Reviewed by Avril Brown

In ROTTEN’s latest issues #10-11, which are found exclusively in the ROTTEN VOLUME 2: REVIVAL OF THE FITTEST trade paperback (on sale now), the plot most certainly thickens. Agents William Wade and J.J. Flynn are summoned to their latest assignment in yet another small, religiously fanatical town called Ezekiel. They are confronted with another incarnation of the “revenant” disease, as the partners have been calling the dead arising affliction, and this latest version is a doozy.

Father Von Becker has taken the town of Ezekiel under his self-serving wing and has been attempting ‘cleansing ceremonies’ for the sick. Needless to say, they have not been going well, especially judging by the infected gentleman who escaped from the church and immediately ripped the jaw off of Wade’s horse. Only a few of the townsfolk have fallen ill despite them all sharing the same water supply, so Flynn and Wade set to work on unraveling the mystery, and as with every situation they have come into contact recently, there is more going on in this town (specifically in Von Becker’s house) than meets the eye. Flynn runs into an old colleague from medical school who appears to have fallen under the thrall of Von Becker, while Wade manages to inspire a member of the younger generation to step up and start taking matters into his own hands…just before Wade finds himself in a heap of trouble, of course.

The gore factor in ROTTEN has taken an enthusiastic leap forward, not only with the mere appearance of the infected but also the new freaky factor of what happens to these poor souls following their final death. Rahner and Horton's ’s scripts maintain his trademark razor-sharp wit with Wade still on his game as the foul-mouthed, understandably bitter ex-patriot, and Flynn as the steady, sarcastic rock. The look of the book seems to have gotten a couple of shades darker, which suits as one of the themes touched on in these issues is somewhat somber, and the enigma of the white-haired man continues with a new, unexpected twist. Issues #10 and 11 are chock full of what readers have come to love and expect from ROTTEN: action, intelligent writing with slightly unsubtle social and political jabs, and a couple of badass heroes kicking ass and taking names. Essentially, this two-part story gives you every reason to pick up ROTTEN VOLUME 2 and crossed your fingers Wade will continue to knuckle-bolt another day.

So RED SONJA: RAVEN shipped a couple of weeks ago, and it was a fantastic experience for me. Working for Dynamite Entertainment was an excellent experience, as was the kindness I received from retailers. I did a signing at Pop Culture Paradise here in Tempe that was a smashing success- thankfully, I wasn’t just signing books for people I knew- and my email inbox was full all day with notes from people saying kind things about the book. I couldn’t have asked for more.

In particular, some of my closest friends stepped up and helped promote the book to their readers and followers, which was incredibly kind on their part. I’m lucky to have the friends that I do- over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to meet and forge bonds with some of the coolest people I’ve met in my entire life. While there is plenty to find distasteful about geek culture, I tend to see it from a nicer POV. There are truly great people involved in this medium we love, and I am able to call many of them friends. That’s a gift.

Now, my sense of what is ethically appropriate generally keeps me from doing standard reviews of their work. I’m hardly an unbiased source. So don’t think of this as a review, because it isn’t. This is more of a heads up. I want to tell you about some of the work my friends are doing and why I think you’d enjoy it.

It’s hard to find something new to say about John Layman, as the multiple Eisner Awards he’s received for writing CHEW tend to speak for themselves. But if you aren’t already onboard the CHEW-train, here’s why you should be: it’s really fucking good. Month in, month out, John continues to dole out great stories, shocking plot twists, and hilarious dialogue. He always wants to tell me more about what’s coming up in the book, but CHEW is so fantastic that I refuse as many spoilers as I can. I like reading the book and experiencing it with a sense of wonder. CHEW would be one of my favorite books even if I had never met John; it’s just that good.

Upon my untimely demise, Brandon Jerwa inherits my comics and graphic novels. So if you are a policeman, please keep him in mind as a suspect. That said, I’ve co-written two plays with the guy, and we have a novel and screenplay in process as well. (Again, this may serve more as motive, but I digress.) I love not just the guy, but also his writing, and just recently he had a new trade paperback hit stands. HACK/SLASH/EVA crosses over the long-running horror comic with Eva, for whom Brandon has become the definitive writer. He does an excellent job of capturing the characters’ voices, and in structuring the crossover from a plot point of view. Brandon excels at doing this sort of thing probably better than anybody in comics. If you like good action and nifty horror, pick up this book. It’s a winner.

Brandon introduced me to Eric Trautmann a few years ago, and aside from having some of comics’ finest facial hair, he’s also a damn fine writer. Eric has been writing the main RED SONJA book for over a year now, and he’s done a spectacular job of maintaining the high quality readers have come to expect from the title. His Sonja is highly intelligent, cunning, and yet has an emotional core that makes her relatable to the reader. When I see people complaining that there are no strong women characters on the stands, that drives me nuts- Sonja is being written better than any other female lead out there. He’s also done the same for VAMPIRELLA. Oh, and in both cases, he’s dispensed with the costume that has offended women readers for years. What else do you need?

