RAID.ONE

edited by Rob Coughler and Ramón Pérez

RAID, the Royal Academy of Illustration and Design, is a Toronto comics studio, and home to Francis Manapul, Ramón Pérez, Gibson Quarter, Ian Herring, Irma Kniivilia, Nimit Malavia, Taran Chadha, Anthony Falcone, Scott Hepburn, Gabe Sapienza, Marcus To, Eric Vedder, Joe Vriens, Tri Vuong, and Tonci Zonjic.

The studio got its start fifteen years ago, when it consisted of Cameron Stewart, Kagan McLeod, Ben Shannon, and Chip Zdarsky, and when, if we believe Chip's introduction, its acronym stood for Racists Against Impaired Driving.  They all left over the years, making way for the talented list above, who have now put together this very handsome and well-designed anthology, which debuted at Fan Expo this year.

RAID has been bubbling away in the Toronto scene for some time, with many of its members being regular attendees at local comics shows.  They released an anthology comic for Free Comic Book Day this last year, but it is with this book that their diversity, versatility, and collective talent really shines through.

As with any anthology of this size, there is something for everyone, and some stuff that doesn't resonate with every reader.  I was pleased to see another chapter in Ian Herring and Daniel McIntyre's Junior Citizens, a series I've liked since I picked up an issue at TCAF a few years back.  Marcus To's story, Peaceful, shows artistic depth not usually seen in his Marvel and DC work.  Likewise for Francis Manapul's story, which has his usual close eye for layout and design, but more heart than I find in his DC writing.

Pérez closes out the book in fine style, with a mostly silent story about a clown that reminds me of his wonderful work adapting Jim Henson's A Tale of Sand.

The best story in this book though, is Tonci Zonjic's 'Not Dead', which has a pair of scavengers working their way through a debris field in space.  Zonjic told a similar story in the FCBD book, as he explores themes of isolation in the future.  This story stuck with me more than the others.

In all, this is a gorgeous book filled with top and emerging talent.  I would love to see more collaboration between these creators, and more showcases for their work like this.  I highly recommend picking this book up, even if you don't live in the Toronto area (here's the link again).

Where is Jake Ellis? #2

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

Nathan Edmondson keeps this book moving very quickly, as unknown men chase ex-CIA agent Jon Moore through Thailand, and he is forced to take a young American embassy worker with him in order to keep her safe.  Meanwhile, Jake Ellis, the man who spent years living in Moore's head (or something like that - it still needs to be explained) is brought to Thailand, with the hope that proximity will engage their connection once again.

It's not clear just who is after Moore, and whether or not the people who brought Ellis over are with them, or are with the American government.  Presumable, Edmondson's going to shed some light on all of that at some point in this series, but who knows?  There could be a third series planned - How is Jake Ellis? perhaps?

Regardless, the plotting is very tight in this book, and Tonci Zonjic continues to provide some very impressive art.  I'm most interested in learning more about the guy who has his eyes sewn shut, but seems able to see what Jon is up to, much as Jake is.

Where is Jake Ellis?

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

Who Is Jake Ellis? was a very cool mini-series about Jon Moore, a former CIA agent who was tortured in a facility, and managed to escape after he discovered that another man, Jake Ellis, had taken up residence in his head, and could provide him with an unparalleled level of situational awareness.  The series was about Jon's quest to figure out what was done to him, and in the process, he discovered who Jake was.

This sequel opens with the two men successfully separated.  Jon is living in hiding in Thailand, although it's not long into this issue when men with guns come looking for him again, and he finds himself on the run.

Jake, meanwhile, has been kept in a hospital, with no knowledge of what has been happening with his family.  After he's finally given the chance to call his wife, people come after him too, and he flees the hospital.

It's clear that the two men are still connected in some way, although a new wrinkle is added at the very end of the issue.  Nathan Edmondson works best on stories like this, where characters are on the run and have to rely on their own wits.  Tonci Zonjic is an amazing artist, and his work here looks terrific.

The first series was a very exciting read, and this one looks to be just as good.

Dracula World Order: The Beginning

Written by Ian Brill
Art by Tonci Zonjic, Rahsan Ekedal, Declan Shalvey, and Gabriel Hardman

Were it not for a mention on Bleeding Cool, I would have completely missed this comic.  Ian Brill self-published and distributed this one-shot, following Sam Humphries model for the brilliant (and very late) Sacrifice, and this book was shipped to only some comics stores in North America.  I like supporting people who do their own thing outside of the Diamond system, and when I saw the list of artists involved in this project, I knew that I wouldn't be able to pass up on this book.

Dracula World Order is a science-fiction vampire story (because we all know that the world needs more vampire stories) which shares a great deal of similarities with the work that Victor Gischler just did with Marvel's take on Dracula in the Curse of the Mutants storyline.  In this book, Dracula has co-opted the language of the Occupy movement, and has elevated the richest one percent of the world to vampire status, recognizing their ability to herd and control the 99% into a more efficient system of slave labour and food sources. 

