Long before Robert E. Heinlein immortalized the phrase in the title of his science fiction classic, storytellers delighted in telling tales of a stranger in a strange land. Indeed, that style of story continues to flourish. Sometimes the stranger is "one of us," and it is the land which is strange, as when Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee stumbled into King Arthur's court. Alice, Wendy, Dorothy, and Gulliver also discovered worlds stranger than our own. More often, however, it is the stranger who is strange. From Mork of Ork to E. T. to the crew of "Third Rock from the Sun," television and movie viewers are captivated by the antics and trials of alien creatures caught up in today's human society. Films like "The Navigator," "Encino Man," and "Forever Young" bring people from the past into modern times, dwelling on their shock and incredulousness at man's progress. Andy Griffith's classic comedy routine "What it was was football" hilariously dissects the sport from the outsider perspective of a bemused hillbilly fresh out of the mountains. These outsiders, time travelers, and aliens help illuminate that which is good or bad in our own world, giving us a new perspective to appreciate . . . or ridicule.

[An Andy Griffith digression: Yes, I'm talking about that old feller from MATLOCK, late night gospel album commercials, and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. Yeah, yeah, most of his stuff is pretty sappy, but I have some fond memories of this guy. The few episodes of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW where Sheriff Taylor actually fought crime were pretty good. And, believe it or not, the dude was once pretty damn funny before becoming a television staple. If you ever have a chance, track down "What it was was football" on tape and prepare for some real belly laughs. Easier to find is a movie called "No Time for Sergeants" that Andy did in 1958. It is just funnier than heck. It features Andy in full hillbilly mode wreaking havoc upon the Army with his guileless manner. This film was obviously an inspiration for "Gomer Pyle USMC." On the goofball side of things, I also have fond memories from childhood of watching Andy star in a short-lived quasi-science fiction television show called, I believe, "Salvage One." I could be misremembering, but I seem to recall that this nugget from the 70's cast Andy in the unlikely role of a rocket ship captain. He built and ran the rocket out of his junkyard. His five year mission: to seek out old junk in space and sell it. I kid thee not! Anyone who remembers this show or has (God forbid!) videotapes of it or the film "A Face in the Crowd" please contact me at the e-mail address above.]
 

GREENER PASTURES #1-3 (Kronos Komics)
RIB #1 (Caliber Comics)

 Currently the field of comics is blessed with two textbook examples of a stranger in a strange land: RIB and GREENER PASTURES. While originating from opposite sides of the Earth -- GREENER PASTURES is an Australian export -- both comics feature anthropomorphic lead characters dealing with our modern world. A bull and a worm leave their rural and suburban life to discover their true selves in the big city. Culture shock ensues.

 The worm and the bull have previously led protected lives and begin their stories cloaked in naivete. Rib, the worm (imagine a young, slim Jabba the Hut), is an orphan who has just left the orphanage at age 21, not knowing who his parents were. While he has been exposed to humans before, he is as uncertain of his feelings toward them as he is ignorant of his own people's culture. Trevor Bovis, the bull, just got bored of grazing his pasture one day, stood up on his hind legs, and approached his farmer/owner with some questions. When the farmer, his wife, and their television prove short on answers, Trevor begins a quest to determine where a talking bull fits into the larger scheme of the world.

Worm and bull naturally assume the best place for answers to their questions is the big city. ("Ah, silly youth," opines the ex-farmboy reviewer.) Despite some initial difficulties, both are quickly and conveniently settled into a niche in their respective cities. Rib finds a bar owner with a heart of gold who instantly offers a job, food, and a place to sleep. Trevor finds himself swooped up by a couple of college guys who instantly make him their roommate and get him enrolled in the university. While both series use their unique protagonists to tackle some serious issues, the approaches of the books differ wildly.

Done in an earnest fashion, RIB is an allegory about racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Rib is one of a race of worms which have been downtrodden and forcibly assimilated into human society. Fourth rate citizens, the worms are disdained by most humans. Some worms are trying to smooth out relations by turning assimilation into more equal integration. Other worms seek to separate themselves from human culture as much as possible to better preserve their own. The first chapters don't explain where the worms originated, but if they are extra-terrestrial, it would make the series most comparable to the ALIEN NATION franchise.

