Recently, the rights of comics creators have once more entered the foreground — and, more specifically, how those creators have been abused by companies. About time, if you ask me. How does that make creators feel? Incensed, I would imagine. Luckily, a certain bands of creators have banded together to create a publication that’s 50% comic, 50% zine. But how does it match up to everything else on the stands?
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Steve Niles
Illustrated by Phil Noto and Kevin Mellon“TRIGGERGIRL 6,” Part Two
by JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JUSTIN GRAY & PHIL NOTO
In this sci-fi thriller, Triggergirl hits the ground running, fighting her way to the White House to assassinate the President of the United States. Can nothing stop this one woman killing machine?“AMERICAN MUSCLE,” Part Two
by STEVE NILES & KEVIN MELLON
Facing the realization that he has led the gang to a dead end, Gil takes matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, heading into a mutant infested desert my yourself leads to big, nast trouble.PLUS! An interview with PAUL POPE, a PHIL NOTO art gallery, con photos, and original articles all celebrating the creator-owned spirit!
This time around, ‘Trigger Girl 6’ is the opening act, and, like last time, it is a visual treat. Phil Noto is a truly outstanding artist, who has everything a comics artist needs: he has a style that is both distinct and appealing; his figures are always very well composed and proportioned; and, last but certainly not least, his visual storytelling abilities are second to none. In this story, though, Noto is also coloring his work, and is dong quite an impressive job, at that. Let’s not forget to mention co-writing duo Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, though; as per usual, the partnership has put together a story with interesting twists and turns, solid pacing, and convincing dialogue. The two are in perfect synergy with their artist, a feat that can be difficult enough for one writer, let alone two. These are typical Palmiotti/Gray qualities, though; did you expect them to do anything else. The only real surprising thing about the comic is exactly the part that should be surprising — the cliffhanger, which is one of the more unique ones I have seen in a story that is only twenty pages in.
‘American Muscle’ comes next, another horror hit from acclaimed writer Steve Niles and artist Kevin Mellon. Mellon is on fire with this installment, displaying some absolutely brilliant layouts that capture the reader’s attention without distracting from the story at all. Compared to Noto’s highly polished look, Mellon’s own style seems a bit scratchy, but this does not affect the actual quality of his illustrating; his sense of dynamic movement and panel-to-panel motion ensure that this would be a well illustrated book even if he stuck to a simple grid with each page. Niles is also firing on all cylinders — in eleven pages, he accomplishes more world-building and character development than most writer get done in six issues, and all without making it seem like he is handing it to us directly. This kind of approach to storytelling is what horror needs more of.
Both creative teams have addressed the one problem with this comics magazine’s debut issue: the ten or eleven pages of story do not seem near as stifling as they were in the previous issue. Last time around, each story, while very well crafted, ended in a bit of a “…is that it?” manner. This issue, though, we see that this may have been a necessary evil; both first installments may have seem a bit incomplete, but they left both stories in an optimal place. Both second installments fit just the right amount of story into only a few pages, but avoid coming off as overly compressed. With only half, or even less, of more typical comic stories’ pages, it would be terribly easy for these comics to seem not worth it, even when considering the substantial back-matter, but every creator does their job to make sure readers get the bang for their buck that they are looking for.
Continued belowSpeaking of back-matter, there is some great stuff in this issue: more suggestions and tips from Palmiotti, an interview with Paul Pope, an interesting discussion on the role of the under-appreciated role of the comics letterer, and much more. Still, I suppose this is a comics site, so there is not much point in talking about those. I’ll leave it at this: these extras-but-not-really would be worth buying by themselves.
The second issue of “Creator-Owned Heroes” keeps all the great things about the first issue, while trying its best to remedy the ills of the first issue. If you come looking for exactly what the title promises, you’ll find exactly what you seek — and perhaps a little bit more, besides. A hearty thanks to all the creators involved in making this dream reality.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy it!
