Category Archives: Action

Action, Espionage, Reviews

Where We Go One… (Alt★Hero: Q #1) – A Review

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You don’t need to be a QAnon follower, or necessarily even believe in Q, to enjoy this comic. You don’t have to believe a man can fly to enjoy Superman stories either (although these days you probably do need to be a drooling commie NPC).

Chuck Dixon is in fine form here, mixing together compelling plot elements to weave a story that will be exciting and fascinating, judging by this first issue. Alt★Hero has struggled a bit with some of the artwork so far but I can assure you the visuals in this issue are superb.

The protagonist is a Treasury Agent. We are introduced to him as he and a team of other door-kickers are raiding a supposed counterfeiting operation. Through efficient storytelling, we learn that there is a mysterious cover-up underway, which this raid serves, and there is at least one compromised agent on the team.

Not everything sits well with Agent Dane. Something stinks about that op and how one of the suspects was snuffed. Is his heresy the very reason Dane is assigned bodyguard duty for a VIP visiting Peru? I can’t wait to find out.

For those who wonder, as they read, what this story has to do with Q…don’t worry. The dots will be connected by the time you’re done.

I do have a couple technical gripes: An M2 Browning .50, by itself, is not a “Ma Deuce.” But it will not only Swiss-cheese a pickup truck, its slugs will mangle the people inside the vehicle on their way through it. That Dane needed an M4 to take out the unscathed leftovers from an entire belt of .50 is kind of ridiculous. But Dixon apparently knows some veterans, so hopefully they will set him straight for the future.

Based on my reading of the first issue, I can’t recommend this series highly enough.

Action, Reviews

The Predator (2018) – a Review

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Despite the cheesey dialog of the original Predator in 1987, you just have to love the politically incorrect, unapologetic “guy flick” vibe to it. What makes this latest sequel interesting is that:

  1. Shane Black, who acted in the original (telling all the lewd jokes), directed this one.
  2. This is not a reboot of the franchise, but an attempt to tell a new story that meshes with the continuity already established.

For the first “act” of the film, it looked like Shane Black had really put together something special. Before I go further, though, check out the trailer:

After a half hour or so, the plot starts to get messy. It has the feel of a script that was slashed and rewritten several times, with the final draft lacking in cohesion (especially noticeable in some dialog providing the back story for a couple characters). It also seems like the plots of four different movies were cobbled together–and none of them very original. It’s choppy.

Black just couldn’t resist injecting typical Hollywood messaging, either. The reason the Predators are so interested in Earth is because the human race is heading toward extinction via the Global Warming Boogeyman. But he didn’t foist the obligatory Rambo-With-Tits trope on us until toward the end, and the obligatory LGBT pandering was reduced to some disjointed dialog…at least I think that’s what the dialog was about. Who knows?

The movie had potential, but it turned out to be fairly mediocre.

Action, Crime, Fantasy, Reviews

Alt Hero #5 – A Review

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We are back stateside, and the nationalist superteam has decided they need to win hearts and minds by fighting crime. Hammer and Rebel are teamed up on patrol to keep the streets safe.

But a couple of super-powered folks arrive from Europe to track them down and either kill or capture them. Their job is made easier when Hammer and Rebel, looking for criminals, are accosted by a cop instead. The vampire chick is surprised at how easy it is to take them out. Frankly, I am too…as well as disappointed.

But the tension continues to build, and the artwork has improved again. There’s an interesting story arc taking shape–and building (I hope) towards an epic showdown between the European and American superteams.

Get Alt Hero 5 here.

Read the review of Alt Hero 4.

Action, Adventure, Crime, Reviews

Avalon #2 – a Review

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In Issue #1, Chuck Dixon introduced us to the city of Avalon, via two of the heroes working to keep it safe: Fazer and King Ace.

The moral dillema introduced in the first issue was not spread out…as I first suspected it would be…a la Iron Man’s battle with alcoholism back in the day. It was wrapped up pretty quick.

I think I might know where this is going: Fazer is going to become a supervillain with a grudge against King Ace. He knows King Ace’s identity, as well as his weaknesses…could prove to be a formidable adversary.

