In my quest to watch and view all superhero films and review them, I made the leap and watched “My Super X Girlfriend.”  Well, just so you know going in, this is a romantic comedy sort of presented in the superhero genre.  Normally, you couldn’t get me to watch a romantic comedy, not even if you used hell hounds and flaming whips, but I made an exception because of the “superhero” quotient.

As romantic comedies go, this wasn’t a bad movie.  The writing was solid, and the actors were very likable.  Uma Thurman rocks anything she appears in, and her role as the jealous, manipulative, spurned superheroine worked pretty well.  Luke Wilson is likable, he has a great sense of timing, and he’s easy to relate to.  Eddie Izzard, playing the mad scientist Doctor Bedlam, was electric every time he was on screen.  I had pleasant flashbacks of his role in “Mystery Men” as Tony P., a Disco-themed gangster.

As superhero movies go, there wasn’t a lot to grab onto.  The special effects were typical and journeyman level good.  The standard superhero gags, about alliterative names, secret lairs, meteor-spawned origins, etc., were a bit thin.

I’m not sure what to grade this.  As a superhero film, it was a C-.  As a reasonably entertaining romantic comedy, I would guess it rates a solid B.  (I don’t watch many comedies or romantic comedies, so I’m not the best judge on this.)  If you simply get a kick out of watching Uma Thurman and Eddie Izzard do their things, then it’s worth watching.  Still, I have to say, as Uma Thurman movies go, this is no “Kill Bill,” or “The Producers,” or even “Baron Munchausen.”

Scott.

The Chimera Strikes – The Seven of Cups by Mike Indovina, art by Paul E. Schultz, published by Satyr Play Productions © 2007

Reviewed by Benita Story – http://johnnysaturn.com – www.basicallybenita.com

If you like old-fashioned mystery men stories with a twist, you will enjoy The Chimera Strikes. The art style reminds me a bit of the old Dick Tracey comics. Here the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. The black & white art mirrors the subject matter perfectly.

The story starts out with a retelling of the origin of the Chimera himself and of his “assistant” Miss Webb. Like the pulp stories of old, Miss Webb is captured in order to trick the hero into coming to her rescue. But, unlike those old stories, this victim is no weakling and she can turn the tables on the bad guys just as ably as her partner.

The only confusing thing about this story is whether you are in the 1930’s or in the 21st century. Both time periods are mentioned and it seems to go back and forth. I never did figure this mystery out, but, really, it doesn’t make that much difference. The outcome of the story would have been the same, and the real villain would still be evil and manage to get away at the last minute and the main characters would be on his trail.

If this were a webcomic, I would put it in my Favorites list and continue reading it.

Reviewed by Benita Story http://johnnysaturn.com — www.basicallybenita.com

The story of The Contingent begins in Bolivia with the birth of a baby boy, resulting in the death of his mother. Jump forward 15 years later and this now teenage boy is playing soccer with others in what appears to be a very poverty stricken village. The arrival of two people from America change this boy’s life forever.

The art in this book is more polished that what you see in the majority of indy-comics, the coloring is top-notch, the writing clean and concise. But, unfortunately, the story itself is a rather blatant copy of Marvel/X-Men/Xavier School for the Gifted down to a girl with Cyclops powers, kids who can fly, levitate, make fire, etc. It would have been better for the writer to continue practicing his art in private until he was able to come up with a story line that was original. Taking an already well established idea and writing an already familiar story based on that is not truly creating as much as it is recreating, and the X-Men are far too popular for this story to seem other than what it is.

That being said, I do hope the writer and creators of this book continue to work. When they do come up with an original story idea, I will be happy to read it because there is talent here. Unfortunately, this story line has already been done to death by one of the big comic book companies.

Reviewed by Benita Story – http://johnnysaturn.com, www.basicallybenita.com

I will start this review off by stating that I am a fan of Edward Gorey’s art. Its dark and somewhat sinister style appeals to the mystery lover in me. This is the first comic book that I have ever seen that has done its best to replicate Gorey’s style, both in art and in story-telling. It reads like something from the 1920’s and could have easily been done as a silent film.

The story begins with the main character, of whom we never learn the name, realizing she has powers over nearly all men and that she sees no reason why she shouldn’t kill them to get what she desires out of life – basically riches and possessions. Her “career” begins at a very early age and continues until she finally meets a man whom she cannot control – the assistant to a detective who is investigating several murders that have taken place at the residence of the main character.

In the end, she is discovered, but the person who reveals what she really is and passes it on to the assistant detective remains a mystery until the very last page. The final outcome is, in itself, a clever twist on the one main stereotype that encompasses the entire genre.

