Image Comics Puts Out Another Quality Title - AXCEND #1 - A Review

As I said in my last blog there are so few new things coming out from the “Big Two” that it’s getting harder to justify reading, or collecting, any but first and special editions.  The good news is that new things are being released by them under a different name or by other publishers.  That brings me to Image Comics and their newest release, AXCEND.

As a quick background Image Comics currently stands as the 3rd largest publisher of comics.  The thing that makes Image Comics special is one of their founding principles (not sure if it still is in effect, but it was in the beginning) that artists were allowed to retain the rights to the characters they developed.  The reason this is so smart?  The artists have more skin in the game.  If you don’t retain the rights you are an artist for someone else (no offense meant to any artist reading this).  This means if the character explodes or is relegated to the back shelf the artist continues to draw what they are asked.  If they retain the rights to their work they are tied to the success.  The character is their “child” and what happens to it has a major impact on them.

But I digress.

Let’s talk about AXCEND #1 from Image Comics by Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki, and Morry Hollowell.

I was fortunate enough to find two covers.  One with what appears to be the focal point of the story, Eric, and the other with a character he “plays with” in the story (I’ll explain later) whose name is Ruin (he’s on the left).  There is a third character, which may be on a cover I didn’t see, called Rayne.  Then there is the character which appears to be the one who runs the virtual world in which they travel, Dog (again, I’ll explain later).  You got it right...Eric...Rayne....Ruin....and Dog.

So, the premise is one that is somewhat of a takeoff from ‘Tron’.  Eric, still hurting from the loss of his brother Erin (which isn’t explained in any detail in the comic, I assume we’ll know more as things play out), sits down to play the video game AXCEND (i’m not shouting this, the title is all caps).  The twist here is that when the TV screen comes on so Eric can play you see Dog and he tells Eric he is one of only three chosen to beta test the online world of AXCEND.  That’s when things get out of hand.

Eric is then sucked into the video game where he comes face to face with Dog, Rayne and Ruin.  He also finds himself sporting a new outfit (seen in the images above).  Without ruining the comic for you, let’s just say that Dog puts all three of them through the paces with Eric being the “newbie”.

The thing that I like about this storyline is the way Eric gets his powers in the game...they’re downloaded.  Then, as in most fighting games, he will get more abilities and “level up” as he wins the little games that Dog puts all three of them through.  Eric starts with the ability to make portals and he feels that his “beta has a core, but it’s small, it...I want to grow.  I think I wanna...upgrade”.  On some level it makes me wonder if a character I play with online is some kid in another part of the country.  The interesting thing is that he knows what needs to happen to grow.   As you will read in the comic, however, he gets hazed pretty badly by Rayne and Ruin.  To the reader’s delight they show no remorse and target him mercilessly.  This shows Eric as human...he doesn’t just get powers and 15 minutes later he’s saving the planet.  He makes mistakes and tries hard to learn from them.

What you should know is that in Eric’s real life he is a teenager in high school with problems of his own.  As a matter of fact, right before he goes home, and is sucked into AXCEND, he has a confrontation with the school bully.  Well, it was a little more than a confrontation, the bully knocked him on his ass.  To add insult to injury, the bully tells Eric how he knew his dead brother, Erin, since 5th grade and the difference between the two of them was that “Erin knew how to hit back”.  So, Eric doesn’t exactly have a dream life outside of AXCEND.

The premise of this comic leaves the storyline open to hundreds of different directions.  The reader will probably see Eric gain new powers/stronger powers as he “levels up”.  My guess is that what happens in the game will condition him for real life and vice versa.  I have a couple of guesses as to what’s going to happen next in his real, and virtual, life but I won’t say them for two reasons;  I don’t want to spoil it for you if I’m right and I hate admitting when I’m wrong.

The flip side of the coin is that it would have been nice to see more of Eric’s escape into other video games as a coping mechanism and build his character a little.  I found Dog immediately coming on the screen and telling Eric he was “chosen” was a little sudden.  It made me go back and read the previous pages again to see if I missed something.  The comic could have left out some of the beatings that Eric took and substituted more of his background.  As it’s Eric’s “origin” it should have built up a little more.  Frankly, if that’s the only issue (pun intended) then this comic may be a keeper.

