Liner Notes

Unstrung Heroes is author/musician Pete Braidis’ love letter to guitar players and guitar playing. In doing so, he interviews 50 guitar greats whose work is familiar regardless if their names are not. Case in point: Vic Flick. Who? Well, that’s his iconic riff in the James Bond Theme first heard in Dr. No. Braidis possesses enough knowledge of these players and their works to, well, fill a book.

Calling Unstrung Heroes a dense read is akin to calling Andy LaRocque (King Diamond’s guitarist, and interviewed within) metal. Braidis, however, wants to give these players a well-deserved spotlight and does so by saying hell to any editing, which is truly this book’s only downfall. Featured within are such greats as Davey Johnstone, David Rhodes, Eric Bazilian, and Martin Barre, from Elton John, Peter Gabriel, the Hooters, and Jethro Tull respectively. Certain interviews were the result of email exchanges and play out with all the enthusiasm of a message board. Those in which a true conversation occurs makes for a more lively read allowing Braidis to mix in natural humor as he professionally plucks at those strings of those being interviewed in order to achieve a desired tune.

Paul Hammond, of the Zeppelin-tribute band Get The Led Out, and Steve Rothery, of the Scottish Prog vets Marillion, stand out as highlights of such conversation providing breadth, scope, and passion in their craft. Ironically, one of the book’s most recognizable names, Steve Hackett, of Genesis fame, comes across subdued. Fortunately, there are plenty of others’ who have an abundance of energy; looking at you, George Thorogood.

Unstrung Heroes makes for a great coffee table book and one that is accessible enough to pick up and jump through several interviews at a time.  Mind, this is also a book about musicians for musicians, where guitar types, chord progressions, and timing signatures are all discussed, occasionally in great lengths. But there are also just as many cat jokes for the lay person to, well, lay their claws into when they want to shred.

As Always,

theJOE

A Graphically Novel Approach to a World of Decay

Yet another entry to the ravaged world of the zombie apocalypse, Zombies: A Brief History Of Decay is a dense read that fully embraces its entrance as both graphic and novel.

Writer Olivier Peru and artist Sophian Cholet present their entertaining take on that post-apocalyptical struggle that is now oh-so familiar. In this world, zombies can be both slow and fast, based on the rate of their decay, but even more surprising is the fact that humanity abandons the every-man-for-himself thieving personae most commonly seen and wants to work together to rid themselves of the plague. Well, except for a band of white trash wanna-be survivalists held up in, naturally, a Wal-Mart. 

Peru has the remains of civilization residing in floating armadas on both the Mississippi and the coast off Seattle, and scripts the main characters as a worthy nation looking to survive and rebuild, with a few personal quests added for spice.  Unfortunately, and perhaps this is a by-product of the collected edition, there is limited consistency between the several separate plots. Breaks don’t come naturally forcing the reader to back-up and regroup. In this regard, Cholet’s incredible layouts and design lapse into a droning sense of sameness, particularly with the representation of the main male leads who are all white with dark hair and beards. Removing any familiarity with the characters reduces that emotional connection.

Zombies shamelessly captures the worlds of Romero and Kirkman and makes an entertaining quest out of the venture with plenty of subtle zingers that can be followed up on in a sequel.  Peru and Cholet show both the decay of humanity and civilization, but tease the reader with something everyone universally wants, hope and a future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Insight Comics for this decaying advance read.

As Always,

theJOE

A Paranoid Hawkeye

Veteran writer Christopher Priest returns to comics for the DC Comics Rebirth event in  Deathstroke, Volume 1: The Professional. Priest, ever the professional himself, utilizes all the standard tools that has made his arsenal familiar: quippy dialogue, chapter headings, sometimes-confusing flashbacks, and, oh yes, planting the seeds for a long play.  For the most part, his devious tactics are all on point, but with this collected edition falling under the Rebirth project, the mighty Priest may have failed in one main regard: this series was not all accessible for the new reader that DC was obviously attempting to recruit, especially, perhaps, after the character’s long-run on CW’s Arrow.

The Professional does not get into an origin, or at least, not linearly, which is as fine as it is stylish. Priest has the reader immediately jump into action as Slade Wilson, Deathstroke, politically, if not violently, acts with an African government in order to rescue a friend. And then Wilson’s family arrives. Using the term “dysfunctional” as a description for this family is akin to calling President Trump “loud”. The dynamics are fun as the mystery begins. Again, Priest is no doubt looking into the long play. Wilson kinda-sorta teams up with his illegitimate daughter, Rose, the would-be assassin called the Ravager, in order to find out who put a price on her head. The two go on a road trip to Gotham City as their dynamic plays out like a paranoid version of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop from Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run.

