Long-Lived Comic Series #2 - Ex-Mutants (Eternity / Amazing / Pied Piper / Malibu Comics)

Ex-Mutants is a comic book series that had a very convoluted publishing history, bouncing from one publisher to the next - and, sadly, during all those transitions, the stories themselves were affected, and ultimately, the entire premise of the series was laid to waste (sort of like the entire Earth was in the original stories).  I can remember back in the mid-1980s picking up the first few issues of this series published by Amazing Comics, as I was just starting to dive deeper into independent comics at the time.  I found the story interesting, but apparently not a lot of comic readers in my area did, as the comic store I frequented stopped carrying it, so I never picked up any more past those first few issues.  Flash-forward to present day, and after picking up a few issue from the fifty-cent bins at local conventions, I continued to scour those cheap comic boxes until I was able to put together an entire collection of the series (which was no easy feat due to its constant shifting of publishers and numbering), and finally had the opportunity to read the entire series.  Looking back, I think I would have been better off hanging on to my memory of those first few issues and never knowing what happened to this series after that...

The first issue of Ex-Mutants was published back in 1986 by a small company called Eternity.  Created by David Lawrence (writer) and Ron Lim (artist), the comic told the story of a post-apocalyptic Earth where the survivors were all mutated.  Once scientist was determined to restart humanity, and he began by changing five mutants back into their human forms - one male (Belushi) and four females (Angela, Erin, Lorelei, and Vikki).  For reasons unknown to me, another publisher, Amazing Comics, reprinted that first issue the same year with some expanded story pages (this is the first issue I bought), and continued the series with issues two through five.  The next year, issues six through eight were published by a company called Pied Piper Comics, along with a one-shot titled Ex-Mutants Micro-Series: Erin.  Based on some online research, it appears there was some kind of legal struggle, following which the series returned to Eternity Comics, which re-published issues six and seven and collected some of the issues into trades.

Ex-Mutants then saw a new series begin in 1988 under the Eternity imprint, titled Ex-Mutants: The Shattered Earth Chronicles.  This series lasted fifteen issues and also had an Annual, a Winter Special, as well as a Solo Ex-Mutants six-issue mini-series.  During this time, Eternity tried to expand the universe with spin-off titles, The New Humans, Wild Knights, and Shattered Earth.  (I did not collect any of the spin-off titles, so I have no idea as to the quality or stories in those titles.)  This series ended in 1990, only to come back in 1992 under the new Malibu imprint (who, by the way, owned Eternity).  This new series was full color (all previous series had been black-and-white) and was a complete re-boot of the comic.  Malibu's Ex-Mutants featured six ex-mutants - three males and three females.  Shortly into this rebooted series, the company did a cross-over with its other titles (Protectors and Dinosaurs for Hire), which completely changed the dynamic of the comic, even going so far as to give some of the characters super-powers and codenames!  The Malibu series only lasted eighteen issues, and in 1994, the story of the Ex-Mutants was put to rest.

The series started off back in 1986 pretty strong.  Lawrence's writing was fairly strong, and Lim's art was beautiful.  A mutant scientist, Dr. Cugat, is working to restore humanity to the human race.  He selects one male mutant and four female mutants and manages to degenerate them back to their human forms.  He sends them out into the mutated Earth to not only locate more power cells for his research facility (in the hopes that he can restore more mutants to their human form), but also to inspire the mutants out there, giving them hope of restoration.  The Ex-Mutants befriend a group of bikers known as the Wild Knights, and they defeat the villainous mutant who is in control of the population.  Even though the stories are definitely post-apocalyptic and deal with a lot of fighting and deaths, there is still a light-hearted tone.  Lawrence does a pretty good job of characterization with his five Ex-Mutants, and I actually grew to care about the characters over the course of those first eight issues.

When the series re-started as "The Shattered Earth Chronicles," a new creative team took over the chores.  Paul O'Connor was the new writer, and Marc Matos (with occasional help from others) was the new penciller and Jimmy Palmiotti (yeah, I know, right!) was the new inker.  It is here where the series starts to take its downward turn, as it deviates from the original concept.  At the end of the first series, Dr. Cugat sets off what he believes to be an atomic bomb, thinking he will just destroy everything - but, instead, he detonated a dimensional bomb that sends he and his Ex-Mutants to different dimensions.  Dr. Cugat ends up in a dark dimension where he becomes more evil and sets about to find a way to find a portal to the dimension where his Ex-Mutants were thrown.  Meanwhile, Lorelei has been separated from her teammates and is learning some form of mystical arts that allows her to control matter; the rest of the Ex-Mutants are in a different part of the Shattered Earth, where they are constantly facing one battle or another from various mutant tyrants.  Of course, it all eventually leads to a reuniting of the team and a showdown with their former mentor and creator, who has now evolved into a horrifically evil mutant monster.  The last issue of this series barely featured the Ex-Mutants, but rather, featured an annoying gnat of a mutant who gave the team nothing but trouble throughout this run basically just giving an overview of the final fate of the Ex-Mutants.