Elliott Serrano may be a drunkard and a traitor- apparently writing for this “Chicago Tribune” (as if there’s such a thing) is more important than continuing to write for the Comics Waiting Room- but he’s also a decent fellow with some grasp of personal hygiene. Oh, and he occasionally writes comics, too. He’s the scribe on the resurrected ARMY OF DARKNESS title coming next week, and I can’t imagine a more difficult job. You see, I’ve always found the AOD comics… lacking. I could never muster any real enthusiasm or interest in them. Yet, having read issue one, Elliott has changed that. By turning the focus to a new Ash- a female one- he immediately injects new energy into the entire concept of AOD. It was a revelation to read the book and see that there was something there that could capture my interest. So hats off to my buddy, and count me in for the long haul.

If I ever find myself in a Mexican prison, I know it will be Mark Rahner’s fault. The only saving grace is that he’ll be in the cell next to mine, and they’ll hang him first. His zombie comic, ROTTEN, has always been fun, but he’s taken a leap forward with GREEN HORNET ANNUAL 2 and WARLORD OF MARS ANNUAL 1. The Hornet book really caught my eye, because Mark’s writing is working on different levels. The plot finds the characters fighting human trafficking, but the real story is about the newspaper industry, something the Pulitzer Prize owning Rahner knows more than a little about. This personal connection to the work gives it wonderful depth. The Warlord book is also strong, showing off some tremendous dialogue. Two books deserving of your time and money.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Joe Dilworth as well. Joe’s the head honcho at Pop Culture Zoo and he’s so much better than me at running a website that I should be embarrassed about it. He’s skilled, dedicated, and cares about presenting the best and broadest look at pop culture on the web today. Joe’s also diving into writing comics as well, and he has a Kickstarter project going on right now. He and I also share a goal of one day having the rights to the Gerry Anderson universe shows in order to make comics about them. Wouldn’t you all enjoy that?

Anyway, that’s what some of my best pals are up to right now. I hope you’ll support them, and what they are working on, just as they have supported me. They’re good people doing good work, and if that isn’t worth your money, I don’t know what is!

Reviewed by Avril Brown

Looking at two new books from ROTTEN writer Mark Rahner…

GREEN HORNET ANNUAL #2
Illustrated by Ronan Cliquet

The GREEN HORNET book thus far has maintained a pleasurable balance between blithe humor and heavy-handed themes, and while Mark Rahner’s GREEN HORNET ANNUAL #2 leans more towards the later, the somewhat dire theme of this book gives the story genuine emotional power and gives the reader more reason to respect the Hornet.

Britt Reid is a flawed and flippant hero, often cracking jokes while cracking jaws of the bad guys, but this issue opens with him losing his temper in a bar after overhearing a couple of jerks lambaste his newspaper The Daily Sentinel. Inherited from his murdered father, Reid’s newspaper is failing and he is feeling the heat, or rather the frustration of watching his father’s legacy die. As the Green Hornet he has an outlet for his anger, particularly after learning of a human trafficking ring in his town, but he allows his rage to bleed over to where he is unnecessarily snippy with his partner Kato, and excessively ruthless with his enemy to little gain.

Thankfully Kato Senior is present to dispense some invaluable advice with regards to Reid’s day and nighttime professions, and their conversation is interlaced with images of Hornet’s spotty solo attempt at shaking down the trafficking ring, providing excellent juxtaposition to the learning experience Reid is undergoing.

Rahner writes Reid as who he is: a man growing up and into his roles as a newspaperman, a vigilante, a student and a friend. Cliquet’s pencils are a pleasurable blend of modern and traditional lines and his fight scenes are fantastic, but the colors by Impacto Studios have an almost watercolor look to them, making the characters appear too washed out at times. Overall this issue is a revelational story for Britt Reid and an inspirational one for the readers, and the harmony of Rahner’s words and Cliquet’s action in the last panel will have readers punching the air in support of Dynamite’s coolest duo.

WARLORD OF MARS ANNUAL #1
Illustrated by Stephen Sadowski

The first WARLORD OF MARS ANNUAL is an emotional tale of the horror of warfare, and how the bond between brothers can be forged, tested and destroyed. Starring John Carter and Tars Tarkas, the two best warriors Mars has ever seen, this issue opens and closes on their unique relationship, but the majority of the story is that of Tars Tarkas and one of the worst periods of his life.

Before John Carter of Earth unexpectedly dropped in on Mars, turning the entire planet on its head, the Tharks or Green Men were a brutal, blood-thirsty people, existing for the joy of battle and slaughter. Tars Tarkas, however, though hailed as one of the strongest and most ruthless fighters of his people, was beginning to fully recognize how different he was from his peers, particularly his excessively brutal hatch mate Hok, and Tars’s bone-deep exhaustion with war and violence was becoming stifling. When he and his men discovered one of their incubators, the machines which grow their young, was destroyed along with all the young it nurtured, Tars was forced to make decisions which exposed his doubt and differences. As Hok, the closest thing Tars had to a brother, begins to question Tars’s lack of immediate bloody revenge, Tars himself begins to question his aloneness among his people in feeling emotions other than war lust, leading to an educational and painful confrontation.

