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Weird Worlds by Kevin VanHook
Requirements: CBR reader, about 30 mb each
Overview: "Weird World" is one of those comics that you want to like more than you actually do. A good anthology series is worth its weight in gold, in part because it means that the creators all understand how to use a reduced page count to keep you still interested with each new installment. So far, though, "Weird Worlds" is showing a lot of potential but not quite following through.
Kevin VanHook and Jerry Ordway get the lead position with their Lobo story, and after three chapters it's going absolutely nowhere that you aren't already familiar with. Blown off heads, surprise attacks, that sort of thing; it's Lobo-by-the-numbers. The problem is, it's also a slightly neutered Lobo. Compare this story to, say, the "Lobo" mini-series by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, and Simon Bisley and the amount of energy (or rather, the lack thereof) by way of comparison is startling. VanHook's script doesn't have any pep to it, and while I like Ordway as an artist I'm increasingly convinced that he is the wrong fit for this story. His art is too pretty, too refined, too polished for the character of Lobo. Then again, to a lesser extent that's the same problem with the script. This is too genteel for the self-proclaimed Main Man.
Aaron Lopresti offers up another chapter of his creation, Garbageman, and I'm loving the art here. His people have wonderfully expressive faces, and Garbageman himself (despite the horrible name) looks creepy and pathetic. Sure, it's hard to keep from feeling like we're seeing Swamp Thing 2.0 (and that's not even including characters like Man-Thing or Sludge, the latter of which Lopresti co-created in the '90s), but Lopresti's building the character's backstory up bit by bit. The one problem is that as a serialized story there's never been enough pep to it; I feel like we're reading a graphic novel that's been sliced up over the course of 8 issues, and as such the momentum isn't quite there. (It probably doesn't help that the title character is a bit of a sad sack.) Still, it's a step up in the comic overall.
Kevin Maguire's creation Tanga closes the title out, and so far Maguire seems to be the only one who entirely gets how to write for an anthology. Each issue's installment has had a proper rise and fall of action and drama, and considering that a lot of these three issues have involved protracted conversations, that's no small feat. Maguire gives Tanga a fun streak of sass that readers can grab onto, and the art just looks fantastic. Maguire can draw big monsters better than most, and the regular-sized characters also have a smooth, slick look to them that makes them instantly appealing. If "Weird Worlds" turned into an all-Tanga, all-the-time comic I'd be delighted.
I want to love "Weird Worlds" (because I do love the anthology format) but right now, it's not quite there. This is a comic where you'll come for Tanga, and while you're there enjoy Garbageman. And as for Lobo? Well, you can look at it and see how two talented creators were completely mismatched with a character. VanHook and Ordway have done good things elsewhere, but they just aren't right for Lobo.
Sample page
Review
More comics from this writer
A book starring Lobo and two brand new characters really doesn’t seem to have much cache, especially with the “Main Man’s” peak popularity somewhere in the past. Of course, those two new characters are created by a pair of fan-favorite artists, and that’s really the only thing saving this book for me. Lopresti’s art is always entertaining and Kevin Maguire is on my personal “I’ll Buy Anything Drawn By. . .” short list.
Van Hook’s Lobo story is, well, it’s a Lobo story. Van Hook aims to prove Lobo’s badassery, and does so in this installment, complete with blood-spattering, dismembering, laser blasts to the brain, and jawbones being ripped out. It’s odd to see Jerry Ordway rendering so much explicit gore, but it is here nonetheless. Ordway’s work is packed with detail and masterful storytelling as always, but the story is less than inspired.
Following the Lobo issue-opener is the beginning of the legend of Garbage Man. Yeah. Garbage Man.
Lopresti is no stranger to mucky monsters, having drawn “Sludge” way back when for Malibu. Lopresti does the grotesque, hulking, oozing man monsters with flair. I certainly wish DC and Vertigo would get their act together with the whole Swamp Thing issue so Aaron Lopresti could draw up some killer Swamp Thing pages rather than this pale imitation, generic Swamp Thing story we get in this issue. I can appreciate the fact that Lopresti is given a chance to flex his writing muscles here, and I understand that Swamp Thing is currently untouchable, but this story is just a little too overtly aimed at filling Swamp Thing’s void for me. Lopresti may have designs to move Garbage Man away from Swamp Thing in presence and purpose, but for now the two concepts may as well be conjoined. It’s an entertaining tale, but as the vile Doctor Clive points out in the story itself, “It’s a cliché.” Ironic that the line following that statement is, “Of course, if someone would just get it right, we could all move on to something else.”
