Henchmen: I, Henchbot #1 (of 6)
Robot Paper 2015
Created by: Jamison Raymond & Brian Wyrick
Story by: Jamison Raymond
Illustrated by: Ryan Howe
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: While attempting to find legitimate work after a shaky term as a Super Villain's henchmen, Gary encounters familiar roadblocks in his job hunt. Dead-end jobs are unwilling to hire him because he is either too old or too well educated. Meanwhile, a clandestine consulting firm acquires a controlling stake in struggling tech firm Vimco. Gary has no choice but to return to "henching" as Vimco rolls out a new flagship product, the "Henchbot", which causes his fellow henchmen to fear for their jobs. After being asked to start a new union, Gary contemplates his next move as well as how to pay the bills.
Review: Last year there was a one shot simply called Henchmen and I picked that up because in Previews it just sounded like so much fun. Newsflash it really was fun, I mean how often do we get a story based on the guys who are down on their luck and no skills other than being hired on by a super-villain to be a henchman wearing silly costumes and doing all the hard work while their boss fights the good guy? So this mini-series picks up where the one shot leaves off with Gary who lost both his job and wife in the same week and ended up running off when his boss the 'Headpin of Crime' got arrested. Oh, and with a nice chunk of money.
Read this, seriously because Gary is a middle aged guy, a little pudgy, and not what you’d expect out of a henchmen at all. But he’s down on his luck and in today’s world he’s got a resume that is impressive but the jobs just aren’t there. He seems to be overqualified for everything he applies for and so he thinks it’s time to go back to being a henchman. Only he’s been branded a troublemaker, they all know what he did when he was with the Headpin and as luck would have it the major villains in town have the local bar that the guys hang out bugged so they know he wants to unionize the henchmen.
What happens from there is a whirlwind of Gary being Gary. His ex-wife is a major bitch on steroids and she’s unrelenting on him even though they are divorced. Gary would do anything for his little girl and you see him struggle with what’s happening around him. Meanwhile Mr. Bradley and Mr. Cooper are placed in a roll by a mysterious man to take over the company and revolutionize what it’s about. Something big is up here and I cannot wait to see what the overall impact is upon the story.
The writing for this book is pretty darn impeccable. It has a level of characterization you rarely see anymore and the fact that Gary is quite the average ordinary man, and you’ve come to care about him and through his struggles you want him to succeed. Not only is this kind of kitschy at it’s finest, but it’s also the kind of storytelling you want to find because it unexpectedly draws you in before you realize it and you get to the last page and you instantly want more. Plus it’s that whole new look at what happens behind the scenes in super villain organizations with a cast of interesting henchmen and colourful “masterminds.”
Growing up I really wasn’t a fan of black and white comics, but now that I’m older I can appreciate the artwork in it so very much more. The line work and the use of black and grays alongside the look on each face you see just pops off the page. It’s like a version of Terry Moore’s work but with a little more and that’s hard to do.
This is the kind of book that I would expect to find from Dynamite Entertainment. It has all the high standards I’ve come to expect from them. So I urge you to visit your local shoppe and see if they can order you a copy and hopefully it’s still available. Oh, and yes 2 - 6 as well don’t forget those! And if they can’t go to RobotPaper.com and order what’s available. Also, be sure to order 5 and 6 at your shoppe since they haven’t come out yet.
Robot Paper 2015
Created by: Jamison Raymond & Brian Wyrick
Story by: Jamison Raymond
Illustrated by: Ryan Howe
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: While attempting to find legitimate work after a shaky term as a Super Villain's henchmen, Gary encounters familiar roadblocks in his job hunt. Dead-end jobs are unwilling to hire him because he is either too old or too well educated. Meanwhile, a clandestine consulting firm acquires a controlling stake in struggling tech firm Vimco. Gary has no choice but to return to "henching" as Vimco rolls out a new flagship product, the "Henchbot", which causes his fellow henchmen to fear for their jobs. After being asked to start a new union, Gary contemplates his next move as well as how to pay the bills.
