Nemesis: Money, mayhem, and mystery

 "What if Batman was the Joker?" was the question asked by writer Mark Millar (Wanted, Kick-Ass). This was also the only preface I had when I picked up a copy of "Nemesis". As it turns out, this is all I needed to know to jump head-first into this re-imagining of the classic archetype. Coincidentally it was also enough to keep me from putting it down.


Set in Washington D.C., chief of police Blake Morrow receives a business card reading, "Blake Morrow, March 12th at midnight, Flatline still counts. He knows this chilling message and it's delivery to be the modus operandi of the famous international masked cop-killer known as Nemesis.

Blake knows that he has little to no time before his city, his family, and everything he loves is a pawn in a game for his life. The book starts with a very hands on intro in Tokyo. Nemesis in his most natural element; with a police inspector tied up on the train tracks. With some classic Bond-Villain bragging, pointless destruction, and a very messy end for the good inspector, he is off to the Americas to do it over again.

The book looks very much like a good old super-hero comic with all off screen gore not only added back in but glorified. Steve McNiven pulls no punches when showing off the antics and depravity of Nemesis. From the fountains of blood to the smirk, Nemesis maintains realism while providing a cinematic feel.
 
I personally love the character of Nemesis. He has all the great assets of Batman: the wealth, the physical form, the pre-emptive nature, the gadgets, a cool car, even a cape and cowl, but none of the conscience. Following him is a laundry list of dead cops and civilians, and those who manage to stay alive aren't much for the better. He wears an entirely white costume, and insists on getting it covered in blood. He keeps a motorcycle in his Audi. He even has a pile of cocaine on his table that would make Scarface sneeze. And when confronted he says he's "rich and bored".

And if it isn't well enough to stain the pages of the comic, Nemesis may be bringing the blood and guts to the big screen. Screenwriter Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces, The A-Team) has finished the script for the currently in development Fox studios film. Mark Millar even goes as far to say this about the script, "Nemesis is one of the most relentless and powerful screenplays I’ve ever read. I was actually SHELL-SHOCKED after reading it, thinking about it for hours afterwards and discussing it with the family. As a movie, the Carnahans have crafted something we’ve never actually seen before and I feel like someone in Julia Phillips’ office must have felt when Schrader’s TAXI DRIVER script first landed on their desk. This is going to be one of the best movies of the decade."

Whether or not we get a chance to see "Nemesis" in the theaters, I would recommend checking out the book. It's four issue limited run makes for a great short read, and leaves itself wide open for another set. So get on board with the next big psychopath and give "Nemesis" a shot.

 By Logan Thomas Dillon

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Gravity: A visually intimidating experience

I was first intrigued by the early trailers of Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity", which depicted a breathtaking view of earth from a space shuttle followed by 30 seconds of cataclysm and destruction resulting in Sandra Bullock spiraling out of control into the dark void of outer space. It caught me off guard with the realism of what I was seeing but my first big question was, can they stretch that idea into a full movie? I quite pleased to say that they not only did just that, but without a moment's boredom.

                

The story starts out in orbit above Earth during an EVA on the Hubble telescope. Medical engineer Dr.Ryan Stone (Bullock) and seasoned space-man Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) are involved in a routine operation when a volley of satellite debris renders the space shuttle "Explorer" in shambles and the two astronauts stranded in space. Without communication with Houston, and Oxygen running low the real thrill starts here.

George Clooney brings his classic bravado and does justice to the stereotype of the all-American astronaut, whereas Sandra Bullock's role is that of the meek scientist who is entirely out of her element. The biggest driving factor in "Gravity" in my opinion was the intensity of Bullock's performance. The credibility of the movie was highly staked on the believability of Bullock's character, and the justice of her performance left me (at some points literally) on the edge of my seat.

                

Modern cinematic technology has finally provided the most believable zero gravity scenes I have ever seen. Due to recent developments involving James Cameron's "Avatar", the physical realism of the way the characters interacted with each other and their environment left the suspension of disbelief unbroken for the entirety of the film. Although the movement was excellent, the most stunning part was the view. Watching the Sun rise on the horizon of Earth from outer space is enough to make you believe that you're out on the "Explorer".

I was pleasantly surprised by "Gravity", and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a solid suspense movie, or anyone who wants to visit space from the comfort of their own planet. So go see "Gravity" in theaters, and see the attraction for yourself.