Before finishing, let me add that a new title from Image is no real surprise.  This company has put out fantastic titles such as Invincible, Savage Dragon, and the big one The Walking Dead.  They are also releasing one that I look forward to, I Hate Fairyland.  I plan to review that once it’s released.  For more information on their titles go to www.imagecomics.com.  You won’t be sorry that you did.

The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:

Concept and Characters:          Appraised at a 7.5 out of 10
Recommendation:                     Buy this issue, continue if it tickles your fancy.
                                                    I don’t see this issue going up much in value, 
                                                    collect at your discretion.


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What Would Happen If All The Villains Struck At Once Due To a Technical Glitch?

When the Fear Itself series came out there was a parody comic that came out as well called “Shame Itself”.  If you haven’t read it, do so, it’s worth the time.  As a spin on “Shame Itself” I offer my story.

Before I begin, however, let’s look at what typically happens in your typical comic book.

The heroes from any given universe finish up with one disaster, mend the city, have time for a meeting, and are then informed of another disaster taking place.

Luckily, villains seem to be on a schedule and don’t strike at the same time.  It seems that while Dr. Doom is attacking, the Red Skull is busy hatching a plan that won’t be ready to go until Dr. Doom has been defeated.  Of course, at that point Galactus is on the other side of the galaxy and will make his way toward Earth only to arrive after the Red Skull has been defeated.  The same thing happens in the DC Universe as well as others.

But what if the villains, due to a technical glitch, all struck on the same day?  More importantly, let’s say that the villains from DC don’t wait until the villains from Marvel are done attacking?  Everyone’s protecting the same Earth, right?  So, shouldn’t villains and heroes cross over during attacks?

Let’s start with a typical day where we find Electro fighting Spider-Man for some random reason:

Electro:  Spider-Man, your time has come!  I have finally found a way to defeat you!

Spider-Man:  Electro, what could you possibly want this time?  Haven’t I beaten you enough?

Electro:  I must own all of the frozen toothpaste in the world!  You can’t stop me!

Spider-Man:  Wait...frozen what?  Why would you..... (he stops and looks up surprised)

Electro:  What are you looking at?

Spider-Man:  Is that Doomsday?  I thought he was DC.  What’s he doing here?

Electro:  I’m not really sure.  There’s got to be a copyright or trademark infringement here somewhere.  Someone call Stan Lee!

Doomsday:  Electro?  Spider-Man?  I thought this was....(he looks around in surprise)...Metropolis.

Spider-Man:  Nope.  Wrong town.  Wrong comic, even.  (looking up again, amazed, he sees the Hulk coming out of the sky)

Hulk:  Hulk smash!!

Spider-Man:  Now wait just one minute....

Electro:  Hmmm....do I fight Spider-Man or do I try to get rid of the other villains?  Are you guys looking to corner the frozen toothpaste market?  That’s all I really wanted.

Doomsday:  The frozen what?  No, you can have that.  I’m here to destroy Metropolis.

Spider-Man:  Again, I think you’re in the wrong place.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!!

Spider-Man:  Is this a Groot type of thing?  “Hulk smash” means something different each time?  Never mind.

Green Lantern:  I heard there were problems in this Sector!  Wow.  What’s everyone doing here?

Electro:  I was just leaving.

Spider-Man:  Well, that’s one gone.

Doomsday:  I really just want to get on with destroying the city.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Batman:  (winded from running) I came as soon as I heard!

Green Lantern:  I’m anxious to hear what you heard about this.

Spider-Man:  Shouldn’t all of you be in another comic?

Batman:  I heard that the Outlook calendar on the Villain network was having issues.

Red Skull:  (stepping out of the shadows) There are no issues!  I specifically had conquering the Earth set for 2:00 pm today!

Galactus:  (appearing in the sky)  That can’t be right, I had devouring the Earth set for 2:00 pm today.

Flash:  (showing up in a blur) I came as soon as I heard!

Spider-Man:  What...is this being Tweeted?  What is everyone hearing?

