you about Ghost right here, nope.
But X.

 X... for...X-cellent deep storyline with complex character development and X-traordinary writing?

What or Who is X exactly???
The most insance X-TREME character I've seen in a comic book in a long time....
You know, during the 90s, when comics went all X-TREME with comic artists/writers such as Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarlane.. Well, DC had their darker and grittier enemies like Darkseid or Bane defeat both Superman and Batman, Marvel went nuts into X-Force and many other spinoff titles around gun crazy mutants like Cable and such..
X was Dark Horse answer to the super popular Image Comics character Spawn.

X-TREME!!!

But allow me to read (write) you a little official description of X:
"[The] Dark Horse series that made "grim and gritty" superheroes seem like cuddly plush toys. Violent and morally ambiguous, X walks the thin line between heroism and obssession (...), the cure may be worse than the disease..."

That's right. He makes grim and gritty looks like plush toys.
That guy's insane!
You gotta love the over the top, insane level of X-TREME comics went on during the 90s...
I don't really know this character that much, and honestly don't really wanna read his own series, but the few issues he's guest-starred in Ghost were more than enough to me to know how X-TREME he really is!!

Look at the guy! He lost one eye, has a cape that would make Spawn jealous, use tons of guns, never dies, walks over fire with no problem whatsoever despite his leather costume... he's X-TREME!!!

Oh, and you gotta admire the guy's costume. A lock at his neck. And just imagine him every morning tying all the red laces...
And is that... a corset???