"Homo Superior Rose Up..."
To share with you coming across this book, I am an Alan Moore fan and when looking for new things to read from Moore I discovered I never read this relief comic and it also has Stephen King work with other great comic talent I have grown to love over the years. To originally acquire this book I had to get it off ebay... I paid a fair price, but would later find this comic at one of the many used book shops in Toronto and the price was so low to say no and not buy it again. The copy I reviewed was the really cheap one I bought and I thought to myself, I'll read in on the subway home then review it. So here is my review.
This comic is one of the few comics where you know good was done in many ways. The most important thing is that the profits went to Africa, then lasting and secondary important thing is that this comic was stacked with talent.
Because the overall story in a Jam session is predetermined the comic never looses focus. Each writer gives their own tone to the book, while the respected artist give life to it.
The overall story was not bad, but because of the roster it is dated and is not a good one shot for people not familiar with the X-Men of the 80s. There were a few stand out stories like the Stephen King story. His tone for horror is signature to him and having Berni Wrightson (Swamp Thing) illustrate his story of hunger is just haunting. The Alan Moore story was Alan Moore being Alan Moore by using Magneto is a way in which he doesn't seem less villainous. The great Richard Corben pairs up nicely with Alan Moore, it seems as if Alan Moore was using H.P. Lovecraft like monsters outside of just Watchmen in the 80s.
The rare "DC" talent appearances in this comic is more then just Alan Moore, Michael Wm Kaluta, Mike Grell, Brian Bolland and Charles Vess all have spent most of their career at DC comics. Denny O'Neil I know was once an editor for Marvel, but I consider him more of DC talent. Frank Miller as well at the time was working for both companies, but he would soon become more of DC talent come the current status of his career. From the "DC" talent it was really weird seeing Bolland doing the Storm story, but weird can be good because those few pages are a treat, Bolland spends so much of his time doing covers for DC, even interior work for DC is rare.
Sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison writes the Wolverine story. A story which maybe one of the strongest self contained pages. Its 3 pages of Frank Miller pencils with Bill Sienkiewicz inks about the inner struggle of Logan and his animal side.
Overall this comics was fun, the bridge pages were weak but quickly forgotten.
Most of the comic can be reread as individual short 2-3 page stories. Because of the at times drastic art change, it is easy to see the change in writer as well.
Because this is a non-profit comic and I have a second one, I will offer the reviewed copy as a free comic to a comicvine user in the Greater Toronto Area who would like to pick it up from me. I would feel weird to profit off a charity item. Offer open as long as I still have the spare copy.
Cheers
- Silkcuts