This ANNUAL offers more interesting background story into the lives of the Tharks, and more reasons to love Tars Tarkas, a wonderfully unique character. Rahner injects more passion, humor and emotion in this one issue than an entire story arc in the ongoing WARLORD OF MARS, making Tars seem more human and relatable than ever before. Sadowski’s pencils are very similar to most of the art seen in the regular series, though his capability of conveying emotion in the Green Men is unparalleled. The panels of Tars’s almost childlike understanding in the midst of his epically vicious contest with Hok cement WARLORD OF MARS ANNUAL #1 as one of the best told stories in the series yet to date.

Transcription assistance thanks to Brooke Unverferth.

MM: This is Marc Mason with the Comics Waiting Room. I’m here today with artist Sina Grace. Sina, hello.

SG: Hello!

MM: We are at the Amazing Arizona Comicon and you are here with the Skybound contingent in multiple roles. You edit, correct?

SG: Yes. I am Robert Kirkman’s editorial director for all of his Skybound books, so I am here hawking Invicible, Walking Dead, Super Dinosaur, The Infinite, Witch Doctor, and several other books that I’m proud to be a part of.

MM: But for me, I want to talk to you about The Li’l Depressed Boy.

SG: I’m not going to stop you!

MM: This book has really caught my attention since it’s been out. It’s something different on the stands. It’s not a superhero book.

SG: No. I mean, for anyone who doesn’t know, which is all of you, it’s about a ragdoll boy who looks for love in kinda the wrong places. He starts off with a punk-rock girl, and that leads to all sorts of hijinks. We’ll leave it at that, yeah?

MM: And he’s drawn as a ragdoll character when the rest of the cast is drawn as human, so he’s almost anthropomorphic. It’s a fascinating decision that really works. How did that come about?

SG: That’s more on the writer, Struble. That was his call before I ever came on as the artist. It was a drawing he had done in his notebook back in grade school, and he had been developing this notion of the Li’l Depressed Boy for near ten years before it became a comic book. He just took that design and went with it, and took a lot of his personal stories and injected those into the comic book that you guys are reading.

MM: One thing that also jumps out about the book is that it’s the closest thing we have to a music comic on the stands, I think.

SG: Yeah! I mean, I think Scott Pilgrim started that in the 2000’s, or you know of this generation, he tried to, Bryan Lee O’Malley tried to do that for comic books recently, and to put myself next to Scott Pilgrim is stupid, but, you know there are bands we like, and we put them in there, and it’s fun to draw, it’s also hard to draw all of their equipment and gear, but, you know, it’s a way for us to connect both with fans and the musicians, and for us to interact with artists and build up what we are trying to do artistically.

MM: I think what I really appreciated about it is the book is never condescending. You respect the audience and you bring them along with you. And it’s emotionally honest. Tell us a little bit about that.

SG: Again, I entirely credit the writer, Struble. He does not ever want to manipulate or take advantage of readers and go for kind of easy kills or what not. There’s a conclusion to a recent story arc that we argued about for a while because I thought it was like, “eh, the fans are going to get pissed.” But he wanted to make sure it was an ending that felt right for the characters regardless of the ending people want.

MM: Do you have people that come up and talk to you and say, “Yeah, I was that guy.”?

SG: Yes. A lot. A lot. Everyone is like, “I am L.D.B.” and I’m on g-chat and people are like, “I’m so L.D.B. today.” And I’m like, well that’s one of us.

MM: Artistically, you have a very clean look to your art, you have a very clean line, your storytelling is pleasing to the eye. When did you start drawing? Has it been a lifelong thing?

SG: Yeah, yeah, since I was five. I actually just found old notebooks at my mom’s place of me drawing Batman and his friends Catwoman and Penguin. I was like 19 – no, I was like five when I did that. Yeah, I’ve been drawing since forever and I’ve always wanted to draw comic books, I never, I never slowed down, and you know, when you want to do something you just keep trying and keep trying to figure out what you did wrong and then do it better the next time around.

MM: Who would you say your influences have been?

SG: Not even because I’m looking at my Skybound booth, but all of the Skybound artists are phenomenal, productive, timely, efficient people who I love. Namely, Charlie Adlard, Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker, Jason Howard. Lukas Ketner, who’s doing a book called Witch Doctor. They all do different things real really well. So, it’s kinda great that my day job is to look at other comic artists and watch how they do it.

MM: Does it get difficult having the day job and then finding the time and energy to draw the book?

SG: Yeah, absolutely. It’s a lot of nights. Again, you know, you have to do it. You’re working a weekend right now. It’s like, this is what we do when we want to pursue our dreams.

MM: You finished the second arc now with L.D.B., you’re heading into a third arc, and you’ve been getting some guest covers. How have you been going about getting these guest artists on covers?