Flash:  I got the text that Outlook is having issues.

Spider-Man:  Why aren’t I getting these (shaking his iPod and looking at it quizzically)

Flash:  Do you have it on airplane mode?

Spider-Man:  Darnit!  Why do I always do that?  OK, I’m on the same page now.

Reed Richards:  (walking up calmly) I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m working on the fix right now.  It should be OK shortly.

Doomsday:  Listen, times a’wastin here.  I have another planet I’m supposed to destroy in 2 hours.

Red Skull:  Let’s do this the right way and take a vote.  Which villain would you heroes like to fight right now?

Green Lantern:  I’m not fussy, but I think Galactus would be the toughest to beat.  I vote Red Skull.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Flash:  I agree with Green Lantern, I vote for the Red Skull.

Batman:  Doomsday, is there any way you could go destroy the planet now and then come back after we beat the Red Skull?

Doomsday:  But I was already at this end of the universe.

Galactus:  Reed, where are the rest of the Fantastic Four?

Reed Richards:  They are at their regular jobs.  How do you think we pay for all of this stuff?

Galactus:  I just don’t feel right devouring the Earth without all of you here.  No offense to you Justice Leaguers.

Batman/Flash/Green Lantern:  None taken.

Reed Richards:  They should all be available tomorrow for the whole day.

Galactus:  Do you heroes think you can take out the Red Skull by midnight tonight?  Then we can all go home and get a good night’s sleep and fight tomorrow.

Thanos:  (just showing up and looking around at everyone sitting and talking)  What gives here?

Starro:  (also just arriving on the scene and giving a heavy sigh)  Don’t tell me, the Outlook issue?

(everyone nods their heads)

Starro:  I knew I should have sent a herald ahead.

Doomsday:  Listen, I just called the planet I’m supposed to destroy and they’re not doing anything right now, so I’ll just do that and come back.

Green Lantern:  Is anyone protecting them right now?

Doomsday:  No, so it shouldn’t take long.  I can come back the day after tomorrow.

Red Skull:  So, then I’ll attack now, Galactus will come back tomorrow and Doomsday will be the day after?

Thanos:  Great.  Push me off until next week.

Starro:  You?  I travelled 200 light years to get here.  Do you know how much gas that takes?  I’m calling the Outlook help desk right now and giving them a piece of my mind.

Thanos:  Then that should definitely take until next week.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Spider-Man:  I don’t do weekends anymore so Thanos and Starro will have to wait until Monday.  By the way, did Electro leave?

(incoming text:  Budapest Frozen Toothpaste Factory raided.  Everything taken.)

Spider-Man:  Never mind.

Reed Richards:  OK, everything seems to be working with the calendar now.  Is everyone set with their schedule?

Galactus:  I’m set.  Does the Marriott have any rooms available for tonight?  I’ll just stay over.

Doomsday:  OK everyone, I’m on my way.  I have a planet to enslave.

Red Skull:  I hear that....

Spider-Man:  I’m glad this is settled.  My spider-sense has given me a migraine.

Batman:  Alfred, book Galactus and I a room at the downtown Marriott.  King size bed for Galactus.

Red Skull:  Is it OK if we start now?  I have thousands of troops waiting to attack and we haven’t even had lunch yet.

Spider-Man:  That’s fine.  Green Lantern, Flash, can you stay with Batman and I and try to wrap this up by midnight?

Green Lantern:  I’m good, I can hang around.

Flash:  I have to run home and set my DVR to record Walking Dead.  OK, I’m back.

Spider-Man:  Hulk, can you go smash another town and we’ll just come clean it up later?  If you do it far enough away from here we have plausible deniability.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!  (he jumps over the horizon)

Starro:  I’m on vacation next week so I’ll attack the week after if that’s OK.

Thanos:  Cool!  Where are you going?

Starro:  It’s a stay-cation.  I have a bunch of chores to do for the wife.

Thanos:  I know the feeling.  Between conquering civilizations and scheming I have no time to cut the lawn.

Batman:  I can recommend a lawn guy.  Starro, we’ll see you in two weeks and Thanos in three.  Can you both send us a meeting planner?

