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Welcome to the first ever Dandy Review where ComicAttack.net staffers Decapitated Dan and Andy Liegl give their candid take on comics of all shapes and sizes! For this first go around, the guys review two new titles from the young indie publisher, Timeless Journey Comics: Mack Turner: Slayer of the Dead #1 goes to Decapitated Dan and The Argonauts #1 goes to Andy.

Issue: Mack Turner: Slayer of the Dead #1
Writer & Creator: Kevin Powers
Pencils & Inks: Israel Gonzalez
Colors: Nephtali Leal, Israel Gonzalez & Danny Morales
Letters: Creative Webhead
Publisher: Timeless Journey Comics
Price: $3.99
Pages: 32

“Mack Turner is a cop in a small suburban town whose life seems to be crumbling in front of him. He’s already been kicked off the City’s police force, and now he’s being suspended for tasing an old woman. Mack was going to be featured on a police reality show but lost the opportunity and now his shallow girlfriend is ready to leave him. One night, Mack encounters a group of zombies and narrowly escapes. Back at the station, no one believes him and he’s forced to turn in his badge. But when the zombies make their way towards the town, Mack Turner may be the only hope! But there’s more to these “zombies” than meets the eye, and the big question is, “where did they come from?”

Artwork: 3.5 out of 5
The artwork in this issue was really great to look at. I kinda felt that Israel’s style was a good mix of Humberto Ramos and Stephen Platt. It has that not quite managa look to his style and I think it makes the zombies shine. One drawback was the hands. Sometimes they were almost too large, especially on the female characters. The coloring was spot on and gave the issue that nice finishing touch. Overall this is a great looking issue.

Story: 3 out of 5
The storyline here is action packed to draw you into the first issue. It does a nice job of introducing the cast and setting up a nice storyline that will evolve in the coming chapters. I was kinda lost here and there when it came to the dialogue though. It didn’t occur often but some scenes had choppy interactions and some didn’t seem to fit well with the overall scene. But on the whole it works nicely, and brings you from start to finish.

Dying Breath: 3.5 out of 5
It’s tough out there nowadays for a zombie book. You have to create something original that won’t put the audience into a zombie-like state; thinking they are just rereading another zombie title. I think that Mack Turner has what it takes to stand out from the pack. Just some minor issues to work on here or there, but overall its got something good going for it. I think that this storyline can have real depth as long as the creative team is willing to take it there. Great looking art and a good story have this one right on track to where you need to check it out!

Decapitated Dan
decapitateddan@comicattack.net

Issue: The Argonauts #1
Writer: Keith Dallas
Artist: Robert Saunders
Colors: John Hunt and Wilson Ramos Jr.
Letters: Wilson Ramos Jr.
Publisher: Timeless Journey Comics
Price: ?
Pages: 32

“Markis Shard is a freedom fighter from the future who travels back in time to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. He inadvertently causes others to travel through time as well: a super soldier and scientist tasked to kill Shard, and a young sorceress and warrior engaged in battle with a Frost Giant in medieval Norway. They are all brought to present day Argon City, a mid-Atlantic American metropolis patrolled by Dart, a police officer who combats crime with the use of a gadget-enhanced suit designed by his inventor wife. Shard hopes to rally Earth against the impending invaders, but only if he can dispel the confusion of the other time-displaced heroes and stop them from fighting each other.”

Story: 4 out of 5
The best thing The Argonauts has going for it is the plot. Keith Dallas takes us to various points in time; the future, the past and a slightly more advanced modern day, which is exciting to experience.

The story begins in the 27th century. The D’Ent Empire has committed planet wide genocide and a man named Shard knows that any chance of victory against this evil force is pretty much pointless. Shard is a silver haired, battle hardened no nonsense type of guy…he reminds me a lot of Bishop from Uncanny X-Men. He devises a way to travel back in time to the early 21st century to insure that the D’Ent Empire is never created. Unfortunately, the device he used to do the Time Warp was responsible for causing some collateral damage as a random group of characters unwillingly join him in the journey; two D’Ent soldiers (Commander Pol, a blue rubbery dude who looks like The Thing, and Lieutenant 098-473 who resembles an “untorched” Johnny Storm), as well as two 12th century warriors and the Troll thing they’re fighting.

These people from the 12th century are two Norse-looking blondes: Karina and her male interest, Davin. Davin is your typical muscle man with a sword and Karina is a beautiful blue robed sorceress. They’re fighting a losing battle with a giant troll guy when they are suddenly teleported to the 21st century.

The scene then shifts to Argon City and its protector: Dart. Dart is, for all intents and purposes, Argon City’s version of Batman. He looks cool enough, wearing an all red jump suit with a blue flowing cape (a la classic Storm) and yellow goggles. Plus, he can fly! …but there’s something about the name ‘Dart’ that isn’t very intimidating. Anyway, the entire cast (minus Shard) eventually meet in the center of the city to battle the rampaging troll.

Meanwhile, Shard addresses the people of Earth for the first time: “Of Earth people you! To me listen you! From the future am I! And from a malevolent invading force to defend your planet must prepare you!” No, those aren’t typos! The people of Argon City responded by blaring their horns furiously at him for holding up traffic. A perplexed Shard then concludes, “They don’t understand me. I spent years mastering their language from artifacts that by no small miracle still existed. These people don’t speak English.” It’s a great scene.

Artwork: 3 out of 5
The art by Robert Saunders has a real indie feel to it. It’s clean, bright and smooth, complete with cool backgrounds- especially of Argon City. A golden homage to the Statue of Liberty didn’t go unnoticed and the most awesome moment visually was when one of the D’Ent troopers torched the troll’s face with a burst of orange flame. All that remained of the monster’s face was bone. It was bad ass! Despite this stand out moment, the art in general felt like it was missing that little extra something…

Dying Breath: 3.8 out of 5
The issue ends with Shard swooping in and taking Dart from the group, ready to tell him the dirty truth about the D’Ent Empire. He says he will prepare Earth for their impending invasion, but first he wants to tell his story…

With the characters coming from many different locales and time-lines, The Argonauts #1 is a satisfying blend of the sci-fi/fantasy/superhero genres.

I appreciated the afterword from TJC’s Publisher, Kevin Powers, which appears at the end of the issue. I salute his entrepreneurial spirit and his company’s success in making self-publishing a reality. It’s no small feat, especially in this market, and I’m looking forward to writing about issue #2!

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net

If you would like to know more about Timeless Journey Comics or purchase copies of Mack Turner: Slayer of the Dead #1 and The Argonauts #1, visit the website http://tjcomics.com!