FUBAR, Vol. 1
Stories by Dominic Vivona, Steve Becker, Jeff McComsey, Stephen Lindsay, Shawn Williams, Benjamin Truman, Phil McClorey, Helaine Crawford, Mike Imboden, Kyle J. Kaczmarczyk

Art by Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker, Lonny Chant, Darrin Stephens, Jim McMunn, Dominic Vivona, Jonathan Moore, Steve Wilhite, Helaine Crawford, James Nguyen, Rob Croonenborghs

http://zombiefubar.wordpress.com
Self-Published/assist by Alterna Comics
Pre-order with Diamond code: SEP100743
Price: $11.99

FUBAR is a zombie anthology with a twist. The stories take place during World War II. The conflict and tension of war is only heightened when legions of undead monsters are thrown into the mix. This unique backdrop also proves to be a wellspring of creativity, as evidenced by the great stories being told in this collection.

There are so many interesting tales in this collection, and I wish that I could mention them all. A few stories that I really enjoyed were “Bearer of Secrets”, about a Jewish executioner, a concentration camp prisoner, and a German soldier forced to work together to escape the zombie threat. In “If God be for Us”, an American priest has a deadly encounter with zombified American soldiers. “Stalemate” is another unique story about American and German soldiers making their final stand against the Germans in a fortified bunker. In “De Guer”, two Dutch men send a blind boy out into the field to evade the zombies and help them gain their freedom. “Golem’s Last Stand” is another fascinating story about a Jewish girl who uses a dying American soldier in a very special way to destroy the zombie soldiers intent on eating her and her family. In all of these tales and the others in the book, you can feel the anguish and frustration of the humans already caught up in the grips of war and now being forced to contend with the presence of zombies.

Marvel has made more progress in their efforts to produce a live-action Iron Fist film. Rich Wilkes, creator of the action movie franchise xXx, has signed on to write the screenplay for the Iron Fist film.

Longtime Iron Fist fans may be a little doubtful, recalling the Iron Fist project that Marvel attempted to get off the ground 10 years ago. At that time, Artisan was slated to produce the film, with Ray Park in the dual role of Daniel Rand/Iron Fist. However, it may all be a matter of timing.

Iron Fist has had a character revitalization due to a critically acclaimed monthly series that launched a few years back, and the character is currently appears in the New Avengers comic. The Iron Fist origin story involves a battle with a dragon and mystic martial arts warriors that live in K’un L’un.

Lone Ranger #23
Written by Brett Matthews
Art by Sergio Cariello
Cover Art By John Cassaday
Colors: Marcelo Pinto
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 18, 2010

Dynamite’s The Lone Ranger #23 is Part 7 of a storyline entitled “Resolve.” The first thing that catches your eye is the awesome John Cassaday artwork on the front cover. From page one, the story picks up as we see the Lone Ranger’s foe Butch Cavendish torturing a sheriff that he has kidnapped. The sheriff’s ordeal is shown throughout much of the book as the story alternates between those scenes and Lone Ranger and Tonto preparing themselves for a final showdown.

We also see a young Lone Ranger in this book, still a bit unsure of himself. Refreshingly, Tonto is portrayed as very capable and not constantly needing to be rescued by his “Kemo Sabe.” This is clearly not your father’s Lone Ranger and Tonto. Also, we see that the Lone Ranger has the potential for a romantic interest with a character named Linda. Brett Matthews has truly scripted a very unique interpretation of the Lone Ranger mythos.

Madam Samurai, Vol. 1
Written by Gary Young
Art & Cover by David Hitchcock
Edited by Shane Chebsey
Scar Comics
Price: $12.99
Release Date: June 11, 2010

Madam Samurai is the interesting story of an unnamed, mute girl who learns the ways of the samurai from a ronin, or masterless samurai. The story begins in Victorian-era London, but then jumps back to 19thcentury Japan, where we see a young boy named Kazuo watch his mother commit a ritualistic suicide to honor the memory of her dead husband. Kazuo is taken in by another samurai and quickly becomes rivals with his biological son, Toshiro. Their sibling rivalry sets in motion the events that lead to the birth of Madam Samurai.

The writing in Madam Samurai is very captivating and cinematic. Gary Young‘s screenwriting background was very beneficial to the pacing of the story. Despite several flashbacks, the story does not get bogged down or obstructed by this device. In fact, every scene in the story was essential, which is a testament to the editing work of Shane Chebsey. The young Madam Samurai is an interesting protagonist, and we are able to watch her transformation from mute peasant girl to samurai’s pupil to would-be defender of the less fortunate in old London.

Widow Warriors #1
Written by Lloyd Chao, Christine Chi-Long To
Pencils and Cover by Pat Lee
Inked by Troy D. Zurel, Craig Yeung, Sergion Anaya Arevalo
Colors: Michelle Lo, Pat Lee
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 14, 2010

Widow Warriors takes a plot that would be at home in a Shaw Brothers Asian Cinema DVD and brings it to life on the printed page. When the story begins, the men of the Yang family are ambushed by the soldiers of the Lao family. Only one male escapes, and he informs the women of their husbands’ fates. Led by the elderly Grandma Sheh, the women decide to protect their home and family name by engaging the Lao in battle. Before that can happen, though, they have to convince the other males in the Yang family and the greater Sung Dynasty to let them go into battle.

Lloyd Chao and Christine Chi-Long To have written a very interesting tale of survival and determination. Grandma Sheh and the rest of the women have the potential to be fully realized, fleshed-out characters as the story progresses. They are certainly not the typical “damsel in distress” stereotype, nor are they the “tough girls.” The female protagonists show compassion, rage, and anger. They fight out of duty as opposed to bloodlust or a need for destruction. Also, Pat Lee‘s pencils are decent, though feel a little rushed.