Gary Frank (2)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for depictions of war, PTSD, and racism. Also: death of a parent and spouse.)

Today, the world knows him as Morrie "Muddy" Davis, the artist behind the long-running Junkyard Joe comic strip. But in 1972, he was Private Davis, just one of millions of Americans deployed to Vietnam. All he wanted was to get back to his farm in Melody Hills, Indiana - and into the arms of his "girl," Rita. When his platoon is show more ambushed, Muddy is the sole survivor - him, and a mysterious robot soldier he and his comrades nicknamed "Junkyard Joe." Lying concussed in a military hospital bed, the doctors convince him to quit all the robot talk, lest he be labeled crazy. In time, Muddy even manages to convince himself that he imagined the whole thing - though this doesn't stop him from channeling his experience into his art. Until, that is, Junkyard Joe shows up on his doorstep. Hot on "Project Beta's" tail? His now disgraced rogue creator.

With the comic-within-a-comic design, JUNKYARD JOE has a meta feel to it. Johns explores wartime violence and PTSD with compassion; both Davis and Junkyard Joe are memorable protagonists with rather touching journeys. While Davis's life has been upended - again - by the death of his wife and his subsequent retirement of Junkyard Joe, Joe is haunted by memories of the war and desperately in search of a place to call home. They both find their salvation in Melody Hills, which welcomes these hometown heroes with open arms. (Hopefully the kids at Melody Hills High will extend the same compassion to the mixed-race Munn kids.)

More than anything, I found myself falling in love with Junkyard Joe - no surprise, considering I'm team Cylon all the way. He's every bit as human as you and I - and maybe more so than his nefarious creator. After defending his platoon through an act of deadly violence, Joe develops an aversion to cruelty, smashing every gun he encounters into smithereens. His compassion extends to nonhuman animals, such that when he stumbles upon a group of hunters gathered around a dying buck, he destroys their guns, chases them off, and mourns the fallen deer. (Giving HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS.)

I didn't realize it when I requested this title on NetGalley, but JUNKYARD JOE is part of Geoff Johns's "The Unnamed Universe" world (also known as "The Geigerverse"). Whereas GEIGER is set twenty-five years in the future, JUNKYARD JOE begins in 1972 and ends in present day. Though Junkyard Joe makes his first appearance in GEIGER #5 (and The Northerner is introduced at the end of JUNKYARD JOE), I think it's safe to read them out of order. In any case, GEIGER definitely jumped to the top of my reading list. show less

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

So this takes place prior to Legion of 3 Worlds, but I actually read it afterwards. I wonder what I would think if I'd read them in the proper order, because as it is, this read like a less successful widescreen Legion action story in much the same vein as Legion of 3 Worlds. There are some good ideas here (I like the idea that a 31st-century nativist group has made the Earth's sun red as a giant "screw-you" to show more Kryptonians), but the story never clicked with me like Legion of 3 Worlds did, was never quite as fun or brash or crowd-pleasing.

At least part of this is due to the art, I think. Gary Frank is a good artist, but his linework makes young people look old, and youth is one of the essential qualities of the Legion, and everything was a bit too fussy. I guess what I'm saying is that he's no George Pérez. And yes, I know that's unfair. (I also don't really care for his costume designs.)

There's a good idea here-- the diversity of the Legion standing against nativism-- but Johns doesn't quite pull off the thematic resonances, the end of the story getting kind of bogged down in a giant fight and gratuitous appearances by the Legion of Substitute Heroes. The Legion's large cast is, as always, its strength and its weakness. show less

I've been told I needed to read this for ages, and now I can see why. My knowledge of The Hulk is pretty general, and based on Wikipedia and the cartoon I watched as a child. I've never been particularly interested in him, but wow this story is great. My rating is really a 4.5 stars. I can't help but feel that if I was more familiar with the character I'd have appreciated some more of the nuances. Even coming at it with hardly any background knoweldge I really enjoyed this, I was stuck to it show more and had some real trouble putting it down.

So Hulk has been tricking by his so-called "friends" and sent off into space, obviously he's not happy about that! He ends up landing on strange planet (not the one the Illuminati intended, being kind of weak at the time he's captured and becomes a gladiator for the Red King, along with a bunch of other "monsters." What follow is kind of like The Gladiator, with a really sad ending and a big cliff hanger. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it.

I've never read a Hulk comic before so I've got nothing to compare it to, but this was an intelligent, engaging and surprisingly emotional story with lots of twists and turns. I was genuinely sad towards the end of this story! I build up a lot of sympathy for The Hulk who is often misunderstood by others but also himself. I definitely want to read what happens next in World War Hulk.

The only bit I wasn't do keen on was the last story, which had a dramatic change in artwork that I really didn't like (I found it too kiddy) and introduced a new character (Amadeus Cho) I'm not sold on yet. It sets up the direction for what is to follow though, and like I said I want more Hulk! show less

Graphic Novel Book Club January 2016

A reread, but another title I brought to the group. I have an outstanding and long-lived love for anything that JMS touches, and I remember when he came back to comics, originally, while I was managing a comic store at the end of my teenage years. I loved it overwhelmingly, and voraciously ate up everything he wrote, and I'm pleased to get to introduce it to others now.

I love this series. I love the mythology of it, and the way it handles homelessness, show more falling through the cracks and starting not to see people (which has stayed with me and how I try to look at the world, especially the homeless people in it, since reading it the first time). I love the ending, with how painful and beautiful and flawed the main character still is. show less