Comic review- Doc Savage: The Spider’s Web #1- And the award for the stupidest comic book of 2015 goes to……..this one.

Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Cezar Razek
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Released: 2nd December 2015



Here’s the plot: 1935, America, and an evil inventor/industrialist has a portable weapon that melts people, and entire buildings. He attempts to sell it to the US Government, but (unbelievably) they are not interested.

So, rather than selling it to foreign governments, or to the numerous independently wealthy private individuals who would no doubt pay him billions for such a weapon, he comes up with a devious plan to change the US government’s mind and to get them interested in it.

Here’s his plan. Melt a couple of cops, evaporate a warehouse, frame the Germans, get the US government to perceive a German threat, and then they’ll come running back to you to buy your portable WMD. Will it work or will the heroic Doc Savage foil his evil plan to, err, sell a weapon to the US government, the very people that (in the real world) would be more than happy to buy it off of him?

If you want to find out what happens next, buy this book. If, however, you find this entire plot to be completely, unbelievably stupid, then don’t.

What on earth is going on here? Are we supposed to believe that the US government (In 1935) would NOT be interested in a powerful (portable) weapon that can dissolve people and entire buildings into a puddle of goo? And are we also supposed to believe that having found out about this technology that they would leave the inventor alone to do whatever he likes with it? Wouldn’t this be a serious national security issue? Didn’t the US invade Iraq because they THOUGHT that they had WMD’s? Okay, I know that was a lie, but the point stands.

There is no way in Hell that the US government of 1935 (or any other time in world history) would find out about a devastating weapon of mass destruction, and then do absolutely nothing about it other than politely say no when given first refusal.

How the Donald Duck am I supposed to take any of this seriously. The whole thing is completely preposterous. There’s suspension of disbelief, but suspension of the intellect as well?

Chris Roberson, you’re asking too much of your readers. Your story is nonsense, and I have to call you out on it. When the fundamental core of your narrative makes ZERO LOGICAL SENSE how the heck am I supposed to engage with it?

I’ll answer that. I can’t. It’s absolutely impossible to engage with something sooooooo mindnumbingly stoooopid. Aggggghhhhh, my head hurts now. Somebody give me some brain juice please, my intellect is literally pouring out of my ear holes.



Rating: 0/10 (I can’t even remember the last time that I read something as stupid as this comic book)

Comic review: The Shadow #2- Starring Poor Old Mr Crowley

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Giovanni Timpano
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Released: 2nd September 2015


I do like me a bit of Shadow in the morning, a bit of occult daftness, a bit of red scarfed visual stimulation, and a bit of double printed text, just to keep me on my toes.

Double printed text?

Yeah, they messed up in ‘The Shadow #2’ duplicating the same text on two pages, but with slightly different art panels. I haven’t had my coffee yet, but I noticed it, oops.

The other thing I noticed about the book was Aleister Crowley, the beastly blokey who is lurking in the back of that famous Beatles album cover (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), and a name that often crops up when people talk about the occult. He was a bit of a pathetic creature in this book, ageing out, depressed and afraid. I hope that Mr. Bunn is duping us all and that he has a bit more for him to do, as so far, it just seemed like a bit of a waste of a fascinating real life personality that you could do so much more with.

The plot of the book involves a cabal of villainous magicians that want to get their hands on ‘the last illusion,’ a secret that Harry Houdini took with him to the grave. It’s up to our shadowy hero to stop them, because if they get it, well, they’ll get up to all kinds of mischief, I guess. That’s simple, that’s easy, and that’s exactly what I want in my Shadow books. This particular issue was a bit talky, but it had to be to set up what is coming next, and it had a good cliff hanger, so that’s enough for me to return next month.

The Shadow #2 then is a simple, old-fashioned pulp comic book. I like that. Keep it simple, keep the mainstream statist/collectivist programming to a minimum, don’t lecture me with Marxist identity politics and tell a good, clear story. I can read the book, enjoy it, and forget it. There was nothing here to irritate me, and hey man that’s good enough for me.

Okay then, so that’s the first review of the new week done. Time to get me some coffee and to see if 2000AD is out in W.H Smith's yet. The Shadow #2 has that textual duplication error, but I enjoyed the book, mainly for the appearance of the Great Beast, but as I said in the first line of this review, I do like me a bit of Shadow in the morning, always have done, for some reason.


Rating: 6.5/10 (A narrative set up issue, with a beastly guest star)

Ozzy's ode to Mr Crowley

Comic review: The Shadow #1- The Shadow Knows

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Giovanni Timpano
Publisher: Dynamite Studios
Released: 5th August 2015


This special $1 re-launch of The Shadow is a nice diversion from everyday realities and concerns. It’s set safely in the uncontroversial/mythological past, is about evil magicians, and has a strong moral core to it that will have you rooting for the morally righteous (and I’m not talking about ‘Social Justice’ here) Shadowy crusader.

I enjoyed the book, but there’s always been something about the Shadow that I really liked. It’s the cool red scarf, the hat, the cloak, the black inked voice, and his relentlessness determination to bring people to account, to pay for the consequences of their actions. That’s what I like about him, and that’s why he has always resonated to me as somebody that I enjoy reading about.

Where is a guy like that today when we have criminals like Tony Blair still walking around and reminding us of just how corrupt and evil our world truly is? Here’s an idea: How about bringing the Shadow out of the 1930’s and into this post 9/11 world?

Just think of the possibilities of a new ‘truther’ Shadow as he investigates and punishes those responsible for 9/11, the Iraq war, the Libyan war, the banking bailout of 2008 and all of the other crimes committed by western states since 2001.