SG: There’s a really long wish list. And then there’s a really short what we can pull off list. And it’s a lot of pulling in all of our favors. Rob Guillory did the cover for issue five, he’s the Chew artist, and Struble knew him because he used to work on Chew. And then Charlie Adlard, we got him because I worked on The Walking Dead, Jamie McKelvie we’re both friends with, Steve Rolston is Struble’s friend. We have another round of guest covers coming up. I just can’t say who will be on it, but again, it’s like, “who do we know, who do we love, who do we think would draw a really good L.D.B. and how do we go about begging them to do it?”

MM: Are you surprised at how you’ve defied the odds? A lot of comics these days don’t really get past their first arc. You guys are heading into a third.

SG: Your readers can’t see me shake my head in disbelief. Yeah, it’s really weird and the fans are so incredibly nice. I was having a really rough comicon, and a girl came up to me holding and L.D.B. ragdoll, you know, a stuffed doll that she made by hand, and I fucking, I died. It’s really weird and it means the world to me that people are looking for things to connect to and that it exists. I would say that anyone who has a story that personal should go out there and try to tell it. You’re not – no one’s going to take you down when you’re really trying to do something from the heart and not just for dollars.

MM: That is the best advice I’ve heard all day. Sina, thank you so much for joining us in the Comics Waiting Room.

SG: Thank you, Marc.

Transcription assistance provided by Brooke Unverferth.

MM: This is Marc Mason in the Comics Waiting Room. I’m here today with Joshua Hale Flalkov, writer of a metric ton of things, so let’s get started. Josh, tell us a little bit about everything you’re writing right now.

JHF: That’s a broad question! I’m working on the Last of the Greats is coming out from Image Comics. My trade paperback is out in like two months or so. It’s about a family of superheroes who come to Earth and give us absolutely everything we’ve ever wanted. Right? And we hate them for it, we resent them, we despise them, and we systematically murder six out of seven of them. Finally, the aliens show up to destroy the Earth, and we have to go and beg this last Great to save our asses. Despite the fact that we’ve murdered his family. The book is really really dark and really is a lot of fun if you like books like Irredeemable or like Nemesis or you like dark superhero books, because this is my version of what does it mean to be a superhero in a world of people like us.

MM: It is a very dark book. I just read Issue 4 a few days ago, and there is a fairly unpleasant rape scene in it. So tell me about having to write that scene.

JHF: Well you know, let me ask you: when it happens, does it feel like it comes from somewhere?

MM: Clearly it comes from that character’s anger and hatred. I mean, it’s definitely an act of violence. Deeply expressed violence.

JHF: Well, and it’s also for me the idea that he was sitting in his ice castle while his siblings were out living and feeling and becoming part of the world and then kind of being demonized for it. For literally giving of themselves, they were murdered. And so it’s almost like an act of defiance. And you see, you see his kind of sexual frustration building up throughout the books until finally it barfs out in this horrible, horrible form. So it was really hard. I wanted it, I knew it was going to happen, I knew it had to happen, but in finding a way to do it that was, you know, shocking and grotesque in all the right ways, while still coming from somewhere and really being rooted in the story was a huge challenge. I feel like we did a pretty good job at it. We’ll see. It comes out soon. We’ll see what people say.

MM: Your writing has been on sort of a dark path lately, because I think –

JHF: Always.

MM: Yeah, starting with Elk’s Run- I suppose it was very dark. But Echoes was an incredibly dark project.

JHF: Yeah, Echoes is dark in a different way, I think. You know, Echoes is kind of near and dear to my heart, as my father, he is a serial killer….no..again, you know, I look at it, I start every story I do from a place of “what is the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to you?” You know? So the idea of Echoes came out of, you know, I was having a kid. And when you’re having a kid you start to realize that everything that is wrong with me…I have a lot of health problems, I have a lot of health issues and stuff like that, and knowing that I’m passing on this genetic weakness to my kid really kind of haunted me. And then, you know, as a writer, you start extrapolating from that. And then it suddenly becomes, well what’s a more engaging thing than me just having diabetes? What’s something even worse that you can pass on to your kid. The idea that being a sociopath and being a murderer and that being a genetic, you know, a genetic bond just was really vibrant and alive for me. And that’s sort of the idea behind the story. I think it’s also what makes it work for people is we all see that. The older you get, you start looking at your dad or your mom, and are, “Oh my god, I’m them!”

MM: It had one of the darkest endings I could remember in a recent comic. Were you really, this is kind of a weird question, but were you excited to get sort of really, horrible dark place at the end?

JHF: That’s what’s great about comics is that you can do that. You can get away with it. I’ve got a book published through one of the major publishers that has the most depressing, sad endings you can do in books where it’s like the bad guy wins and everybody else is just left for shit.

MM: I sat there going, “Jesus!!” Wow…gutsy move, I thought.

JHF: Thank you. Well, you know the idea is that if the book does well, we have a sequel actually. There’s more! It is no happier, but there is more. And I hope we get to do that, Rahsan and I are chomping at the bit to do more.

MM: Now, on a bit of a happier flip side, you’ve gotten involved with Dr. Who. How did that come about?

