Nice covers on several comics, such as DETECTIVE 800, by Jock- yeah, it's one of those non-representative pinup style covers which so many otherwise knowledgeable people bitch about so often, but jeez- it's a nice painting and it crackles with bright color and energy, kinda like Jock's best work does. I also love the Kirbyesque BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #185 cover by Sean Phillips, and the Jae Lee (still can't get over that Manhunter 3 cover) BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #59. Lee has quickly become one of my favorite cover artists (I like his interiors, too, but he just doesn't do 'em all that often). Of course, that being said, I don't really like his other effort, this month's Manhunter. Dull pose, and somehow, the cigarette sticking out of her mouth has an oddly offputting effect. Intentional, maybe, but there ya go. We also get two nifty Mike Kaluta efforts, for FALLEN ANGEL #17 and LUCIFER #56. I keep hemming and hawing about picking up the Fallen Angel TPB...a lot of fine people praise it, but there's just something about the premise and the character and place names that don't grab me. Plus the art is bland at best, not exactly a sure-fire inducement to make Johnny B buy. That JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #5 cover is, well, eye-catching anyway. Not exactly Mahnke & Nguyen's finest moment, but I'm liking that book well enough so the benefit of the doubt shalleth be invok-ed. Mixed blessing dept.: we're not shown the cover for IDENTITY CRISIS 6, which is bad becuse it makes me wonder if it doesn't give away some other horrible event in #'s 4 or 5, but good because it's one less time we have to see one of those lackluster Michael Turner covers. The man's scratchy ink line makes my corneas hurt.
Noteworthy titles, at least as far as I'm concerned:
JLA: CLASSIFIED #1- Well, hey, it's Grant on the JLA. Good enough for me, even though I'm dubious of the Ed McGuinness/Dexter Vines art. You may recall (but I'd be surprised if you did, except for Bill Sherman) the old Kevin Ayers album Whatevershebringswesing. With Morrison right now, it's WhateverhewritesIbuy.
ELRIC: MAKING OF A SORCERER #3- this is written by Michael Moorcock and illustrated by Walt Simonson! I guess I overlooked the announcement for #1 and 2. I was highly underwhelmed by their previous collaboration, Michael Moorcock's Multiverse, back in 1998 for the Helix line...but this appears to be early tales of Moorcock's Melnibonean Warrior, with no alternate identities or timelines or any of that confusing junk, so I'm very interested. I'll have to keep an eye out for #1.
THE QUESTION #1-I've never really been a big fan of the character, despite his intriguing appearance and respected pedigree. I read a lot of the old Charlton stories, and liked them OK, but intensely disliked the O'Neil/Denys Cowan 80's version, and I'm afraid that this appears to be more in that vein than the Ditkoesque style. Still, it's Rick Veitch, a writer I like more often as not, and Tommy Lee Edwards, one of my favorite illustrators (I should make a list of them one of these days)...so I'm gonna give it a shot.
SPACE GHOST #1-There's no way I can ever take Space Ghost seriously again, but the Ross cover's nice. The creative team of Joe Kelly and Ariel Olivetti doesn't exactly make me want to go to ridiculous lengths to pick this up. As Zorak would say, "Lotsa luck, suckers".
THE INTIMATES #1-I don't know about you, but right off the bat I hate that would-be satirical title. Sounds like a Victoria's Secret-clad super-team if you ask me, and that's a better high concept than yet another teenage superheroes-studying-to-be-grownup-superheroes yarn...and that's gonna keep me from picking this up. I know, unfair, but it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. Joe Casey's a good writer, but the art team doesn't excite me.
TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #12-wow, the last issue. I stopped after #4 or 5, I think. How on God's Earth, you may ask, can a book sporting art by the likes of Art Adams and others be so deadly dull? Don't know, but I'm amazed it went a dozen.
ANGELTOWN #1-Now THIS is interesting. A mean-streets type tale for Vertigo illo'd by Mr. Underrated himself, Shawn Martinbrough, whose work I usually will always pick up, from Beware The Creeper thru his stint on Detective and the two excellent fill-ins he did for The Losers. I don't have a clue who writer Gary Phillips is or what he's done, but hey- an new ongoing with Martinbrough art! I was there yesterday!
THE LOSERS: DOUBLE DOWN TP
THE LOSERS #18- and here's where you can check out that Martinbrough fill-in, in this nifty new TPB. It's as good as the first Losers trade, and that one kicked ass. And the existence of a solictation for Losers 18 is the most positive thing I've seen all day.
THE WITCHING #6-this has been pretty yawn-inducing so far, but I see that veteran Dan Green's on board as inker now, so maybe the art will improve a tad. And the MacPherson cover series continues unabated- long may it run.
And that's my hardly in-depth, highly personal look at the DC solicitations for November. Make of it what ye will.
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