Beer and Sand Squid - Crazy Food Truck (Manga) volume 1

 Front cover of Crazy Food Truck volume 1.

Back cover of Crazy Food Truck volume 1.

Review:

Rokurou Ogaki has given us a delightful Manga series in Crazy Food Truck. It's a fantastic blend of post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, imaginative creatures, a grizzled and greying retired military leader, a sexy yet naive product of a secret military project, and deliciously creative recipes all blended and baked to perfection in a mobile food truck. Crazy indeed!

Gordon is our chef protagonist. He has a chef's flair and passion for food. And some secrets buried in his past. His calm and pleasant life is interrupted when he runs into the beautiful, lost, innocent and VERY hungry Arisa.

Together they fish for giant sand squid, which Gordon turns into sweet and salty sand squid liver stir fry, sand squid stew and sand squid sashimi. They free a village whose whole population has been enslaved and forced to operate a brewery. They hunt and slaughter a dangerous Puffer Cow. They survive an encounter with a militia squad searching for Arisa, who defends herself with great and violent flair.

The whimsical recipes - often included for us to make at home! - and lovingly drawn food panels are the garnish on top of this terrific first volume. It leaves this reviewer craving seconds!

4 and a half Capes for this engrossing, violent, sexy and delicious book!

Description:

Zero customers, a naked young lady, and an armed militia—it’s just another postapocalyptic day for this food truck owner!

The owner of a food truck in a postapocalyptic world nearly runs over a naked girl sleeping in the middle of the desert. When he gives her a lift, he inadvertently takes on her baggage too—an armed militia hot on her trail…and her even more problematic appetite. If one doesn’t take him out, the other surely will!

Gordon is a gruff, middle-aged cook running a food truck in a sand-covered wasteland. When he encounters Arisa, a naked girl sleeping in the middle of nowhere, he takes on the unintended traveling companion and her unexpected appetite. Too bad she also has unexpected baggage—an armed militia hot on her tail! Fasten your seatbelts for postapocalyptic cooking and violent mayhem on this crazy food truck road trip!

Collects: Chapters #1-4

Authors: Rokurou Ogaki
Artists: Rokurou Ogaki
Published By: VIZ Media
Published When: May 17 2022
Parental Rating: Mature
ISBN: 978-1974727292
Pages: 200 pages

Harpoon-Handed: Aquaman by Peter David, Book 1

Review:

To celebrate the recent release of the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I am revisiting some past Aquaman stories in graphic novel format and posting reviews.

It's hard to believe that thirty years have passed since Peter David crafted some of the finest Aquaman stories of all time. After three decades, they still hold water. They are a perfect blend of strong, tender, fun, deeply moving tales of love and loss, courage and pain, risk and consequences.

Peter David wrote more than fifty issues of Aquaman stories, in both limited and ongoing series. Book one of his collected works came out around the time of the first Jason Momoa Aquaman film and tied in nicely, with the long-haired, bearded, ferocious version of Aquaman straight from David's imagination.

The four-issue Time and Tide mini-series starts off this collection. David uses the motif of Aquaman writing the next chapters of the Atlantis Chronicles history book (a nod to an earlier Peter David mini-series about Atlantis sans Aquaman). It becomes an opportunity, a springboard to dive in and re-imagine key aspects of Aquaman's origins. His first "super-heroic" acts and the public reaction (guest-starring the Flash); how he was raised by dolphins; his first love, an Inuit girl named Kako; his discovery of his own true origins.

The depth of Peter David's storytelling, his deft touch at stirring in just the right amount of drama, tension, romance, humor and violence, make these four chapters a classic in their own right. Kirk Jarvinen's art is smooth and flowing, filled with breath-takingly dramatic conflicts when necessary while also conveying and carrying so much of the emotional power of the series.

The rest of the book contains the first nine issues (#0 to 8) of Peter David's legendary run on the Aquaman ongoing series. It includes the instant-classic #2 in which he loses his hand to voracious piranhas. It was a shocking development 30 years ago and packs as much punch still today.

The replacement prosthetic, the harpoon hand, is such a strong visual element, and artist Marty Egeland shows it off in such diverse ways, as a weapon, a threat, an inconvenience. But never a handicap. The flowing long hair on Aquaman, Dolphin, Koryak and others is beautifully rendered, whether on land, in the air or under water and adds to the richness of these images. The men are rugged and handsome, the women are hot and sexy yet unbendingly strong of their own right, the creatures are sleek and beautiful and ferocious.