I can’t completely blame Fazer for holding a grudge, either. Having him thrown in the can for not donating the ill-gotten drug money to some random charity was excessively Boy Scout IMO. In any event, Chuck Dixon has effortlessly sucked me into the Avalon he is building. And there’s a good chance he may prove my theory wrong, too.

I didn’t like a lot of the art–not ready for Prime Time. But the story makes up for it, and there’s a general trend of improvement across the Arkhaven titles, so I’m sure the art will improve with it.

Meanwhile, Arkhaven is working on their first of a five-part series based on the Q phenomenon. Fun times…in some respects.

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews

Alt Hero #4 – A Review

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Meanwhile, back in Europe…

Captain Europa meets with his E.U. overlords to observe a Paris riot-in-the-making between French nationalists and Antifa. The Captain’s team is scattered around, but the U.N. has their own superteam held in reserve just in case the police can’t handle it.

There’s no confusion about which side Captain Europa wants to prevail; but unlike real-life situations in places like Berkeley, the police actually try to restrain both sides. It turns out, though, the cops can’t handle it.

To make matters a whole lot more interesting, there are some super-powered folks on the nationalist side.

I’ve still got some nits to pick about the art. Sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what I’m seeing–especially in the details of the big splash panels. It’s too bad, because from what I could make out, it looks like those details would have been quite interesting if discernible.

I’m still really fuzzy on who has what powers, which works to the writers’ favor, I guess. Two super-strong dudes duked it out at one point, and one seemed to have the other outclassed by an order of magnitude. …Or maybe not? The outclassed guy, after playing punching bag for most of the fight, ended it (?) with a comic book haymaker–and I’m not sure how. Because he got really, really, really mad, I suppose. This is far from the first time that a comic book hero surpassed the limits of their own defined abilities, so it’s not that big a deal. I’d just like to know more about those abilities, that’s all.

This is turning out to be a humdinger of a series. I haven’t been this engaged by a comic storyline for a couple decades. When all these are combined into a print graphic novel, I will probably buy a copy for my son.

Action, Adventure, Reviews, Superhero

Alt Hero #3 – A Review

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Arkhaven is turning up the heat, and steering us toward a big showdown. They’re also still improving on all fronts in Alt Hero 3. The Rebel character is growing on me, too, though the sperg in me wants to inform her that foreigners are not Yankees. In fact, foreigners refer to all Americans, North and South, as Yankees.

Anyway…the SPC is aware there’s a rogue team of superheroes out there–nothing less could have liberated Rebel from their holding tank. So they do what the Federal government has done before: go after the family when their target proves too elusive. They set a trap for the rogues.

But the true heroes are a little too streetwise to fall for it. I won’t give any more away. Suffice it to say, I’m looking forward to the next issue (and 26 ad-free pages  just don’t seem like nearly enough for each comic. Sigh.)

Action, Crime, Reviews, Superhero

Avalon #1 by Chuck Dixon – A Review

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Arkhaven Comics is already making a name for itself. Granted: it couldn’t have come along at a time when the competition was less formidable. Still, they’re doing a lot of things right, and may just revive an interest in the medium from someone other than obese gamma basement-dwellers looking for something to do in between LGBT parades.

I don’t want to evoke the old post-Watchmen/Dark Knight Returns “grim and gritty” ideal…but to describe my impression in one sentence, I would say this: Avalon reminds me of the early Astro City comics, only darker.

The art strikes me as somewhere between classic Kirby and some of the ’60s Charlton work. As for the story…it seems Dixon is laying the groundwork for a character-driven saga that might border on deconstructive.

Forgive me for all the analogies (and I’m not going to assume Dixon’s goal is moral ambiguity), but Issue #1 strikes me as how the Cohen Brothers might attempt to tell a superhero story. A certain character pontificates on ethics, appointing himself to define the moral code all masked vigilantes should abide by. Meanwhile, some glaring chinks come into focus on his own shining moral armor.

With understated irony Dixon has no doubt honed to a fine point over his prolific career, this same character warns his crimefighting partner not to breathe in the cocaine dust kicked up by a fight with some bad guys. “Don’t want to get a taste for it,” he says. This comes just after a series of panels documenting his own (presumably first) moral failing–for which he will probably develop a taste.

Then again, will it be considered a moral failing in this narrative? I can’t predict for certain.

