CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Time once more for CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately October 26 through November 7, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

BLUE BEETLE #32: Plot wheels grind slowly in this issue, and they're being spread awfully thin; we're still dealing with the leftover threads from the last few issues, and this time we get extended face time with legacy badguy Dr. Polaris, in a series of scenes designed to show us what an evil mofo he apparently is these days. As fast-paced as always, but this is coming across as inconsequential and slight, and that's not gonna move a whole lot of units...which is something this terribly sales-challenged book needs to survive. B+

THE BOYS #24: All the gross-out fratboy hijinks are clamoring to be the focus, but I'm liking the subtle character stuff more, such as the quieter scenes between the Frenchman and the Female, and Mother's Milk and the town cop as he investigates the death of Silver Kincaid. Here's the best-kept secret about ol' Garthie boy, y'see- while everybody remembers all the gross, irreligious, irreverent stuff in better works like Hitman, Hellblazer and Preacher, the glue that held them all together was the more-deeply-felt-than-you'd-think relatonship stuff as best exemplified by the three-way romance between Jesse Custer, Tulip, and Cassidy, John Constantine and Kit, or the BFF-style hijinx of Tommy Monaghan and Nat the Hat. It's here, too, but sometimes it hides. I can see it, though, and I hope you can too because that, and (once more) Garth's willingness to let his "good guys" be just as ruthless and arrogant as the "bad guys" is what keeps me reading. A-

CRIMINAL 2 #6: I said at the beginning of this arc that it this was not gonna turn out well for our kinda-sorta hero, and nothing I've seen since has convinced me otherwise, so there's a grim sort of inevitability to this story which truncates my enjoyment somewhat. Still, when you've got Sean Phillips illustrating your slow march to doom, that makes it worthwhile. A-

DAREDEVIL #112: Better than last issue, because if nothing else Brubaker once again gets to write Iron Fist for a few pages. Otherwise, this book remains in the same stylistic rut it's been in forever and a day now, but at least it's a still-mildly-interesting one, especially since Ed has expanded the focus a bit to work in even more recycled Miller concepts, the aforementioned Danny Rand, and that Tarantula dude he seems so fond of. Also nice to see Mike Lark back on pencils. I still have no use for this uninspired Lady Bullseye character though. B+

EL DIABLO #3: Writer Jai Nitz continues to establish the boundaries of his Robert Rodriguez-meets-Bernard Baily opus, working that "supernatural avenger from beyond the grave" thing for all it's worth as he establishes the ground rules as far as who's who and what's what. It's OK, even though we've seen it all before. I'm still enjoying the Phil Hester/Ande Parks art, too; it's as edgy and intense as the script demands. That said, I wish the parallel fight scenes in this issue had been spelled out a little more clearly; when you have your protagonists gain and/or lose their advantage off-screen, well, it doesn't help reader comprehension, I'm afraid. B+

FINAL CRISIS #4: There's so much noise going on with this book that it's hard sometimes to just look at it and see what's happening; between the scheduling gaffes and the artist foibles and adjusted expectations and so on, it sometimes seems that the actual story here is secondary to all the hoo-hah that has accumulated around it. Problem is, when you do actually try to look at this latest mega-event objectively, it presents itself as another ordinary "invasion of Earth by hostile extraterrestrials" saga, albeit one infused with the ideas of the King of Comics himself, Jack Kirby. I've come to expect greatness from Morrison (and I'm not alone), but sadly, this is a mess, and it's a bit disingenuous on Grant's part as well since this is merely the basic template he seems to always follow when writing this sort of story- his JLA comes to mind, and it seems like one of his New X-Men arcs was similar in execution. Which is not to say it's a mess like his concurrent Batman: RIP, which suffers from poor art as well as overstuffed plot; there is some imagination, spark, and Morrison's trademark succinct dialogue style in its favor. But really, the only thing that's in doubt is just how the good guys will triumph and reestablish status quo...and that's an awfully ordinary objective to strive towards. So perhaps Grant is just the victim of heightened, maybe even unrealistic expectations here, but in my opinion it seems like he's aware of this- and figures that he can't win no matter what so why not just try meet them halfway and be done with it. Another bone of contention lately has been the change in artists, as J.G. Jones has found himself unable to meet the arbitrary deadlines that have become attached to this project and had to bow out. That's a shame, because Morrison and Jones have a good sort of synchronicity when they collaborate under normal circumstances...however, this isn't a normal project and deadlines are more of an issue, especially when retailers get in the mix. In this issue, he gets assistance from Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino, whose work, with its dynamic action poses and lively layout style, has pleased me greatly in the past. They seem to be sublimating their tendencies in order to merge more smoothly with Jones' more designerly style here, however, and while overall the look is consistent, it doesn't really play to Pacheco and Merino's strengths at all. Anyway, come what may (as they sang in Moulin Rouge!) I'm in for the long haul, so we'll see how this all turns out. Is it wrong of me to hope that somebody shoots the Atom into Darkseid's ear again, just like Grant did in JLA? B+