By: Logan Thomas Dillon

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OMNI: A God awful, small affair W/Exclusive interview with Allen Drinkwater

This past August at the Toronto Fan Expo, I met Allen Drinkwater at the Omega-Level.net booth. A copy of "OMNI: A God awful, small affair" caught my eye, recognizing the line from "Life on Mars?" and being a big David Bowie fan myself I asked him about it. He very promptly handed me a free, signed copy of the book (how's that for fan-service?) and told me to let him know what I thought. I took it home, sat down, and gave it a try.

                

The inside cover is marked with a Carl Sagan quote, which is always a good sign. The next page is a vivid explosion of colour. Emmanuel Hernaez's visual representation of colonized Mars is simultaneously both glorified and gritty. It is one of the best visual comic experiences I've had since McKean and Morrision's "Arkham Asylum". The story jumps into the already very much in progress life of Detective Farmer Murdock, who stands outside the high-end nightclub "Ares" with political assassination on his mind. Set in the classic style of the "detective noir" serials, the story is rich with trench-coat clad Detective Murdock's inner monologue. This twenty-six page story doesn't waste time and jumps right into mysterious motives, dynamic combat, unknown history, and of course "the girl with the mousy hair."

                

Allen was kind enough let me grill him for my article, and was even kinder to reply:

Q: What was the very first step in making "OMNI" a reality?

A: Honestly, the whole thing has been swimming around my head for years, albeit in various forms. A few years ago I wrote a short story that told the story of an aspiring writer traveling to Mars well after it'd been colonized. While the story wasn't strong enough to get me into an MFA program (REJECTED!), it's served as first bit of OMNI mythology. From there, the scripts poured out.

Q: Is OMNI your first Endeavor into writing?

A: OMNI is my first comic, but I've been writing for as long as I can remember -- short stories, one act plays, poems, whatever.

Q: Can you tell us how the idea of incorporating David Bowie came up?

A: Honestly, I've always needed to write to music -- it just helps the brain fluids start swirling in a way that coffee alone can't accomplish. During this round of scripting, Bowie popped on and scenes started revealing themselves.

Q: What were some of the inspirations for Detective Murdock?

A: I think I've always been fascinated with that archetypal badass who's tired as hell but has one last job to do. Hell, maybe it's the fact that I'm a workaholic and the prospect of one last task is heavenly to me. But other than that, Murdock is all sorts of Frank Miller's Sin City and maybe a little Sergio Leone cowboy.

Q: What was it like working with Emmanuel Hernaez?

A: Working with Manny Hernaez was great. I found him through Warren Ellis' WhiteChapel forums and had a wonderful experience. He was super-professional, which is always appreciated.

Also, his artwork is goddamn gorgeous.

Q: For an independent comic, how did you find the publishing process to be?

A: It is daunting, overwhelming, liberating, and so damn worth it.

Q: What inspired the "OMNI" universe?

A: The main influence is Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, which is one of my favorite bits of fiction. But with each episode being self-contained, the influences are multitudinous -- STAR WARS and Catcher in the Rye and campy monster movies and espresso and heavy metal.

Q: I feel like "A God awful, small affair" has a very expansive back story, can you tell us how shaped your writing process?

A:I always try to remind myself that any script I bang out is a snapshot of a much, much bigger picture.

Q: Who would you say is your biggest influence in terms of writing?

A: I don't know if it appears in my writing, but my favorites are Bradbury and Palahniuk and Hemingway and Ellis and so many more that my mind is freezing up.

And the question I was dying to ask;

Q: When can we see some more tales from "OMNI"?

A: Well, Manny has moved onto other projects, so I don't know. But I've got stacks of scripts, so if any artists want to take a crack at 'em, let me know.

If you're looking for something new with a classic feel I would recommend "OMNI: A God awful, small affair". It's a  unique twist on a classic formula, with art that will have you spending way too much time on every page. Not to mention a climax that will leave you wanting for more. So do yourself a favour and find out for yourself if there's Life on Mars.

               

 You can follow Allen at WWW.Omega-Level.NET, and pick up your own copy of "OMNI" here, (http://www.omega-level.net/2012/07/09/ol-exclusive-omni-a-god-awful-small-affair) and for only $5 you'd be crazy not to.

By: Logan Thomas Dillon

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Comic review: My Friend Dahmer

When I picked up "My Friend Dahmer" I was expecting to find a serial killer comic with a touch of cannibalism. Being a mild fan of "The Walking Dead" I decided to give it an honest try. What I found was in my opinion considerably more interesting, and (believe it or not) contains no actual cannibalism.