 Done in a lighthearted fashion, GREENER PASTURES explores animal rights activism and vegetarianism. The bovine hero is shocked early on to discover that his species is food for ours. As the only sentient cow on the planet, Trevor begins a one-bull crusade to stop the slaughter, but is constantly distracted by the wonders of life off the farm. This series takes the low road, using many "fish out of water" gags. We get to see Trevor discover the allure of television, the joys of being arrested, the surrealism of bureaucracy, and the necessity of toilet training. The comedy is offset by the occasional bit of soul searching and self-discovery. Alas, much of the potential drama is lost because most characters in the book inexplicably mistake Trevor for a very big and hairy human. Maybe his horns are hypnotic?

 Overall, RIB is put together a little better than GREENER PASTURES. RIB writer Andrew M. Ford has a tighter plot and is spinning a thought-provoking yarn. His RIB short story in NEGATIVE BURN #40 (Caliber Comics) was so well structured, it convinced me to check out the series. Michael Michalandos of GREENER PASTURES is a good writer, but his looser plot is frequently interrupted by gags which are sometimes a little too forced. To be fair, however, there are a several good laughs in each issue of GREENER PASTURES. The art on both comics is serviceable. Michael Kelleher gives RIB an appropriately dark look with his thick lines and heavy shading. Likewise, Tim McEwen complements GREENER PASTURES with a thin-lined cartoony style. In an odd cash-raising technique, all the "extras" in GREENER PASTURES are drawn to resemble readers who send McEwen $10 and a clear photograph. This is a bit distracting, as these characters tend to be less cartoony than other characters in the same panel since the artist is trying so hard to perfect the caricature. However, I must give the guys credit for devising such a novel financial innovation.

 Both of these books are worthy efforts, so it's a matter of deciding which approach you prefer: dramatic or comedic. Whatever your choice, I'm sure you'll be happy.
 
 

_____	GREENER PASTURES	Grade: B-
_____	RIB	Grade: B+

(GREENER PASTURES #6 is solicited this month by Kronos Comics in PREVIEWS on page 190! RIB #3 is solicited this month by Caliber Comics in PREVIEWS on page 232!)
 
 

Back to Index...

THE WRETCH #1-4 (Caliber Comics)
THE WRETCH Volume Two #1 (Amaze Ink)

 "The Creep [Wretch] was like everything else in Glass City, a second-hand myth. Just phony enough to ignore, but almost real enough to believe in. Only one thing was certain about him. He showed up when things were weird . . . and when he did . . . they got weirder."

 ("The Creep in 'Exorcism 101,'" NEGATIVE BURN #23, Caliber Comics,1995, p. 32.)

 THE WRETCH proves that, once in a while, both the stranger and the strange land can be very, very strange indeed.

 The strange land is Glass City. It's a city where every urban legend is true and every supernatural being exists. Bigfoot, demons, ghosts, vampires, and ghouls are some of the least interesting evils tormenting the residents of Glass City. A quick review of some WRETCH story titles reveals the real dangers: "The Slide to Nowhere," "Alarm Clock of the Beast," "Rain Babies," "Mandelbrot's Leaf," "The Wailing Woman." Once you enter Glass City, you'll find that Satan's plans for world domination hinge on such mundane items as birthday cards and breakfast cereal. Many residents are skeptical or in denial about the weird goings-on in their city, making them tantalizingly vulnerable to the machinations of the city's nastier inhabitants.

 The stranger in this strange land is the Wretch. His origin, nature, and motivation are all unclear. What is clear is that he is a hero -- the first and last line of defense against the supernatural beasties of Glass City. The Wretch has numerous powers: he can walk on walls; he can become immaterial; he packs a heck of a right cross; and most importantly, he appears where he is most needed just in the nick of time. He's a cross between DC's Phantom Stranger and Will Eisner's Spirit. A mysterious pugilist ready to do battle with the strangest of opponents, the Wretch has pounded the demon right out of a possessed high school girl. When fisticuffs fail, he resorts to the oddest arsenal of weapons ever conceived: a mitten, an Operation gameboard, a dart, and an unexplained, all-purpose hose which is part of his costume (possibly life-support?). To top off the mystery, the Wretch is evidently mute, so any forthcoming answers probably won't be coming from him.

 THE WRETCH is an intriguing and entertaining book. Since the hero is given no thought or word balloons and no secret identity, the reader can only define him by his deeds. And what noble and heroic deeds they are! The Wretch is especially protective of children; it seems to be one of the primary driving forces of his existence. He seeks no reward for his work, and is sometimes repaid only with ingratitude. Though the situations are almost always dire, the Wretch and his adventures are buoyed by a light-hearted whimsy.