Starro/Thanos:  Sure thing.

Red Skull:  Are we good to go?  Great!   ALL MINIONS ATTACK!

Outside the realm of reality?  Not in our high tech world.  I often wonder if team-ups weren’t just the result of two villains, or heroes, showing up at the same time and just figuring “what the heck” and working together.  All I know is that I’m glad that the artists and writers have the attack schedules firmly in their heads or else we might see something like this in the not so distant future.

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Character Deaths That Made Quite An Impact

Whether a death makes an impact in the comic universe is questionable.  In this day and age you have characters that are dying and being reborn right and left.  Some have died multiple times.  Some are alive in this universe and not in another.  It gets very difficult to stay on top of it even for the most avid of fans.

All that being said, there are deaths that do make an impact.  The impact could be on one character, many characters, or on an entire universe of characters.  The deaths listed below are ones that are milestones in comic history.  They range from the bizarre to the shocking.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching it.

Here is The Comic Whisperer’s List of Character Deaths That Made Quite An Impact (next to each death I have a picture of the ne’er do well who did the heinous crime):

10.)  Alexandra DeWitt:  Who remembers Alexandra?  Anyone?  Anyone at all?  That’s correct!  She was Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend during the time when Hal Jordan was Parallax.  Remember, when Hal Jordan killed off the Green Lantern Corps Kyle Rayner was assigned as earth’s protector.  Despite some rocky roads it appeared that Kyle and Alexandra were finally on their way to having a good life together.  Then, one day, Major Force came looking for Kyle and found Alexandra instead.  He, very rudely, killed her and stuffed her in their refrigerator.  Unlike many of the characters who die Alexandra has not returned as of this writing.

9.)  Sue Dibney:  If you read “Identity Crisis” by Brad Meltzer you will find that Ralph and Sue are very happy and thriving on the fact that Sue if pregnant. During the story, however, she was given a fatal brain aneurism by The Atom’s ex-wife Jean Loring.  Now, as if things weren’t bad enough for poor Sue, she was eulogized by having it revealed that she was once raped by Dr. Light in the JLA satellite (I actually had to read that part twice because it just didn’t seem real).  The only other time we see Sue is with her then deceased husband Ralph as ghosts supposedly enjoying their bizarre afterlife.  Ralph never made it back into the New 52 and Sue hasn’t been resurrected as of this writing.

8.)  Lori Grimes:  Remember, we’re talking all comic books.  Lori is part of the now legendary Walking Dead comic series, or at least she was.  The reason this makes the list is that she is the wife of the main character, Rick, and her gruesome death.  I actually found her frightfully annoying in the TV show, but that’s just me.  The scene is that the Grimes are in their stronghold and the Governor, from another town, overruns their prison/home with Lori being killed in the action.  What made it so dreadful is how she died.  Rick, Lori and Carl (their son) were running for cover.  Lori had a baby in her arms (their daughter Judy) and Lori took a shotgun blast to the back killing her instantly.  Everyone else, including Judy, survived.  Her death warranted a full page to show the gory details.  The governor, eyepatch and all, is also pictured below.

7.)  Phoenix:  You knew she would be on this list didn’t you?  Yes, the infamous Phoenix from the X-Men.  Let’s set the scene, shall we?  In the final issue of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” the X-Men fought the Imperial Guard on the Blue Area of the moon (yes, our moon).  This was to prevent them from executing Phoenix who they thought was a danger to the universe.  Even though Professor X had installed some “circuit breakers” in Jean’s head to prevent her from becoming Dark Phoenix, everyone knew the writing was on the wall.  Professor X and the X-Men tried to stop Jean and Colossus had the opportunity to deliver a death blow...but couldn’t.  He did crack her in the jaw and that shook her up, but she ran and Cyclops followed.  Freezing Scott with her powers she took her own life with the help of a Kree laser cannon so she couldn’t be a danger to anyone.  This was a stunning moment for most who read this saga.  Jean did return 5 years later but the death will always be remembered.

