Review: The Victories #2 AND The Victories – Touched

A month ago, I wrote a glowing review for Michael Oeming’s The Victories #1. I was so happy to be reading an ongoing about a new superhero team that didn’t have to stick towards the strict family-friendly guidelines that books at Marvel and DC have to do that I couldn’t stop myself from writing my longest review on a single issue to date. It also left me wondering where the series came from and what kind of future it would have. Now that I’ve looked at The Victories #2 and The Victories: Touched, I can only say that the future of this ongoing…really looks like a mixed bag. This is a long one folks, so hang on tight. Let’s do this.

Let’s start with The Victories: Touched, the original miniseries that spawned the full ongoing. Honestly, I didn’t really care for it. The story focuses on Faustus, one of the key members of the Victories, a team of superheroes during the time of…well, actually, despite being a prequel series to that first issue I reviewed, there’s a lot less setup here, just letting the world speak for itself. Honestly, given how well the opening narration built the world in the first issue, I wish there was more here, but I guess it’s not all that relevant.

It’s hard to talk about the plot of this one without giving it away, but the basic gist is that Sai, another team member, asks Faustus to track down his brother, a former hero turned drug addict known as The Strike. You might remember me talking about the Strike in the last issue as a really interesting character I wish I knew more about. Well, it turns out that Strike used to study at The Mark’s School of Self-Defense with Faustus, but they don’t get along anymore, as he blames Faustus for what happened during their training. In this volume, he’s a lot more bitter and angry than he appeared in the ongoing, so it will be interesting to see how Oeming ties the two series together, though I definitely hope he sticks more to his current persona as this mysterious being taking advantage of his deformities in the shadows of this newly darkened world.

The rest of the story is…really, really dark. I’m serious. If you’re one of those people with a faint heart, or you’re thinking of buying this for a younger person because there are superheroes involved, don’t do it. I will give Oeming a lot of credit for his decision, though. I’m not sure if such a dark place was necessary, but it was an interesting take on the concept, and the ending really packs a punch, which is all one can really hope for from a story I suppose.

It’s one of those comics that reads better the less you think about it, sadly. There were some odd choices that really stood out to me. It begins with melodramatic, omniscient narration coming from seemingly nowhere, as the source is never explained. The first chapter has several moments that scream Frank Miller, namely an interview sequence and the first signs that Faustus is clearly an alcoholic; nowadays, that’s not what I’d call a good thing, and it reads as clumsily here as it did there. In the second section, the concept of Float is awkwardly jammed in through a flashback sequence of a character we hadn’t met yet, which made initial reads quite confusing. 

And most egregiously, Oeming commits the cardinal sin of giving us first person narration from a character, but refusing to actually give us the full info of what’s happening in his mind. Faustus does this on a regular basis, and it continually irritates me, as it’s a major pet peeve of mine. No one thinks to themselves ‘I hope Vladimir doesn’t discover my secret.’ They think ‘I hope Vladimir doesn’t find out that I’m the one who took twenty dollars from his wallet when he wasn’t looking’ because there’s no reason to hide something like that when it’s your own head. If you want vagueness, stay out of a character’s head. It’s that simple.

The big saving grace for this book is the Jackal, who is the central villain of the miniseries. He presents a very interesting moral dilemma for Faustus, and the dynamic is similar to what would happen if the Punisher decided to mess around with Dick Grayson and show him vigilantism was the only way to get anything done. Actually, the Punisher with the foulest mouth imaginable and a dab of Joker for good measure is probably the best way to describe the Jackal. It’s that captivating personality that keeps you reading this book. Well, that and the glorious art on which Oeming once again delivers.

Do I recommend it for $9.99? Kind of? I know that seems weak, but you are getting five issues here, as well as some interesting art at the back of the book detailing the process of how Faustus and the Jackal came to be, for about $2 each. That’s a major steal in the comic world. As long as you’re aware that the book definitely has its flaws, you can have some fun with it. That said, I will say that it doesn’t compare to the ongoing very well. Characters are far more complex and fleshed out (D.D. Mau especially got a major overhaul between the miniseries and the ongoing that makes her far more interesting) now that Oeming’s had time to figure some things out, so I’d only read it if you’re a completionist or someone who really loves seeing a world come together.