 

The Ex-Mutants Winter Special was one of the few good stories that came out of this second series.  Set at Christmas time (before Dr. Cugat went over to the dark side), it finds the Ex-Mutants off searching for a Christmas gift for the doctor, and they inadvertently discover a mall that has been untouched by the ravages of the shattered Earth.  It provides an opportunity for writer Tom O'Connor to delve into the characters a bit more, giving readers a chance to see a more personal side to each of them.  Sure, there are fights with mutants in the story, but there are also simple moments that reminded me of the film, Dawn of the Dead, when the surviving humans lock themselves in an empty mall to evade the zombies, and they spend some time going through the various stores.  I think this story is probably closest to the original concept that Lawrence and Lim had created for the book.

The Solo Ex-Mutants series, which ran for six-issues, was hit or miss.  This provided an opportunity for writers/artists to spotlight different members of the Ex-Mutants in stories of their own. None of the stories stood out for me, and it felt more like a way to cash in on the short-lived success of the Ex-Mutants rather than any actual purposeful stories.

After a two year break, the Ex-Mutants returned under the new Malibu logo of comics - and while some of the elements mirrored the original series, this was definitely a re-imagining of the concept updated for the craziness that was the 1990s.  New writers and a new artist (Paul Pelletier - some of his earliest work) gave the series an entirely different feel, and the full-color comic also changed the tone of the stories, with the bright flashy colors.  The series went from four women and one man to three women and three men (equal representation, I suppose), and the characters became nothing more than stereotypes.  Ackroyd (hmmm, a companion to the original male, Belushi, from the first series, perhaps?) is the super-strong jock that isn't necessarily so bright; Tanya is the skilled, fighting female; Bud is the young buck, always acting before he thinks; Shannon is the woman looking for love; Dillon is the leader, focused solely on the job at hand; and Piper is the innocent girl, always fending off Bud's amorous advances.  Dr. Cugat is exchanged for Professor Jonathan Kildare, a mutant cyborg.  After just three issues, the writers change, and after the tenth issue, the series becomes a part of the "Genesis" crossover that tied into Protectors and Dinosaurs for Hire.  This crossover drastically changes the title in a number of ways - new creative team (yet again!), new characters (two members of the Protectors super-hero team joins the Ex-Mutants, while other members of the team leave), and a new premise (as the Ex-Mutants find they have super powers), all of which turn the title into just another big-battle, super-hero comic book.  The final issue of the series (number 18) does not even feature any of its title characters on the cover, but rather, features the group of villains the Ex-Mutants are battling in the story.

It's a shame such a great concept was so horribly handled - but, I suppose as with many independent titles, once the original creators leave the title, it will never be the same.  And that definitely holds true for the Ex-Mutants.  Lawrence and Lim created something unique and fun for the time, and it's a shame whatever legal battle was going on took the title and characters away from them.  I can only imagine what might have been if the two of them had been able to stay with the characters they created - I wonder what stories might have been told!

Nearly fifty issues of story (not counting the duplicate issues by the various publishers), and yet, for me, only the first eight issues actually tell the REAL story of the Ex-Mutants.  As they say, you never know until you try something, and I gave this one a shot.  I guess I am grateful I did not pay full price for any of the issues, as I would have probably been more disappointed than I was.  

RATING:  5 samurai sword wielding humans out of 10 for the original five ex-mutants who actually stood out in a time of super-hero filled comic books as unique and interesting characters!

Helena Crash - an IDW mini-series

Have you ever picked up a book or comic for a reason that others may find completely crazy? Well, most will likely think I'm out of my mind for picking up this particular comic for the reason I did - but I'll be straight up about it - the only reason I bought this mini-series from IDW comics is because of the name.

Helena Crash.

Those who know me will know how much I love the character, Huntress, from DC Comics.  Originally, she was the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman, and her name ... drumroll please ... was "HELENA" Wayne. So, because of this, the name "Helena" has special meaning for me. And, so, when I saw this series, the name along was enough to attract my attention, and I thought, why not.