JHF: Um, I’ve known those guys, the guys at IDW, I’ve been friends with Tony Lee who’s the writer on Doctor Who for years. Whenever, you know, we have a Dr. Who convention in L.A., every year I’m a guest and I go, so I’ve just kind of gotten to know those guys and they know that I’m just a huge huge huge nerd and would do anything to work on the characters. And you know, the time came when Tony had to move on for other reasons and they came to me and asked what would I do? And I pitched something they liked. You know, for four issues I get to do something that five year old Josh would have crapped his pants to know he would do.

MM: I think what makes me curious about the Doctor Who gig is that Doctor Who has one of the most rabid fan bases on the entire planet. Did that add extra pressure to having to write stories?

JHF: It’s terrifying. Like I, this sounds horrible, it sounds egotistical, when I read review, because generally, my reviews, I’ve been treated very well by critics throughout my career. I think this week will be the first time where they will come out and I just don’t want to see any of them because I’m terrified. I set out to write the book to not disappoint myself because I am a rabid rabid Doctor Who nerd. And I knew I had to get the voices right. Like I know the fact that I’m American is a huge huge handicap in trying to get things to feel authentic and feel real, but I really, I feel like I got the voices down. I know BBC was really happy with the issues. I’m very excited to hear what people think, but at the same time I’m really not looking forward to it out of terror.

MM: Is it also a relief to sort of work outside of the darker realm a little bit?

JHF: Yeah, you know the funny thing is I have a kind of staunch belief of the big thing missing in comics is comics for all ages. And that’s not kids’ comics, that’s comics that you can give to anybody. And a lot of the stuff I’ve done at Marvel is that. Whether it’s, I did a Marvel Girl one-shot that was for the First Class stuff, I did a Fantomex versus Batroc story, like everything I did over at Marvel was sort of me being like, “No no, look! These should be fun!” I have a Spider-man I wrote for them that’s the same thing, that was sort of a fun, all-ages Spider-man. I really feel like comics are sort of missing that element. And part of it is me being like, well I can’t bitch about it and then make literally the most miserable books in the world that are appropriate for, like you can’t show them to, you literally can’t even be like, “Look at this cool comic!” So whenever I get the opportunity to do something that is all ages, that is, you know, lighter, it’s a huge relief. It’s just so much fun. Because you can worry about – the emotions you’re playing with are so much less upsetting as a writer. Because you really get into the head of your characters, you feel what they feel and you go through what they go through, and that’s the thing – I didn’t even write a horror Doctor Who! Like, I wrote a fun, it’s still crime noir-y, I guess, it’s like a fun, 40’s adventure serial with the Doctor. And it’s like I said, it was a dream come true and it’s exactly what, what I think about what I think the comics should be, that’s what I tried to do with the book.

MM: Well, it just goes to show what a versatile writer you are. Mr. Fialkov, thank you for taking the time to be with us, and continued success.

JHF: Always a pleasure, thank you.

By Avril Brown

Fitness is the wave of the future. People are waking up from their high fructose corn syrup comas and realizing that our bodies are temples: you are either a ward or a sacrifice. Eating healthier and engaging in some form of regular exercise is not as painful as people think, and can actually end up being fun and addictive (my first, and certainly not last, tattoo artist told me the same thing about body art. Five tattoos and counting…).

Swordplay is the fighting style of the past. Years ago, people used to live, and die, by the sword. How one handled a blade could determine his or her station in life, the length of said life, and how much poontang was received. Though people are still fascinated by the art and culture of swordplay as evident by wildly successful sword and sorcery series, such as ‘Game of Thrones’, few people have any knowledge of how to actually use one.

Forteza Fitness, Physical Culture and Martial Arts is a brand new facility where the future and the past collide in a flurry of coordinated movements and metal sparks. Western martial arts meets modern fitness in methods and styles unseen in any part of the world in recent history. The range and diversity of skills amassed by the staff of Forteza Fitness is astounding, and the location and setting are ideal for what they offer. In addition to having a separate area for traditional personal fitness training, Forteza will also serve as the practice arena for the Chicago Swordplay Guild which studies close-quarter combat, Renaissance rapier and Armizare, an Italian style of longsword fighting. Membership packages will be available, such as the Modern Combative Membership which will include bi-weekly Martial Blade Concepts classes and several FightingFit bootcamps, and for those interested in joining the Guild the Swordsman Membership offers several Swordsmanship Foundation classes, bootcamps and a variety of Taster and Focus classes. Both packages include additional perks, and for those in need of even greater flexibility in their training schedule, a Multi-Class Punch-Card will be offered for your drop-in convenience.

Forteza Fitness offers a bit of everything for the work out, fighting and fantasy fanatic, all within a few steps of the Montrose Brown line station at 4437 North Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, a location that is well on its way to becoming the most beautiful and architecturally inspiring private gym and training arena. The high ceilings and distinct lack of walls in the center space open the floor, keeping it airy and giving the area an energy all its own. The newly finished wood floors give off a resplendent shine and a tasteful nod to their modern fitness culture, while the original brick walls are a visual reminder of the ancient styles from which many of their teachings are drawn from. There is also a “gymuseum” displaying several pieces of antique exercise equipment, making Forteza even more of a perfect venue for their first major seminar: an introduction to the art of Bartitsu.

