Agradecemos las -diríamos, inmerecidas- pero cariñosas palabras:
"Even in exile and solitude, justice and meaning can be found."
"For, even in tears, purpose can be found."
Some comics you read, you instantly fall in love with. I can think of couple off the top of my head. Alpha Flight #13, which I thought for the longest time to be the first comic I read, was roughly the 71st comic I bought. But the impression it left made me a fan of Heather Hudson, Alpha Flight, and comics, in that order.
The main story, crafted expertly by Pedro Angosto and Joan Vives, left an indelible impression on me.
The storytelling and art, so concise yet so expansive, left me dazzled by the scope of the tale they told within those pages. It has a very ethereal, dream-like quality to it, that brings to mind two things - firstly, the Corridor of Maj-Cullah from a random issue of Conan that I somehow came to own, with its doors to other worlds scenario.
Secondly, and this returns to my "love at first read" books, the Ramadan issue of Sandman. The entire issue gives a Gaiman vibe to me, but I do not believe that this is merely a copy or homage to Neil's work. Rather, I believe that we are the sum of our experiences, and they take on new combinations and flavors when filtered through our life's eye lens.
To that end, I believe that Pedro has created something unique and hauntingly beautiful. Even moreso when filtered yet again through the artistic hands of Joan Vives, with the end result being something that can sit proudly alongside the shelf with Gaiman and Starlin and their most cosmic, eye-opening tales.
Dr. Weird has long been one of the most fascinating Big Bang characters to me, with his time travel-based origin fueling my imagination as to his exploits. I have read, with great interest, some of the character's other appearances in the pages of Big Bang Comics over the past couple of years.
If, however, I was now asked where to begin reading the character, I would urge them most strongly to begin here, with this tale, as close to a "Year One" as we are likely to receive for the character. I may not (and probably haven't) read all of Dr. Weird's stories yet, but this I would humbly suggest to be the definitive one, showing us the (mostly) complete - would have loved to have seen more of that battle against Nyarlathotep - story of how Dr. Weird got his powers after his untimely (pun very much intended) death.
This story alone was enough to convince me to buy extra copies to hand out to my friends and acquaintances, but that is only the first tale to be found within the pages of this issue.
Next up is a "Lost Tale" of Dr. Weird by Gary Carlson and Carlos Rodriguez and features the good Doctor in a delicious slice of silver/bronze age fun with a powerful relic which appears - for a time, at least - to put an end to the Weird curse Rex Ward has found himself in. In true heroic fashion, Rex re-embraces his fate and puts a stop to the villain of the day with his own peculiar brand of spooky justice. Delightful!
The hits don't stop there, however, as the next feature is a three-part guide to Dr. Weird's appearances to date, the first part I mistakenly assumed was a "fictional" history which I glossed over, but upon continuing, discovered to be quite real. An invaluable resource for anyone new to the character and wishing to learn more.
Next up, a monumental gallery of pinups featuring our favorite Golden Ghost! I refuse to name a favorite, but they are all lovingly crafted (no pun intended) and immerse us in the Weird World of Rex Ward and his associates and antagonists.
Last, though by no means least, we revisit the original telling of Dr. Weird's Origin from his very first appearance.
The original origin is the perfect way to round out the issue and set us up for more tales featuring Rex's ghostly alter ego, and is one of the finest Silver Age stories I've read, full of promise and hope for the character's future, even as the character himself glides ever-so-slowly to the day he can finally rest.
Now, the question is, is this issue worth your time and money? The answer to both questions is a resounding YES!
I've read Big Bang Comics for about two years now, and even though it is their latest release, I can safely say that it is my absolute, all-time favorite issue of Big Bang Comics. I would dearly love for this to be a regular series and not just a one-shot. On the strength of the inaugural tale alone, I bought SEVEN print copies - two for myself and five to give out to friends.
This is a book you NEED to read if you have ever been a fan of Dr. Strange, the Spectre, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, or just good horror comics in general. I URGE you to buy it TODAY, either digitally or in print, from IndyPlanet!
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