BEST OF THE WEEK
What I bought and what I thought, week of May 21
1. DAREDEVIL 47
Every month, this is the best book that comes out in its particular week. Bendis and Maleev are just unconscious right now, they're so good and in sync. A
2. LUCIFER 38
A bit more happens in this issue compared to last, which makes it livelier if not necessarily better. Once again, Mike Carey shows his writing chops, weaving a complicated script with a complicated cast and doing it with aplomb, and the tag team of Dean Ormston and Peter Gross/Ryan Kelly illustrate it with skill. Ormston's opening scene is just as creepy as it was two issues ago, and I don't creep easily. A
3. MIKE MIGNOLA'S B.P.R.D.: THE SOUL OF VENICE 1
Ryan Sook has nothing on Mike Avon Oeming when it comes to Mignola-ness, and Mr. Oeming does a bang-up job of aping the master in this somewhat plot-light, but no less fun, adventure. A
4. ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL 1
Speaking of Mr. Sook, here he is, curbing his Mignola tendencies for once and delivering a rock-solid Batman adventure in tandem with Dan Slott, whom I'm totally unfamiliar with but understand he's done some Batman Adventures-type stories. He's good, and this is a great book, but I'm kinda wondering why this is getting its own mini-series when this story would have fit in any of the ongoing Bat-books with ease. Hopefully the reasons will become more apparent with subsequent issues. A
5. SLEEPER 5
This book just keeps getting smarter and sharper with every issue. It's one of the smoothest blends of superhoics and dark, noirish mood I've seen. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then by all means get this. A
6. BEWARE THE CREEPER 2
This book is a failure, plain and simple, and the script is the chief culprit-it's cliched and hackneyed, and totally squanders a clever premise with too much expository dialogue and too many clumsy Lucy-show type cameos by painters and poets that are certainly worthy of further research, but unlikely to inspire such due to the hamhandedness of their spotlight. Cliff Chiang's art is fine but unexceptional. Actually, the sole creator that distinguishes himself is colorist Dave Stewart- the hues on this comic are beautiful. C+
Also finally got a copy of SUPERMAN: RED SON 1. I'm hot and cold on Elseworlds stories, usually cold, but this one is a keeper with sharp, non-cliched scripting by Mark Millar and great art by primo cover guys Dave Johnson and Andrew Robinson, who together acheive an almost Chaykin-ish look. There are two issues yet to come, and I've seen series like this skip the rails before- so I'm going to be cautiously optimistic that these guys can maintain the quality. A