HELLBLAZER #248: I'm really going to miss Andy Diggle on this book; nothing against Pete Milligan at all, and I'm sure he'll take ol' Conjob into some interesting places, but Diggle has such a great grasp of John's personality that it's been a pleasure to read his run so far. In this issue, we're still dealing with loose ends and characters from the last couple of storylines; John seems to sort things out in his typical fashion...but it seemed too easy, and it turns out there was a reason that it went as smoothly as it did. I have to give props to Leo Manco for really stepping it up a notch on art; his work is as good now as it's ever been since he came on board. A-

HELLBOY: IN THE CHAPEL OF MOLOCH: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. B+

THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #19: For the second issue in a row, writer Duane Swierczynski's best efforts are undercut by murky, incoherent art by Travel Foreman, especially in the big showcase fight scene department- I mean, I've read this issue three times now, and I'll be damned if I can tell you much of anything about the battle between the Iron Fist Killer and the Mystical Cities Champions other than it seems to have ended at some point in a stalemate of some sort. It's just that choppy and poorly staged. I think he has a good handle on the characters, though, and this arc has been enjoyable enough- the opening confrontation is sparked by a pretty nifty twist (that I suppose I gave away earlier in this review, sorry), and even though the sudden-but-inevitable-betrayal at the end loses a little of its shock value because let's face it, the betrayer wasn't exactly one we had gotten to know very well, I'm engaged enough to see it through for the time being. I really wish that Travel would travel on, and give way to an artist that can compliment, rather than compete for attention with, Swierczynski's scripts. B+

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #122: I like fun as much as anybody out there, believe me, so when I kept seeing pages from this posted all around the Net, with its "CRAKKAJAMMA" and the admittedly hilarious "Prince of Atlantis! Check thyself!" line from the lead, well, I got curious. I don't fully understand everything that's at stake here, despite Sappho's best efforts to get me up to speed in the intro...but I don't guess it matters; breezy scripting, eye-pleasing art that's only a little stiff- that adds up to an entertaining comic that has me curious about others in the run. Hercules, or at least Marvel's version anyway, has always been a fun character, so it's good to see the tradition continuing in these troubled times. A-

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #20: On the other hand, this is not so much fun and is mostly devoted to that ongoing saga of Power Girl and her intradimensional adventures. I was never a fan of the old Infinity, Inc. book, nor of the 70's Justice Society revival (although I did have a fair amount of issues, mostly for the Wood inks), so most of this kinda leaves me cold. But, the characterization is solid if a little soapy, and even though competent but unexciting old pro Jerry Ordway draws about half of it, young buck Dale Eaglesham acquits himself well by comparison on his pages. Another good-enough chapter in the ongoing saga. B+

MADAME XANADU #5: In which Wagner and Hadley give us Madame X as a supporting character in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, continuing their Magical History Tour in mostly clever fashion. I like the on-again, off-again romance stuff with the Phantom Stranger, who conveniently keeps popping up when MadX is about to get in deep merde. I also think Hadley's pretty-face manga-esque style works very well with the Revolutionary French settings. Xanadu remains, if not essential, still interesting and enjoyable. A-

MIRROR'S EDGE #1: What sets this, the umpteenth attempt to capture the attention of the gaming crowd with comics (which is kinda akin to trying to capture the attention of hunters by promoting trap shooting), apart from other similar attempts is the stylized Oeming-cum-Mignola art of Matt Smith, he of The Keep, Astronauts in Trouble, and Day of Judgment fame. Even though his work is not quite on par with those gentlemen, he is a talented artist in his own right and he makes this visually interesting, at least, and certainly does a great job of reproducing the look of the game. Not being a gamer, I don't know what the lore is or what the objectives are, so I don't know how close this comics' account of a young, high-nerd-appeal Asian girl who gets recruited into what seems to be a group of people, couriers of a kind, who leap about on rooftops as they deliver sensitive information or what-have-you to people actually is to the source material. I do know that it can't be especially easy to craft any sort of narrative or storyline to what appears to be your basic running, jumping, shooting kind of game, and I'll give new-to-me writer Rhianna Pratchett, who apparently is involved in the game project in some capacity, credit for that. Well-drawn and mildly interesting, unlike about 99.9% of the rest of this genre, and if you're not expecting much, you might find this enjoyable. B+

SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS #1: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

SCALPED #22: I wonder how, sometimes, I can be so dismayed by the constantly-bleak tone of books like Daredevil, but continue to champion this, one of the most unremittingly dismal narratives to be found in sequential fiction these days. I know that it has a lot to do with the fact that this is straight-up real world drama, with no fantastic elements, and it achieves a resonance that other more larger-than-life, fantastical narratives have no hope of achieving. Anyway, we continue our focus on Chief Red Crow, the nominal bad guy of the piece, who is besieged from all sides by all sorts of threats even as he struggles to come to grips with his past even as he is trying to carry out a heartbreaking task in memory of his late love/adversary Gina Bad Horse. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera achieve an amazing synchronicity in their depictions of his memories and inner struggle; it's really something to see. Also, to a lesser extent we are watching young Dino Poor Bear, as he gets himself in deeper in his own troubles, which will certainly intersect with Red Crow's eventually. Another absolutely outstanding, deeply resonant issue. And yet, this comic sells less that 8,000 copies a month, no doubt due to the lack of magical fairy creatures or people who shoot force beams out of their hands...all I can do is hope, I suppose, that enough people are buying the trades (I myself bought the first two, foolishly dismissing this title after skimming issue #1) to make a difference and keep this going, at least until Aaron can bring it to some sort of conclusion. A

SGT. ROCK: THE LAST BATTALION #1: I'm not sure of Billy Tucci's research for this project went much deeper than screening Flags of Our Fathers and Saving Private Ryan, which this resembles, but I will say that I am absolutely amazed that his art, which I've previously associated with overly fussy and stiffly posed depictions of long-legged, Playboy-magazine-posed female ninja warriors and such, looks as good as it does on this subject matter- the soft focus touches, which seem to be so popular these days among some artists (Gene Ha is one which immediately comes to mind), really help add to the nostalgic air. Sure, Tucci's Sgt. Rock is downright metrosexual compared to the canonical versions by the likes of Joe Kubert, Ross Andru, Jerry Grandenetti and others, more Tyrone Power than John Wayne, I suppose- but not really ever having been much of a Rock fan in general (I was always more of a Sgt. Fury kid myself), I don't really care all that much. It's his scripting that bothers me a lot more- in attempting to pay tribute to, if not outright imitate, the inimitable Robert Kanigher dialogue cadences he just doesn't cut it, and the dialogue reads awkwardly to me. The everyman-whose-eyes-we-see-Easy cartoonist is a nod to Ryan, but it works OK and gives Tucci an opportunity to show us that he can do other styles as well. Setting Rick in the middle of a real-life wartime incident isn't a bad idea, however, so as far as I'm concerned the jury's still out. All in all, this turned out a lot better than I expected, and I appreciate the opportunity to be surprised...doesn't happen as much as it should. B+

SOLOMON KANE #2: Pretty much on a par with issue #1; well-written, passably drawn. Scott Allie has a good handle on Kane, and nails this issue's would-be seduction scene. Not having read the source for this tale, I'm looking forward to what develops. A-

SUB-MARINER: THE DEPTHS #2: Two issues in, and still no appearances by the fella whose name is on the front of the book...but that won't be such a problem when this is collected, which is probably how this should be read. I'm kinda liking this slow-moving, but dramatically valid, story which treats Namor like some sort of legendary creature being sought by a not-so-intrepid Skeptical Man of Reason, and the painterly soft-focus Esad Ribac art, which reminds me a bit of the visual style of Sky Captain. If you're the patient sort, you might too. B+

VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #2: This remains a resolutely mediocre showcase for a character that DC really, really wants us to like a lot. Storywise, fine if a bit on the cliched side as our girl, badly wounded by the supernatural badguy she scrapped with last issue, goes off into the plains to heal and see visions and stuff. Artwise, although the candy-colored color scheme is novel, "Cafu"'s figures are still stiff and his staging is bland. Showcases just aren't what they used to be. C+

Coming eventually, HOUSE OF MYSTERY #7 and more.

