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UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v6.9
by Brian Domingos
Hey folks, welcome back to another installment of UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS. This week is my monthly look at some recently released trade paperbacks and Original Graphic Novels. This is just a small portion of these types of books that are published every month, so please look around to see what you might have missed.
 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION TPB
Writer/Artist: Rob Osborne
AiT/Planet Lar
$12.95
1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION might just be the most inspirational book of the year.
Through six chapters, Rob Osborne chronicles his journey from a lowly employ at a pluming wholesale company down the path to Leader of the Planet. He realizes that, no, it’s not going to be a cakewalk and that, yeah, it all starts with a plan.
He sits down at his drawing table attacking his idea like a legionnaire storming the walls, pencil in hand. He often dons a helmet and a jock strap, bracing for impact, as he formulate his plan. But it’s not easy for Rob and he struggles first with the moral aspect of the idea – Who is HE to have a plan for World Domination? Once he comes to terms with this dilemma, he’s off to the races and it’s list list list and practice practice practice.
1000 STEPS… is the punk rawk to the whiny cry-core of the skinny white guy comics. Sure, he’s a skinny white guy with a problem, but Jesus Christ – it’s time to Get Something Done. I can’t help wonder how close he is to his dream of World Domination. All the evidence is that, well, I don’t know him, yet I bought his book and put money in his pocket. That’s gotta count for something.
 GLOBAL FREQUENCY: Detonation Radio, vol. 2 TPB
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artists: Simon Bisley; Chris Sprouse & Karl Story; Lee Bermejo; Tomm Coker; Jason Pearson; Gene Ha; Brian Wood (covers)
Colors: David Baron and Art Lyon
Letters: Michael Heisler
Wildstorm Signature/DC Comics
$14.95
All though it’s not a hopeless case, the GLOBAL FREQUENCY pilot was passed over for a mid-season replacement. It was a sad thing to happen, but it was made available to be shopped around which is a good thing. Another good thing is the initial plug of the show pushed a second collection of the book, which had, I think, some of the better stories.
The “high concept” of GLOBAL FREQUENCY is, as I’ve said before: “There are 1001 people on the Global Frequency…” each with unique abilities and all hard lined together using the newest in technological experience. They use their talents and specific skills to save the day at the last moment. With the GF, help is never more than a phone call away.
The plots all rely on a specific idea, some concept that Ellis has researched or just read about, blown out into a full script. And they’re all self-contained, except Chapter 6 (issue #12) which features previous GFers. Each chapter is written by Ellis and illustrated by a handpicked artist, specifically chosen for that script.
The first story, “Detonation” makes use of Simon (LOBO) Bisley’s gruesome art style. That’s then layered on top of an underhanded terrorist plot to drop a Dirty Bomb on Germany. The TOM STRONG art team of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story switch gears in Chapter 2 where the Global Frequency crew has 60 minutes to find founder Miranda Zero before she’s executed. It’s a detective/CSI story with a bit of Ellis’ technofetish mixed in. Sprouse and Story are perfect for this story, their clean style focusing on the talking heads and verbalizing of the problem. Lee Bermejo’s Chapter 3 shows the last mission of a disgruntled, self-retired GF agent. He’s to enter a Japanese hospital where a powerful psychotropic has been unleashed on the staff. The dense line work of Bermejo and Dave Baron’s deep colors of make this story work. It’s primary lit with ambient light and it really adds to the otherworldly, chilling tone.
Tomm Coker starts up the second half of the book with “Hyperviolence.” This is an ultra-decompressed fight scene where Ellis uses the concept of ‘bio-feedback’. Bio-feedback is the “summoning [of the] body’s potential to defeat pain, heal wounds and maximize strength.” It’s a GF mission turned personal. Coker uses quick cutting, staccato panels with ink splatter – it’s gives it a much more organic feel. “Aleph” shows the ‘secret origin’ of the eyes and ears of the Frequency. The final story is “Harpoon” and it’s by Gene Ha and Art Lyons. Here, a couple former GFers join up to find out how to stop a US satellite and weapon from dropping its payload on downtown Chicago. It’s a bit like what Micah Wright did in the end of the first STORMWATCH: Team Achilles tpb. Gene Ha’s artwork and the makeshift astronaut make this one of my favorites.