What is Bartitsu? Ask Tony Wolf, a New Zealand native and Chicago resident, and the man responsible for bringing Bartitsu back to the Midwest. A fighting method created in the late nineteenth century, Bartitsu combines martial arts, British fisticuffs and stick fighting to produce a practical self-defense style that refuses to fade. Though the original London Bartitsu Club closed in 1902 only a few years after its founding, the art was given a vague reference in one of the greatest ‘Sherlock Holmes’ stories ever penned, and Bartitsu lives on through people like Mr. Wolf who kept it alive and continue teach their skills. Now Chicago residents can feel safer and stronger as they walk the city streets armed with knowledge, confidence and a cane, and what better way for a unique gym like Forteza to open its doors than to a Bartitsu seminar?

Tony’s introductory session on January 22nd called to history buffs, fighting fans, Guild members and Steampunk squires alike. They listened with rapt attention as Tony spoke of the history of this fighting style he is so passionate about, and soon enough he had his new students walking the room, introducing themselves to one another and learning and practicing balance and synergy. “Trust in the sensation,” he instructed as a range of disciples stood with backs pressed together, lowering themselves to the floor and raising themselves back up utilizing said synergy. The connection, unity and sense of strength he inspired in his pupils were a joy to watch, let alone participate in. Laughter erupted periodically as Mr. Wolf’s quips and quirks kept people entertained as well as educated.

“The counter attack is based solely on your opponents’ actions, which is a lovely thing,” Tony told his listeners as he began another demonstration and went on to explain how Bartitsu covers every possible eventuality. There was a tangible hum to the air when Tony told his followers to fetch their sticks (plus a few chuckles as well), and grins erupted on eager faces as they scurried to begin their training with tools. Soon enough the halls of Forteza echoed with the crack of wooden sticks meeting in mock battle and clattering against the floor as partners were disarmed. The flexibility and versatility of Bartitsu is an understandable attraction for a man with interests and skills as eclectic as Tony Wolf, and now he is sharing his passion with those fortunate enough to register for his upcoming six week class (registration is still open for those inclined, and all pertinent information can be found at www.bartitsu.org).

Though the men outnumbered the women in the Bartitsu introductory seminar, the numbers are not as skewed as one might think. As with Comic Conventions and varying forms of nerd-dom, women are no longer shy about expressing their interests, though there is photographic evidence of women’s historic involvement in the Bartitsu culture. On the Bartitsu homepage there is a picture of Edith Garrud, a former jujutsu instructor for the English women’s suffrage movement and who studied under a Bartitsu Club instructor, demonstrating a jujutsu wrist lock on her interviewer Godfrey Winn.

Tony varied his choice in demonstration victims, every student both excited and concerned about being Mr. Wolf’s latest punching bag. He remains, however, a gentlemanly professor, and consistently offered clear instructions that were firm but non-painful. A charismatic creature, Tony is an impossible man to ignore, and his teachings are only a taste of the variety of forthcoming programs Forteza has to offer.

Early morning Fighting Fitness classes, Martial Blade Concepts courses (modern, practical self-defense) taught by one of the only local and fully vested instructors in the art, medieval swordplay and premiere personal training are just the beginning. Find Forteza on Facebook and keep watch for the launch of their website, opening galleria and oodles more to come. The future of Forteza looks bright, lit by the rising stars of modern fitness and the glean of polished swords. En garde!

Reviewed by Marc Mason

Taking a look at a couple of new graphic novels…

UNTERZAKHN is a powerhouse effort by writer/artist Leela Corman, and one that will stick in readers’ memories for a while once they put the book down. Set in the early 20th century, we meet sisters Esther and Fanya as they navigate immigrant life in New York City. As they get older, their lives take wildly divergent paths- Fanya goes to work for a woman who performs abortions, and Esther takes on a new name while dancing burlesque and working as a prostitute. Yet as different as their lives seem to be, the two sisters live parallel existences in ways they could never guess. Everything here is really excellent- Corman’s character work captivates, the dialogue has an authentic ring to it, and she makes you believe in and understand who these two women are. The art is just detailed enough to immerse you in the world, letting you truly feel like you’re back a hundred years and seeing what life was really like for people. If it sounds like the book isn’t a bundle of laughs, you’re right- what humor is here is outweighed by tragedy. But happy endings weren’t exactly the norm back then. I have the feeling that next December, when I start whipping up a top ten list, this book will require some more discussion.

Some local Arizona folks have joined together for UNITE AND TAKE OVER, an anthology featuring short stories inspired by the music of The Smiths. Much like other efforts dealing with Tori Amos, Belle & Sebastian, and Bob Dylan, the creative teams have been granted a lot of latitude in interpreting the work for the page. What this means isn’t really any different than what you get from most anthologies: a mixed bag of results. Some of the work here is really very good, and really catches the eye- Sterling Gates’ “William It Was Really Nothing” is as good as any piece that I’ve read in an anthology of this type. But some of the work is not yet ready for primetime, even in the alt-comix arena. Perhaps the strongest aspect here is in the book’s conceptualization and design- UNITE looks a lot better than most small press collections tend to. SpazDog has made rumbles that they’re going to continue doing more books in this vein, and as they do, the artistic talent level should continue to improve, as well as the overall execution. I’ll be watching and rooting for them.