I'm a little surprised that I'm not seeing this at the comics news sites like Deppey, Tom, and Heidi...but hey, I was so impressed by this that I'll share and they can take credit later. Jill Thompson has posted three pages she found from an aborted Nightmare Before Christmas graphic novel adaptation, and I can't think of many more perfect matches of artist and subject matter. To be honest, I'm not that big a fan of the film, but these are wonderful- too bad that it didn't get greenlighted. Here's one page, click to see all bigga; for two more and the full story go here. And tell her Johnny B sent ya.

My father-in-law has a lot of irons in a lot of fires, and one of the biggest he has is in the auction business. I don't know if you're familiar with the estate auction end of it, but it's often a tedious and laborious process that involves cataloging and distributing the items that are for sale, as well as the physical labor involved when it's necessary to take these items, usually grouped into lots, outside into the designated areas (often onto large flatbed wagons) to be auctioned. Because I never seem to have enough extra income, and also because I want to help out, I often find myself working for him at these auction sales, which provides me with opportunities to see what's available before it goes up for bidding. Many of the houses and belongings he auctions were once owned by elderly people, and he often has many antiques available as well...so another reason why I help out is (at least at first it was, anyway) because you never know when you'll run across an interesting old album or stack of magazines...or comics. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened very much at all, only once or twice in the 20+ years I've been involved with this, which is kinda discouraging to say the least- either no one in the five-county south central Kentucky area collected old comics and albums, or the families kept them and handed them down to survivors.

But, that isn't always the case, and in an auction about a month ago, I ran across a single copy, with no other comics in sight, of the book you see above left: BIG TOWN #26, cover date March-April 1954. It was intact, although the cover is torn, missing a chunk, and isn't attached to the body of the book. The pages are very yellowed. Now, I know most of you were under the impression that I go back as far as the James Knox Polk administration, but that's just not the case- while I'm aware of a great many TV shows, movies, etc., I had never heard of the television show this comics series was based on. Understandable- it last aired four years before I came into this world, 1956 to be precise. However, it was a DC Comic, so I contrived to have it added to another lot (which contained an intact APBA baseball game, with the 1979 season cards- more on that some other time, perhaps), and I was able to take the whole thing for a mere $2.50. When I got home, I did a little looking around on Wikipedia and found out that not only was Big Town a TV series, but also a radio show before that. The comics series, spawned by the advent of the TV show, lasted until 1958, two years before I was born.

So- is it any good? Actually, yes- it features three 7-page stories scripted by Silver Age Green Lantern stalwart John Broome, and art by veteran Manny Stallman, with inks by John Giunta, who did solid, if not especially memorable work for a number of publishers in the 40's on into the 60's and 70's, including a long stint drawing Big Boy comics. Mark Evanier posted a nice obit, as is his wont, for Stallman here. Typically, their work here is good, if not especially exciting or memorable- it's an unexceptional sort of style. The cover is by none other than Gil Kane, although obviously he had yet to develop his idiosyncratic style of later years. Big Town was, as TV.com succinctly describes it, a "...live dramatic series about a small town newspaper." Each story stars newspaper reporter Steve Wilson, a dashing, intrepid hero type who is determined to solve mysteries and bring justice whenever possible, just like newspaper reporters always were, apparently, back in the 1950's. First tale gives us a fellow who is taking out ads all over town claiming that he intends to blow up a bridge in the city; of course Wilson gets to the bottom of it and discovers a bigger plot...and yes, the cover scene is indeed represented in this installment. Story two is an account of a Newsboy Legion-type group of Big Town kids, who Wilson organizes to get them off the streets. Of course, they get mixed up in a crime wave of robberies pulled off by an organized gang, and help Wilson bring the mob to justice. Finally, story three is about a Houdini type who seals himself in a safe and gets submerged into the river- when they pull him up, he appears to have been shot in the head and leaves a letter blaming a rival for the crime. Wilson is of course skeptical, and sets out to find out the truth and save the man from the electric chair. Each vignette ends with Wilson slugging the perp in true two-fisted newsman fashion. There are also several of those public service announcement-type pages we all know and love, as well as a couple of fun facts pages. A typical DC comic of 1954, I suppose- but I was a little surprised at how content-heavy these stories were; even though they were only 7 pages long, I had to take my time and read the things- there was (of course) a ton of expository dialogue, people constantly explaining everything to each other (this is a John Broome story, after all), and caption after caption explaining the stuff that the characters didn't- but these were also full of action, with several plot twists taking place in each short story. These are, I would imagine, quite indicative of the sorts of tales that were told in the television series.