The writinge is light and witty, with a rhythmic pacing that reminds me a bit of Poe. The main character is remorseless in her endeavors, and it is interesting to watch how far she is willing to push the envelope before it bursts. If you enjoy Gorey, Poe and watching a true femme-fatale in action, then you will enjoy this story.

I’m Not From Here – Slightly Embellished Autobiographical Comic Strips by Kenn Minter – Near Mint Press © 2008 – www.kennminter.com

Reviewed by Benita Story – http://johnnysaturn.com, www.basicallybenita.com

Scott and I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Kenn Minter at Mid-Ohio Comicon last September, where we discussed the idiosyncrasies of webcomics and self-publishing.

I found Kenn to be a dryly funny and insightful person. His book “I’m Not From Here” is equally dry and insightful. The main character is Kenn himself and his best friend is played by a huge, “sometimes pink” bunny named Oliver. In this book you get a glimpse of what it is like to be Kenn Minter, the experiences of Kenn Minter and what goes on in Kenn Minter’s mind. There are some wild and odd stuff in this book and reading it is not unlike looking at pictures by Edward Gorey. While you don’t understand it all, you can’t help but keep reading it.

The art style in this R (and sometimes X) rated book is unpolished, but so is the subject matter. The people, relationships and situations are true-to-life – in all its absurdity. Read, laugh, and wonder what it’s really trying to tell you.

Indavo – Freelance Explorer, Volume 1 “The Mayhem Begins” by Nathan Bonner – Remnant Press © 2007 – http://indavo.comicgenesis.com

Reviewed by Benita Story, http://johnnysaturn.com, www.basicallybenita.com

I will start this review by admitting that I had not read many manga-styled books, before. But since this book, I have read several others and am becoming a fan of the style and story-telling approach.

This all-ages book starts with main character, Indavo, an Exploration Corps Academy student-wannabe, working at the Degraken Memorial Storage Facility doing inventory, where he runs across an old ship that has never been logged into the system.

Jump four years into the future where Indavo has teamed up with a gunner named Racheal and a “robotic ex-thug” named Guaron T. A run-in with some space pirates, a brush with some of Guaron T.’s former “business associates”, explosions, near escapes, a mystery man who seems to be pulling several ropes to lead our heroes onto the path he desires them to be on and some witty repartee make for a fast-paced and entertaining story. And to top it off, Indavo is noticeably lucky in his ability to escape from harm and to get out of some really bad situations. In fact, it is so noticeable, that is becomes a bit of a running joke through-out the book.

While the gray-scaled art style can be a bit undeveloped in spots, Mr. Bonner’s has a knack of keeping the story interesting and the faces of his characters are very expressive.

If you enjoy science-fiction adventure stories with lots of action, interesting characters, and sound story-telling methods, you will get a kick out of Indavo. I can be hard to please with my reading material, but I couldn’t put this book down once I got started on it.

Check Out Saturnday – a new weekly column showcasing the prose stories behind the comic book, Johnny Saturn!  Want to know where Greg REALLY was during his two-month hiatus from work and Spire City?  Want to know how Dr. Synn escaped the underground city of Elysium?  Who becomes the new Madam Fishnet after Monica’s death?  Each week’s installment will give you the answers to the questions you are asking, plus you will get bonus artwork by Scott Story illustrating each scene presented.

Written by Scott Story and Benita Story, creators of Johnny Saturn, these short stories to be showcased on Saturdays are meant to fill in the gaps between the story-lines and behind the scenes of the current story arc, Johnny Saturn: Homeland Insecurity.  They tell the secrets and unfold more adventures of the main characters in the world of Johnny Saturn and Spire City.  And they might just give out a few hints leading up to the third and final story arc in the Johnny Saturn Trilogy.

Tune in each Saturday to “Saturnday” beginning August 30, 2008!

And now, back to the normal schedule.

By Benita Story

Shadowgirls – Tag Team Edition by David A. Rodriguez and Dave Reynolds – Issue #01

This is another book I picked up at Wizard World Chicago and is 48 pages worth of color comic.  The art is definitely Manga influenced, the colors simple, but effective and the writing is top-notch.  This is one book that pulled me in, batted me back and forth before letting me go, and I find myself begging for more abuse. 

Seriously, I really enjoyed reading this book, which is really the first two books in the Shadowgirls series.  It starts as 15-year-old Charon McKay gibbering in an alien tongue and giving birth to a baby girl.  Then the story advances through the years until the daughter, Becka, is 15 years old.  Mother and daughter have matching birthmarks and special powers that seem to come on during times of stress.  Oh, yes, remember the “gibbering in an alien tongue” part?  Well, there are some nasty aliens involved, too.

All-in-all, this is a very good book, definitely not G rated by any means, that makes it hard to put down once you have started it.  And, it is one that would make me part with some hard earned money to get.  I highly recommend it!