That something else we move on to in this issue comes in the form of a lilac-colored lovely lady drawn by Kevin Maguire. Somewhere around 2007, I had the opportunity to interview Kevin Maguire and he mentioned that he was hoping to “write and draw a series about a space girl, preferably at DC, but nothing's been set contractually.” Since then, it looks like things have been set, and here they are. Of the three stories in this issue (which feels like it has four stories due to the lengthy “DC Universe Online Legends” preview) this one has the most potential. It features an alien (to the reader) exploring the vast reaches of outer space. Nothing is known about her coming in, and during the story, itself, the only things we learn are the things that Tanga chooses to share: she knows (or knows of) Lobo and she has a “misunderstanding” with the Green Lanterns. Those are two story seeds I’m looking forward to watching grow under Maguire’s pen.
As far as anthologies go, this one is pretty damn flat. Lobo does what Lobo does, which is maim and kill, drink, smoke, and insult people. Garbage Man feels like a cardboard cutout. Tanga has potential, but nothing to latch onto at this point. I’m not sure what the goal was here, as the three characters have different drivers for their stories. “Weird Worlds” is weird alright, but it’s not the worlds in the story bringing the weird. At least it’s got great art.
Download Instructions:
#1: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/wjr8zawg/weird_worlds_01.cbr
#2: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/y509xjfa/weird_worlds_02.cbz
#3: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/4eara5gj/Weird_Worlds_03.cbz
#4: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/93v5gfcc/Weird Worlds v2 04 (2011).cbr
#5: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/xd9xy6my/Weird_Worlds_v2_005.cbr
#6: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/rb2dha72/Weird Worlds v2 006.cbr
Mirrors MU:
#1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UMAKTGB5
#2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=904YBQZJ
#3: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0L22708C
#4: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3NGEI5YG
#5: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LUS80MMG
#6: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5MKT618P
Requirements: CBR reader, about 30 mb each
Overview: "Weird World" is one of those comics that you want to like more than you actually do. A good anthology series is worth its weight in gold, in part because it means that the creators all understand how to use a reduced page count to keep you still interested with each new installment. So far, though, "Weird Worlds" is showing a lot of potential but not quite following through.
Kevin VanHook and Jerry Ordway get the lead position with their Lobo story, and after three chapters it's going absolutely nowhere that you aren't already familiar with. Blown off heads, surprise attacks, that sort of thing; it's Lobo-by-the-numbers. The problem is, it's also a slightly neutered Lobo. Compare this story to, say, the "Lobo" mini-series by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, and Simon Bisley and the amount of energy (or rather, the lack thereof) by way of comparison is startling. VanHook's script doesn't have any pep to it, and while I like Ordway as an artist I'm increasingly convinced that he is the wrong fit for this story. His art is too pretty, too refined, too polished for the character of Lobo. Then again, to a lesser extent that's the same problem with the script. This is too genteel for the self-proclaimed Main Man.
Aaron Lopresti offers up another chapter of his creation, Garbageman, and I'm loving the art here. His people have wonderfully expressive faces, and Garbageman himself (despite the horrible name) looks creepy and pathetic. Sure, it's hard to keep from feeling like we're seeing Swamp Thing 2.0 (and that's not even including characters like Man-Thing or Sludge, the latter of which Lopresti co-created in the '90s), but Lopresti's building the character's backstory up bit by bit. The one problem is that as a serialized story there's never been enough pep to it; I feel like we're reading a graphic novel that's been sliced up over the course of 8 issues, and as such the momentum isn't quite there. (It probably doesn't help that the title character is a bit of a sad sack.) Still, it's a step up in the comic overall.
Kevin Maguire's creation Tanga closes the title out, and so far Maguire seems to be the only one who entirely gets how to write for an anthology. Each issue's installment has had a proper rise and fall of action and drama, and considering that a lot of these three issues have involved protracted conversations, that's no small feat. Maguire gives Tanga a fun streak of sass that readers can grab onto, and the art just looks fantastic. Maguire can draw big monsters better than most, and the regular-sized characters also have a smooth, slick look to them that makes them instantly appealing. If "Weird Worlds" turned into an all-Tanga, all-the-time comic I'd be delighted.
