Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director / administrative assistant / party planner / carpet stain hater Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). Okay, the Donist World corporate office (Mom’s basement) is still under siege as the new carpet will, once again, attempt to be installed. You see, last week our old carpet was torn out, and new foam padding was placed down only discover that the “new” carpet looked to have been stained with a barrel of spilled olive oil and had apparently been driven over by a tank. No joke. So, despite some heavy negotiation between the carpet company and Tulip and the Reverse Obie, we’ve been forced to live with foam padding everywhere, exposed carpet nails, and a continued interruption to our plans of maintaining our spot among the Fortune 320,000. <sigh> Anyhow, I got to move some more heavy stuff before the carpet installers get here, but while I stress out, y’all should relax, pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee, cook up some delicious waffles, and most of all read some great comics. Take care. Thank you for reading!
*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.
***Possible Spoilers Below***
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| Future Quest #3 |
Future Quest #3 - Written by Jeff Parker, illustrated by Steve “The Dude” Rude and Aaron Lopresti, inked by Karl Kesel, colored by Steve Buccellato and Hi-Fi, lettered by ALW’s Dave Lanphear, published by DC Comics. Last month’s excitement is interrupted for a look into two of Hanna-Barbera’s superstars: Birdman and The Herculoids!
I know, I know, simmer down, Denizens, simmer down. When the very first page — a gorgeous Birdman splash page by Rude, no less— said that this was a flashback issue my first thought was, “Instant score or RECOMMENDED!” To be completely honest, I was peeved that after only two issues, we were already hitting the flashbacks and not progressing with the story I had come to love over the first two issues. Future Quest was the comic I was most looking forward to reading, and it was the first comic that I read. Dang. One page, and this Donist was all salty and dismissive. But I took a breath…and turned to see what the story had to say.
What follows is the condensed version of my thoughts as I read this tale: Ohhhhh, look at Birdman hanging with Avenger <scorn> I can’t wait to see what happens next <sarcasm> Oh, wow. I want to watch the old cartoons now <sarcasm, holds a hint of truth> Here’s that spy woman, and look at…oh, is that the big bad from issue one?! <I sit up straight> Yeah, this is probably gonna be lame. <doubting> Rude’s art is dang fine, though. <sincere> Whoa! Oh my stars and garters, cool! <digging this comic = 97%> Wait, what?! It’s over?! That was freakin’ awesome. <100% loved this story…so glad, to have been so wrong>
Seriously, Denizens, that is how this issue went and it wasn’t even over. We also get an equally stunning — in both visuals and written word — origin of The Herculoids and what ultimately brought them to the planet Quasar. I went into this half happy, and left even more so. Every member of the Herculoids had their moment to shine and I was completely in from the first splash page to the end. The colors are bright and vibrant, bringing back a warm nostalgia of watching Saturday Morning cartoons as a kid, when I made sure I was always in front of the television to watch my favorite family of monsters. Man, this was really good.
The only fault I can find with this comic is that it wasn’t 100-pages-long. That is my biggest and only disappointment. With this issue of the gosh-darn-amazing Future Quest, I started with a crummy attitude, and left all smiles and desperate for more. This is how it has gone for every issue thus far in the series. If you are not reading this tremendous comic that successfully brings a ray of joy back to the usually dreary world of comic books, then you should remedy that immediately. Future Quest is good. It’s really good, and whether you are reading out of nostalgia for the old, or looking for something new, you are certain to be pleased. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Wonder Woman #3 |
I could not help but pick up this “DC Rebirth” title, and I’m so glad I did. This issue has it all: beautifully choreographed fight scenes, drama, some truly heartwarming moments, and a concurrent story with Steve Trevor that is mighty interesting in and of itself. Rucka and Sharpe grab you with the very first page, and successfully prove why Wonder Woman is such a strong and admirable character. She’s fierce, yet compassionate, with her body language relaying of a staunch confidence and a stalwart dedication to those once close to her. What I’m trying to say is you best respect the Wonder Womans…she’s hella badass.
So, yeah, I am sooooooo loving this new series and by that I mean the whole series. In case you didn’t know, all of the odd-numbered issues are devoted to Wonder Woman in the present, and all of the even-numbered issues are a look into the Princess of Power’s past. Each storyline has a different artist, but both storylines are out of this world. Just to be safe, you should be reading every issue of this tremendous series. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Archie #10 |
Speaking of comics that shine brighter than the darkest, blackest, direst of nights — or is it knights? — is the ever-delightful Archie. Although the artistic style is greatly different than what most people remember across the comic’s many decades of publication, Fish’s modernized look continues to bring a lighthearted and fun-filled mood to this charming series. The tone of the story, however, remains just as humorous and true to the characters while thematically mixing in a touch of current events (political elections, anyone?) in relevant ways. But no matter how much things change, one thing is for certain: Archie is every bit as great now as it was back in the ’50s.
Don’t get me wrong, Denizens, there’s nothing wrong with darker comics, it’s just that if you need a break from some of the more heavy titles out there, then you positively cannot go wrong with the new Archie series. Heck, if you need to lift your spirits in the wake of the current election year, you can not only catch up with Archie via the first trade, but you can still go to the darker realms with the fantastic Afterlife with Archie (different creators) if you so wish. Whatever you do, just don’t discount Archie. Give it a try. I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| East of West #28 |
I’m not going to lie to you denizens. Not much happens in this issue, but Death does gain some insight (through the creepy-as-all-get-out spider-eyeball thing) and is now moving with determination toward his son who continues to be fed lies about the world through his virtual reality helmet. My guess is that we won’t be seeing them again for a few issues given the healthy roster of characters and storylines currently going on, but we’ll know next month(ish). At least we get to see a truly bizarre and impeccably designed new character who I look forward to seeing in coming issues. Beware, though, Death’s Horse-Beast lurks within these pages, and that creature is something that will haunt me for the remainder of my days…I’m just sayin’.
East of West continues to be my favorite post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, revisionist history, political drama, horror, fantasy, biblical(ish), challenging comic on the stands. I say this knowing full well that it is the only comic that fits all those descriptions. It’s weird, it’s varsity level comic booking, it’s worth checking out, which you can do via the trades or the beautiful hardcover. Just don’t blame me if the dreaded Horse-Beast causes you to lose sleep. You’ve been warned. RECOMMENDED!
Slice into the Woods
Don’t Vote for that Moron Donald “Drumpf” Trump - I’m desperately out of time here, and I know November is a long way off, but whatever you do, don’t vote for that tiny-handed, orange-tinted sociopath. Although I lean left politically, I can understand being fiscally conservative, but this fool is not what any party should choose to represent them. Do some unbiased research on Drumph, you’ll see. Sure, you might hate Clinton, I agree she is as firmly entrenched with Wall Street as almost all politicians, but siding with Trump and the fear-mongering hatred he spews is a step in the complete wrong direction. If you positively hate Clinton, you don’t have to vote for her. Just remember that you also don’t have to vote for the lying, crazy “Drumpf,” either.
