BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #12

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

The big final battle between Jack Burton and Lo Pan. Jack’s luck still holds out and he escapes Lo Pan and grabs the god killing gun. Only the kick hurls him on the back of a toad demon. As the hordes start to overrun Heaven, Esmerelda the pufferfish points out to Wang that she would have to honor any request made by Lo Pan. Lo Pan hears this and requests a mechanism to control all existence. She grants him a throne.

Lo Pan then kills Esmerelda and goes to the throne. Only Jack also gets there and they both are sitting on the throne. Jack takes Lo Pan on a trip down memory lane and shows him their past. Jack shows that even though he screws up he still wins because he has friends. He asks Lo Pan to remember when was the last time he was happy. Lo Pan can’t and comes to the realization his life has been meaningless. So the two become friends and return to the fighting. Lo Pan halts it and apologizes. Thunder is still around and throws the god killing knife which plunges into Jack’s chest. The only way to save Jack is to sit on the throne and have him think of his most happiest moment in life. This will freeze him in the moment. Jack thinks back to the time he left Gracie. Only instead of leaving he comes back and kisses her.

The end of this awesome series was very satisfying. If you know Carpenter his endings usually, if not necessarily unhappy, they are somewhat ambiguous in being a happy ending. He must be getting sentimental in his old age. This was a very happy ending. The happy ending that you were expecting at the end of his movie but didn’t get. I could see this being made into a movie. Kurt Russell and most the cast are still around. This would be a kick ass sequel in a time where we get all this woke bullshit sequels to beloved franchises. If your a fan of the movie are just good writing then I highly recommend this series.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #11

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Jack is in Heaven and meets Gracie and also finds his truck. The truck is what really gets him excited. So his reunion with Gracie turns a bit awkward when he finds out she is married. To a guy who won the Noble Prize for making a serum that prevents puppies from being sad. Jack also meets some old friends from the movie. They don’t have much time as Lo Pan and his demons are attacking the gates of Heaven. The angels won’t do anything since they are forbidden to interfere in man’s affairs and technically Lo Pan is still a man. Nor will the warriors in Heaven help because they have become complacent over the years.

Jack has his friends gather the old street gang the Chang Sing who fought Lo Pan back on Earth. Jack also makes a deal with the pufferfish Esmerelda. He gives up his soul so he can get weapons for his truck. So he drives out with guns blazing. Yet Lo Pan destroys his truck and is about to kill Jack when his friends come to the rescue. The Chang Sing come through the gates while behind come the Army of the Beast from Earth.

Jack in Heaven. What a cool concept. So this issue we get Gracie back. She is wonderful and not surprising she found someone. There is some sadness that he lost her but Jack manages to fake it. We get other characters from the movie and a big fight. Jack gave up his soul to delay Lo Pan enough for the army to arrive. A really big final for the final next issue. This has been some excellent writing.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #10

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Lo Pan has joined forces with Ching Dai and has won. Jack is now stuck back in his Florida exile. A defeated man which makes Lo Pan happy. He shows Jack the severed head of Wang and opens a crevasse which swallows Winona and Miao. Lo Pan then goes to conquer Heaven. Jack gets a visit from the ghost of Egg telling him that it is all up to him now to save Heaven. Soon after Thunder appears to torture Jack. He tries all sorts of fiendish tortures but they have no effect. Jack is too depressed. Jack does offer to let Thunder kill him if he will tell Wang’s army to assault the Tower of Skulls. Thunder agrees and then breaks Jack’s neck.

Jack finds himself at the Pearly Gates but has to pass the gatekeeper who weighs the life of a soul. Starts out good for Jack until they get to him lying. He has told only the truth one out of seventy-three times. Then he started hitting on girls and discovered porn or as Jack says, “Porn discovered me.” He does get to the eighties and Jack saving the world. Only later he caused the apocalypse but that was for love. At the end the scale is equal which drives the gatekeeper nuts. Jacks does right for the wrong reasons and wrong for the right reasons. This contradiction explodes the gatekeeper’s head. Jack takes the key and enters Heaven.

He meets a giant puffer fish type creature who is the assistant. When he finds the gatekeeper dead he goes after Jack. Jack finds Wang in the waiting room waiting for his family. He tries to get him to help him in defeating Lo Pan. First though Wang introduces Jack to someone who has been waiting for him.. Gracie.