Reviewed by Marc Mason

A young woman walks into a diner and begins to tell the story of the apocalypse in ALPHA GIRL, an interesting- if unsatisfying- debut hitting shelves right now. Our narrator, Judith Meyers, lights up a cigarette once she sits in a booth, which tells you immediately that something has gone horribly wrong in society. I’m not sure that there’s anyplace left you can do that anymore- at least not without getting arrested. While that’s supposed to tell us a little bit about the state of the world, the smoking is also meant to give our lead character an “edgy” quality. That part doesn’t quite take, though.

Apparently the apocalypse was started at a cosmetics company (shades of RESIDENT EVIL?) and has to do with an experiment in pheromones getting out of control and spreading. Indeed, we spend a little over half the book following the two scientists responsible and the sequence of events that leads to the outbreak. The sequence is actually quite entertaining, and has a nicely subtle sense of humor about it, which I respected. The writing is very light and the pacing is strong. But there’s also a disconnect- Judith describes them as “assholes” but the duo never quite come across that way on the page. Instead, the shit that the scientists get put through paints them more as tragic figures forced into a corner.

Now, perhaps we’re meant to see Judith as unreliable narrator, but there are no other clues in the book to indicate that to be true. Indeed, the real issue I have with ALPHA GIRL is that we end issue one knowing very little about the title character at all. She had a shitty home life and she and her brother got put into foster care. That’s about it. You know a lot more about the scientists after reading this comic than you do Judith, and that’s a problem from a structural point of view.

I’m not suggesting this is a bad comic- it has some conceptual wit, the art tells the story effectively and is pleasing to the eye, and the dialogue is nicely executed on the page. But it isn’t as successful as it should be. When the book is called ALPHA GIRL, then at the end of issue one, I should have an idea of who she is, what her mission is in the story, and an idea of where things are headed. But the backstory of the apocalypse interrupts that. I’d have rather gotten more Judith and seen the apocalypse material held off until issue two. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Reviewed by Avril Brown

CHEW’s latest story arc ‘Major League Chew’ is in full swing with parts two and three covering a lot of (rather painful) ground for our hero. Just when Tony Chu thinks he will be able to settle in nicely in his new position as a traffic cop where he is beloved, appreciated and celebrated, he gets the living shit beaten out of him by a blast from the recent past.

Before readers are given the story behind Chu’s run in with a baseball bat, issue #22 covers the variety of shit assignments Agent Caesar Valenzano has found himself saddled with since Chu’s transfer to traffic, and what Caesar’s former partner, Savoy, has been trying to accomplish with Chu’s daughter since he kidnapped young Olive. When that issue wraps up, you can practically hear the ominous music playing in the background as Olive finally shows us what she’s got.

Issue #23 shows readers what Colby’s been up to since his transfer…to the all-female (and animal) operated USDA. We got a glimpse of these badass chicks and their animal partners in the final showdown involving Poyo, the homicidal rooster, and they are unsurprisingly a little frosty towards their new male recruit. Colby is left trying to solve cases with his new partner, Buttercup the lion, and having to deal with his cantankerous boss (a peace with he is hoping to achieve by utilizing a method we’ve seen before), all the while trying to get a hold of Chu, who seems to have disappeared.

Back to the baseball bat, as Tony is being held hostage by a rather unstable gentleman with an unorthodox mission which is so bizarre, even by CHEW standards, that you have to read it to believe it. CHEW continues to score points on all the boards it has become famous for, and as always delivers a great story while leaving readers hungry for more.

By Avril Brown

I am a Rogue and Gambit fan. This is evident by the first comic book I ever purchased, my many rants on the subject, the rather large tattoo on my upper back, and the multitude of prints, posters and pictures covering the walls of my petite studio. They are one of my favorite couples in all of fandom, and I cherish every panel starring the two of them where they are not fighting, breaking up or trying to kill one another.

When I first met the X-Men, they were a cartoon show I obsessively watched after school in the early ‘90’s. I immediately fell for Rogue’s sauciness and Gambit’s sexiness, they way they snipped at each other but obviously still cared for one another, and the bittersweet tension between the two of them due to her inability to have skin-to-skin contact without draining him of his life force. Manna from heaven for an eleven-year-old Cancer sign with a penchant for fantasy and true love. I can still remember how my heart lurched during one episode when she lost her powers, and right before she’s about to be experimented on by the bad guys Gambit confesses his love and kisses her. Oh, swoon…

The possibility exists that I am still in love with that cartoon couple. Though Rogue and Gambit from ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ are the reason I got into comics in the first place, comic book Rogue and Gambit are different creatures than the moving pictures. A lot has happened in the years since these characters were first created, both before the show and after, changing the couple for the better, and for the worse, and back again.

