Escape from New York comic book

Escape from New York
Christopher Sebela (story) and Diego Barreto (art)
Boom ! Studios, 2014 - 2015

In December 2014, indie comics publisher Boom! Studios issued the first issue of a series of 'Escape from New York' comic books, a sequel to the classic 1981 sf movie from John Carpenter.

[Earlier in 2014, Boom! had released a comic book series based on Carpenter's 1986 film, 'Big Trouble in Little China'.]

The 'Escape from New York' sequel evidently is scheduled to last for 6 issues.

Given my opinion of the contemporary comic book scene, I didn't have major expectations for the new series, but I was willing to pick up the first two issues to see what it was like.

On the one hand, the series does start things off right where the movie left off, which is good....our hero has made the President a laughing stock and threatened World Peace, and Bob Hauk is ordered to put Snake right back into NYC prison. Snake, of course, has no intention of complying, and makes a break for freedom.

But the plot, by Christopher Sebela, too quickly becomes utterly frenetic and haphazard. For example, within a series of only three panels, Snake stands atop a speeding jeep....climbs onto the skid of a hovering chopper.........and makes his way into the cockpit to hijack the aircraft...?! This rushed, facile approach to the narrative gives the comic a hyperactive quality completely out of character with the movie.

Diego Barreto's artwork has the cartoony, manga-inspired styling that dominates much of the contemporary comic book aesthetic, and when it's combined with a flat color scheme from colorist Marissa Louise, the result is less than impressive.....I got the impression I was reading a sequel to 'Escape from New York' produced by Hanna-Barbera.

I won't disclose any spoilers, save to say the plot has Snake escaping New York and lighting out for Florida, now an independent, anarchistic state which protects itself from the federal government via a mine field of Cuban nukes buried along the state's northern border.....

The movie was set in 1997, albeit a 1997 as imagined by a film-maker living the early 80s. Unfortunately, there's little effort on writer Sebela's part to communicate any information on the year in which this sequel is set, and thus, the narrative is devoid of any real stylistic continuity with the backstory, and atmosphere, of the film. It comes across as a rebooted 'Escape' set in a decrepit USA ca. 2015.

There are still four issues of 'Escape from New York' to go, but if the first two issues are any indication, this is yet another unimpressive retooling of a franchise that deserves much better.........

The Hacker Files issue 1

The Hacker Files
by Lewis Shiner (story) and Tom Sutton (art)
issue 1
DC Comics, August 1992

Science fiction / speculative fiction author Lewis Shiner wrote a number of comic book series for DC in the 1990s, starting with 'Time Masters' in 1990, followed by 'The Hacker Files' in 1992, and 'Vermillion' in 1996.

1992 was of course the apex year for the Early 90s Comics Boom, and DC and Marvel were flinging out new titles every month. But this was also a time when cyberpunk, hackers, and the hacking subculture were emerging as pop culture phenomena. So it wasn't too surprising when DC's management decided to act on Shiner's suggestions and release a comic book about ....well......... a hacker.

As Shiner notes in his introductory essay to the series (appearing in lieu of the Letters Column for issue 1) with 'Files' he is intent on a humanistic approach - making the hacker, rather than the computers, the focus of the story. Jack Marshall, the hacker in 'Files', is depicted as a scruffy, antisocial maverick who has little patience with Authority, but Nonetheless Has His own Principles to Which He Stays True. 

This might have been too idealized a portrait, but then again, Shiner was attempting something rather offbeat (even if the book was set in the DC Universe) by having a social outcast as hero.

In his introductory essay, Shiner indicates that he and DC editor Bob Wayne want their Hacker aesthetic to be readily distinguishable from DC's more conventional, superhero-oriented titles (this was something of a big departure from the company's 'normal' approach to comic book design at the time.....DC's more 'adult' imprint, Vertigo, wouldn't be launched for another year yet). 

However, the big weakness of 'The Hacker Files' is the artwork by Tom Sutton. 