Sounds great, don’t you think? So, why isn’t anybody doing it? Perhaps I should do it myself, yeah, I probably should.

Anyway, back to fun time, let’s forget reality for a couple of minutes, and dive back into this comic book.

The Shadow #1 is an enjoyable book, the art is mostly good, sometimes very good, and the story is simple, easy to follow and a lot of fun.

Buy the book (it only costs $1) for a ten-minute fun time diversion that contains a cool, bad ass character that can look into the very heart of a man, detect the guilt, detect the corruption, detect the moral decay and judge as Annubis judges the souls of the dead.

The Shadow is his own man, and that’s why I like him. A man who goes his own way and does what is right rather than what is expedient is rare these days.

The Shadow cares about moral law, about what is right, and what is wrong, and his only mission in life is to make sure that the guilty get exactly what they deserve. Tony Blair knows what he did. The Shadow also knows. Oh yes, the Shadow knows, and justice is coming soon.


Rating: 7/10 (A decent relaunch of The Shadow, and it only costs $1)

Comic review: Reanimator #4- A gloriously daft ending to a thoroughly enjoyable series

Writer: Keith Davidsen
Artist: Randy Valiente
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Released: 15th July 2015



It’s Friday, the end of my comic book reviewing week, and it’s been heavy. All week long I’ve been talking about politics, order following, statism and officially sanctioned corporate evil.

Godzilla in Hell #1 was fun, but check out my review, somehow along the way I get wrapped up in life again and go on a big rant about quiet acquiescence to real world evil. And if you think that’s an over the top, self-righteous rant, check out my review of this week’s 2000AD.

Wow, I really go overboard on that one.

I guess I’m just a crazy loon who can’t help himself. I read a book, sit down to review it, and off I go, on a wild reality tangent, coming across like a crazy (or should that be ‘manic’) street preacher.

‘Reanimator’ allowed me to take a break from all of that. I read it, enjoyed it, and that’s that. Here is a book about reanimated corpses, voodoo, swamps, monsters, magic and mayhem, and it’s all very, very daft.

I've enjoyed this series because it’s being deliberately silly, and it’s not trying to do anything other than that. There’s no forced, ironic cleverness to the dialogue. The characters talk to move the story forward, explain the silliness, and to make sure that there is no confusion going on. I like the fact that writer Keith Davidsen is making sure that nobody is confused. It’s not patronising, it’s reader friendly, and I really appreciate it.

Too many books today try to be subtle, and all they end up doing is confusing me. The worst kind of comic book is the book that you read, put down, and think, ‘What the Hell was all that about then?’ Give me something simple, and silly, and I’m fine with it. That’s probably why I enjoyed Godzilla in Hell #1 so much as well.

I’m not that hard to please. All I want is a bit of fun, a bit of silliness, and an occasional good book that deals with important issues, a book that has broken free from the mainstream education promoted ideology of Cultural Marxism that is sweeping through, and destroying, mainstream comic books in 2015.

Reanimator isn’t going to go down in history as a revolutionary, paradigm shifting comic book, but that’s okay, because it’s not trying to force any ideology down your throat.

I read it as four issues of forget the world, kick off your working boots, sit down, relax, and enjoy the fun. I’ve enjoyed the arc, not because it was saying anything, but because it wasn’t saying anything.

The lack of agenda or ideology allowed me to relax, to laugh and to enjoy the book for the silly, escapist bit of fun that it was supposed to be. The ride is over now, and there’s a gap in my diary for silly, throwaway, escapist, daft fun. I’m going to miss this book. Fun and comic books don’t always go hand in hand today.



Rating: 8/10 (I was hoping for a delightfully silly final panel to wrap up the story, and that’s exactly what I got here. Leave me smiling and I’m a happy comic book reader)

Blitz review: Reanimator #3- Old School Horror Comic fun-time

Writer: Keith Davidsen
Artist: Randy Valiente
Cover B artists: Andrew Mangum & Kyle Ritter
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Released: 10th June 2010


I love this wonderfully deranged comic about a loony tune mad scientist, drug gangs, a cult of Cthulhu fanatics and a hot babe who has found herself mixed up in all of the craziness.

I shouldn’t like it so much, but I do, it’s my break from reality, and it’s the perfect counterbalance to my day to day research and writings about neo-liberalism and what can loosely be termed the ‘New World Order.’

My issue #3 had the B cover, the one at the top of this review, and I knew that it was fun time again before I'd even read the book. That cover is so deliciously corny, look at that tight T-shirt slowly lifting, tightening at the bosoms, and revealing some belly. It’s old-fashioned ridiculous sexist, objectifying the female form, and I have to say that I’m a huge fan of it.

Inside the actual book is a narrative that should be convoluted, but really isn’t, due to the precise way that it’s structured as an instantly readable reader-friendly fun comic book. Not all comic books are like this. Some just tell their tale, and if the reader gets lost half way, then tough luck.

Writer Keith Davidsen is a bit friendlier than that. He takes his time, explains what is going on, asks if you have any questions, then moves on to the next part of the story. That accessibility makes the book a joy to read you can just sit back, sip your cuppa, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

If you are a fan of old school horror comics, or anything to do with a certain H.P. Lovecraft, then ‘Reanimator’ is something that you’ll get a huge kick out of. It always makes me smile, it entertains me, it stops me from being so damn serious all of the time, it’s great silly stuff, and man, that cover just made my day.

Rating: 8/10 (Reader friendly horror comic fun)