Zachary Palisoc
Apr 28, 2002, 04:36 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/muties2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/muties2t.jpg" align=left alt="Muties #2"></a>Reviewer: Zachary Palisoc
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Toy Soldiers
A young mutant boy has a very unique way of playing with his toys!
Written by: Karl Bollers
Pencilled by: Patrick Spaziante
Inked by: Danny Miki, Victor Olazaba, & Crime Lab Studios
Lettered by: Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Hi-Fi Design
Assistant Editor: Pete Franco
Editor: Mark Powers
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I think I may grow to like this mini-series. I don't think the surprise endings that writer Karl Bollers gives us will become cliched. I really liked this issue more than the last, partly because it had a little more emotion.
The issue opens right away with an exciting scene - a car chase, to be exact. As the scenes unfold, we see that it takes place in Japan and we also see that there’s a little boy playing with his toys and he’s the one creating the excitement, but there’s something strange about the way he’s playing with them…they’re floating in the air! The boy, whose name is Seiji, is apparently using some form of telekinesis, as is shown by his hands glowing and the objects floating in the air. That’s when his mother comes in and scolds him for using his powers because it’s safe and she’s afraid that if people found out his “secret,” they’d take him away and tells him never to play like that again.
They live with a man, Noboru who is a cruel and abusive person, and is married to Seiji’s mother, Ikeda. He slaps the mother around just because she didn’t make dinner and spilled some of the food. There is a pattern here that carries over from issue #1. He then proceeds to beat Ikeda with a belt, but when Seiji jumps to her defense, he shoves him away. Seiji then goes off to play with his toys and escapes into a fantasy of the toys fighting each other in the sky. Noboru later threatens to slit Seiji’s throat if he ever tries to stop him again from disciplining his mother again.
Things are calm for a while; Seiji continues to play with his toys, creating fantastic action sequences that just jump off the page and draw you in. It plays out like a comic book within a comic book because there is lots of activity. A figurine is attempting to land on a plane and then the plane suddenly transforms into something else. You forget that they’re toys because it’s layered out in a way that is totally believable. And that’s when Noboru discovers his secret - he comes upon Seiji using his powers. Ikeda comes home and Noboru confronts her and then says that he will kill Seiji. Ikeda tries to stop him, pleading with him, telling Noboru that she won’t let him hurt Seiji, but he refuses to listen.
And that’s when Bollers’ inclination for a surprising and tragic twist comes into play here. It seems like Seiji’s powers go into overdrive, motivated by his fear and he lashes out at Noboru. In a truly awesome action-filled sequence, all of Seiji’s toys attack Noboru. But still, he advances. Seiji finally manages to stop him - but like issue #1, it comes at a cost. Both Seiji and Noboru go over the balcony of their apartment. Only Seiji survives, but he is paralyzed. I don’t want to ruin the rest of the ending, but there’s a bittersweet ending sequence involving his toys that is almost uplifting.
Now, I’ve discovered that the art is supposed to match the mood of the book and it does well here. The art is done in bright and cheerful colors. The right colors are given for the toys, making them almost lifelike and giving a more realistic edge to the panels where the toys are existing in their own world, giving a believable aspect to it.
This issue is a very fun read because it motivates your imagination and throws you back to the days when you were young and used to play with your toys all of the time and imagined out all these action sequences like we did once upon a time.
Art:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Story:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Overall:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Toy Soldiers
A young mutant boy has a very unique way of playing with his toys!
Written by: Karl Bollers
Pencilled by: Patrick Spaziante
Inked by: Danny Miki, Victor Olazaba, & Crime Lab Studios
Lettered by: Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Hi-Fi Design
Assistant Editor: Pete Franco
Editor: Mark Powers
Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I think I may grow to like this mini-series. I don't think the surprise endings that writer Karl Bollers gives us will become cliched. I really liked this issue more than the last, partly because it had a little more emotion.
The issue opens right away with an exciting scene - a car chase, to be exact. As the scenes unfold, we see that it takes place in Japan and we also see that there’s a little boy playing with his toys and he’s the one creating the excitement, but there’s something strange about the way he’s playing with them…they’re floating in the air! The boy, whose name is Seiji, is apparently using some form of telekinesis, as is shown by his hands glowing and the objects floating in the air. That’s when his mother comes in and scolds him for using his powers because it’s safe and she’s afraid that if people found out his “secret,” they’d take him away and tells him never to play like that again.
They live with a man, Noboru who is a cruel and abusive person, and is married to Seiji’s mother, Ikeda. He slaps the mother around just because she didn’t make dinner and spilled some of the food. There is a pattern here that carries over from issue #1. He then proceeds to beat Ikeda with a belt, but when Seiji jumps to her defense, he shoves him away. Seiji then goes off to play with his toys and escapes into a fantasy of the toys fighting each other in the sky. Noboru later threatens to slit Seiji’s throat if he ever tries to stop him again from disciplining his mother again.
Things are calm for a while; Seiji continues to play with his toys, creating fantastic action sequences that just jump off the page and draw you in. It plays out like a comic book within a comic book because there is lots of activity. A figurine is attempting to land on a plane and then the plane suddenly transforms into something else. You forget that they’re toys because it’s layered out in a way that is totally believable. And that’s when Noboru discovers his secret - he comes upon Seiji using his powers. Ikeda comes home and Noboru confronts her and then says that he will kill Seiji. Ikeda tries to stop him, pleading with him, telling Noboru that she won’t let him hurt Seiji, but he refuses to listen.
And that’s when Bollers’ inclination for a surprising and tragic twist comes into play here. It seems like Seiji’s powers go into overdrive, motivated by his fear and he lashes out at Noboru. In a truly awesome action-filled sequence, all of Seiji’s toys attack Noboru. But still, he advances. Seiji finally manages to stop him - but like issue #1, it comes at a cost. Both Seiji and Noboru go over the balcony of their apartment. Only Seiji survives, but he is paralyzed. I don’t want to ruin the rest of the ending, but there’s a bittersweet ending sequence involving his toys that is almost uplifting.
Now, I’ve discovered that the art is supposed to match the mood of the book and it does well here. The art is done in bright and cheerful colors. The right colors are given for the toys, making them almost lifelike and giving a more realistic edge to the panels where the toys are existing in their own world, giving a believable aspect to it.
This issue is a very fun read because it motivates your imagination and throws you back to the days when you were young and used to play with your toys all of the time and imagined out all these action sequences like we did once upon a time.
Art:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Story:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Overall:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!