Aqualad is a regular, more as comic relief initially until later issues when he gets a story arc of his own. Dolphin is set up to become a sidekick, yet stands strong, and mostly silent, showing she takes second to no one, whether hero or romantic competitor.

This first book is awesome from cover to cover. Five capes!

Description:

Re-experience the beginning of Peter David's iconic run on Aquaman, which shaped the life of Atlantis' most famous citizen for years to come, in AQUAMAN BY PETER DAVID BOOK ONE.

Here begins Arthur Curry's recollection of the epic journey that led him to become the mythical superhero we know as Aquaman. Since his dramatic debut in the 1940s, Aquaman has gone from admired hero to legendary icon. Able to breathe in both air and water, the King of the Seven Seas has fought villainy from the deepest depths of the oceans to the outer limits of the galaxy. He is unquestionably one of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen, but his rise to power was not easy.

Collects: Aquaman: Time and Tide #1-4 and Aquaman #0-8. Also includes an introduction by Peter David

Authors: Peter David
Artists: 
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Feb. 13 2018
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401277468
Pages: 320 pages

Past, Present and Future's End: Aquaman and the Others volume 2 - Alignment Earth

Review:

To celebrate the recent release of the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I am revisiting some past Aquaman stories in graphic novel format and posting reviews.

The stories collected in this second and final volume bring the ongoing series Aquaman and the Others to an end. They touch on some unfinished business from the past, they wrap up the series in their present, and cross over with the larger Futures End extravaganza.

Writer Dan Jurgens sets up some powerful team drama and conflicts while unpacking some details of our heroes and their past. 

Most notably, did The Operative really kill one of the ghosts haunting Prisoner of War? When that spirit refuses to relinquish control of Torrez's body and double-crosses the team, the whole world is put at risk.

Vostok-X also delves into his past and discovers Soviet-era secrets that make him susceptible to joining KGBeast and Cheshire's gang of super-villains.

Mera and Ya'Wara's animosity flares up on occasion, too, as they both resent the other's influence on and feelings for Aquaman. The surprise twist and confrontation in the Futures End tie-inns show that, five years in the future, nothing is resolved in their tiff.

Yes, Jurgens has mixed several creative ideas into a team already loaded with potential from their international diversity. So why does it all fall flat? It all feels contrived, untethered. The action feels forced and keeps interrupting the more interesting bits.

Lan Medina gives us decent super-team art on the final issues of the ongoing series. Not over-stylized or excessively sexy, not too dark, his work is clear and natural throughout. In other words, a fine if unexceptional job.

You'll want to read this for the sake of completion and to say au revoir to this diverse cast of characters. But it feels like so much unfulfilled potential.

Description:

Empowered with Atlantean artifacts, the Others were Aquaman’s first team from before he ever joined the Justice League. Now the King of Atlantis is reunited with the Operative, Ya’Wara, Prisoner-of-War and Vostok-X. Together, the Others are a powerful force for good...but there’s a new team that’s just as powerful, and they’re out to reshape the world in their own image.

They call themselves Mayhem. Led by mercenaries KGBeast and Cheshire, they’ve stolen the launch codes to a Soviet-era satellite full of nuclear weapons, and they’ve got them pointed at Earth. Whether they want to see us pay or watch us burn, only the Others can stop them.

But Mayhem have ties to several members of the Others, and not everyone’s allegiances are clear. When the final battle comes, who will be fighting to protect the Earth...and who will be fighting to destroy it?

Writer Dan Jurgens (THE NEW 52: FUTURES END) and artist Lan Medina (FABLES) pit Aquaman’s first team against their greatest threat yet!

Collects: #6-11, Aquaman: Futures End #1, and Aquaman and the Others: Futures End #1

Authors: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Lan Medina, Allen Martinez
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: June 30 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401253318
Pages: 176 pages

Super-Diverse Team: Aquaman and the Others volume 1: Legacy of Gold

 

Review:

To celebrate the recent release of the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I am revisiting some past Aquaman stories in graphic novel format and posting reviews.

Labelling any group of people "the Others" immediately relegates them to second-class, outsider status. In this super-powered group's case, the label is not without merit, for this cast of characters - they are all land-based air-breathers whose powers are connected to literal gifts and talismans, ancient Atlantis artifacts. Aquaman is the clear centerpiece and leader, the glue that holds this team together, even more so than Batman was for his Outsiders.

