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Here are some reviews I found floating on the net. They are from the before times in the long long ago.
Bill
Review by : Troy Brownfield
Official Website: www.lonestarpress.com
Rating: banana banana banana
If I had my way, every comics fan would be conversant with Lone Star Press. The small publisher from Texas keeps churning out great black and white super-hero titles like Pantheon and Force Seven. Backed by a mix of young talent and seasoned professionals, Lone Star books are guaranteed to be intelligent and great-looking. They're rock-solid titles that are often overlooked among a sea of disappointments.
Drawn from the first three issues of Lone Star's "Heroic Tales" anthology, the tale of Faith, better known as Amazon, is fine, entertaining take on the female super-hero. Depicted in red-hot babe style by penciler Robb Phipps, she's presented as a sincere intelligent character by the talented writing of Lone Star's general (and the book's inker) Bill Williams.
Like all Lone Star books, things move quickly. We meet Faith in outer space, getting a basic feel for her home culture. As she comes to Earth, she doesn't magically speak English and understand everything: she's a stranger in a strange place and has to work at it. Fortunately, Faith's first encounter with humans is with Matt, a grad student fascinated by her origin and her subsequent attempts to fit in.
Along the way, we get some slam-bang action and some really great art, but the most intriguing thing here is the story. These formative issues are great exercises in character building, and it's fun to see how they contribute to the more mature Faith seen in Force Seven.
I recommend Amazon to super-heroine fans and those who just enjoy good, strong super-hero comics. If they don't stock Lone Star titles at your local shop, educate them. You can also obtain them from www.lonestarpress.com. This is good stuff.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. Be on the look out for more trades from Lone Star, including two collections of the stellar Pantheon.
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Publisher
LoneStar Press
http://www.lonestarpress.com
Credits
Writer: Bill Williams
Penciler: Coy Turnbull
Inker: Russ Sever
Cover Artist: Mike Wieringo
Grade: 6
Once upon a time there was a law firm that specialized in extra-human affairs. That means Powers. Aliens. Transdimensional travelers. You name it. The friendly and the unfriendly, the innocent and the patently guilty. Like every member of the bar, Janine Porter has sworn to give her client the best defense possible — even if he's a scummy, misogynistic, megalomaniacal mass murderer who hails from an undersea kingdom.
Some days, Janine hates her job ....
Bill Williams of Lonestar Press was kind enough to send me an advance copy of his company's newest title. Based on what I've seen here and the descriptions of issues to come, Ex Parte has the makings of a great series.
Kind of like Law & Order, each issue of Ex Parte is stand-alone, but features a revolving cast of characters. As such, new readers will be able to jump in at any time, while established readers will get to see their favorite characters in each issue.
I like the characters. Janine Porter is beautiful, but brainy. She also has a definite honorable streak; she knows her client is a murderous scumbag and she hates him — but she is sworn to defend him to the best of her abilities.
I like the art, too. Black-and-white here, the final product will be in full color.
While Williams, Turnbull and Sever were responsible for this issue, the creative teams on future issues will vary. It will be interesting to see how the different writers and artists interpret these characters, and the different stories they dream up. Will every story end happily? Will the villain always get his just desserts and the hero just praise?
Apparently not. True to life, not every trial ends happily .... And that's fine with me.
Written: April 21, 2002
Published: May 1, 2002
Tart: Rebecca Buchanan
Comic: Ex Parte #1
Series: Ex Parte
Month: May 2002
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Review by: Trey Stone
More info at: http://www.lonestarpress.com
Rating: banana banana banana 1/2 banana
In this day and age, many critics of the industry, which is admittedly in the doldrums from a sales point of view, blame comicdom's woes on the proliferation of the superhero archetype. Warren Ellis, one of the comics' most gifted writers, especially is noted for this (you should hear him when he gets into his nurse novel comparison). Of course, the irony is that some of the best superhero tales, possibly ever, and certainly in recent history, are Ellis's: Planetary, The Authority, and his run on Stormwatch, show the possibilities the genre offers when well written. They are terrific stories by any comparison, not just superhero tales. For those of us who love the superhero archetype, however, those tales are a particular joy. So, when Warren Ellis gets off on one of his tears about superheroes, it is somewhat exasperating. Because for all the crap that is out there in said genre, and believe me, there is (Joe Quesada, I love a lot of what you have done to revamp Marvel, but you replace too many lame X-titles with, what, more lame X-titles? Please. DC, the JLA is a standard setting book now, but can you back up a bit on all the friggin' mini series? Some great, some suck, but too many), you can sift through, and you can find some genuine gems. Tips on superhero treasure hunting? Two approaches are possible that can guarantee that you will find those treasures.
First, you can base your search on writers. There are names that you realize, after time, will more often than not give you quality. Ellis is one, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Mark Waid, and Kurt Busiek are guys who all know/love superheroes and have unique takes on the genre. Bill Willingham and Chuck Austen are two relatively unknown writers, but their quality and range is amazing. I have more on the both of them later.
The second is to take your chances on independent and self publishers. This brings us to the subject of today's review. May I present Lone Star Comics and their first ongoing superhero team book, Force Seven. Lone Star is a label edited by Bill Williams of Austin, TX, the one lone spot of true culture and art in Texas,(the rest of the state, except for hidden enclaves, is a conservative cultural wasteland, and seems to take pride in it). Austin is also the home of Bill Willingham, and he is doing work through them, including the almost concluded apocalyptic maxi-series Pantheon, and the ongoing anthology, Strange Heroes.
But Mr. Williams, not to be outdone, and with tales to tell of his own, has begun his own. The team is an eclectic bunch, yet a salute to tradition, with all the bases covered. You have powerhouses, ranged attackers, a speedster, a stealth type, etc. Specifically, Amazon who is Team Leader and a brunette bombshell from another planet. Winter's Knight is the team's field commander from another dimension
and possesses cold powers along with years of experience, coupled with a mysterious past. Diva is the baby of the team, age wise. She has heightened athleticism. Relay, the group's speedster, and Tower, the resident big guy, are former members of another team called Western Justice. In the first issue, we also meet the two brand new members of the team, those being Curve, force field generator, and Blackbird, their stealth guy.
So far, the team has dealt with some traditional threats, in the way of aliens, threats from parallel worlds (one where Amazon's people have conquered Earth), a plotting supervillain, terrorists, and a recruitment drive (in fact, I hope some of those they turned down will show up again, because they were really cool). And some of the personality dynamics are starting to come thru. Amazon, capable leader, nonetheless is a little aloof and standoffish. Winter's Knight has some suspicions about her. Tower apparently has a controversial past of some sort. Friendships are forming, opinions are coalescing, concerns are starting to be made manifest.
Force Seven is sort of bucking the trend, in that it is an unabashedly idealistic comic, in that it isn't gritty or dark in mood or characterization. Yes, there are some mysterious agendas and untold secrets, but the overall tone is a sense of responsibility that comes with powers above and beyond. And these individuals are there to act accordingly. I love some of the darker, grimmer books, to be sure, but a book like this that celebrates the simplicity of the superhero, individuals that are there to try to change the world through helping folks and dealing with extraordinary threats, is a worthy read.
Three and a half bananas. Stoney says check it out.
Non-Lone Star Press books