Blue Estate #7

Written by Viktor Kalvachev, Kosta Yenev, and Andrew Osborne
Art by Viktor Kalvachev, Toby Cypress, and Tomm Coker

I was pretty surprised, looking through the credits of this issue to see that Tomm Coker was joining the Blue Estate team.  Previous regulars like Toby Cypress, Nathan Fox, and Paul Maybury have a more similar visual aesthetic than Coker, whose work is more realistic.  A big part of the fun of this comic has always been trying to figure out who drew which page (although I think I'm usually wrong).

Anyway, Coker's art fits surprisingly well with this particular issue's content.  The story of Blue Estate has moved from sprawling and random to being very interconnected and tight, as characters who we previously thought had nothing to do with one another are getting tied together in multiple ways.  Bruce Maddox, the film star, and his bodyguard/lover Marcellus have decided to finally deal with what they've called 'The Rachel Situation' once and for all, by planning to kill her and set up a PI as a dupe to take the fall.  What they don't know is that a mobster has hired Clarence, who is also Rachel's secret friend and AA sponsor, to kill Bruce.

This leads to a spectacular action sequence (mostly drawn by Coker), which ends a little unexpectedly for everyone.  I love how so many plot threads are coming together, and can't wait to see how the next issue plays out.  This is a book that rewards careful reading and attention to detail (like the fact that Clarence had to borrow someone's car to get to his hit), and it's never dull.  I do hate this month's cover though...

Undying Love #4

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

Like with The Mission this week, I'm not sure if or when this series is going to be continued, as this issue ends with the words "End: Part 1" and I don't believe anything else has been solicited.  Unlike The Mission, the ending here is not terribly satisfying, as very little has been resolved, and if anything, there is more confusion than there was before.

John, the American soldier, and Mei, the vampire he is protecting, have come under attack from a group of vampires who can shape shift into crows.  They are rescued by an unlikely set of allies, and it becomes ever more clear that there is much more to Mei than we previously thought (although we are given no information as to what that might actually be).

This is a comic that I originally picked up for the art, and Tomm Coker once again does not disappoint.  He has a terrific style - a little Paul Gulacy-ish, and a clear love for the darker parts of Hong Kong.  This book looks great, and I hope that the story continues soon.

Undying Love #3

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I really like the way that Coker and Freedman have set up and are telling this vampire story.  The first two issues introduced the main characters, an American soldier and an Asian vampire woman, and the plot, which involves him trying to hunt down the vampire that turned her so she can be freed of the curse.  What we didn't know though, through those first two issues, is just what the relationship between these two characters was.

This issue opens in a desert in Syria, and shows how the two first met.  A lot is done in this issue to establish the strength of the bond between them, while also setting up the second half of the series.  John and his squad free the woman from a group of Bedouin vampires that are holding her captive, and they feel compelled to stay together after that.  It's clear that Coker and Freedman put a fair amount of thought into this book, in making it distinct from the hundreds of other vampire-related media that seems to pour out of every TV, movie theatre, and book and comic store these days.

Of course, with the art being as good as Coker's is, the good writing can be viewed as icing on the cake.  I'm glad I gave this series a shot.

Undying Love #2

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I find it strange that Coker and Freedman didn't put any time in this second issue into helping develop the character of John Sargant, instead spending the whole comic having him continue on his quest to rescue his girlfriend from her vampirism by hunting down the vampire that 'made' her.

His mission takes him to a Hong Kong casino and nightclub run by a vampire working for Shang-Ji, Sargant's target.  The action sequences are very cool and well-orchestrated.  Coker has a real feel for Hong Kong, going so far as to include much of the dialogue in Chinese characters, without providing translation (although it's not too hard to imagine what characters in these situations would be saying).

Undying Love is another one of those Image mini-series that are released to little marketing, only to grab some attention with their overall quality.  It's really pretty good.

Undying Love #1

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I picked this comic up on the strength of Coker's artwork, and on that front, this book definitely satisfied.  Story wise, I found that things got off to a confusing start, but once the exposition of the back half of the book was out of the way, I was intrigued.

Some American named John Sargent has brought his girlfriend Mei, who happens to be a vampire, to Hong Kong on a quest to find and kill the vampire that turned her, thereby making it possible to cure her.  The book opens in some temple, with a confrontation between Sargent and a group of what I suppose are vampires, although nothing is too clear.  It's not until he brings her to Hong Kong, and meets with a young boy who is also a mystical healer that things are clarified, and become more interesting.

I think this comic has interested me enough to come back for the second issue, which means it is a success.  Coker's art is a huge part of that success.

Shang-Chi Master of Kung Fu One-Shot

Written by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Benson, Charlie Huston, and Robin Furth
Art by Kody Chamberlin, Tomm Coker, CP Smith, Enrique Romero, and Paul Gulacy
This is a strange little project. Marvel has decided to emulate the black-and-white magazines of the 70s with these one-shots (there was a Wolverine one in the summer which I never even looked at), and I suppose they are locking in some copyrights while they do it.

The concept is cool, but the execution is very mixed. The opening story, by Hickman and Chamberlin, is a lot of fun. It has Shang-Chi and Deadpool sharing narration in a tale about an outlaw motorcycle race that crosses the US/Mexico border. This story reads more like a Jason Aaron Ghost Rider story than a kung fu tale, especially since there is no kung fu in it, and Shang-Chi neither looks nor acts like Shang-Chi. If I hadn't read the credits, I never would have guessed this was by Hickman - it's not his usual thing, but it is enjoyable.

The best part of the comic is the second story, by Mike Benson, Tomm Coker, and CP Smith. This story is written in Chinese, with subtitles, and it's a simple tale of a son seeking revenge for his father's death. It makes up for all the kung fu missing in the first story, and then some. It really makes good use of the atmospheric black and white presentation, and is beautiful to look at.

The remaining offerings are not too memorable. There is a piece showing Shang-Chi's reunion with his returned from the dead brother Midnight that doesn't really go anywhere, and a long prose story that I didn't finish. There is, however, a wonderful Paul Gulacy splash page, the likes of which I would think Marvel is contractually obliged to commission for any project featuring Shang-Chi.