CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor. |
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2. |
DVD Giveaway: Kick-Ass
Ends Aug 1, 2010
Get ready to have your ass kicked when this DVD of awesomeness releases to the home entertainment market. |
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Comic Book Review: Helios #2
by R.J. Carter
Published: January 17, 2005
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untitled |
Jason Rand
Gabe Pena
Chris Dreier |
Dakuwaka |
$2.99 US
$4.50 CAN |
Older Teen |
C+ |
For more information: Dakuwaka link |
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Cover by Eric Basaldua and Beth Sotelo.
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(Warning: reviews at The Trades contain plot spoilers.)
I don't know who Eric Basaldua is, but look for him to find work easily in the future. If I'd turned the cover and found his work--or similar work--on the inside... well, I'd probably have found the Image colophon instead of the Dakuwaka one on corner.
And while it's de rigeur to have different interior and exterior artists on a book, the dichotomy between the two talents can often be jarring. This is true even for the best known of names--case in point, certain issues of Sandman that sported beautiful Dave McKean covers, and interiors by Marc Hempel, who's work has never appealed to me.
Helios #2 is along those lines. From the intensely detailed Basalda pencils, we make a quantum leap to the not-so-detailed work of Gabe Pena. (Note: more items in the background does not constitute detail.) Big panel closeups are well done, but action sequences don't have the fluidity needed to make the story grab the reader, often showing characters that appear frozen but meant to be in motion. Still, there's promise in the style--take a look back sometimes at the early works of someone like Jim Lee (and if you actually have a copy of Santa Ninja that you paid for, you have my condolences.)
Style can be worked on and improved over time. Where the art fails the story most is in sequences like this one:
Facade: What the hell's going on, man? When I got here you were flying around, blowing apart rubble like it was paper. You can't fly.
Now, I went back to look over the scenes in question. And while the script may have called for Captain O'Connor to fly, someone didn't get the message across to penciller Gabe Pena, because never do I see Sunstrike leave the ground for more than a few inches. Comics being a medium where the confluence between words and pictures tells the story, it's this disconnect that is the main problem with Helios.
The increase in Sunstrike's abilities--however they may be communicated (or not)--is becoming the apparent focus running in the undercurrents of the story. Helios is the name of an ancient mythological sun god. Sunstrike has solar abilities that are increasing beyond his control. So my money is on the continued development of Sunstrike's abilities as being the developing plot of the series.
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But the focus of Helios jumps around from one supervillain fight to another; from the battle with Hate last issue to the seemingly unrelated fight with a team of neogenic Peruvian terrorists tearing up Lima that's the central storyline of this issue. This steals the attention from the last minute appearances by the mysterious stranger who repeatedly approaches Sunstrike in his sleep, and seems to serve no purpose but to slow down the story and provide an obligatory action scene to demonstrate the abilities of the superpowered persons in the story. Which gives us a great understanding of their abilities, and zero look into their characters.
My advice: put the setup out there and get it out of the way, and then move into the real page-turning stuff instead of letting it sit in the background; steer away from the military relationships as much as possible or become more acquainted with the way military officers relate to each other. The first comic from a new company can be the make-or-break, and needs to be either superior in story or in art. Dakuwaka cannot afford the weaknesses currently exhibited in both aspects, but can overcome them if they hurry.
Recommendation: Hot start, slowly cooling.
In stores now.
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