Whatcha Readin'? 1/5/06

[jkcarrier]

BLACK WIDOW #3-4
by Richard Morgan, Sean Phillips & Bill Sienkiewicz
The more single-minded and tunnel-visioned the Widow gets in her pursuit of the kidnapped friend, the more complex the repurcussions become. The idea of kidnapping and doping up poor people in order to make factory slave labor is sadly plausible. Having Daredevil show up kind of spoils the straight espionage mood, but Morgan manages to fit him in without it being too intrusive (and even acknowledging the incompatibility of the spy and superhero genres, and the problematic way that Natasha straddles both worlds). Smart, suspenseful, and nice visuals to boot. I really hope Morgan gets a crack at a regular Widow series after this, or at least more minis.
"You're not slapping the electrodes on Chielan journalists anymore, Fernando, much as you might miss it. That's all behind us now. We've got market share to think about."

BULLETEER #2
by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette & Serge Lapointe
Bulleteer herself kind of takes a back seat this issue, while Morrison fills in more of the background of Neb-U-Loh, Vigilante, and the team that died in Seven Soldiers #0. Lots of nice little trivia bits for old-school DC fans, as well as connections to the other 7S mini-series. Cool to see the Iron Hand again. Not much of a stand-alone story, but an interesting link in the overall chain.
"Stay with me. I know it's a lot of information, but that's the way I work. Everything at once."

DESOLATION JONES #4
by Warren Ellis & J.H. Williams III
Color full-size comic, 32 pages for $2.99
Jones continues to search for the stolen Lost Porn of Hitler among the colony of ex-intelligence agents in L.A.. Several new wrinkles get added to plot, raising the stakes even higher. And someone actually gets the drop on the hyper-competent Jones. Will he survive? Hell, as doped-up as he is, if he doesn't survive, will he even notice? Jones is the Typical Ellis Protagonist in a lot of ways, but under that tough guy swagger, he's so deeply screwed up physically and mentally that you can't help but feel sorry for the bastard. Williams' art is just breathtaking; squalor never looked so beautiful.
"Y'know, Tapper, that time I fucked you up, you said it'd be the one time I ever had to fuck you up, and that we were sorted. Do I have to fuck you up again?"

DISTORTED DOODLES #1
by B.D. Leonard
B&W digest, 16 pages for $1.00
These funny little sci-fi/fantasy strips all have pretty much the same premise: Arrogant tough guy sticks his nose where he shouldn't, and gets an ironic come-uppance. A bit repetitious, perhaps, but there's something compelling about the relentless inevitability of it. And the artwork is very sharp and appealing.
"Those poor creatures. The wyrms just have to eat... always and constant!"

FRANKENSTEIN #1
by Grant Morrison & Doug Mahnke
Color full-size comic, 32 pages for $2.99
This is the classic Mary Shelley Frankenstein, articulate and melancholy. This one jumps right into the Seven Soldiers meta-story... the arrival of the Sheeda somehow causes the monster to rise from the grave to oppose them. He ruthlessly strikes down both the Sheeda Riders and the high school students they were feeding off of (the whole thing plays out like an extra-dark episode of "Buffy"). It's all very creepy and bleak, and Mahnke's art matches the tone perfectly. Shaping up to be a pretty intense segment of the overall story.
"Deep down, you're Uglyhead too."

THE GOON #15
by Eric Powell
Color full-size comic, 32 pages for $2.99
You can always count on The Goon for lots of lowbrow humor and zombie-smashin' action. This issue, he also comes up with a brilliant method for circumventing the stereotypical "unbreakable gypsy curse". The letters page is also especially good this issue. Some schmuck writes in with one of those "You were mean to me at a con" sob stories, and they absolutely demolish the guy. Hilarious!
"Great. My adopted mother is a looney bat that plays in the mud and hands out petrified cats' eyes."

GREENPIECE SOURCEBOOK #6792
by Jason DeGroot & Adam Owen
B&W digest w/color cover, 16 pages for $1.75
A "Marvel Universe"-type guidebook to the characters in the Greenpiece comic. Although Greenpiece is a humor book, the writing in the sourcebook is mostly done "straight", and is pretty dry reading. The layout is likewise kind of blah, with a simple headshot of each character, accompanied by a large block of text. I have to admit, I quit reading halfway through. Not my kind of thing, I guess.
"On graduation day he walked up on stage, grabbed his diploma, and then walked directly onto the Cop Academy recruitment bus."

LOVE AND ROCKETS #15
by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez
B&W full-size comic w/color cover, 32 pages for $4.50
A very strong issue all around. Jaime's series of vignettes is aces, just quick character sketches highlighting his various players and their conflicts. Hopey as a schoolteacher sounds like a terrible idea, until you see her in action and think, "Of course". Ray and Viv at the comic book show was pretty hilarious too. Beto does an interesting switch-up. He takes Fritz, Pipo, and the gang from his longer "serious" stories, and puts them in a situation straight out of one of his short surreal tales. The combination works out really well, although maybe that's because I like his short pieces better anyway. Outstanding art from both Bros., as always.
"So much for the old magic."