 Writer/artist Phillip Hester is responsible for this amazing little comic. I first noticed Hester's pencil art on the bizarre science fiction epic FRINGE (Caliber Comics) back in 1990. I was struck by his strong style, character designs, and layouts. More recently, he was the penciller during the final two years of DC Comics' SWAMP THING. Despite Hester's fine artwork, both books are now history. I'm hoping that THE WRETCH finally marks his big breakthrough.

The character first appeared under the name "The Creep" in Caliber Comics' NEGATIVE BURN #23. The Creep appeared twice more in NEGATIVE BURN #29 and #33. Then Dark Horse Comics protested Hester's rights to the name "The Creep." A detective character also called "The Creep" had appeared in a couple of serials in the anthology DARK HORSE PRESENTS several years before. Hester politely and contritely rechristened his hero in time for one more appearance in NEGATIVE BURN #37 and five issues of a solo comic. THE WRETCH took another publishing turn this year when it moved from Caliber Comics to begin Volume Two under Slave Labor Graphics' Amaze Ink imprint.

 Hester's art is stronger than ever, and he is proving himself to be a top-notch writer. Each issue of THE WRETCH contains one or two self-contained stories with iron-clad plots and dazzling twist endings. "The Wailing Woman" from THE WRETCH #4 was one of the most moving tales I've read this year. With the exception of one story entirely drawn by Mike Worley in THE WRETCH #3, Hester pencils all his Wretch tales. Hester's pencils are finished by a variety of inkers: Ande Parks, Paul Fricke, Jim Mahfood, Rich Faber, Bruce McCorkindale, Jim Woodyard, Gregg Paulsen, Aaron Gillespie, Jason Caskey, and Andrew Walls. Regardless of the inker, Hester's pencils predominate and bring a uniform style to the series. Hester's artistic influences are evidenced by the dedication to Steve Ditko and Alex Toth that appears on the inside cover of each issue of THE WRETCH.

 THE WRETCH is a black-and-white treasure. Sample it once, and I'm sure you too will be drawn in by this strange man in a strange land.
 
 

_____

Grade: A

(THE WRETCH Volume Two #3 is solicited this month by Amaze Ink in PREVIEWS on page 196!)

 (A pin-up sketch of the Wretch is available at http://www.metronet.com/~gronlund/images/wretch.jpg.)
 
 

Back to Index...

JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN #0-30 (Dark Horse Comics)

 Nathan, Jack, Jasmine, Bethany, and Danny like where they live. It's an Eden-like garden world they call the Greenery. Every need -- from food to weapons to knowledge -- spontaneously appears whenever they require it. They are sporadically attacked by autonomous war machines, but they are able to defeat the machines with the variety of instinctive military skills they have at their command. In their world, babies occasionally appear out of nowhere, and older teenagers fade out of existence after they have "reached" -- developed a super power. Then one day, the Greenery itself fades away, and the five find themselves in a laboratory on a strange and violent world: Earth.

 The five teenagers have been part of the ultra-secret Next Men Project, run by a treasonous U. S. Senator and a renegade department in the United States government. The Next Men are mutates. (Please, don't confuse them with the X-Men, who are mutants.) Stolen or purchased as babies, the Next Men are raised inside machines and educated via computer in a virtual reality until their "trigger" gene can be tripped and they develop a super power. Unfortunately, all the previous subjects have died shortly after "reaching." Their super powers and computer-instilled military skills were to make them the ultimate soldiers in the Senator's army. But with another government agency's investigators closing in on the Senator's wrongdoing, the Next Men are just another bit of evidence to be destroyed. The only problem is that the termination program failed, and the Next Men were freed instead of killed.

 JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN was originally done in a series of story arcs which have since been collected into trade paperbacks. I'll be giving each arc it's own grade and putting a cumulative grade for the series at the end. I also want to warn whomever it may concern that the graphic violence and sexual situations depicted give this series a "mature readers" rating.