The charm of GLOBAL FREQUENCY is that Ellis is an info-junky so there’s a ton of concepts in these pages that you won’t find in other mainstream comics. The scripts aren’t perfect by any means, but there are enough cool moments to make these stories fun re-reads.
 THE WALKING DEAD: Miles Behind Us, vol. 2 TPB
Writer/Letters: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Tones: Cliff Rathburn
Image Comics
$12.95
I enjoyed the first volume of THE WALKING DEAD so much that I had to have the new book. It’s funny to me, because the general idea is about as generic as you can get, but the appeal of the book is the characterization. Kirkman has wrapped a handful of interesting people in the trappings of a apocalyptic zombie book. Zombies are everywhere and these people need to survive. The drama of being human and alone brings these people together and puts butts in the seats.
That’s not to say that the plot twists don’t help. Because of the generally expendable cast, you can imagine anything happening to them. Kirkman stacks the pile higher and higher as Rick and Co. struggle to stay two steps ahead of the zombie’s stagger. He gives us a pregnant Lori, where the Rick/Shane conflict can bubble over. He adds new cast members and gives them all new senses of hope only to rip them away.
Most importantly, Kirkman ignores the ‘every issue is someone’s first’ and jumps straight into the story. There’s little exposition and mostly just cold interactions and the feeling that things will never get better. There are tremendous ups and downs as the crew travels the frozen highways and side streets looking for a place to catch their breath. Kirkman keeps it fresh, though, because a warm and comfortable cast isn’t all that interesting.
The art chores this time around were handed over to Charlie (ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE) Adlard with tones from Kirkman’s other cohort Cliff Rathburn. Adlard’s a much different artist from the more slick stylings of Tony Moore, but it’s a good fit. His strengths are in the layouts and the storytelling and here, there’s a lot of room for the silent moments. The black & white nature leaves room for Adlard’s stark visuals and Rathburn’s subtle shading.
I’ve heard nothing but praise for the first book of THE WALKING DEAD, but honestly, this was much more entertaining. It’s rich, full chapters and edge-of-your-seat suspense. I can’t wait for volume three.
 LAZARUS JACK OGN
Writer: Mark Ricketts
Artist: Horacio Dominguez
Dark Horse Books
$14.95
After the last Mark Ricketts OGN, DIORAMAS, I had some hesitation. The good thing about OGNs is that you get the story all at once, in one swoop. The bad thing is that it’s got one shot to impress or at least compel you to finish it. I did see a couple preview pages and I liked the artwork so off I went…
Seventy years ago, Jackson “Lazarus Jack” Pierce was a world famous escape artist, living in the deep shadow of Harry Houdini. He was a good showman and well liked in his own right, but he needed more. He dabbled with some Dark Forces and made a deal that resulted in the disappearance and alleged death of his wife and children. This ruined Jack and he spent the next sixty odd years catatonic, eventually ending up in a retirement home.
Cut to the Present and Jack’s visited by a man called Nemo who has a proposition for him. Jack agrees, is granted his youth back and agrees to Nemo’s terms. What he wants is a magic glove that Jack had three score ago that enhanced his powers. Nemo requires that and Jack wants his family back so it’s an even trade as far as he’s concerned. This sends Jack on a time spanning, dimension hopping adventure has he learns the fates of his children and slowly figures out what’s going on.
Jack’s real fault is that he easily gets blinded by distraction and doesn’t focus on what’s in front of him. This leads him down some dangerous and confusing roads. By the end, though, it’s nicely resolved with a place to potentially kick-start a sequel.