This has got to be the best issue of this series so far. Jack Burton in Heaven. It has some of the funniest humor I have ever read. It sets up this big battle coming for Heaven. It also introduces Jack’s old flame from the movie. This is a very creative story and I look forward to see how it ends.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #9

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Thanks to Jack and his deal, Ching Dai is at his weakest. So the gang attack him in his stronghold. Everyone is to fight his minions while Egg uses his book of spells to bring Ching down to normal size. Egg succeeds but unfortunately Ching manages to blow a hole through his torso. Lo Pan comes up with some kooky plan to pretend to attack Jack so Ching uses his strength to save him since Jack is his flesh bridge to Earth. Mei manages to stab Ching and kill him. It looks like the gang won. But Ching’s spirit convinces Lo Pan to embrace him. Now Lo Pan is the flesh bridge and kills Wang.

This was a fun entry in the series. A lot of funny dialogue as the gang take on Ching Dai. Lo Pan has some fascinating observations on the whole set up. Jack is his dumb self who somehow manages to come out on top from sheer dumb luck. Jack actually manages to defeat Thunder by beating him with Egg’s book. So at the end Ching dies and it looks like they win. But of course Ching isn’t that easy to kill and joins forces with Lo Pan. A fun and enjoyable story.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #8

“Untilted”

Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Egg has found out from his book that the only way to defeat Ching Dai is for Jack to die. So he takes him aside and explains what he must do. Well instead of taking the offered angel’s blood to kill himself, Jack knocks out Egg and takes the book. He once again uses it to summon Ching Dai. The deal he makes with him is that he will not kill himself if Ching brings back Wang’s wife and daughter. Meanwhile Lo Pan and Wang find Egg and revive him. They go after Jack and find the blood wall his ceremony erected. They use negative energy to break through and find Miao and Winona brought back to life. They figure out that Ching got them from Heaven which still exists. Only this is bad for now Ching has a bridge to Heaven and can now conquer paradise. So Jack and friends get ready to once again confront Ching Dai and save everything.

This was a fun issue. So Jack gets Ching to bring back Miao and Winona who are the wife and daughter of Wang. We find out Heaven is still around and in danger. There is this whole speech that Lo Pan gives on how dangerous Jack is because he is the stupidest man alive. That he is the god of uselessness and gods are hard to kill. This series really has a lot of humor and heart to it.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #7

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Centaur with Knives pretends to have captured Jack Burton and company to get let into Ching Dai’s place. Before they can continue on, Thunder appears and kills Centaur with Knives. Jack Burton picks a room to run into and it is filled with ghost children. Luckily they distract Thunder and his demons for them to escape. They manage to make it to where Egg Shen is being held and free him. Once free with the book he transports them somewhere safe. Only the book is locked and Thunder has the key. So Jack convinces them to send him back to talk Thunder out of the key. Jack actually manages this but before he gets the key Lo Pan and the others appear and kill Thunder. They get the book and Egg finds out to defeat Ching Dai they must kill the flesh bridge or otherwise known as Jack Burton.

Well things don’t look to good for Jack. Looks like he has to die to save the world. This was another fun issue. They manage to free Egg and find out how to defeat Ching Dai. Jack is his typical dumb self who still manages to blunder his way to success. There was this scene that shows all the guys in the group with their special powers. They get to Jack and it is just mullet. A fun and humorous story.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #6

“Untitled”

Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Jack Burton finds himself being tortured by a centaur with knives when Thunder comes along to take over. Thunder releases Jack but Jack soon finds out that his fiendish torture is much more subtle. He shows Jack how old he is getting. That Jack has no friends or family to show for a long life. This does get Jack down but he recovers. He taunts Thunder about his being a slave to Lo Pan and his brothers. Thunder starts to blow up again. Jack then sees Centaur with Knives and commands him to attack. Centaur with Knives is impressed by Jack’s confidence and obeys.