MAGNET MAN MINICOMICS #43
by Brien Wayne Powell
B&W minicomic, 24 pages for $.50
A minimalist superhero parody, like something you might see on "Adult Swim" (albeit less profane). The panels are just repeated static head shots of the characters, with the dialogue carrying the story. In this issue, Magnet Man has lost his powers, and has to defeat the villain "Thump Truck" (great name!) without letting on that he's no longer super. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but a very cute bit of whimsy.
"Oh yuck! You two aren't going to get all smoochy on me now are you?"

MONSTER-A-GO-GO #1
by Tim Goebel, Sam Gafford & Iain McLachlan
B&W magazine w/color cover, 48 pages, no price listed
A horror fanzine, devoted to b-movies and related trash culture. The movies they cover may be total crap (and they know it), but the writing by Tim and his crew is top-notch, and their unabashed love for this vintage cheese is contagious. There are two lengthy, well-researched articles on the notoriously bad "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" and "Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla", plus shorter pieces on horror-related comics and toys. There's also an interview with a couple of cable access horror hosts called "The Bone Jangler" and "Nocturna", but they're so full of themselves and determined not to break character, that the piece ends up being mostly hot air. Can't win 'em all. The layout of the mag is pretty rudimentary, but there are tons of pictures, and the reproduction is excellent. If you're a fan of so-bad-they're-brilliant horror flicks (and really, who isn't?), this is one to get.
"I wanted John Carradine to play Dracula, and Al wanted our stockbroker, Roger Engels..."

NOW I NEED A COVER
by Jack Bertram
B&W digest, 24 pages, no price listed
A 24-hour comic. Jack takes a very "meta" approach here -- he actually documents the creation of the comic while he's drawing it, with frequent diversions into random silliness along the way (for instance, Groucho Marx shows up for a couple of pages to berate Jack while he's trying to work). By the time the aliens show up, you know Jack has completely lost it, but I guess part of the fun of these things is watching the artist's brain turn to tapioca somewhere around the 20th hour. Strange, but entertaining.
"Stop! That's a foul. There will be no toilet humor in this strip."

PALOOKAVILLE #18
by Seth
2-Color full-size comic, 24 pages for $4.95
The "Clyde Fans" story continues. Simon's mother is sinking into dementia, and he doesn't seem far behind. There is a moment where he comes to certain realizations about himself, and you think he might be finally getting a grip on his life. But then he begins hallucinating, and you realize that he's probably a lost cause. Not exactly the feel-good hit of the year, but compellingly told, and Seth's elegant and precise artwork looks great with the black and blue printing on cream paper.
"I don't want to gulp down time like a man gasping for breath."

PATTY CAKE & FRIENDS #14
by Scott Roberts
B&W full-size comic w/color cover, 48 pages for $4.95
Another sharp issue of Roberts' smart and funny kid comic. This issue, Patty and friends face the worst monster ever: a sadistic gym teacher. Ah yes, I remember his kind well. The way the kids manage to thwart this mini-Hitler is pretty clever, and actually somewhat plausible. Of course, I would've preferred that they stab him in the heart with a rusty screwdriver, but what Roberts came up with was good too. Not that I have issues or anything. Anyway, it's a really funny and well-drawn comic and you should buy it.
"I hope they bury me with my good shoes. Not ones with gum on 'em."

PLASTIC MAN #19
by Kyle Baker
Color full-size comic, 36 pages for $2.99
Baker manages to hilariously deflate the pompous Ras Al Ghul, while being totally true to his character. The depiction of Talia as the spoiled "Daddy's Girl" that he can't say no to is likewise brilliantly apt. And I haven't even gotten to the demented Captain Marvel cameo yet. There's so much genius stuff going on here, it's a crime that this book is on the cancellation list. Throw me a bone here, DC. Don't make me resort to... Shirtless Fighting!!
"If that boy's got any sense, he'll turn into a trampoline!"

RAVEN'S CHILDREN: DOGS OF WAR
by Layla Marie Lawlor
B&W trade paperback, 200 pages for $12.00
In a harsh, arctic landscape, the tribes of the Wagaibe and the Dog People live in an uneasy equilibrium. But then the Tolshay Khan people of the south decide to move in, and things quickly degenerate to chaos. Caught in the middle of all this is Jained, a Wagaibe with an agenda and troubles of his own (including a dead sister who won't leave him alone). And just who or what are those strange, shape-shifting creatures who seem to be hovering above the fray? It's a heady mix of politics, mythology and soap opera. I can't think of too many other comics that have managed to create such a fully-realized world, complete with several distinct cultures, not to mention a large cast of characters who are just as layered, idiosyncratic, and hard to pigeon-hole as anyone you meet in real life. Throw in the excellent artwork, with its starkly beautiful snowscapes, and you've got a winner.
"Which way do you follow, Jained... the easy way or the hard way?"

