BEST OF THE WEEK
What I bought and what I thought, week of December 22, better late than never!
LOSERS 19
Wow-inducing finale to the story of how the Losers came to find themselves in their current predicament, full of action, drama, pathos, lively dialogue, and sharp art which doesn't let up until the very end, when we get a revelation that I should have seen coming but surprised me just the same. The buzz has sadly died down around the blogosphere about this book, and that's a shame because it has rebounded nicely from the lackluster fill-ins and is as good as it's ever been, in my own humble opinion. So naturally, next issue we get a fill-in. Such is life. A
SLEEPER SEASON TWO 7
More of Holden Carver twisting on his hook, illustrated with aplomb, as usual, by Sean Phillips. One of the two hook-holders, Tao, sends our boy and his crew on a mission which doesn't go as planned, of course, and has unexpected repercussions for Carver and his plight. What was it I said a while ago? "Consistently consistent in its consistent excellence". A
JINGLE BELLE 2
Again, two stories: First one deals with a young writer who is searching for the truth behind the legend of Santa's daughter, based on a childhood encounter he barely remembers; it's bittersweet, funny in places and very well illustrated by Jose Garabaldi, who's really doing excellent work right now. Second story is about a Christmas party, with unwanted coyote guests, at the Mutant, Texas bar, and while it's kinda routine it is wonderfully illustrated by Jason Bone, who's one of my favorites right now. This year's miniseries is really shaping up to be a winner. A
SOLO 2
Richard (Gore) Corben gets the spotlight, and he does not disappoint. Corben's got a highly idiosyncratic style that most people either love or hate; me, I kinda fall (typically) somewhere in between. I like the fact that he has a recognizable style and knows how to tell a story very well, but there's a quirky cartoonishness about his art that sometimes sits uneasily with the subject matter he's depicting. If you're a fan of Corben's from his Warren and underground days, you'll love this; the first three stories are somewhat tamer than the stuff he used to give us in the likes of Death Rattle, but are pretty darn close, and the Spectre story that closes out the book is kinda routine, story-wise (John Arcudi scripts), but is nicely done artwise, especially when Corben shows Jim Corrigan conversing with the spirits of the dead. All in all, not a bad little showcase. B+
JLA CLASSIFIED 2
Grant Morrison's giving us a wonderfully gnarly, light-hearted superhero story, but the Ed McGuinness/Dexter Vines art team is rendering it nigh-incomprehensible with their needlessly showy and cluttered art. I know we can't all be Frank Quitely, but geez- help a reader out once in a while, willya? Once again, the cutie-pie Squire steals the show- the powers that be at DC should consider letting Grant do a one-shot featuring her one of these days. B
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