The script shows just how resilient Ricketts’ ideas are. He’s not afraid to tackle new or stretch the boundaries of bizarre genres. LJ is so utterly different from his other books that it’s hard to see it as one of his works. It’s a tight script, though, that balances the shifts in dimensions and manages to throw a couple curve balls. It’s a straightforward story, but not a simple one.
A big selling point is the artwork by Dominguez. It’s a more open, European style that looks more like a heavily produced cartoon than any comic you might find. The pages are rich in detail, which helps to define the exotic backdrops of the script. He expertly handled the quiet scenes as well as the chaotic magical action scenes.
So as far as OGNs go, this is a good one. Lazarus Jack is a rather interesting characters and I’d happily read another story about him and his adventures. Ricketts wrote a solid story and Dominguez pull out all the stops. Give LAZARUS JACK a look.
Upcoming
Items of note shipping December 22, 2004
OCT040332 AUTHORITY REVOLUTION #3 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
OCT040277 DC: THE NEW FRONTIER, VOL. 1 TPB
DC Comics
$19.95
I really respect Darwyn Cooke as a creator and I really wanted to like DC: The New Frontier but there always seemed to be a part that didn’t work for me. I’d like to give it another shot, though, and I’m excited for this tpb. The new cover’s been shown around a bit, and it’s a gorgeous. I can’t quite understand why the series is being split into two books, but I’m sure they’ll both look nice.
OCT040290 JLA: CLASSIFIED #2
DC Comics
$2.95
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever – Part Two of Grant Morrison’s return to the Justice League. Batman is about to take on Gorilla Grodd’s minions in a big way; I can’t wait for this.
OCT040359 LOSERS #19 (MR)
Vertigo/DC Comics
$2.95
Part Four of, “The Pass” wraps up the story of The Losers’ ‘final mission’ – it’s the one that went bad and sent them underground. I’m enjoying it quite a bit and I really can’t wait to see how it ends.
OCT040344 SLEEPER, SEASON TWO #7 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
OCT040303 SOLO #2
DC Comics
$4.95
This issue of SOLO is Richard Corben and it’s going to be a hit or miss for a lot of people. Corben’s a bit of an acquired taste and I’m not sure why DC had him do issue number two. Still, it should look nice, and I’m curious to see what he can do.
OCT040307 WONDER WOMAN #211
DC Comics
$2.25
Last issue was a quite a doozy and had more than enough action for all the folks who’ve been clamoring for it for the last year. I’m sometimes one of those and boy oh boy did Greg Rucka, Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder deliver. It was a shock ending I was not expecting and I don’t know how Rucka’s going to get WW out of it. This really is one of the best monthly books out there.
OCT041802 MYSTIQUE: UNNATURAL, VOL. 3 TPB
Marvel Comics
$13.99
Well, MYSTIQUE is ending soon. This is the first collection of Sean McKeever’s ‘run’ on the title. He doesn’t seem to have the best luck with these Marvel books, but I’m going to give this a shot. They’re playing Mystique straight, doing the espionage thing and it works. He’s the perfect one for subterfuge so why the hell not? The first two books weren’t half bad an hopefully this’ll be good, too.
SEP042826 KILLER PRINCESSES TPB (RES) (MR)
Oni Press
$9.95
I almost can’t believe it. No, no, no, really. I can’t this was solicited and then canceled about a year ago. (A little less, but whatever.) I don’t even think I’ve read part three. I just can’t believe it’s finally shipping. Gail Simone wrote a hilarious script and Lea Hernandez’s art was adorable.
SEP042497 MATRIX COMICS, VOL. 2 TPB
Burlyman
$21.95
The first volume of MATRIX COMICS was out about a year ago. I don’t remember if I’d been disappointed by THE MATRIX: Revolutions yet, but these comics filled that gap I had pretty well. I don’t know why it took another year to ship, but I’ll take it.
Brian Domingos is the Columns Editor at PopImage. You can reach him with comments via email.
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