For those coming in fresh, again, which one assumes is one of DC’s main sticking points, almost none of this would make sense. Rose’s genealogy, the lives-and-deaths of Grant and Joe, Slade and Adeline’s marriage, all falls back onto the heavy pre-52 continuity that old-time fanboys such as myself enjoy, but could be a huge question mark emoji for younger millennials.

Carlo Pagulayan, and especially Joe Bennett, provide thick, beautifully laid-out pencils, but at times the similarity between characters without the surname of Wilson, lends to some of the confusing narrative. Speaking of returning vets, much appreciation to seeing Larry Hama’s name grace the credit box for breakdowns on issue one.

Priest has laid the groundwork for what can be fun run, especially now that the obligatory Batman guest spot is out of the way. Maybe this will also give Priest the chance to clarify his narrative and make Deathstroke more Leon and less Walter Sobchak.

Thanks to both NetGalley and DC Comics for the advance preview of the new Deathstroke title. Reminds me of my letterhacking days and receiving similar advance copies for solicitation. I’m glad to be able to contribute such reviews again.

As Always,

theJOE

Suicide Squad: Heavy on Explosions, Light on Intrigue

A new, albeit familiar, Suicide Squad is formed as part of DC’s Rebirth project and easily falls in line to capitalize on the familiarity that the recent film provided. And like the movie before it, the comic is generic, played safe, and features a linear, if head-scratching, plot.

The premise is tried-and-true and even a bit cliché at this point. The baddest of the bad are recruited by the government to be the ultimate of shadow ops and installed with missions that no one in their right mind would take on. All of the usual personalities are in place for the role call: the assassin Deadshot, the Joker’s protégé Harley Quinn, the merc-with-a-gimmick Captain Boomerang, the cannibalistic-mutant Killer Croc, and so on. The basis for the organization is an easy one, and the formula is ripe with success. However, the plot for this graphic novel, much like the feature-length film, is as lackluster as it is frustrating. 

For this particular starting point, the team is hastily put together in order to invade a secret Russian vault and abscond with a Phantom Zone generator. Yeah, like that Phantom Zone. Superman and General Zod and all that. Instead of a mirror floating endlessly in space, this portal is represented as a back orb. Yet never in this story, and perhaps this why the “Volume 1” designation appears, does writer Rob Williams bestow any answers for the whys. Why does Russia have this? Why does America want it? And why send a squad that is almost entirely comprised of typical human agents who simply wield guns, swords, or, well, boomerangs, to go against a potential Kryptonian menace? Hello, yellow sun. And finally, with all that has happened before with this series, even looking back to the John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell’s conception back in the eighties, why isn’t this introduction more exciting? Jim Lee’s artwork, which is merely serviceable in this outing, does not provide any further answers.

Fortunately, Suicide Squad, Volume 1: The Black Vault contains some entertaining back stories on key characters. One to note of features the gorgeously illustrative work of Gary Frank spotlighting Harley Quinn. Another focuses on Captain Boomerang and his amusing fantasy of being an Australian super-spy. Both of these tales were written by Williams, proving he can break out the imagination when needed and crafts the back-ups with more attention and appeal than that of the main plot. Maybe that imaginative force is behind bars at Belle Reve and is only allowed to work on certain missions? Yet another question that requires an answer.

Thanks to both Netgalley and DC Comics for the advance preview of the new Suicide Squad title. Reminds me of my letterhacking days and receiving similar advance copies for solicitation. I’m glad to be able to contribute such reviews again.

As Always,
theJOE

Ready, player one? Perhaps not...

Ready, player one? Then get ready for Armada, the latest in sci-fi shoot ‘em ups where, and get ready for your mind to be blown, you are not playing a video game, but instead are helping the Earth Defense Alliance in repelling an alien invasion. Waitaminute, you might say, that sounds exactly like The Last Starfighter, or Ender’s Game. Unfortunately, you are correct. Nothing else to see here. Game over, man.

Ernest Cline’s follow-up novel sadly does not live up to the hype and excitement that was abundant in Ready Player One.  The characters within are as cliché as they are one-dimensional with bulky-dialogue soaked in Gen-X nostalgia that goes way outside the realm of being believable. If it wasn’t for the R-rated language, one might think Cline could have presented this as a stellar YA novel and built a unique story on top of what has come before. Instead, he takes a shortcut and interlaces the tried and true with inundated references to the Stars, Trek and Wars, among many others.

Ready Player One was fun and new with characters that were developed and continued to develop. Armada was a fountain of clichés; an arcade experience that becomes mostly forgotten once your quarter disappears into that slot.

As Always,

theJOE