                

Derf Backderf's "My Friend Dahmer" is the true and in some cases first hand account of Derf's teenage friend Jeffery Dahmer. Although the story is centered on Dahmer, it reveals a large part of Derf's own upbringing and coming of age. I also found that the book doubles as a not so kind portrait of education and suburbia in the late 70's. The art (also by Backderf) provides an interesting contrast with the content, using a simplistic and exaggerated format for a very real and chilling tale. It shows Dahmer as the character he was in high school, rather than the killer he was later (and most famously) known as.

                

The story starts with the prologue, a short snippet from Dahmer's childhood showing a lonely child with a curiosity for animals. Alright, it showed a weird kid dissolving road kill in acid. The kind of stuff you'd expect from a serial killer story. It then takes a jump forward into his high school career, where he initially was bullied and socially outcast. We also get to see Dahmer's home life in the midst of a loud and messy divorce, not to mention his mother's psychiatric spasmodic episodes. It almost makes you feel sorry for Jeffery Dahmer, doesn't it?

                

The story takes a turn in Dahmer's Sophomore year, when he finds a social niche. He starts to put on a routine where he has fake spasms and makes a host of weird noises. This starts him up with Derf's clique, and also starts a very strange (but relatively normal) educational career. His strange sayings and episodes become so locally famous that they are referred to as "Dahmerisms" and even featured on a student government poster. The bizarre events surrounding his time in school include yearbook photobombing, and even a private tour of Vice President Walter Mondale's office.

                

Sadly, as I am sure most of you know, the story doesn't have a happy ending. In this book you also get a unique and inside look at Dahmer's budding demons. The story chronicles his struggle with teenage alcoholism, his coping with a deteriorating home, violent and disturbed urges, and trying to stifle his own twisted sexuality. It ends where the story we are more familiar with begins.

I found this comic to be one of the most interesting that I have read, even if you don't find it the most entertaining. It answers a lot of questions you didn't know you had about one of the twentieth century's most notorious killers. With a mix of reality and dark humour, it's worth making room on your shelf.

By: Logan Thomas Dillon 

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A Superior Spider-Man?

So my brother sat me down and excitedly told me about about the brand-new Spider-Man comic series. With eyes full of wonder he explained the outline of the plot. I looked back at him and said the same thing a lot of you will say, "That sounds really stupid." But then I actually sat down and gave it a chance. Much like the wall-crawler, I had a hard time putting it down.

Part of the "Marvel NOW!" campaign, The Superior Spider-Man is the spawn of Amazing Spider-Man Alumni, Dan Slott. Picking up right where the grim conclusions of "The Amazing Spider-Man" series ended, Doctor Otto "Octopus" Octavius has switched his mind with Peter Parker inheriting the body of Spider-Man, leaving Parker to die in his own emaciated meat-suit.

Now this is where the series almost lost me.

We've seen the Freaky Friday body switch a thousand times over in the DC and Marvel résumé (J'accuse Lex Luthor), but generally it finds itself resolved rather quickly. What happens when it doesn't? You've got a classic villain running around in the body of a beloved hero, getting into shenanigans, even going as far as to engage in Tom Foolery. Sounds like a tired premise until you consider the variables.

With Spider-Man's body comes his memories, hopes, dreams, in essence everything that made him who he was. When Ock moves in he is overwhelmed by Peter's sense of obligation to humanity. Deciding to cast off his villainous mantle (and metal appendages), he dawns the mask of the Spider-man (but not without making some high-tech adjustments of course). This all seems fine and dandy, except that, while Ock is now working for the forces of good, his moral compass isn't exactly pointing due North. With a blend of intelligence, cutting-edge technology, black and white attitude, and even an alliance with J. Jonah Jameson, the Superior Spider-Man takes justice to the city whether they want it or not.

So this is Otto's new profession, but what about his personal life? He went from a dying old man, to a young athletic scientist. A second chance at life, it almost seems endearing. Until you notice the subconscious of Peter Parker living in the back of Doc Ock's mind. Constantly there, watching, criticizing, yelling, and occasionally just hanging out. Chiming in while Ock battles the Sinister Six. Revolted while he goes on a date with Mary Jane Watson. Not to mention when Otto reviews some of Peter's more *ahem* personal memories.

So get ready for a world hanging upside-down. Where Doc Ock is Spider-man, Peter Parker is hardly a voice of reason, Spidey and J. Jonah Jameson are fast friends, and the Spider-Man isn't afraid to employ capital punishment. To quote Peter it's, "Crazy-Town Banana-Pants." So please do yourself a favour and check out this new take on "With great power comes great responsibility."

By: Logan Thomas Dillon

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