There is nothing left to oppose the most powerful vampire, except for his son Alexandru.  The book is split into four chapters (each drawn by a different artist).  Three of those chapters follow Alexandru's journey to gather allies in his fight against his father, including a seasoned vampire hunter, and a Vietnamese snake lady.  The second chapter is used to share Alexandru's backstory.

This is a very attractive book, but I would expect nothing less from those artists.  The story is clear and engaging, if perhaps a little familiar.  The book ends on a cliff-hanger, and Brill writes in his afterword that he doesn't know when it will continue.  That's a little annoying, but not unfamiliar with independent self-published books.  I wouldn't be too surprised to see this title popping up on Kickstarter soon.

Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #5

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tonci Zonjic

I wasn't all that invested in this series when it began, but by the end, I was really pretty happy with it.  I think the first issue started off a little too slowly for my liking and was too mired in the standard trappings of a pulp vigilante to really catch my interest.  What kept me coming back was the strength of Tonci Zonjic's art (no surprise there - the guy's stuff is gorgeous), although I slowly developed more of an interest in the story.

The biggest problem with this series is that I don't care about Lobster Johnson at all.  The guy is a cipher - we know nothing about his motivations, or why he has such a dedicated network of helpers.  He doesn't seem like the type that anyone would go out on a limb for.  I think that future stories featuring him will really need to work at fleshing him out - it's not like when he first appeared in the Hellboy comics and fit in a supporting role - if he's going to star in his own book, there has to be a reason to care for him.

Still, I did enjoy this series in the long-run, but mostly because of the incredible set pieces that Mignola and Arcudi set up for Zonjic to draw.  Previous issues had some very cool scenes featuring the Black Flame, and this issue has an amazing image of the Lobster and a basement full of cannibals (although I don't understand how they are distinct from zombies).

Popgun Volume 3

Edited by Mark Andrew Smith and DJ Kirkbride

There's something very satisfying about opening up and diving into a comics anthology like the Popgun series, even before reading any of the stories in it.  I think a lot has to do with the beautiful design and the weight of the book, which clocks in at slightly over 450 glossy pages.  The book is a work of art on its own, and is something to be celebrated.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for all of the stories in this third volume.  Like when I read the fourth, I find that the variety of audiences to whom the creators are presenting their work makes this a very scattered book to read.  I have nothing against all ages comics (well, I don't really like reading them, but I'm happy they exist), but I don't understand how a cute-sy, kid-oriented story about picking apples can be in the same book as a story about a traveling fighter (named the Bastard) who fights a giant rooster in a story so replete with cock jokes that they are just about the only dialogue in the story.  You would never give this book to a child, and so I wonder if the kid-oriented stories ever get enjoyed the way they are meant to.

In any book this size, and with such a variety of creators represented (76, according to the back cover), there is bound to be stories that resonate, and others that sink.  I particularly enjoyed the early appearance of the Skullkickers by Jim Zubkavich and Chris Stevens, which show an earlier version of our heroes, before the dwarf actually became a dwarf (unless Stevens's perspective was just way off).  There is also an early version of Nathan Edmondson and Christian Ward's Olympus, which ended up being very different from what is shown in this story.

I also enjoyed stories by Alberto Mielgo, Michael Dialynas, Peter Berting, Connor Williamson, Jason Ibarra (working with Zubkavich, who apparently does no wrong), Mark Andrew Smith and Johann Leroux, Amanda Becker and Janet Kim, Ray Fawkes and Justin Randall (whose art looks a lot like Brett Weldele's), Paul Grist, Danilo Beyruth, and Derek Yu.

My two favourite stories were 'Nudging Buddy' by Ron Turner, and 'Ever Upward' by Tonci Zonjic.  The Turner story is a noir-ish tale about three friends who have fallen into crime while on vacation in Greece.  It has a nice pace and a surprising ending.  Zonjic's story is a tribute to Joe Kittinger, the first man to break the speed of sound.

This book covers a number of genres, and really does have something for just about anyone.  I wish there was a little more balance in the selection of stories, and some of them really are dumb, but overall this is a very successful project.

Who is Jake Ellis? #5

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

It's going to be difficult to talk about the final issue in this mini-series without giving away some of the surprises that take place.  Who Is Jake Ellis? has been a very interesting book since it's beginning.

Jon Moore was an intelligence analyst until he was taken to some strange facility, and experimented on in unknown ways.  Somehow, he ended up with Jake Ellis in his head - a ghost-like character with incredible powers of perception.  He can tell you when a security camera is being watched, and always knows what's on the other side of doors.  The pair of them have been in hiding for a while, using their unique situation to pull off jobs of dubious legality.  Since the series began, they've been on the run again, as both American intelligence agents and the people who run the Facility have been trying to take Moore in.  In the last issue, they'd infiltrated the Facility itself, and found Jake's file.

This final issue answers the question in the title, and has Moore come to understand better what happened to he and Ellis.  Moore's been portrayed as pretty stubborn throughout, and this issue confirms that status.