This brings us to The Victories #2, a comic that…is the definition of a mixed bag. I can’t get into the why as much as I did for the miniseries because a single issue only has so much content I can cover without devolving into spoiler territory. While the last issue focussed on D.D. Mau, this one centers on the team’s leader, Metatron, still recovering from his fight with Bacchus. While he’s out of sorts and trying to determine the cause of some visions he’s had recently, he and the rest of the Victories must respond to the threat presented by Tarcus, who escaped from jail at the end of the previous issue and is now wreaking carnivorous havoc on civilians and heroes alike.

The best part of this issue by far is Metatron’s character as he’s presented in this issue. Again, I’m not willing to give much away, but his attempts to maintain a strong persona as leader of the group despite being out of sorts presents a lot of depth to his character, and the issues with which he struggles are in equal measures foreign and identifiable. That won’t make sense until you read the issue, but making a character both human and superhuman at the same time is something only the best writers can do, and Oeming does it brilliantly.

What he unfortunately does not handle so brilliantly is the villain of the piece. This is actually starting to look like a trend in this book, so I figure I should throw up the warning signs now while I still can. The Victories is a book about heroes. It is not, however, a book about the villains. As of now, these villains serve as nothing but revolving doors. Even in the miniseries, smaller villains would emerge and take center stage for a chapter before switching back again. And worst of all, any power that one might have seen in Tarcus is taken away by a decision that completely undermines his authority. In an attempt to avoid spoilers, let’s just say I’ve had enough of a certain trend in comics, and seeing it here is disappointing.

For $3.99, you can do far worse than The Victories #2, which earns it my recommendation, if much less strongly than the first issue earned it. The Metatron bits are really well done, the action scenes are a lot of fun, and the art on this series continues to blow me away. That said, I’m starting to worry about the writing of this series, as seeing new villain after new villain with only a tenuous connection at best gets old quickly. Let’s hope this series comes out swinging for issue #3.

Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. He believes in Oeming and loves the heroes; he just wants a villain he can sink his teeth into. Is that so wrong? Probably. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA, follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.

Review: The Victories #1

The Victories #1 is truly a rare treat when it comes to comics. Originally having a run in Dark Horse Presents, Michael Avon Oeming was granted a miniseries, the collection of which I’ll be reviewing in early June when it’s released. Now, it’s received its own ongoing, becoming the first real superhero team Dark Horse has seen since The End League in 2008. Does the story live up to the promise from the miniseries that got it this far? Let’s find out after the break.
Full disclosure: I sadly missed the original miniseries run of The Victories, so I’m reviewing this comic purely on its own merits. There is a character that appears in the end that feels like a character that would have appeared earlier in the series, given his lack of proper introduction, so I’m not going to say anything about him that could spoil it for other readers except the power set is awesome and I’m looking forward to seeing where Oeming goes with him.

First, let’s talk about the art. If you’ve read an Oeming comic before, you know what to expect. I for one am a big fan of his style, and am happy to see it appear in a non-diluted form. There’s a lot of pressure given the permeance of superheroes in comic culture to create something that matches what one would expect a superhero to look like. And with characters like Metatron, that ends up being the case. Yet Oeming’s style helps them stand out, even when using a more traditional template. Look at the cover here to see what I mean. I might not know how to describe it well, but I really do enjoy it.

The story presented here is excellent, and serves as a nice introduction for those, like me, who were unfortunate enough to have missed the initial miniseries run. The Victories are a team of superheroes brought together by Metatron, the most powerful hero of the bunch. At some point in the past, there was an accident that turned everything to shit. The power’s gone, people, including villains, are panicking, and no knows if things will ever go back to the way they were before. However, this accident has also granted certain individuals these superpowers, most of which seem to relate to the individual possessing them on a personal level.

The hero on which this particular issue focuses is D.D. Mau, and fortunately for this comic, she doesn’t fall into anything you’d usually think of when you think about female superheroes. She’s portrayed as strong willed, but quite insecure on the inside. The changes granted to her by the accident are both for the better and worse, as they grant her abilities she’s always wanted while also having a downside that preys upon her worst insecurities. I won’t spoil anything here, but believe me when I say there’s a ton of depth to the character worth exploring, and I look forward to learning more about her and the rest of the cast.

