If you’re familiar with Top Cow Productions, you know a few things. Artifacts are everywhere, and Ron Marz knows where they’re at. Secondly you know about their yearly initiative to promote new books called Pilot Season, in which readers decide what book gets its own mini-series.
This year we have 5 titles that are decidely not superhero related, with espionage books like Crosshair, 39 Minutes, and Asset, along with a medical sci-fi conspiracy thriller Forever, and an supernatural action book called 7 Days to Die. They all have their own plusses and minuses, which fellow writer David and myself look at extensively for each. Follow the cut for our break down of these books and what WE think you should vote for.
#5: 39 Minutes #1
WRITER: William Harms
ILLUSTRATORS: Jerry Lando & Jay Leisten
“Call the police, tell them what’s happened. Describe us and our weapons, make sure you explain how we’ve murdered all these people in cold blood. Tell them to send everyone.” – Paul Bishop
Gil: David, as you know the books are trying to grab our attention for a possible mini-series down the line. But both of us chose 39 Minutes as #5. What do you think failed on your part?
David: Well, I think, for me, it just doesn’t read a story that should last more than 2 or 3 issues, and it also didn’t really hook me with any of the characters. The good guy is a prisoner with no personality, and the bad guys are dudes who roll into any situation and just kill for no reason in particular. Where am I supposed to connect?
Gil: Yeah, I think that was the fundamental problem. I feel like there were no redeemable characters, and the bad guys were seemingly doing this just doing it to get lame-o Prisoners attention. I ultimately didn’t care about this book at all
David: Yeah. That’s the problem. There’s no hook that truly works here.
Gil: I’m not even sure it could be a three issue mini series
David: I doubt it. It doesn’t have enough meat on them bones! And the art isn’t good enough to make up for anything. Nothing about this book really works for me.
Gil: You know what I’ll give it? That Raphael Albuquerque cover. The interiors aren’t very impressive though. It’s kind of non-descript. It’s about as boring as the concept.
David: That’s funny. I didn’t even notice that. I went straight into the story and missed that. The cover isn’t even that hot for an Albuquerque.
Gil: It’s not his best, and it doesn’t come close to his Superboy cover. But it’s still the best thing about the book.
David: Yeah. So that’s it. 39 Minutes, sorry, no votes from us!
#4: CROSSHAIR #1
WRITERS: Jeff Katz, Marc Silvestri
ILLUSTRATOR: Allan Jefferson
Pilot Season Begins Anew as a 6 Week Event in 2010!
After settling into the life of loving husband and devoted father in the suburbs, a former assassin for the CIA learns he’s been brainwashed to kill the President of the United States. To his horror, Justin Weller has discovered that in less than 48 hours something or someone will trigger his suppressed program and send him into deadly and irreversible action. Weller must discover his triggering mechanism and uncover who is behind the conspiracy that will pitch the world into chaos.
Created and co-written by Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri (X-Men/Dark Avengers: Utopia) and co-writer Jeff Katz (Booster Gold) with art by Allan Jefferson (War Machine), Crosshair introduces a new kind of action comic.
Continued belowGil: On to our next one, which I actually liked more than you, so I guess I’ll ask you again, what didn’t you like about Crosshair?
David: Well, Crosshair, to me, is a story that is just poorly told. It seems like it leaps around from story beat to story beat with no real grasp on dramatic storytelling. The only bit I liked was the showdown between the main character and all of the commandos at his home, but it wasn’t enough to make me like the book.
Gil: Yeah, that part was pretty badass. I don’t know though. I really dug the paranoia-thriller that it told. I thought the action was really well plotted and rendered (that treehouse scene!), and the twist was honestly one I didn’t see coming.
David: I did. I was just super underwhelmed. I think the paranoia thriller aspect worked better in concept than actuality. Plus, he’s not paranoid, he was completely disconnected from his previous reality, seemingly. And besides the treehouse scene, I thought the art was very poor.
Also, how can there be more than just one more issue? He is outside the White House with an army’s worth of weaponry and his goal is the kill the President. Either he’s going succeed or he’s going to die. That’s one issue, right?
Gil: Well the end made it seem like the murder of the president wasn’t his end game, but I’ll concede it wasn’t the best way to tell it. I still got a Jason Bourne feel to it, where he’s being forced into a certain mission against his will.
David: Regardless of the feel, because it definitely is Bourne-esque, to me, it ranked low because I just thought it was a poorly told story. I definitely wouldn’t vote for it.
#3: FOREVER #1
WRITER: Brad Inglesby
ILLUSTRATOR: Thomas Nachlik
Pilot Season: Forever #1 focuses on a pharmaceutical company called Longevityâ„¢. The company has developed a drug which extends human life and counters the debilitating effects of aging almost indefinitely. When a young doctor, who owes his very life to Longevityâ„¢, gets his dream job at the company; he soon learns that immortality comes at an unthinkable price.
Gil: Now onto Forever. You actually ranked this higher than me, so what did you like about the book?
