REVIEW: Satellite Sam #12

Story By: Matt Fraction
Art By: Howard Chaykin
Cover By: Howard Chaykin
Cover Price: $3.50/Digital Price: $2.99
Publisher: Image Comics
Published: March 18, 2015

This is one of those books I wish I had got into right at the start. As it is, it’s a year old and looking over the book, Â all I can do is smile wistfully and think about how much fun I could have had here.

For those not in the know, Satellite Sam is a TV show, where the lives of the characters on the show pale in comparison to the lives of the actors on the show. Â In fact, you could say that every character in the book has a role to play.

Matt Fraction has gotten a lot of praise for his work, hitting the high points with Hawkeye. It’s clear the talent on display, from the ’86 joke to some of the more poignant moments such as the disappointment of how people can live Â down to your lowest expectations; “can’t even spell it right” to name one such moment.

I have been a fan of Howard Chaykin since issue one of Marvel’s original Star Wars book. It’s true that in subsequent issues, the likenesses got better, but for a first look at a new world , Chaykin’s raw work with heavy inks were amazing. Nowadays, the knock against him could be the use of women in the stories, think back to Black Kiss for example. As a reader, that shouldn’t deter you from buying one of his books as the art and the storytelling skills are impressive. It makes me wonder how his career would have looked if he had been involved in The Dark Knight Returns instead of Miller.

When reading the book, it becomes obvious that the initial perception of how the women are portrayed is wrong, with a number not just holding their own, but indeed showing their superiority. Yes there are lingerie shots and sex scenes but it’s use doesn’t seem jarring or forced; just part of the showbiz lifestyle surrounding the TV show.

If you are fan of the book then you know what you’re getting. For newbies like me, it’s off to the Local Comic Book Shop to buy some back issues.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network