The other really great positive of this issue is the dialogue presented. If you’re anything like me, superhero comics at DC and Marvel can feel way too wholesome at times. Are we really supposed to believe that Batman doesn’t want to drop a few F-bombs when the Joker is causing chaos all over the city? Obviously, those companies are restricted by the audience they want to pursue and the image they hold, but without those restrictions, Oeming has created a far more natural team of superheroes. They’re flawed people. They get angry. They fight amongst each other. They even use each other for personal reasons. And they curse as often Louis C. K. does on his standup. But you know what? That’s exactly what characters in this situation would do. They want to keep the peace and pursue good, but that doesn’t mean they’re angels that always do the right thing. And through these characters, there’s a lot of natural conflict that can develop, in addition to the standard “hero vs. villain” fare.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The Strike, a former hero that’s now…well, I’m not entirely sure, actually? He could just be a druggie, or he could be a new villain just waiting to happen. I honestly can’t predict where his story arc will end up (though having a couple friends who partake in…recreational activities on a regular basis, his comments on ‘expanding the consciousness  were particularly funny to me), but I know I am utterly fascinated by the character, even more so than D. D. Mau. That’s not a knock on D. D., mind you, but The Strikes philosophies are utterly fascinating, and touch on the underlying theme of transformation that pervades this issue in a really powerful way. I knew I was going to love this comic after his opening narration, and when he appeared again later in the comic, I found myself being strangely drawn to the guy. I don’t know if he appeared before (D. D. seemed to recognize him), but I sure hope this isn’t the last we see of him.

I can’t honestly remember the last time I rambled this long about a single issue of a comic. It’s not that I haven’t read great comics before; heck, I read a great comic earlier this week. Perhaps its just refreshing to see a true superhero comic done by a writer and artist I really enjoy. Actually, yeah, that and really excellent theming just about sums up why this comic is more than worth the $3.99 cover price. Don’t worry if you’ve haven’t read a Victories comic before. Just makes sure you read this one.

Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. He’s always happy when he can add a new superhero team to his list of “must reads”, and this certainly ends up on that list. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA,  follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.

Review: Wild Rover and The Sacrifice

Wild Rover and The Sacrifice is a one-shot published by Dark Horse Comics written by Michael Oeming, who (if you’re crazy enough to read all of my stuff from Toy-TMA as well as my stuff here) you might remember as being responsible for my favourite part of Avengers Disassembled back from his days at Marvel. Oeming now works mostly for Dark Horse, and over the last few months, he’s written several pieces for the Dark Horse Presents anthology series (here are the RSC reviews for issues 21 and 22) that have earned him critical acclaim. Two of them, “Wild Rover” and “The Sacrifice” have now been gathered together into this one-shot. There’s nothing new for those who have followed the anthology series in recent years, but should those who haven’t snap up these stories? Let’s find out.

First up is “Wild Rover”, a story about a man suffering from acute alcoholism. The first time I read it, I found the story to be a tad underwhelming, as the story seemed to try to balance quite a few different elements in a way that didn’t quite come together given the short length of the story. Upon a second reading, however, I found it to be a brilliant use of the unreliable narrator. Essentially, Oeming takes a very literal interpretation of the metaphor of fighting the demon in the bottle, and the other mystical elements introduced should be taken with heaping piles of salt. When read this way, “Wild Rover” made a lot more sense, and I found myself really enjoying the story the second time around. It definitely leaves itself open to sequels, which may be why this book is getting a release in the first place (determining interest levels before green lighting a series is standard practice for Dark Horse). It was strong enough to make me want to come back for more, as the series definitely has promise.

The art on this first tale is also incredible. Oeming really does a great job of capturing the creepy, dirty aspects of alcoholism. You really feel the inevitability of the protagonist’s fall through the dark colouring and dreary facial expressions. The art really captures the essence of the piece, perfectly reflecting the narration present on the page both in form and design. Also, the demons look badass. Just saying.

