What has a Kane, an Umbrella and a Hammer? Myspace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2!
Myspace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2 TPB
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Zack Whedon, Gerard Way, Steve Niles, John Arcudi
Artists: Guy Davis, Gabriel Bá, Kyle Hotz, Eric Canete, and various, Farel Dalrymple
Cover: Eric Canete
Summary: In this volume you’ll find: The premiere of Zack and Joss Whedon’s superhero creation Captain Hammer; an untold tale of the Umbrella Academy from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá featuring the Kraken and Vanya as two rebellious teens, a unique look at Conan creator Robert E. Howard’s famous creations; the agents of Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. as they face off against a terrifying new foe; and a pair of smart and creepy passages from the ongoing tales of occult detective Cal McDonald via Steve Niles.
* This volume also features great stories from creators like Tara McPherson, Evan Dorkin, Fabio Moon, Gilbert Hernandez, and Francisco Ruiz Velasco.
Review: Do you like comics? Do you like Dark Horse? Do you like…Myspace? Well then, I have just the thing for you! Actually, you don’t really have to like Myspace at all in order to enjoy Myspace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2. It might be a collected anthology of stories that originally appeared on the social networking site but MDHPV2 has something for everyone.
There are over twenty stories in MDHPV2. Some are snippets from preexisting Dark Horse titles like Solomon Kane and Rex Mundi, while others are thrown in for good measure such as “Manga” and the “Nothinest”. Joss Whedon fans will be happy to see the spotlight given to his brother Zack’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog entry all about the immutable Captain Hammer. And believe me, he’s at his most Captain Hammeriest. The Umbrella Academy gets treated to a prequel of sorts from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Set thirteen years ago we get to see the Kraken and Vanya in their early rebellious rock-n-roll stage. So, not much change there really. Speaking of Bá, in “Wonder Twins Activate!” he and brother Fabio Moon star in their own little comic tale giving us a look into their humorously tumultuous work environment.
As is usually the case with anthologies, not everything was too my liking. Evan Dorkin’s look into the world of Furries through “Milk and Cheese” was interesting to say the least but nowhere near the trauma I would endure in the story following it. Ann Romano’s “Gossip Whore” features a spot-on depiction of a nude Britney Spears out on a shopping trip. The less said about that, the better. I also could have done without the taxidermy Frankenstein animals from “A+.” Though “Hobo Fett” and the beetle western, “A Going Concern,” amused me far more than I thought possible. “B.P.R.D.” and Steve Niles’ pair of stories are perfect for the monster hunter at heart. Francisco Ruiz Velasco’s “Legion of Blood The Messenger” also plays to the monster crowd but was the one that left me wanting more.
Like I said, MDHPV2 has something for everyone but there will also be something everyone sits scratching their heads at as well. If you don’t read any Dark Horse books you’ll have a tough time grasping the stories dealing with already established characters from the publisher, while casual readers should be able to pick up on more of the well-known content and characters. The Conan story is probably the most accessible out of that bunch. However, as someone who doesn’t read much Dark Horse, I found my favorite entry in one of the original tales, which I wholeheartedly admit I love purely because I’m female. “Jared” by Ilias Kyriazis deals with a young man trying to get the girl of his dreams but the good-looking, rich guy is also vying for her attention. What’s the catch? The guys both have rival alien military factions inside their heads, directing their every action. I knew it.
Myspace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2 collects #7-12 and is in stores now but MDHP the series is continually updating via Myspace.
Rating: 3/5
September 15th, 2009 at 8:18 am
oh nice, nepotism. Nice to meet you Zack Whedon.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Sounds like a fun book, but with the problems you named, doesn’t that defeat the point? I mean, isn’t the Myspace/Dark Horse stuff supposed to open the doors to new readers? It’s strange that they didn’t do a better job introducing readers to the characters/comics, then.