Then I got the first issue through my subscription service and looked at the art.  UGH!  Definitely not my cup of tea. The less than proportionate people, the oddly drawn faces and heads, the almost child-like drawn backgrounds. What was I thinking?! But, I bought it, so I figured I might as well read it. And right off the bat, writer Fabian Rangel, Jr.  introduces readers to his title character, Helena Crash - a reckless, carefree black market delivery person who manages to get the people in this dystopian future what they want most - - coffee!  You see, in this future, coffee is illegal due to the nosedive that the environment took, and Helena happens to have a contact who manages to stay under the radar by growing and manufacturing his coffee underground - literally.

In a world now populated with aliens and humans alike, Helena (who is an orphan with no last name - she never knew her parents - so she took her last name from the thing that happens to those who try to chase her down - "CRASH!") tries to work outside the law, but stay neutral and out of the turf wars - such as that between the White Demon and Rojo. Unfortunately, circumstances conspire against her, and Helena finds herself thrust into the middle of their war whether she likes it or not.

Rangeltells a hard-hitting action tale that has its funny moments, as well as endearing ones, and well, before I realized it, I was thoroughly enjoying the tale.  Each issue is packed with story, and while there are several subplots that don't necessarily see resolution (leaving it open for more stories in the future I hope!), the main story sees a great resolution.  It definitely leaves me wanting for more - Helena is an intriguing character with a mysterious past, a sarcastic, but caring side, and is full of spunk and determination.

And the art - - well, it grew on me.  By the end, I realized the art had nearly as much impact on the story as the writing did.  Sure, it's not your standard art, but in some ways it reminded me of a style that would have been used for storytelling in that old MTV television show, Liquid Television.  So, I applaud IDW and Rangel for going with Warwick Johnson Cadwell as the artist for this series - definitely a pefect fit for the story and the characte.

RATING:  8 Gatling guns out of 10 for some high-speed, action-packed storytelling with characters you quickly learn to root for and love!

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter - Movie Novelization

Evil Comes Home.

While some people have criticized the Resident Evil films for various reasons, I have absolutely loved each and every one of them.  Milla Jovovich breathed life into the character of Alice, the protagonist through all of the films, and so it was with a bit of sadness that I went to see "The Final Chapter," which is toted as the conclusion to the series of films:  Resident Evil, Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife, Retribution and now, The Final Chapter.

I have not read any of the novelizations until after I saw the film, and this novelization of the last film is an example of why. The books, which are based on what I assume to be the original screenplays, tend to have not only more story to them (including backgrounds, characterization, and such), but they also tend to have additional storylines that don't appear in the movie.  For this book, it was the story of Becky, the girl who Alice believed to be her daughter during the alternate reality sequences of the last film/book.

The Final Chapter stays somewhat consistent with the film, although its opening offers a lot more backstory to connect the ending of the last film with the beginning of this one. Readers learn more about the fight that Alice, along with Ada, Jill, and Leon, endured as the hordes of undead and vile creatures created by the Umbrella Corporation converged on the White House.  We find out more about Albert Wesker's betrayal (like we didn't see that coming" during the battle, and we learn the ultimate fates of Ada, Jill, and Leon.  Readers also discovery why Alice was underneath all that rubble at the beginning of The Final Chapter.

I'll admit, I had fun reading the novelization, as there were moments where I felt like I was sitting in the theater once again, watching the movie.  Alice's battle with the nightmarish creatures unleashed by Umbrella.  Alice reuniting with Claire Redfield.  The revelation of the traitor in their midst.  The big reveal of Alice's true identity and her connection with the Red Queen.  The ultimate battle between Alice and Wesker & Isaacs.  The sad deaths of some of Alice's companions.

The underlying thread of Alice's search for and concern for Becky, her "daughter," is the biggest difference between the film and the book.  The film has no mention of Becky whatsoever, while the book continues the subplot throughout the whole story.  In fact, the very end is drastically different - without providing any spoilers here, let's just say that the end of the book focuses on Becky, while the end of the movie provides an entirely different direction for the story.

And the epilogue ... I have to wonder if that was a post-credits scene in the movie, as I did not stay for the end of the credits.  Once I buy the DVD, I'll have to watch and see.  Not that it really makes a difference, since there talks of re-booting the whole Resident Evil franchise, which would make the epilogue pretty much irrelevant. (Personally, I hate the idea of a reboot.  There is a whole world of stories that they could tell set within this world already created - plenty of other characters they could follow).