Review: Last year there was a one shot simply called Henchmen and I picked that up because in Previews it just sounded like so much fun. Newsflash it really was fun, I mean how often do we get a story based on the guys who are down on their luck and no skills other than being hired on by a super-villain to be a henchman wearing silly costumes and doing all the hard work while their boss fights the good guy? So this mini-series picks up where the one shot leaves off with Gary who lost both his job and wife in the same week and ended up running off when his boss the 'Headpin of Crime' got arrested. Oh, and with a nice chunk of money.
Read this, seriously because Gary is a middle aged guy, a little pudgy, and not what you’d expect out of a henchmen at all. But he’s down on his luck and in today’s world he’s got a resume that is impressive but the jobs just aren’t there. He seems to be overqualified for everything he applies for and so he thinks it’s time to go back to being a henchman. Only he’s been branded a troublemaker, they all know what he did when he was with the Headpin and as luck would have it the major villains in town have the local bar that the guys hang out bugged so they know he wants to unionize the henchmen.
What happens from there is a whirlwind of Gary being Gary. His ex-wife is a major bitch on steroids and she’s unrelenting on him even though they are divorced. Gary would do anything for his little girl and you see him struggle with what’s happening around him. Meanwhile Mr. Bradley and Mr. Cooper are placed in a roll by a mysterious man to take over the company and revolutionize what it’s about. Something big is up here and I cannot wait to see what the overall impact is upon the story.
The writing for this book is pretty darn impeccable. It has a level of characterization you rarely see anymore and the fact that Gary is quite the average ordinary man, and you’ve come to care about him and through his struggles you want him to succeed. Not only is this kind of kitschy at it’s finest, but it’s also the kind of storytelling you want to find because it unexpectedly draws you in before you realize it and you get to the last page and you instantly want more. Plus it’s that whole new look at what happens behind the scenes in super villain organizations with a cast of interesting henchmen and colourful “masterminds.”
Growing up I really wasn’t a fan of black and white comics, but now that I’m older I can appreciate the artwork in it so very much more. The line work and the use of black and grays alongside the look on each face you see just pops off the page. It’s like a version of Terry Moore’s work but with a little more and that’s hard to do.
This is the kind of book that I would expect to find from Dynamite Entertainment. It has all the high standards I’ve come to expect from them. So I urge you to visit your local shoppe and see if they can order you a copy and hopefully it’s still available. Oh, and yes 2 - 6 as well don’t forget those! And if they can’t go to RobotPaper.com and order what’s available. Also, be sure to order 5 and 6 at your shoppe since they haven’t come out yet.
Judges #1
AO Comics 2015
Written by: Ben Miller
Illustrated by: Cory Hamscher
Coloured by: Sean Forney
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: How could a person be so evil? Sometimes we look at the world and wonder how a member of the human race can do such detestable things. Jep, Deborah, and Ehud find the answer the hard way; that the truly evil in this world are not human at all, but demons disguised in human form. Jep, a member of SEAL Team 6, finds this out the hard way on his mission in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Sudanese born freedom fighter Deborah finds the truth on her hunt for Joseph Kony. Computer hacker Ehud discovers the world below in his fight against the Assad regime in Syria. The US government brings these three of exceptional, (and possibly mystical), abilities together to fight the damned. In a world full of the demonic evil, they will be its Judges.
Review: We all know I’m a fan of small self-published books and this one is no exception. I think sometimes people will tend to overlook books like this because they don’t realize that the kind of passion these creators have for their projects that make them truly stellar reads. Add to the fact that Ben managed to get both Cory and Sean on board to do the interiors is a major coup as both ot these gentlemen have the experience in the industry to really bring this to life beautifully. I think Sean’s one of the most underrated colourists in the industry, but his work is gorgeous and makes Cory’s art pop even more.
Also in this day and age where many people cry for more diversity in comics, I don’t think they fully understand that it really is out there in books like this. Usually people associate diversity to mean race, gender, and sexual orientation which is a shame since there are so many more versions of diversity out there. We live in a society where children are being diagnosed more and more with being on the Asperger’s spectrum, they’ve got ADD or ADHD and other forms of illness that aren’t. Which are far more prevalent than we think about so where do those kids turn to see people like them in comics?