I've really enjoyed this book.  Zonjic's art is lovely (I especially like the last few pages of this issue), and Edmondson's script is very smart.  It's hard to find new takes on the classic Fugitive story, but Edmondson has done that here.  It's almost impossible to read this issue without thinking about his work on Grifter for DC's new 52, and there are a number of similarities.  Personally, I prefer this title, and look forward to his The Activity, which is coming in December.

Who is Jake Ellis? #4

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

Who is Jake Ellis? is a very cool mini-series.  This issue is filled entirely with Jon Moore breaking into the Facility compound that he's finally tracked down.  He's doing this because he and Jake Ellis, the voice in his head, are desperate to figure out what was done to them a few years ago.  You see, somehow, because of the doctors or scientists at this Facility, Jake exists only as an independent consciousness inside of Jon.

This makes for some very cool scenes, as Jake gives Jon the benefits of having an omniscient narrator who is able to describe and perceive his surroundings in minute detail.  Because of this, Jake can advise him of not just when a camera is pointing at him, but also if someone is watching the monitor.  The infiltration scenes are very neat, as watch Jon and Jake dance through security, and make their way into the bowels of the Facility, where it looks like they will learn what they've been looking for.

Edmondson imbues this book with taut suspense, and Tonci Zonjic is drawing the hell out of it.  His art is stylized and perfect for this book.

Who is Jake Ellis? #3

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

I'm really enjoying Who is Jake Ellis?.  Edmondson is pacing this book beautifully, and making very good use of the unique situation Jon, the main character, finds himself in.  He has a man, the titular Jake, living in his head, able to see things all around him and make connections and predictions quicker than a normal person can.  Basically, Jake is like a Spidey-sense that you can communicate with. 

This means that Jake and Jon have been able to stay a few steps ahead of the mysterious men from 'The Facility' that have been pursuing them across Europe.  In this issue, Jon and Jake reconcile after their disagreements of last month, and put together a plan that should lead them to the mysterious Facility, and hopefully help them understand just what was done to them.

This is a very taut story, which plays with some of the better conventions of spy and heist movies, as Jon doubles back on trains, and abducts one of his pursuers.  Tonci Zonjic's art is terrific, as he plays around a little with his colours during a nightclub scene.  In all a very cool comic.

Who is Jake Ellis? #2

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

The first issue of this suspenseful mini-series was amazing, as it introduced Jon Moore, a man clearly wanted by a lot of different groups of people, and Jake Ellis, a shadowy and ethereal figure who seems to be gifted with a limited amount of prescience.  The issue zoomed by, as the two men tried to evade a number of people, before ultimately being captured.

This second issue needed to be more grounded and provide a little more explanation, which it does, while still maintaining a similar level of kinetic energy.  The issue opens and closes with scenes from four years ago, as Jake helps Jon escape from a facility where he is being experimented on in some way.  The words 'remote viewing' are used, which reminded me of The Men Who Stare at Goats, a film that fictionalised the American Army's attempt to use remote viewing and other New Age weapons against the Soviets.

Anyway, the rest of the issue has Jon escaping from French police, and avoiding capture from some Americans and another group.  He speaks to one of the Americans, which reveals for us the connection between Jon and the CIA, and then he and Jake have a little heart-to-heart, which reveals a great deal about their relationship.

Edmondson is writing a very smart little thriller here, and Zonjic's artwork is phenomenal.  This series has been picking up some buzz, and it is very well deserved.  This definitely has it in it to be one of the best mini-series of 2011.

Who is Jake Ellis? #1

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Tonci Zonjic

This new mini-series has me pretty excited.  It opens in Barcelona, where a man named Jon is involved in some kind of deal that has gone badly.  He fires on the people he's supposed to be dealing with, and jumps off a yacht.  The scene is weird, because the dialogue seems really stilted and unnatural.

Then, we see the same scene again, except that there is a shadowy figure standing in the background, who is speaking directly to Jon.  Now, the dialogue makes perfect sense, but we don't know who this guy is.  But then, that's the point of the comic, as the shadowy guy is Jake Ellis, and comic is called Who is Jake Ellis?

As the issue unfolds, we follow Jon to France, where he is hiding out from the Spaniards, and discussing his options with Jake.  It quickly becomes clear that no one else can see Jake, but he can see a lot.  While Jon is having a liaison with a French waitress, Jake warns him that there are people coming to kill him, and guides him out of the room.

The book establishes itself nicely, while playing things very close to the vest.  There's talk of some Americans that are looking for Jon, but we can't tell yet if he's a good guy or a bad guy.  And, of course, we have no idea what the deal is with Jake, but I want to find out.

As interesting as the story is, this comic is worth buying for Tonci Zonjic's art alone.  His look is a mix of David Aja, Year One-era David Mazzuchelli, Michael Lark, and maybe a bit of Javier Pulido.  It's very nice, and while I know I've seen him do something for Marvel, I'm sure it won't be long before he becomes a higher profile artist there.  This is definitely worth checking out.