ROCK'N'ROLL
by Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Bruno D'Angelo & Kako
B&W full-size comic w/color cover, 32 pages for $3.50
The story's pretty simple, even a bit trite: a young woman falls in with a bad crowd, and her father has to rescue her. But the presentation is so lush and stylish, that I ended up totally engrossed anyway. The story is told almost entirely in pantomime, and the dark, contrasty art (reminiscent of Mike Mignola in spots) carries the narrative nicely. It's just a really gorgeous-looking book.
"Kori nde rekorama nehmoporine."

SAWDUST: THE WORKSHED ANTHOLOGY
by Radames Malave Jr., Justin Riley, Scottie Ray Watson & Alan Evans
B&W digest w/color cover, 32 pages for $3.00
A preview of an upcoming anthology book. There are excerpts of three different strips here, but they're all pretty much the same: Superhero-types armed with swords and guns fight vampires and stereotyped gang members. Hard to judge from just a preview, but story and art both look completely generic, like the creators are just stringing together cliches that they think will be popular, without investing much of their own voice into the work. Nothing here that you haven't seen before a million times.
"What the #$%& you think you doin' playa?"

SOLO #8
by Teddy Kristiansen, Neil Gaiman & Steven Seagle
Color full-size comic, 48 pages for $4.99
Beautiful, uniquely-styled art by Kristiansen, illustrating a collection of somber, contemplative stories. Even the obligatory DC universe story (a Deadman story, written by Gaiman) manages to fit comfortably into the mood of the rest of the book. Solo is turning out to be one of DC's most interesting and experimental books, I hope they can keep it going for a while.
"I stood on the street for hours staring at the door and the windows belonging to her apartment. But I was not happy."

SPRINGTIME FOR AUTISM
by Tim Kelly
B&W digest, 16 pages, no price listed
A series of strips about Tim's daughter Emily, and coping with her autism. He shows the daily struggles and frustrations they both go through, as well as the moments of triumph when they're able to connect. Sad in parts, but also funny and uplifting. Very recommended.
"Chicken! Fozzie! Gonzo! Kermie! Sweetums!"

TALES OF FANTASY #30
by Larry Johnson
B&W digest w/color cover, 36 pages for $2.50
This long-running anthology series features several recurring characters, including antique dealer Alister Crowe, writer Lew Brown, and gypsy sorceress Madame Boogala. This issue's main story, "Getting A Head", involves all three, as their destinies are tied together via a mysterious shrunken head that holds ancient secrets. Johnson's work could be classified as "horror", but in an old-fashioned Twilight Zone way -- subtly disturbing, rather than relying on blatant gore. The quirky, stylized artwork matches the surreal tone of the writing. Hard to describe, but a great read.
"Even in death her face was beautiful."

TOP TEN: THE FORTY-NINERS
by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, Todd Klein & Art Lyon
Color full-size hardcover, 100 pages for $24.99
The prequel to Moore's Top Ten series, showing how the strange city of Neopolis was founded. In the aftermath of World War II, all the larger-than-life heroes, villains, and monsters are relocated to a new experimental city. Like a lot of war veterans, young flying ace Jetlad has trouble acclimating to the postwar world, but he manages to find a job, make friends, and even find romance. But growing tensions among the new police department, the leftover military, the robot population, and the vampire mafia threaten to destroy the newborn city. Moore plays the outlandish premise absolutely straight, and pretty soon you've stopped thinking of the characters as superheroes, robots, etc., and are just caught up in the struggles of fascinating people. Ha and Lyon's sepia-toned artwork is stunning, and (as with the original Top 10 series) there are plenty of fun little "easter eggs" hidden in the backgrounds for those who care to look. A terrific book all around.
"I think we must take our friends where we can find them."

X-MEN AND POWER PACK #2-3
by Marc Sumerak and GuriHiru
Color full-size comic, 32 pages for $2.99
Holy crap, the X-Men haven't been this much fun in years! Sumerak hearkens back to the classic Stan Lee style, where two heroes would bump into each other, have a cool adventure, and then go their separate ways without anyone worrying about world-shaking repurcussions. #2, with Nightcrawler and the Circus of Crime (woo!) is my favorite so far, but #3 makes good use of Beast and Mystique, as well (at first, I thought Sumerak was ignoring the limitations of Mystique's shape-shifting, but nope, he actually uses it as a plot point. Cool!). GuriHiru (is that a person or a studio?) has a great, slick, "animated" style. They should seriously give this team one of the regular X-books to do.
"The Law of Conservation? Antoine Lavoisier? 1785? Ring any bells?"
"Dude -- I'm only ten."

ZATANNA #4
by Grant Morrison, Ryan Sook & Mick Gray
Color full-size comic, 32 pages for $2.99
The series wraps up in satisfying fashion, with a trippy mystical duel that sees Zatanna overcoming both the renegade magician Zor and her own self-doubts. Sook handles both the surreal and mundane aspects of the story with equal panache, not to mention drawing a mighty fine-looking Zatanna. When you see how much personality and pathos this team gives Zee, it makes the rest of the Mighty DC Brain Trust look even more pathetic for using her as nothing but a cheap deus ex machina.
"Ptooy! And you have a stupid beard."