6.)  Arthur Curry Jr.:  This one was a game changer as it was the death of a child.  Was a taboo broken here?  I don’t know, but it sure shook people up.  It wasn’t just the fact that a child died but it was also the way he died.  The short version is that Black Manta took the baby and put him in a device that eventually suffocated him.  Mera did her best to save him through extraordinary means, but she was too late.  Arthur Curry Jr’s death pointed out the fact that no one is safe, regardless of age.

 5.)  Barry Allen:  When he arrived it was the start of the Silver Age and when he died it was the start of the post-Crisis DCU.  Coming on the heels of the death of Supergirl, Barry Allen’s death was both graphic and shocking.  Barry’s death ushered in the age of Wally West as the Flash.  Until his recent return Barry Allen’s death stuck for almost 20 years.  This death of such an important character was truly a milestone in comic history.

4.)  Bucky Barnes:  Bucky is not the first sidekick to take a dirt nap, but he certainly stayed dead the longest out of almost any character.  If you remember, Bucky went down in flames during World War II.  We didn’t actually see it happen except in a flashback, but you know the story.   Captain America always made sure we didn’t forget about Bucky as he talked about him constantly.  Now, however, after many many moons Bucky is back as one of the coolest characters in the DC Universe, The Winter Soldier.  He looks cool, sounds cool, and has quite an impressive skill set.  Who else can catch Caps shield at full speed?  It’s apparent that Bucky is here to stay.  I hope so because he’s become, easily, one of my favorites.

3.)  Jor-El and Lara:  There is no mystery here as to who they were or how they died.  Nor is there a mystery as to their offspring.  The thing that gets them in this list is that they were created with the specific purpose of dying.  Where Arthur Curry Jr. lost his life, Jor-El and Lara gave their lives so their son could live.  In their all to brief existence they have made an impact that has lasted for the life of Superman comics.

2.)  Uncle Ben/Gwen Stacy:  This one is a twofer.  Let’s start with Uncle Ben.  His death wasn’t caused by an enemy,  it wasn’t self sacrifice, and it wasn’t designed to protect anyone, it was a death due to the inaction of a character.  This death also proved to be a lasting foundation of strength for this character and a reminder that with great power comes great responsibility.  Without Uncle Ben’s death the entire framework of Spider-Man’s psyche would be different.  It’s also ironic how Gwen Stacy died as a result of Spider-Man’s actions.  One death due to actions taken and another due to actions not taken and both critical in the life of Spider-Man.

1.)  Thomas and Martha Wayne:  Who else could it be?  75+ years ago the Dark Knight was born due to the death of his parents.  It touched on the fear of suddenly losing your parents, suddenly being alone, having a hatred for guns, and the overwhelming need to protect people without killing the bad guy.  This death, like Uncle Ben’s, served as an inspiration to fight crime, but in a different way.  This is what makes it such a defining moment.  A moment we are reminded of time and again throughout the Batman series.

Before we finish this up for the day let’s do a recap of the different deaths:

4 instances of bad guys killing a loved one:  Alexandra Dewitt, Sue Dibney, Arthur Curry Jr. and Lori Grimes.

4 instances of characters taking their own lives for altruistic reasons:  Jean Grey (Phoenix), Jor-El and Lara, and Barry Allen with Jean and Barry coming back to life.

1 instance of accidental death only to return as an entirely different persona:  Bucky Barnes and his return as the Winter Soldier.

2 instances of death caused by the same character, one due to action one due to inaction:  Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy who didn’t come back but served as the foundation for a belief system

2 instances of death due to a street robbery:  Thomas and Martha Wayne whose death created one of the most popular DC characters.

No matter how you look at the death of a character there is no doubt that it can be shocking.  This list represents events that defined a character, defined an era or even became a pop-culture milestone.  Death has, no doubt, become part of the comic universe the only question is will we see those people again?

10 Best Selling Comic Book Titles of the Past Century

I am often asked what the 10 best selling titles are of all time.  Here is a list of the top 10 and some information regarding each.  Enjoy!

10.)  Death of Wolverine  I was surprised by this, but apparently it’s true.  This is a comic by Marvel and was released in September of 2014 with unit sales of 274,000.  Although it seems like every character is dying and coming back to life the death of Wolverine, in particular, got some heavy duty sales.

