Today we’ve got a Titan Comics double feature, Chronos Commandos and Monster Massacre Vol. 2. Now before I jump into these reviews, I would like to take a moment and say that all other considerations aside, Titan Comics puts together some damn fine looking books. They’re beautifully printed on high quality paper, typically in hardcover, and they make an addition to a comic collection that any geek would be proud to display.
Chronos Commandos
Chronos Commandos is a pulp adventure about World War II commandos who travel through time to fight Nazis. Writing and art duties are deftly performed by Stuart Jennett. Jennett states in the introduction that he wants this book to feel like a combination of old pulp novels and WWII films/serials mixed in with childhood memories of playing with action figures and I’d say he hits pretty close to that mark. I had some instant flashback to playing in the sandbox with the older neighbor kids, a battle raging between whatever figures we could get a hold of, be they G.I. Joes, Transformers or dinosaurs.
Jennett has a great, painted art style.
The story centers on Sarge, a stereotypical grizzled Army sergeant who leads a group of Chronos Commandos back to the Cretaceous period looking for Nazis who are trying to change the past to benefit their future. There is a lot of playing with time, jumping back and forth in the past and present, sometimes with multiple copies of characters overlapping. I found it particular amusing to have two of one of the characters in one place.
The plot is solid, though not particularly scientific. Jennett’s art is a painted style, which is not what I would have expected from a book like this, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was particularly impressed with the changes in color palette and the various textures that Jennett used. My only real complaint comes from the dialogue. At times it was overly campy and cliched and I feel that the story could have benefitted from a little more originality. The Nazi dialogue was also tough. This was mainly because of the spelling, which was adjusted to give the impression of a German accent. If WWII stories, time travel, and/or dinosaurs are your thing, then I’d recommend you pick up Chronos Commandos for some light reading enjoyment. 3.5 Death Stars.
Monster Massacre Vol. 2
Now this is my kind of book! Monster Massacre Vol. 2 is an anthology of monster comics and pinup art that highlights the talents of Imaginary Friends Studios and STELLAR Labs. Some of you may recall a few months back when I talked about wanting to read more anthology books–well this is the exact type of book I was looking for. All of the comics are fifteen pages or fewer and they are broken up by some fantastic pinup art.
Pin up art from the first story “Carpe DIEm”.
It is important to note that this is not a book for children as there is some adult themes and quite a bit of nudity. That being said, there is something in this anthology for everyone else. The stories themselves run the gambit from short story to just snippets from character’s lives. Some are serious, but there are several that are quite humorous. My favorite story, “Hell-O-Kitty,” was funny, action filled, and even poignant.
The art is as varied as the stories. While a good portion of it looks like it should be in Heavy Metal (including one previous Heavy Metal cover) there are also some that look like work from more traditional comics as well as some manga inspired pieces. There is something in this book to satisfy the tastes of just about any comic reader. Even if anthologies are not your normal cup of tea, I’d still highly recommend you check this one out. With so much packed into it, there is bound to be something piques your interest. Monster Massacre Vol. 2 comes out this Tuesday, March 18. 4.5 Death Stars.
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