“The Sacrifice”, on the other hand, is a very pretty waste of space. It’s clear the story was included to create a reasonable page count to justify the $2.99 cover price, but since it was included in Dark Horse Presents before, I don’t think it deserves any sort of free pass. The idea is fine: a boy and his master visit a tree with mystical properties, and betrayal ensues. But this kind of story only works if there’s any context presented. The following things are not mentioned anywhere within the comic itself: where the main characters are from, who they are as people, what motivates them, how a blade can make a man immortal, who the dwarf lords are, who the elf lords are, either side’s motivations, why the betrayal occurred, what benefit the betrayer has in hurting the betrayed, and why the dwarf lords will be pleased by this, why the tree attacked and how it can do that, and, most importantly, why I should care about any of this. Some of that is nitpicking, but a lot of that is very vital. Without context, this comic is little more than an attempt to shock the reader (highlight to see spoiler) with a child’s death, and I had no reason to get emotionally invested. Maybe these are recurring characters from other books that I haven’t read, but this is a one shot, and I’m suppose to be able to read the story without any background information and enjoy myself. This was just empty space.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: I’m clearly being too harsh to the story, expecting character development and background information when the story only had 8 pages to develop. First of all, given three pages were spent on the character’s slow motion death sequence, there was definitely room for more story. But more importantly, we’ve seen writers do much better in the past. Mike Mignola’s “The Tank” from Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank (which I reviewed here) had the same number of pages, yet created a detailed, complex story with a moral and true purpose. Oeming is capable of better than he put into “The Sacrifice”, and I’m honestly disappointed with the story presented.

That said, I did mention above that it is a rather pretty waste of space. Victor Santos earns his featuring credit with a unique art style that I couldn’t help but enjoy. It’s very cinematic, which is inevitably going to turn off some readers, but I personally enjoyed it. I could really see the scene playing out in my head, which is about all I can ask from comic art. It’s not enough to make me like the story, but I am glad it’s there.

Wild Rover and The Sacrifice by Michael Oeming is the definition of a mixed bag. The first story is either glorious and everything one could hope from the comic or a slightly jumbled mess depending on your interpretation of the narrator, and the second is empty of all purpose. If you’ve read Dark Horse Presents #14 and #15, you’ve already read “Wild Rover” and don’t need to buy this book. If you haven’t, I think that story alone is worth the $2.99 cover price. So overall, a conditional recommendation. If you like Oeming, you’re in for a treat with “Wild Rover”.

Chase Wassenar is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. He really wishes “The Sacrifice” had some context, because he’d really like to know what’s going on there. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA, follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew, or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.

Review: Dark Horse Presents #21

Dark Horse Presents is an anthology of comics, both one shots and new/young Dark Horse series.  I love comics, but hate having to start a series in the middle, so I really enjoyed this collection.  A few of the pieces are a part of existing series, ones started in previous editions of Dark Horse Presents, while others are brand new.  What follows is a brief overview of each.  Who knows, maybe you’ll find a new favorite.

Dark Horse Present #21 has 11 different stories covering everything from superheroes to folk rock philosophy.  Yeah, that’s right.  Folk.  Rock.  Philosophy.  Oh, yeah, and some guy named Neil Gaiman offers up some poetry.

Chapter 4 of Alabaster Boxcar Tales is based on Alabaster by Caitlin Kiernan. This series follows Dancy Flammarion, a young albino girl haunted by a spirit and driven to kill dangerous monsters.  It has a rather morbid, biblical tone to it, with the narrative frequently quoting scripture.  Fear not, those of you who prefer your comic stay off the soapbox; the lines of bible verse are used, quite effectively, to express the uncertainty that Dancy feels in a world in which she is very much alone.

Part 2 of The Victories: Babalon Falling is the second of what I understand will be a three part series by Michael Avon Oeming, co-creator of Powers.  This comic was a little confusing at first because it jumps back and forth between two seemingly unrelated stories and doesn’t make a connection, at least not in this comic.  I took a look back at part 1, and it reconciles the two stories.  Spoiler from part 1 (highlight the blank space): The flashbacks are from Jackal’s childhood attempting to explain the source of his insanity.This makes the whole story make a lot more sense.  The story seems to have a lot of the psychological and philosophical undertones in common to Batman and his villains, but it’s a classic dark hero trope executed well, so I think it’s great.

Chapter 2 of Journeyman by Geoffrey Thorne follows Dr. Haley Shore, a young genius who has been employed to open a box of unknown nature.  The chapter opens with her having narrowly escaped a feral, wolf-like beast called a frillogan and meeting a strange man “Journeyman, J. McDuffie Swift, Esq.”  He’s a charm about him, and a wonderful accent, and very unusual wardrobe.  But there’s something odd about him.  I think it’s definitely a series worth keeping an eye on.