9.)  All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder  This is a comic by DC Comics that was released in July of 2005 with unit sales of 276,000.  The All Star line was undoubtedly an answer to the Marvel Ultimate line, but it didn’t do quite as well.  This is Batman’s highest selling appearance so far this century.  The combination of Frank Miller and Jim Lee were unbeatable at the time.

8.)  Uncanny Avengers  A spinoff of Avengers vs. X-Men, this combination of the Avengers and the X-Men in one team was quite a hit.  As a comic fan I can honestly say that I felt this was a long time coming and was bound to be big.  This was released by Marvel in October of 2012 with unit sales of 305,900.

7.)  Rocket Raccoon  This one comes as no surprise.  Fresh off the success of Guardians of the Galaxy there was no character more popular save for Groot.  This was released in July of 2014 by Marvel comics and had unit sales of 311,000.  If you have this one, and any possible variants, ya’ done good.

6.)  Captain America  Not just any Captain America, the Civil War Death of Captain America.  Though it’s no surprise that Cap died, since many of his colleagues had already done the same and come back, it symbolized the death of freedom and liberty.  In his place, the very capable, and newly reformed, Bucky Barnes.  This was released by Marvel in March of 2007 with unit sales of 317,700.  We will soon get to see this live in the upcoming Civil War movie.

5.)  Justice League of America  No surprise here, this was part of the New 52 and was the best selling comic of the entire event.  This particular issue has a cover with an American flag (shown) and a cover for every state with each having it’s state flag on the cover.  I’ve seen comic stores selling the entire set for $100.  This was released by DC in February of 2013 with unit sales of 326,000.

4.)  Civil War  I’ve seen this listed as one of the worst events in comic history and couldn’t disagree more.  This event was a long time building and was played out very well by the writers and artists.  This particular comic is where Spiderman unmasks starting a cavalcade of mixed emotions that follow him through subsequent comics.  Civil War was released from May 2006 to February 2007 by Marvel comics and this comic had unit sales of 341,900.  This was Marvel’s biggest event of the century....by far.

3.)  Walking Dead  Issue #100 is the only “non-DC/Marvel” comic to be on this list.  It is the smash event that took TV by storm and did extremely well in it’s comic adaptation.  If you follow the two storylines, though, you will see that the two differed markedly as soon as issue #2.  This was released by Image in July 2012 with unit sales of 384,800.  

2.)  The Amazing Spider-Man  Arguably Marvel’s version of Superman/Batman, Spider-Man has gone through many changes, clonings, and death’s of loved ones over the years.  It was all capped off in #700 by the “death” of Peter Parker himself.  This comic was the rejuvenation of the brand and the return of the original Peter Parker.   This comic was released by Marvel in April 2014 with unit sales of 559,200.  An astounding 170,000 units more than the #3 spot.

1.)  Star Wars  This is an interesting comic to be at this spot.  As you well know Marvel was in a state of near bankruptcy in the 70’s.  It was Star Wars that not only bailed them out but brought them back to near financial stability.  Marvel did this by licensing Star Wars early in the game and thereby helping the brand, and themselves, get a foothold in the marketplace.  Now, with Star Wars coming back to Marvel it’s no surprise that it did it again by being at the top spot.  Released by Marvel in July 2015 with unit sales of 985,976 it crushed the #2 spot by over 400,000 units and the #3 spot by 600,000 units.  It wasn’t even close.

For those keeping score at home this makes 7 titles for Marvel, 1 title for Image and 2 titles for DC.  My guess is that you could have called Marvel as the clear winner before you even started reading.

So what does this say about the future of comic sales?  Has the Trinity lost it’s appeal with DC?  Has Batman run it’s course after 75+ years?  Or are we seeing just another cyclical high by Marvel soon to be replaced by an equally impressive low?  My guess is that unless DC gets it’s act together it won’t be outselling Marvel anytime soon.  The New 52 didn’t perform like it was supposed to and Convergence confused people more than anything with no real changes coming from it.  It’s going to take more than yet another “reboot” to get DC back in the running.