AO Comics 2015
Written by: Ben Miller
Illustrated by: Cory Hamscher
Coloured by: Sean Forney
Reviewer: Steven Leitman
Summary: How could a person be so evil? Sometimes we look at the world and wonder how a member of the human race can do such detestable things. Jep, Deborah, and Ehud find the answer the hard way; that the truly evil in this world are not human at all, but demons disguised in human form. Jep, a member of SEAL Team 6, finds this out the hard way on his mission in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Sudanese born freedom fighter Deborah finds the truth on her hunt for Joseph Kony. Computer hacker Ehud discovers the world below in his fight against the Assad regime in Syria. The US government brings these three of exceptional, (and possibly mystical), abilities together to fight the damned. In a world full of the demonic evil, they will be its Judges.
Review: We all know I’m a fan of small self-published books and this one is no exception. I think sometimes people will tend to overlook books like this because they don’t realize that the kind of passion these creators have for their projects that make them truly stellar reads. Add to the fact that Ben managed to get both Cory and Sean on board to do the interiors is a major coup as both ot these gentlemen have the experience in the industry to really bring this to life beautifully. I think Sean’s one of the most underrated colourists in the industry, but his work is gorgeous and makes Cory’s art pop even more.
Also in this day and age where many people cry for more diversity in comics, I don’t think they fully understand that it really is out there in books like this. Usually people associate diversity to mean race, gender, and sexual orientation which is a shame since there are so many more versions of diversity out there. We live in a society where children are being diagnosed more and more with being on the Asperger’s spectrum, they’ve got ADD or ADHD and other forms of illness that aren’t. Which are far more prevalent than we think about so where do those kids turn to see people like them in comics?
Meet Jephthah Earl O’Neil, he’s part Native American and he grew up suffering with ADD and still later on with Adult ADD. He’s also a Navy Seal and he’s the best sniper that’s come along in a very long time in the Seal’s history. He’s also the star of this issue so here’s a prime example of showcasing someone different who shows that just because they are different doesn’t make them weak or worthless. As a matter of fact he’s found the one thing that calms him and keeps his focus and that’s his sharp shooting and hand to hand combat. This is important for people to see but it goes beyond that because at it’s core, this is a story about good versus evil and those chosen to fight.
Have you ever been in a situation where you ask yourself how can a person be capable of such an evil horrific act? Well what if that person were really a demon, would that make more sense? Of course not many people would consider demons to be real which is a perfect cover to keep this kind of atrocity happening. This issue introduces Jep to the world of demons that they are real and he’s among those chosen to fight them. Ben writes one heck of an introduction here and you get to know Jep pretty well and see his journey of being ignorant to understanding, but accepting? That’s another story.
That the U.S. Government or at least a special branch of it knows that demons exist and is putting together a team to take out the those truly evil people who are actually demons using a disguise is exciting. None of the normal "I am the military, I am the government so I know everything" attitude is happening. Instead it feels incredibly organic, well thought out, and executed nicely.
Ben is a much needed new voice in comics with his intelligent, interesting, and unique take on what a hero is and can be. Hopefully we’ll see more of these books. So if it all possible, please be sure to help out in future Kickstarters for this title. Or through the facebook page as well by sharing content, and hopefully he’ll be able to keep Cory and Sean working on this project. Because this team is meant to be working together.
Have you ever been in a situation where you ask yourself how can a person be capable of such an evil horrific act? Well what if that person were really a demon, would that make more sense? Of course not many people would consider demons to be real which is a perfect cover to keep this kind of atrocity happening. This issue introduces Jep to the world of demons that they are real and he’s among those chosen to fight them. Ben writes one heck of an introduction here and you get to know Jep pretty well and see his journey of being ignorant to understanding, but accepting? That’s another story.
That the U.S. Government or at least a special branch of it knows that demons exist and is putting together a team to take out the those truly evil people who are actually demons using a disguise is exciting. None of the normal "I am the military, I am the government so I know everything" attitude is happening. Instead it feels incredibly organic, well thought out, and executed nicely.
Ben is a much needed new voice in comics with his intelligent, interesting, and unique take on what a hero is and can be. Hopefully we’ll see more of these books. So if it all possible, please be sure to help out in future Kickstarters for this title. Or through the facebook page as well by sharing content, and hopefully he’ll be able to keep Cory and Sean working on this project. Because this team is meant to be working together.