 The first story arc of JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN is snapping with energy and excitement as it follows the Next Men through their first night in the real world. Aided by government agent Tony Murcheson, the kids escape from the secret laboratory as it explodes, elude the local police and military troops, and deal with local rednecks. During interludes in the evening's violence, the Next Men make some shocking discoveries. First and foremost, they have all "reached," and their super powers have mutated their bodies: Danny's super speed results in huge, deformed thighs; Nathan's eyes can see into the entire electromagnetic spectrum, giving him x-ray vision and eye sockets that look like open wounds; Jack's super strength lacks control and prevents him from touching the woman he loves; Bethany's invulnerability extends to her sense of touch and taste, turning her body into a living isolation chamber; Jasmine's acrobatic abilities are less spectacular but also less malignant, leaving her mostly normal. This is a solid introduction to the characters and the series. (Grade: A)

 The second story arc, "Parallels," finds the Next Men in an uneasy alliance with the government. They agree to travel to Russia and act as a task force, confronting a group of renegade mutates who are part of a Soviet Next Men Project. This weakest chapter in the Next Men saga is worthwhile only for the numerous sub-plot developments. The Senator, Aldus Hilltop, begins his rise to power in the United States with the assistance of an enigmatic evil being named Sathanas. Sathanus is from the future and is manipulating current events to ensure his existence comes about as he remembers it. (For a view of that future, see JOHN BYRNE'S 2112.) For the most part, this chapter is nothing but a standard superhero slug-fest. (Grade: B-)

 In the third story arc, "Fame," writer/artist John Byrne lets loose with some comedy. He creates some very lively characters in an imaginary comic book company, Dollar Comics. Byrne has the Next Men make their public debut via a Dollar Comics press conference pushing a Next Men comic book. The publicity backfires, though. The kids are recognized by the sheriff who chased them that first, hectic night and are arrested for destroying the laboratory and murdering the staff and some townsfolk. Meanwhile, romantic relationships come to the foreground, generating a generous amount of angst for everyone. This chapter sends the series off in a much more intriguing direction than the one taken in the "Parallels" storyline. (Grade: B)

 "Faith," the fourth story arc, finds the Next Men on the run. They take refuge in a hidden religious commune located in the deserted tunnels of the New York City subway system. (Oy, only in comics!) Here, one Next Man, feeling guilty for having killed an innocent bystander, is introduced to the Bible and has a religious epiphany. It's refreshing to see such a rare event in the field of superhero comics, and Byrne handles the conversion in a thoughtful and forthright manner. I'm not an advocate of any religion, but in a world where so many people have such strong religious beliefs, I think it's silly that mainstream superhero comics avoid the issue almost entirely. I wish more creators would follow Byrne's example. (Grade: A-)

 "Power," the fifth story arc, deals with the ramifications of the "trigger" gene. It seems that everyone has this gene, and interacting with the Next Men can trip it. An employee of Dollar Comics who befriended Danny begins exhibiting unlimited and uncontrolled abilities to shape reality. This is another weak chapter, produced so John Byrne could indulge in gratuitous cameos by characters from other comics created by his friends. Hellboy, Concrete, Monkeyman & O'Brien, and the elves of ELFQUEST are all dropped in willy-nilly. (Grade: B-)

 "Lies," the climactic chapter, finds Jasmine captured by Hilltop. The plot lags during the extended mindgame to which Jasmine is subjected. Meanwhile, the other Next Men get caught up in an assassination attempt on Hilltop orchestrated by a mysterious man from the same future as Sathanas. Everything gets extremely complex as several long-running sub-plots come crashing together. However, the last two issues are an exciting rollercoaster of revelations, realizations, and explosions. While many plotlines are resolved, the fate of the Next Men is left up in the air. (I hate when they do that!) (Grade: B+)

 In the final issue, Byrne promised to bring the Next Men back in a follow-up series within 4-5 months. That was in 1994. Call me foolish, but I'm still eagerly anticipating that book. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Why? Because John Byrne is one of the most competent writer/artists working in superhero comics. His art defines professionalism. His writing is a bit awkward, but his plotting is almost always tight and exciting. He's a master of the sub-plot, throwing in plenty of romantic and political entanglements. Currently, he is focusing his abilities on DC Comics' WONDER WOMAN and JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD. He makes both books interesting, despite my general apathy toward the feature characters. I'm hoping he'll someday get around to telling more stories of the characters he made me love: The Next Men.
 
 

_____

Overall Grade: B+

(JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN BOOK ONE, BOOK THREE: FAME , BOOK FOUR: FAITH, BOOK FIVE: POWER, and JOHN BYRNE'S 2112 are all resolicited this month in PREVIEWS on page 58!)

Back to Index...

The first several issues of the all-ages fantasy PAKKIN'S LAND are collected in trade paperback this month. See my review in the April 1997 issue of LWYBM, then check out the listing under Caliber Comics on page 232 of the August PREVIEWS.

Back to Index...