There's Operative, an old, greying yet nimble and strong man with a closet jam-packed with secrets. Prisoner of War, an African American ex-soldier haunted by the ghosts of his dead brothers in arms. Ya'wara, a ferocious, untamed jungle girl from South America. Sky, an Indigenous American "ghost walker". Eventually they are joined by Sayeh, an Iranian woman and future-seer, and Vostok the Russian cosmonaut.

This admirable international and gender-balanced mix of characters has loads of potential. And writer Dan Jurgens gives them a central place here, despite their diminutive team name. They must battle an ancient Atlantean ruler bent on vengeance and his Trezigstanian super-sidekicks. They must learn to forgive past hurts and bond as a team, develop and strengthen this vital mutual trust and faith, which feels so fragile throughout.

With this potential in place, this series seemed in good hands - those of Dan Jurgens with his history of writing fantastic comics in the past with solo characters (most notably Superman, Captain America, Thor, Booster Gold) and team books (Teen Titans, various Justice League titles). Sadly, this is not his strongest work, as the plot stretches, as the relationships shift in simplistic dramatic twists. For all their diversity, these characters talk and sound too similar.

Ultimately this debut of an exciting new super-team disappoints.

Description:

Spinning out of AQUAMAN, the King of Atlantis re-joins his first team—years before he even met his super-powered allies in the Justice League—The Others. With strange powers, abilities and mysterious origins, The Prisoner, Ya'Wara, and The Operative unite with Aquaman after they find themselves targeted by an unknown foe that wants their Atlantean artifacts!

Collects: AQUAMAN #20, AQUAMAN ANNUAL #1 and AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS #1-5

Authors: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Lan Medina
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Jan. 27 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401250386
Pages: 176 pages

Furious Smashing: Red She-Hulk volume 1: Hell Hath No Fury

 

Review:

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" is the famous English expression to which this collection's title is alluding. Is there a scorned woman here? Not in the title and not especially in the story. There is, however, lots of hell and fury.

Betty Ross, as Red She-Hulk, does battle with the products of the Super Solider project at the corporation Echelon. She battles multiple Avengers. A couple militia hit squads.

Yet her fury is far from blind rage - well, mostly. Other than one self-preservation switch to full-Hulk mode, Ross maintains a careful balance between human and hulk. But when an out-of-control convict volunteer to the research program winds up dead, she becomes a fugitive hunted by the Avengers, with Machine Man taking point.

Variations of the above plot description could fit most any of the Hulk books through much of Marvel history. Writer Jeff Parker plays with these classic Hulk themes and gives them his unique twist on the formula by layering a secret society monitoring and managing an Earth-spanning "Terranometer" machine, with its glimpses into human history and future. It's a bold, global angle, which by times needs lots of textual explanations that weigh down the narrative.

The art team of Carlo Pagulayan and Wellinton Alves do a creditable job with the shifts between Betty Ross and She-Hulk. Their emotional range is limited to anger, rage, fury and other shades of intensity, mostly as constrained by the furious script. Their battle scenes are as intense as the emotions, although occasional small details stick out and distract. For me, it was the so-called stolen "Porsche" that She-Hulk and Machine Man escape in - kudos to the art team for giving us a recognizable and realistic car, except they gave us a Jag, not a Porsche.

Overall, this is a tale with too much textual explanation and not enough emotional range to fully satisfy. But if you like Hulks of any color and gender smashing things, it's there in spades.

Description:

The world's strongest female, Red She-Hulk, has a new mission - and she's dead set on a path of destruction! Her enemies? Every super-powered being in the Marvel Universe! Captain America has no choice but to hunt her down...but will the newly redesigned X-51 need to use lethal force against her? And even if he has to make that tough call...will it even be enough to take a fighting mad Red She-Hulk down!?

Collects: Red She-Hulk #58-62

Authors: Jeff Parker
Artists: Carlo Pagulayan, Wellinton Alves
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Jan. 1 2013
Parental Rating: Teen+
ISBN: 978-0785165316
Pages: 122 pages

Deadly Manta: Aquaman (2011) New 52 Volume 2 - The Others

 

Review:

For all the intensity and ferocity in the first 6 issues of Geoff Johns' New 52 reboot of Aquaman (see my TPB review of Volume 1 - The Trench), Aquaman's relationship with Mera was different. In contrast to the violence and action sequences, their marriage was a place of joy, tenderness, happiness.