One, or even ten columns would not be sufficient space to dive into the details of Rogue and Gambit’s relationship, so fast forward to the latest drama: Rogue recently acquired control over her life/power-sucking powers, which have long been an understandable thorn in the side of their on-again, off-again affair. Though Rogue requested breathing room following this immense alteration in her life, it appeared, briefly, that she was going to spend her time with Gambit. Enter the third party.

Magneto, the Master of Magnetism, is as old a character as the original X-Men. He was their first, and arguably their greatest, villain. A complex, scarred, and incredibly powerful individual, Max Eisenhardt aka Erik Lehnsherr has been a foe, a friend, a hero, and a teacher, but most of all he has been the source of many an unforgettable story.

One such tale occurred years ago in the Savage Land, Marvel’s equivalent to the Lost World, complete with dinosaurs, pet saber-tooth kitties and hot people in skimpy animal print scraps. For reasons too complex and comic-y to get into, a de-powered Rogue and a weakened Magneto had teamed up with Savage Land native Ka-Zar to save his people from the evil Zaladane. Though nothing was explicitly stated, several panels and well-chosen words alluded to the fact Rogue and Magneto had something akin to a relationship while fighting side-by-side. However, by the end of the story arc Magneto had in essence declared himself when he killed Zaladane over Rogue’s protests that they bring her in alive, thus ending whatever it was they started in the Savage Land.

When Rogue returned to Westchester with her powers intact she met recent X-Men recruit Remy LeBeau, a red-eyed, sweet-talking scoundrel who seemed to take a liking to her despite her untouchable nature and his obvious love of skin-to-skin loving. Sparks immediately flew between the Southern Belle and the Cajun Swamp Rat, and twenty years of heartwarming and soul-crushing stories have followed as their relationship has taken up-turns and downward spirals. One could even argue that they were written for each other: the beautiful, emotionally damaged woman who cannot touch, and the handsome, womanizing man who cannot stop. Both Southern, both spicy, both former villains trying to walk the straight and narrow.

However, change is constant in the comic book world, thus bringing us back to the love triangle. Following the devastating effects of three little words uttered by a crazy witch (“No more mutants”), the mutant race went from being one step away from dominating the planet to numbering under two hundred individuals. A lot of craziness followed, and in the midst of it all Cyclops, an original X-Man, became a general and leader for the remnants of mutant kind, relocating them to an island off the coast of San Francisco known as Utopia.

Magneto has been many things, but his primary goal has never changed: he seeks unity among mutant kind. After witnessing Cyclops’ success, he bent the knee and acknowledged him as leader, abandoning his life of villainy and joining the X-Men, thereby putting him on the same island as a recently-made-touchable Rogue.

There have been several hints, heated words and light touches between the two since his arrival, and the frequency of those moments increased after Gambit called an end to he and Rogue’s holding pattern and asked her to either be with him or set him free. Rogue did not say yeah or nay to Gambit’s request, but neither was there anything concrete witnessed between her and Magneto…until last issue where they were naked in bed together. My good friend and fellow nerd Ms. Molly Jane was eager to see my response to that particular scene as I read the issue in front of her, but she was a little shocked at my outrage and pain. Her reaction made me wonder: am I living in the past? Are Rogue and Gambit as a happy couple a fanciful notion that has long since been retired? Is it time for her to move on?

The more I think, and write, about it, the more I realize no matter what has occurred in X-Men history and what is to come in their future, Rogue and Gambit are still my favorite couple. I love Magneto as a character; I think he is fantastically multi-faceted, and in some circumstances I like the idea of him and Rogue as a couple. However, Rogue and Gambit, as I have read and experienced and adored the characters throughout the years and their evolutions, remain to me the perfect pair.

I’m a sucker for bad boys who better themselves for love, and while Gambit’s road to redemption includes his own motivations apart from Rogue, there is no doubt she has been a large part of his determination to stay on the wagon. While Magneto obviously cares for her, he had several chances to choose love and redemption over his own goals and refused, and even now it was solely for the good of his people that he hung up his villainous spurs. Gambit is cheeky, lively and loves to tease, while Magneto is largely reserved. Gambit has been there for Rogue as a friend, a non-consummate boyfriend and a lover, while Magneto has barely been there at all.

I know where I stand and for whom my heart beats, but frankly it is all a moot point anyway, and not just because they are fictional characters. The writers of the X-Men books, and almost every major comic on the market, are always changing, therefore the characters are always changing. The creative minds behind the books can stick to a general idea of a character’s personality but they will write the story they want to write, and the editors in turn will publish at will. Fans have no control over what direction the books take (hence the need for fan fiction), only our choice of whether or not we want to continue to follow. Besides, even if Rogue and Gambit get back together, it will only be a matter of time before something else arises to challenge their relationship and their love. Comic books are like soap operas: there are no happy endings for anyone, because there are no endings. The stories (fans, fate and reasonable fees willing) will go on, as will Rogue and Gambit, one way or another.