I want to love "Weird Worlds" (because I do love the anthology format) but right now, it's not quite there. This is a comic where you'll come for Tanga, and while you're there enjoy Garbageman. And as for Lobo? Well, you can look at it and see how two talented creators were completely mismatched with a character. VanHook and Ordway have done good things elsewhere, but they just aren't right for Lobo.
Sample page
Review
More comics from this writer
A book starring Lobo and two brand new characters really doesn’t seem to have much cache, especially with the “Main Man’s” peak popularity somewhere in the past. Of course, those two new characters are created by a pair of fan-favorite artists, and that’s really the only thing saving this book for me. Lopresti’s art is always entertaining and Kevin Maguire is on my personal “I’ll Buy Anything Drawn By. . .” short list.
Van Hook’s Lobo story is, well, it’s a Lobo story. Van Hook aims to prove Lobo’s badassery, and does so in this installment, complete with blood-spattering, dismembering, laser blasts to the brain, and jawbones being ripped out. It’s odd to see Jerry Ordway rendering so much explicit gore, but it is here nonetheless. Ordway’s work is packed with detail and masterful storytelling as always, but the story is less than inspired.
Following the Lobo issue-opener is the beginning of the legend of Garbage Man. Yeah. Garbage Man.
Lopresti is no stranger to mucky monsters, having drawn “Sludge” way back when for Malibu. Lopresti does the grotesque, hulking, oozing man monsters with flair. I certainly wish DC and Vertigo would get their act together with the whole Swamp Thing issue so Aaron Lopresti could draw up some killer Swamp Thing pages rather than this pale imitation, generic Swamp Thing story we get in this issue. I can appreciate the fact that Lopresti is given a chance to flex his writing muscles here, and I understand that Swamp Thing is currently untouchable, but this story is just a little too overtly aimed at filling Swamp Thing’s void for me. Lopresti may have designs to move Garbage Man away from Swamp Thing in presence and purpose, but for now the two concepts may as well be conjoined. It’s an entertaining tale, but as the vile Doctor Clive points out in the story itself, “It’s a cliché.” Ironic that the line following that statement is, “Of course, if someone would just get it right, we could all move on to something else.”
That something else we move on to in this issue comes in the form of a lilac-colored lovely lady drawn by Kevin Maguire. Somewhere around 2007, I had the opportunity to interview Kevin Maguire and he mentioned that he was hoping to “write and draw a series about a space girl, preferably at DC, but nothing's been set contractually.” Since then, it looks like things have been set, and here they are. Of the three stories in this issue (which feels like it has four stories due to the lengthy “DC Universe Online Legends” preview) this one has the most potential. It features an alien (to the reader) exploring the vast reaches of outer space. Nothing is known about her coming in, and during the story, itself, the only things we learn are the things that Tanga chooses to share: she knows (or knows of) Lobo and she has a “misunderstanding” with the Green Lanterns. Those are two story seeds I’m looking forward to watching grow under Maguire’s pen.
As far as anthologies go, this one is pretty damn flat. Lobo does what Lobo does, which is maim and kill, drink, smoke, and insult people. Garbage Man feels like a cardboard cutout. Tanga has potential, but nothing to latch onto at this point. I’m not sure what the goal was here, as the three characters have different drivers for their stories. “Weird Worlds” is weird alright, but it’s not the worlds in the story bringing the weird. At least it’s got great art.
Download Instructions:
#1: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/wjr8zawg/weird_worlds_01.cbr
#2: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/y509xjfa/weird_worlds_02.cbz
#3: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/4eara5gj/Weird_Worlds_03.cbz
#4: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/93v5gfcc/Weird Worlds v2 04 (2011).cbr
#5: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/xd9xy6my/Weird_Worlds_v2_005.cbr
#6: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/rb2dha72/Weird Worlds v2 006.cbr
Mirrors MU:
#1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UMAKTGB5
#2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=904YBQZJ
#3: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0L22708C
#4: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3NGEI5YG
#5: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LUS80MMG
#6: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5MKT618P
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