“The Day the Saucers Came” by Neil Gaiman, supported with art by Paul Chadwick, is a beautiful poem which speaks with Gaiman’s usual gifted prose about the our own self-obsession and lack of realistic prioritization.  It’s a short poem and I really think it’s worth the read, so I will leave it at that.

“Cat’s in the Cradle” is by Shaun Manning and is a one page, truly insightful look at the song of the same name by Harry Chaplin and at the true significance of it’s lyrics.  I think Manning has really looked at it from a very different perspective, one that is much more uplifting than the most obvious interpretation.  The scratchy, sketchy style of Andrew Drilon‘s art goes almost eerily with the work in a way that is absolute brilliance.

Chapter 1 of Arcade Boy is just the beginning, but I’m pretty sure I’m already hooked.  Written by Denis Medri, the story follows an arcade savant, Hiroshi Noto, and a child (his son?), Alex Raje, in scenes spanning from 1985 to 2025, where it seems the main plot will take place.  I’m going to make two predictions here, not spoilers because I’m just guessing:  Alex will learn to fight crime using virtual reality gear developed by Noto and the main theme will be either big game companies versus indie games OR classic games versus modern gaming.  I’m totally getting a Feedback vibe on it, and lovin’ it.

Chapter 3 of Station to Station is a bit of a shift from the other works in this anthology which have more of a superhero or fantasy (or philosophical) theme to an action hero/scifi feel.  It’s by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman and has just about everything: giant amorphous beasts, dinosaurs (that people are RIDING!), explosions, ray guns, et cetera as a result of collapsing bounds between realities.  This is the conclusion (or is it?) of a very action filled story.  If you’re willing to go back to read the first two chapters, it’s definitely worth the read.

Chapter 1 of Tiger Lung by Simon Roy and Jason Wordie shows the beginning of what I think is shaping up to be an interesting adventure.  In 30,000 B.C.E., Tiger Lung enters a cave a right of passage with his tribe, but will he come out again?  And if he does, will he emerge in the same place or even the same time as when he left?  We’ll only know when we see Chapter 2, but I look forward to finding out.

Chapter 3 of X by Duane Swierczynski follows the titular character breaking into the safe room of a criminal kingpin.  With a crowbar.  Not a crowbar and bunch of other stuff.  Just a crowbar.  This guy is a badass.  But he might be in more trouble than he thought.  This comic is grim and gory and very much a classic iron age story of a half-psychotic antihero out for vengeance.  I have to say I loved the comic, but Swierczynski is one twisted dude.

Chapter 1 of Villain House was hilarious.  It begins at a medium security prison for “mediocre, midlevel mooks” where Shannon Wheeler begins a tale of two criminals, and long time associates, the Squid and Pachyderm.  They escape and antics ensue.  It’s the most cartoony of the comics presented in this anthology, but in a refreshing sort of way.  I’m not sure if I want the story to continue to follow the Squid and Pachyderm, or if I’d rather see what other semi-effective heroes Wheeler has up his sleeve, but I’m really looking forward to more from this series.

And lastly, chapter 18 of Finder: Third World by Carla Speed McNeil is a little too far in for me to go back and find all the background since McNeil has been writing the Finder series for seventeen issues.  The story takes place in a futuristic, transhumanist setting and follows a courier, Jaeger Ayers.  Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait a second, I’ve played Skyrim! He’s a mailman! Why do I want to read about a mailman?” then you need to calm down.  In a world were the country side is wide open and not everything that walks the planet is terrestrial being a courier is harder than you might think. In this issue, his employers have found out that he has a knack for moving about undetected. But will he give them his secrets, if it means his freedom?

All in all, I think the Dark Horse Presents series is a great collection for those interested in a wide variety of stories who want to get into a story before it becomes too deep to navigate.  For $7.99, this collection of 11 comics is a hundred kinds of worth it.  Honestly, I’d pay eight bucks for Neil Gaiman’s “The Day the Saucers Came”, “Cat’s in the Cradle”, Arcade Boy and Villain House alone.  Can you guess what my favorites were?

Matthew Bryant, aka Baker Street Holmes, is a writer and editor for the Red Shirt Crew.  He loves comics, especially Garfield, the X-Men, Batman and Serenity.  You can follow him on Twitter at @BStreetHolmes or e-mail him at HMCrazySS@gmail.com.