So, the saga of Alice has come to an end.  It was a satisfying series of stories, and although she will be missed, I can say that they provided the story a very satisfying conclusion.

RATING:  9 decanters, sculptures, and fountain pens out of 10 for concluding the Resident Evil saga of Alice with some unexpected twists and turns, but with no dangling plot threads.

Ex-Heroes, Book 5 - Ex-Isle

The easiest way to describe this series to someone is simply to say, it's "Avengers vs. Walking Dead."  Simply put, this series tells the story of a zombie-infested world that has superheroes. And there can be no doubt, Peter Clines tells a darned good apocalyptic-superhero-zombie tale.

Ex-Isle is the fifth book in this series, and while it starts off just a bit slow, once it gets going, it draws you in and doesn't let go (pretty much like the previous four books).  In this installment, St. George (formerly the Mighty Dragon), Zzzap, and Corpse Girl see the spotlight as they head out into the Pacific Ocean to follow-up on a possible group of survivors who have created a man-made island out of ships; meanwhile, Cerebus and the Driver, along with some of the Unbreakables, fill in a sub-plot in a facility outside of the Mount (which is an abandoned movie studio and back lot that the heroes have walled and created a safe-zone for survivors) known as "Eden," where they are trying to create a garden to grow food for the increasing number of survivors.  But, as with any drama, nothing and no one is safe, and nothing is ever as it appears.

Let's start with the main plot - Cline keeps things fresh by taking us out into the Pacific to a "isle" that is nothing more than a cluster of ships - a cruise ship, a tanker, some yachts, and a few other boats, all cobbled together to create a living space for these survivors.  (No, Kevin Costner was not there, and if you don't get the reference - look it up!)  Zzzap (who I would say is sort of an amalgam of Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt) happens upon it as he returns to Los Angeles from his scouting trips, searching for other survivors in the world.  It takes some convincing, but Stealth (the leader of this group of survivors) agrees to let Zzzap go back and offer assistance, along with St. George (the Superman prototype of this world) and Corpse Girl (who is not a zombie, or an "ex" as they are called in this series - what she really is...well, that would be telling).  The three are not met with welcome arms, and, in fact, after a very embarrassing inspection, they are locked in a cage (and Corpse Girl is literally ripped in half - but that doesn't mean that's the last we see of her).  All because the citizens of this isle believe their leader, Maleko (an underwater super) when he tells them this isn't really Might Dragon, because he died when the government nuked Los Angeles!  (Say what?  Could this be another mind-control/dream sequence like in one of the previous books?)  The isle has its secrets, as does Maleko, and it's a battle royale in the end, when Maleko finds out that not everyone under his thumb can be trusted!

Moving over to that subplot, Danielle, who used to be the one inside the Cerebus battle suit, has to face the world outside while repairs are being done to the suit (which was damaged nearly beyond repair in the last book).  Cesar, who keeps insisting everyone call him "Driver," is the only one now that can work Cerebus, since he is able to merge with any machine and basically become the machine.  Along with the military supersoldiers known as the Unbreakables, they head up to Eden, where farmers and workers are trying to create a garden to grow the necessary food to feed the population of the Mount.  But something is not right.  The military men are taking more than their fair share, and they are slowly taking control of the weapons and ammunition.  Are they planning a coup?  Or is it something worse?  And who will stand by who when the south fence falls and the place is swarmed by zombies...er, make that ex-humans, ready to feast on flesh.  And what will happen when Danielle must face off against an ex without her Cerebus suit to protect her!?  Let's just say that before the wall is put back up and the place restored, one of our main characters will have a very suspicious injury on their arm...

As with the prior books, Cline includes some flashbacks periodically throughout the story - each one giving some back story to some of the characters at play (or, even a character who does not otherwise feature in the book, yet his story has an impact).  Cline continues to build a world of characters that are believable (even if some of them do have unbelievable superpowers) and likable, and his soap opera storytelling leaves you wanting for more when you reach the last page.

Honestly, I never expected this series to continue into five books (heck, I was surprised when a second book came out, as I figured Ex-Heroes was just a one-time gimmick).  But, I'm glad Cline has kept it going, and at this point, he better keep churning these out, as I want to see more - so many characters, superpowered and not, that all need attention and have stories to tell.  I just hope Cline tells them all!

RATING:  9 repeated references to Lost out of 10 for keeping the idea of superheroes as the good guys alive and well (even if it is in a book about people who are dead and not-so-well).