The Pull Box: New Comic Wednesday reviews

[MPorter]

Thumbprint #1 by Jason Ciaramelia and Vic Malhotra
based on the novella by Joe Hill
Publisher: IDW

I should say upfront that I have not read the novella so I can't contrast and compare the two. I'm a big believer though that adaptations need to be able to stand on their own merits and I think 'Thumbprint' does. I will also admit my bias in really enjoying Hill's previous forays into comics: 'Locke and Key' and 'The Cape'. This story does not feel like either of those though.

Both 'Locke and Key' and 'The Cape' establish pretty quickly an other-worldliness to their stories. One is supernatural. The other is superhero. 'Thumbprint' however feels much more grounded in the real world.

This is not a 'for all ages' book. The story set up in the first issue is the story of a woman returned from military duty in Abu Ghraib back to civilian life. Still haunted by the things that she did in Iraq. Malhotra uses a very muted palate with his art which adds to the grainy/gritty quality of the story.

It is rare for a comic to make me "feel" but this book managed to trigger my outrage. I had a very visceral repugnance to the flashbacks in Iraq which set up an interesting dynamic in my head. The main character isn't necessarily the most likeable or the most relate-able character. But she is a very 'real' character. So the things that start to happen to her also feel very real.

This is only the first issue of a three issue mini-series so a lot of this issue is set-up. Already though I can see that this story is as much about the mark that we leave behind (our thumbprint on the world, if you will) as it is about literal thumbprints.

I'm hoping that the payoff in issues two and three are equal to the set-up done in this first issue.

Rating: $3.50 out of $3.99

 

[Glisterspeck]

It's only three issues? Will it get to a trade at that length (I thought they usually ran 4-6 to fill out a trade). Locke and Key is my favorite comic going at the moment. The cape, on the other hand, I found pretty soulless. There was nothing to like at all about the main character. The art, on the other hand, I loved. I'll take a look at Thumbprint after it wraps up. Is it IDW?

 

[MPorter]

The cape, on the other hand, I found pretty soulless.... I'll take a look at Thumbprint after it wraps up. Is it IDW?

Edited the post to include the publisher. Thanks for pointing that out! (I'm still getting my 'review legs' under me. It is indeed IDW.

Soulless is a pretty apt description for the main character in 'The Cape'. The Cape-1969 puts the first book into a bit more context but if you hated the first you might not want to check out the prequel.

Cheers!

~Mike

 

[MPorter]

The Extinction Parade #1 by Max Brooks and Raulo Caceres
Publisher: Avatar

Some people credit Max Brooks as one of the architects for the modern zombie literary resurgence. Some people prefer to call it blame rather than credit. Regardless of your take on the genre and the inevitable cries and puns that it's all been done to death, it's hard to deny that 'The Zombie Survival Guide' was ground zero for the outbreak.

So Max Brooks returns to the genre that he sent lurching off into the world with 'The Extinction Parade'. In typical Avatar fashion (they are the people that bring you 'Crossed' after all) it is graphic and gory. This first issue is a little light on development and a little heavy on spectacle. Lots of bodies. Lots of entrails. Lots of blood.

I don't think it is too big of a spoiler to tell you that the premise for the story is zombies vs vampires. Whenever you mix two competing horror genres you run the risk of shark-jumping. The only way to avoid it is to flesh out the vampire society. There's not much you can do with the zombies. They are what they are. So you have to make the vampires interesting.

Does Brooks succeed? Not entirely. The narrative voice is nicely detached as one might expect from elitist inhuman hunters but that creates a lot of distance between the reader and the characters. Without a connection to the characters all we are left with is the spectacle.

And Brooks promises us a lot of spectacle to come.

His vampires have a lot more in common with Kate Beckinsale and 'Underworld' than they do with Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. They drop off of buildings and land without damage. They flit from treetop to treetop. It's all a bit more superhero than supernatural.

If you are looking for an interesting story using zombie/vampire tropes -this probably isn't it. If you're looking for some ultra-violence then you might want to check it out. Maybe Brooks will surprise with the second issue and deliver a more character driven story. If he does I'll be back to write a second review in which I eat my hat.

Till then I'll give it a rating of $2.99 out of 3.99

~Mike