So much for that!

There are many casualties in this second volume, which collects issues #7-13 of the ongoing series and introduces Aquaman's own super-team, prosaically named The Others. By the end, Manta has killed two of the team, and the rest have barely survived, including Aquaman himself. But another casualty here is the trust between Mera and Arthur. She is shocked by the revelation that he used to lead this super-team; in their years together, he never so much as mentioned The Others to her. And certainly not his relationship with the half-naked and wild jungle girl Ya'wara.

Lame name aside, The Others is an incredibly diverse super-team. Sure, the classic Justice League roster has an alien, an Amazonian princess warrior and an Atlantean half-breed, but they all mostly fit within the white American mainstream. The Others, for their part, includes a Russian cosmonaut, a Brazilian jungle girl, an Iranian future-seer, a senior citizen and an African American. Intriguing!

All have this in common: they derive their powers from Atlantean mystic artifacts. And Black Manta wants them, and will kill to get them.

Ivan Reis and Joe Prado continue to give us intense battle scenes, beautiful water vistas and deadly serious facial expressions. Not a lot of smiles here. The result is page after page drawing us into this intense and chaotic tale.

The Others would spin off into a short-lived series of their own, but these introductory chapters may be the pinnacle of their adventures.

Description:

A New York Times Bestseller!

Long before the King of the Seven Seas joined the Justice League, Aquaman was a part of another super-team: The Others. These young costumed adventurers traveled the globe, each trying to find their own individual road to redemption.

Six years later after a grisly murder, The Others are reunited. They know only one man could be responsible: Black Manta. Aquaman must lead the charge to stop his arch-nemesis, but will the years have fractured The Others just enough to keep them from bringing this villain to justice?

By the critically acclaimed creative team behind Blackest Night, Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, Aquaman Volume 2: The Others is the heart-stopping heart stopping follow up to the #1 New York Times best-selling Aquaman Volume 1: The Trench.

Collects: issues #7-13

Authors: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Nov. 19 2013
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401242954
Pages: 160 pages

"I Don't Talk to Fish" - Aquaman volume 1 The Trench (New 52)

 

Review:

Geoff Johns brings to Aquaman his creative ability to reboot and re-interpret well-known, historically rich characters. He has also applied those skills to the Justice League as a whole, to Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Booster Gold and more.

It all kicks off with Issue #1, the first chapter in this collection, and it could well be his showcase issue among all his reboots. The way Johns addresses long-standing stereotypes and cliches - he talks to fish, he needs water to survive, he is the least-popular and least0interesting super-hero - the work is brilliant, inspiring and occasionally laugh out loud funny.

Bookending this collection is a similar reboot of Mera. Her tale is set in a simple, everyday errand of buying food for her dog, but through Johns' genius we learn of her true powers, her ferocity, and the complexity of this character and her history. Another absolutely delightful chapter.

Between these two truly awesome parts is a more prosaic battle with razor-toothed humanoid monsters from the Atlantic Trench. These titular sections do have pearls hidden in their depths, but pale in comparison to the stunning other chapters.

Penciller Ivan Reis and inker Joe Prado give us a handsome, dashing young Arthur Curry, and a simmering red-headed beauty in Mera. Their seashore sunrises are also breath-taking. The toothy monsters and array of sea creatures are less inspired, flatter. Everything is laid out in rectangular, standard shaped panels, but they refuse to be bound by standard sizes, stretching some top to bottom in thin vertical slices. Perfect for evoking a deep, deep dive into an oceanic trench.

This is a solid new beginning, an outstanding character reset.

Description:

Aquaman is back to challenge his status as a second-tier superhero. Maligned for years as the man who talks to fish, Arthur Curry stakes his claim as one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe in Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench. As the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman has sworn to protect his ocean home and there’s been no greater threat to date than what’s to come.

They are called the Trench. And they are hungry.

As thousands of carnivorous beasts emerge from the ocean’s depths, can Aquaman protect his people from this deadly new threat? And also the surface world that he now calls home?

This is Aquaman’s renaissance—a cutting-edge revival of the King of the Seven Seas featuring the creative team behind New York Times best-selling graphic novels Blackest Night and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis!

Collects: Aquaman (2011) #1-6

Authors: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: May 21 2013
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401237103
Pages: 144 pages