David: I can tell you what – I didn’t like it at all after the first read.
But oddly, on a second read, it picked up for me and ended up hooking me entirely. The concept to me is really exciting and perfect for a mini – drug company creates wonder treatment that allows recovery for even the most dire cases…but it kills someone else! That plus a character I invested in fairly quickly, and I’m hooked. The art was decent, not amazing. But the story itself worked well enough that I genuinely wanted to read a second issue afterwards. What didn’t you like?
Gil: Mostly? I feel like this was a throw-away episode of The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone and the art was like Alex Maleev did it with his feet or something
David: Explain. Why is it like a throw-away episode of The Twilight Zone? And how is comparing to The Twilight Zone bad?
Gil: Well, what I mean is it felt like one of those episodes you only watch at 2 in the morning on a Tuesday night because you can’t sleep or you’re drunk or something. It didn’t feel like a story that would ultimately be memorable. I’m not saying those shows are bad, I’m just saying that this would have been a weak episode of those shows.
David: Hmm. Well I disagree there. I think, in terms of concept, it hooked me more than any of the other books save one, and that’s why it made #2 on my list. I think that kind of ties into the rather uneven nature of this class of Pilot Season.
Gil: I agree. There were lots of espionage and thrillers this time around but the quality isn’t as even.
#2: 7 Days From Hell #1
WRITER: Bryan Edward Hill & Rob Levin
ART: Phil Not
COVER: Brian Stellfreeze
Ex-pat turned mercenary John Bishop is mortally wounded, but spared from Hell by a renegade demon seeking redemption. The price of John’s salvation? He’s reborn as the demon’s personal assassin and charged with ridding humanity of our worst criminals, sadists, and murderers…with a seven-day deadline for each kill.
Redemption can take a lifetime. John Bishop only has 7 days.
Created and co-written by the team behind Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin, with jaw dropping art from industry legend Brian Stelfreeze (Wednesday Comics).
Gil: Onto the next! We’re at 7 Days from Hell as #2. Another book I chose lower than you, but I think I’ll mix it up and just say that on a second reading, I think it was better than I originally thought it was. But I still didn’t give this the #1 honors like you did. Why #1?
David: Because I would read a mini of this book in a heartbeat! Hell, I would read an ongoing! It’s a damn good read from two quality writers and Phil Noto showed up everyone on this Pilot Season with by far the best art.
Gil: I originally didn’t like the art one bit, but it grew on me.
I originally didn’t care for the book because it sort of reminded me of other books that achieved the concept a little better.
David: Other books tackled a concept about an assassin who has seven days to kill targets from Hell to save his soul?
Gil: Well, a little simpler than that. A man has to kill X amount of evil souls
Have you ever read Blade of the Immortal?
David: Never. Sounds familiar though.
Gil: It’s a manga about this guy who becomes immortal, and the only way he can die is if he kills 1,000 evil souls
David: Why doesn’t he just not kill then?
Gil: He doesn’t want to be immortal.
David: Oh. I gotcha. Well, either way, I loved that book. I thought it really worked and I really want it to win.
Gil: Yeah, I understand that.
Gil: Like I said, I originally didn’t like it, but after a second read-through, I came to appreciate the story, and the stoic lead.
David: Yeah, the lead is great, and I love the tie to his wife who died. That scene was sad – a miscalculation of wind made it so she died instead of him.
Gil: It’s a good book. upon further reading and thought, I think it would be a great winner.
David: Most definitely.
#1 and Winner: Asset #1
WRITER: Flip Sablik
ILLUSTRATOR: David Marquez
Madeline is the perfect woman. Or at least that’s what Jack Benson thinks when he meets the exotic, intelligent, and stunning graduate student through an online dating site. She’s everything he could have wished for, but sometimes things are too good to be true. In this case, Madeline is a foreign NOC agent who plans to use Jack as an Asset for a terrorist attack. Only Diane, an intrepid, ambitious FBI agent, following Madeline’s trail from a previous incident has any chance of stopping her before Jack succumbs fully to Cupid’s influence.
Gil: The winning book is Asset; probably my favorite book, but not yours.
David: Why was it your favorite?
Gil: I really liked the concept of this chick manipulating this poor guy to do what she wanted him to do. And I thought the art was top notch. I really wanted to see where it would go from the first issue, which was probably the most fun to read.
Continued belowDavid: See, I liked it because the lead was really dynamic, even though I personally thought she was a monster.
I don’t think her initial manipulation will even tie back in. I think it was just setting up what she does. The reason it finished lower for me is because I simply though 7 Days From Hell and Forever were better books. But it’s a good book too.
Gil: That’s fair. I think this issue might tie in because of the nature of what the asset was used for. Or rather, who they were trying to kill
David: That’s true. It will be interesting to see how it plays out…if it wins.
Thanks to Top Cow for providing the books to discuss! All of the books can be read in their entirety on Newsarama and the voting takes place here. It’s open until November 30th! So read and vote!