Meanwhile the demon in charge of torturing Lo Pan is finding this hard. Lo Pan is actually turned on by being rejected by a woman. He has been immortal and pain doesn’t work. Nor does he have any family or friends to torture. So the pig demon shows him nothingness. This terrifies Lo Pan but he takes a page from Jack Burton and sucker punches the demon. Then kicks him in the balls. Lo Pan escapes and runs into Jack. The two find Pete the demon that serves Wang. They find Wang in his hell of watching his wife and daughter killed by Jack Burton. Jack comes up with the idea that to defeat Ching Dai they need Egg’s book of spells. From the Centaur with Knives they find out that the book is in the Tower of Skulls. It is being used to torture Egg by being just out of his reach.

This was a very interesting story. We get to see some vulnerability on the part of Jack. Lo Pan is picking up ideas from Jack. There was plenty of humor in Jack’s attitude but also from Lo Pan who will not be kinkshamed by anyone. Anyway the three reunite and find a way to defeat Ching Dai. We also find out Egg Shen is still alive. This is a very enjoyable series.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #5

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Jack Burton, Wang and Lo Pan continue on to San Francisco and the Throne of Skulls. Wang makes it know that he will kill both Jack and Lo Pan if they don’t know the way into it. Lo Pan secretly confides to Jack that he doesn’t know how to get in. So Jack makes up that they need the Three Storms. Using Wang’s pet Yaogua they track the storms to a tornado. Lo Pan thinks that they are still his minions but they are real pissed at dying and Lo Pan not even bothering to find them in the underworld. So a fight begins and the weakest storm Thunder gets Jack. Jack kicks him in the balls which causes his other brothers to laugh. Jack talks to Thunder and gets him to tell the secret to entering The Throne of Skulls. Before he does Wang kills his brother. This gets Thunder real angry and he blows up huge. Only this time he doesn’t explode but eats the three and later spits them out in a big belch. They find themselves at the Throne of Skulls.

Now the story brings up to the Three Storms. Those supernatural beings that served Lo Pan in the films. I love the interaction between the characters. They make fun of the way they died in the film. Jack Burton is so funny with his bullshit attitude yet it almost works. Anyway they are now in the Throne of Skulls so should be interesting to see where the story goes next.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #4

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Jack Burton manages to grab on to his truck after being pushed out. Lo Pan still tries to knock him off when the truck hits a ditch and propels both out of the truck. They are saved by a monster which takes them to an arena. There they have to fight the Beast which rules them. The beast turns out to be Jack’s old friend Wang. Yet Wang is not happy to see Jack. He blames him rightly for killing his family and destroying the world. Wang tries to kill Jack but decides it isn’t worth it. Instead he goes after Lo Pan. Jack has to intervene to stop Wang from killing Lo Pan. He realizes that Lo Pan is the only one who can get them to Ching Dai so they set the world back to normal. Wang agrees to accompany them on their mission.

So we introduce another character from the movie in Jack’s friend Wang. This is the Wang he made a deal for to bring back from the dead which resulting in the world being destroyed. We get some real funny dialogue between Jack and Lo Pan. Jack talks to himself like he is talking to the audience which drives Lo Pan nuts. It was a touching scene when Jack finally admitted to his mistake which is what Wang really wanted from him. So now three characters are on the quest to save the world.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #3

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Writers: John Carpenter & Anthony Burch

Artist: Jorge Corona

Jack Burton and Lo Pan are driving across the fire plains on their way to San Francisco. Lo Pan warns of the deadly illusions they have to watch out for. No sooner said then a vision of Miao Yin comes floating by. She tells Lo Pan that she now loves him and he falls for it. Jack snaps him back. Then he gets visions from his past. We see that his friend Wang was driving with him in the Pork Chop Express when a dog comes on the road during a stormy night. The truck swerves and kills Wan. So Jack steals a spell book from Egg Chen and summons Ching from the underworld. A deal is struck to bring back Wan. All Jack has to do is agree to be friends with Ching and shake hands. This opens the door to our world. Lo Pan is furious that Jack is the one responsible for bring Ching to Earth and tosses Jack out of the truck.

So this issue we finally get to find out how Jack managed to bring Ching Dai into our world. I found it a very entertaining story. The flashbacks were done in a way to flow with the current storyline. They gave the reader the whole story which I was wondering about so far. There is also fun humor where Miao is trying to seduce Lo Pan. She tells him how she just loves creepy weird dudes with goatees. I am definitely enjoying this series.