Another vigilante guns down some unarmed individuals–a couple in bathrobes–who have a child locked in a cage, waiting to be used in some sort of child pornography. As much as I cherish the Bill of Rights, the last thing I want to hear (read) is some speech about due process and how it’s wrong to become judge, jury and executioner, blah blah blah.

I suppose I’m jaded by the criminal “justice” system that occupies reality. Maybe Dixon is, too. It will be interesting to find out as this story weaves out.

Action, Adventure, Military, Reviews

“Military Fiction Done Right”

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We interrupt the regularly scheduled political screed for some spontaneous horn-tooting.

For some reason, my debut novel remains the most popular book I’ve written. At least it’s accumulated the most “social proof” of all my books. Here’s the latest review of Hell and Gone:

I hadn’t planned on writing a review but the end of Hell & Gone had a comment by the author, Henry Brown, that struck me. Military fiction is a genre that’s has been dearly underserved by mainstream publishing. While there may be a financial justification for this, and it is a niche genre, the real reason is that publishers simply don’t like it. It’s difficult to market, requires a knowledge base few editors possess and, yes, it’s considered “icky” by an industry that leans so far to the left that some publishers have trouble getting through doorways. It also happens to be MY industry, and I know all this from experience.

That being said, the genre suffers from another problem: A lot of the material written for it just isn’t that good. Creating a story is hard work, and doubly so when it’s easy to slide into stereotypes and cliches instead of crafting realistic characters with original and interesting motivations. Combat action, while essential to a story, can cease to be what moves a story along and instead threaten to overwhelm the plot. And lastly, God save us all from the author that simply doesn’t bother to do research and spits out jarring technical mistakes.

This book has none of those problems. The characters are interesting and as a reader you are motivated to care about them. The action is fast-paced, with colorful description, and it serves the purpose of the story instead of the other way around.

In short, this is a damn fine book. Read it and enjoy a real treat.

It’s available in Audible, too.

Of course, now I’m wondering what I said that inspired this person to post a review. Whatever it is, I need to duplicate it in my other work. In a business where some books are getting thousands of reviews on Amazon, this book just barely reached 84…and it’s been a bestseller in a few different categories.

Anyway, the reviewer claims to work in the industry. Perhaps that’s why he’s keeping his identity anonymous–probably a wise move in today’s climate. In any case, I’m very grateful he posted.

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews

Alt★Hero # 2 – a Review

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Alt★Hero #1 was set in Europe, and concentrated on an EU-sanctioned supergroup. This one is set in the states, focusing on a subversive superteam organized to pursue American interests. Obviously this puts them at odds with the Deep State and gives them a lot tougher “row to hoe” than their European counterparts.

The pivotal character in both issues is an aesthetically appealing, nubile heroine–a shrewd marketing decision, if nothing else.

Arkhaven/Alt Hero is improving rapidly on all fronts. The artwork and composition is better in this issue, and we’ve got a clearer picture of where the story is taking us, now: (a superteam showdown, eventually, I hope. But not too soon…)

Hammer is my favorite character so far, while Ryu no Seishin is my favorite to look at. The writer(s) teased us with just enough of Martel’s backstory to make us want to know more. I’m also curious about this subplot the bureaucrats mention regarding the President and Singapore.

I’m not sure exactly what Rebel’s metahuman abilities are. Invulnerable skin is one. Super-strength, too? I’m guessing Hammer already has that, but it’s hard to tell in comics, because even “normal” human heroes are drawn as if they have superhuman strength. Physique is no indication, because non-powered heroes look just as sculpted as superpowered characters. And regardless of whether a human or superhuman hero throws a punch, the recipient of the punch usually goes flying backwards out of the panel.

So far, we’ve been introduced to SoulSight, who can read other people’s memories; Quantum Kitty, who can phase through solid objects; Ryu, who is kinda’ like the Human Torch, I guess, though her whole body doesn’t turn to flame; Rebel; Hammer; and the dude in the black tee-shirt. No idea what he does, yet. There’s a couple more team members mentioned but not seen. Guess we’ll meet them in forthcoming issues.

It’s really a shame this issue was only 28 pages. It was over too soon. I hope they compile the first 12 issues or so into a graphic novel one day. In any case, I look forward to Alt Hero #3.

BTW, I’ve seen Issue #1 of Avanon now, and will review it soon, hopefully.