According to 'Erotic Comics' by Tim Pilcher (2008), at the time the series was published, Sutton was busy cranking out porno comics for Eros Comics, an imprint of Fantagraphics. Sutton used the pseudonym 'Dementia' for titles such as 'Bizarre Bondage', 'Savage Sewer Sluts', and 'Bondage Slaves'. This workload plainly resulted in a subpar effort by Sutton for 'The Hacker Files', with many panels looking as if thumbnails were hastily pressed into service as the finished art. 

Sutton's pencils are too loose and sketchy to be really effective, particularly for a book that can't rely on the types of frenetic action scenes that typify superhero comics. 

Sutton didn't put much effort into rendering his human faces very well, a major drawback for a book that revolved around depicting face-to-face conversations and interactions. 'Files' is further hampered by use of a murky color scheme from Lovern Kindzierski / Digital Chameleon. 

In future issues of 'The Hacker Files', Sutton's artwork would deteriorate even further............

But......... enough of the Aesthetic Arguments. Below I've posted the first issue of 'The Hacker Files', which features the first installment of the 'Soft War' four-issue story arc. 

(I'll  be posting the three following issues of 'Soft War' here at the PorPor Books Blog)

Sandkings graphic novel

Sandkings
The graphic novel
Adapted by Doug Moench (writer) and Pat Broderick (art)
DC Comics, 1987

George R. R. Martin is of course well-known to contemporary readers of sf and fantasy literature. 'Way back in the late 70s he was a rising star in sf, primarily due to his short stories. 

The August, 1979 issue of Omni magazine featured his story 'Sandkings'.

[A television adaptation of the story was later aired in 1995 on the Showtime anthology series The Outer Limits.]

In 1987, DC Comics published the graphic novel adaptation (48 pp), part of its series of sf-based graphic novels.

The main character in 'Sandkings' is a young, wealthy, man-about-town named Simon Kress. Kress is a sadist, who enjoys acquiring carnivorous aliens as pets ('....I feed my shambler a litter of kittens').

In search of a pet that is even more exotic and dangerous than the ones currently in his inventory, Kress acquires Sandkings, small ant-like creatures with considerable intelligence.

Kress sets up a large terrarium in his living room and soon begins to play 'God' to the Sandkings.

Kress invites his social circle to visit his home, to observe the Sandkings; this enhances his reputation among the city's smart set.

Kress embarks on an extensive series of 'bug wars', pitting his Sandkings against a variety of animals, all for increasing monetary stakes.

As the weeks roll past, Kress becomes increasingly obsessed with his unusual pets, an obsession that eventually edges into mania.

But his unhinged state has its consequences....and the Sandkings escape their cage. Kress is forced to confront the unpleasant possibility that his erstwhile pets are no longer his to command.....

I won't disclose any spoilers, save to say that for Simon Kress, things are going to get worse before they get better.....

The original 1981 paperback anthology that contained 'Sandkings' now fetches exorbitant prices, so this graphic novel may be a more affordable way of taking in the story. I can't say that Pat Broderick's artwork is well-suited to the story; its style is to representative of the type of artwork that appeared in 80s superhero titles. But overall, the graphic novel is a faithful adaptation of the story, which in its time was a worthy treatment of the alien / monster theme. if you're a fan of Martin's work, or a fan of 80s sf, then it's worth searching out.

Snake Plissken action figure

Snake Plissken action figure
NECA, February 2015

Action figure and action movie fans will both rejoice at this fantastic Snake Plissken retro doll based on the 1981 John Carpenter film Escape from New York ! Featuring the likeness of actor Kurt Russell, this Escape from New York Snake Plissken 8-Inch Retro Clothed Action Figure is poseable, and dressed in fabric clothing similar to the toy lines that helped define the licensed action figure market in the 1970s. Snake wears his iconic camo pants, muscle tee, and assault boots, and comes with a removable jacket, holster belt, and enough weaponry to take down a small army! Blister card packaging with removable protective clamshell.