Devoid of the science-fiction or supernatural (superheroes were, with the exception of Superman and Batman, remember, still yet to make their comeback) trappings of the pre-Code era, I get the distinct impression that DC wasn't aiming these comics at the average 10-year-old reader. Even though they scan a lot like the 60's Silver Age DC stuff we all know and love, really, the dialogue and situations are of a more adult, that is to say grown-up, nature. Surprisingly so, at least to me. Readers today, especially those who are enthralled with noir-type comics such as Brubaker and Phillips' Criminal, might find something of interest in this series (at least, that's an assumption based on a very limited sample group). This was a nice and unexpected find; however, the mundanity of the subject matter ensures that I'm not especially moved to go out and seek any more. It is interesting to note, though, that it is a TV tie-in publication- even featuring a little ad for the show at the end of the last story (Thursday night, 9:30 Eastern, CBS in case you were wondering)...and that's something that's going on even today, what with DC's recent hardcover collection of Heroes (which is sitting on the stereo over there, daring me to unwrap it even now), as well as the Dark Horse Joss Whedon adaptations and others. The more things change, I guess, the more they stay the same.

Please allow me to get political, just for a few minutes.



Look, I think by now most of you have made up your mind about whether or not you're going to vote, or who you're going to vote for. I seriously doubt that I will be able to sway your opinion one way or the other at this point, if I ever could.

But, today is a very important day, not just in and of itself because of Election Day, but of its potential implications for the near and far future...so I thought I'd say a few words, and you can take them as you will. Or leave them. Or whatever.

I voted early this morning for Barack Obama. You know, this guy:



There are a lot of people out there who are doubters, haters and skeptics, for various reasons. Maybe they've been disappointed too many times by corrupt and just plain stupid elected officials who have far too often taken the low road. Maybe they're just conditioned to expect the worst of people and always expect the worst possible thing to happen...if nothing else, so if something positive happens they'll be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps they're laboring under the delusion that the Republican party is the party of belief in God, and a vote for any Republican candidate is a vote for someone who is as religious as they perceive themselves to be, or want to be. There are some who just want to be contrary- they fancy themselves as iconoclasts, able to read between the lines and glean insight that seems to elude those not as smart or gifted as they perceive themselves to be.

And I'm here to tell you that I have, in years past, found myself in that skeptical role. I always held that all politicians are bought and sold, and beholden to special interests to some degree. That kept me from registering to vote when I was 18; In 1980 I knew Reagan was a pandering sham and a front for more shadowy interests, but Carter's performance in office was underwhelming, so registering was not a priority (C'mon, I was 20. Callow youth.) and by the time my conscience got to me it was too late to register. Finally, in 1984, I put my name down and cast my vote for Mondale (and my uncle at the time, who ran for sheriff and brought me the paperwork)...but America didn't agree with me. Perhaps it was all the right-wing writing I was reading in Rolling Stone and other publications, who knows, but I've always leaned liberal even though politicians of both stripes have consistently let me down- even Bill Clinton, who struck me as a smooth-talking snake-oil salesman type, but also who I thought had some good intentions, even though he didn't get a lot of cooperation in getting them carried out. The whole Monica thing didn't bother me in the slightest, not being one who is especially concerned about the moral foibles of our Commanders-in-Chiefs, as long as the decisions they make about other, non-personal-life matters are sound. I knew back in 2000 that we were in trouble when Bush Junior got himself placed in office, though- he just seemed like an idiot through and through, coasting along and getting where he was through connections and family, and wrapping himself in the flag with a Bible held in front of him to charm the God-botherers who voted for him in droves. Nothing I have seen in the last eight years has made me rethink this conviction.

Anyway, to rein this in a bit, I too have been very skeptical about politicians of both parties for a long time now. Which is why I am surprised to find myself liking Obama so much. I remember when I first heard of him, he sounded promising but a bit green, and I was surprised when he threw his hat in the ring as soon as he did. He may be as untested as they say (exactly how "tested" does one need to be? How "tested" was Dubya? It's all in who you surround yourself with), and may turn out to be scamming us all...and he may have some sort of baleful hidden agenda that will cause everyone who votes him into office to regret it for the rest of their lives. But I don't think so. He seems to be the polar opposite of Bush Jr.; a reasoner. A thinker. Someone who respects the opinions of others and encourages dissent in order to get insight, rather than someone who shoots from the hip with snap judgments, shooting first and asking questions later, afraid to appear tentative or indecisive lest he be perceived as weak. I, for one, want an intelligent man in that position in the White House.

He's going to have a tough row to hoe, no doubt about it. The mess that 8 years of Bush and Cheney (and yes, some of Clinton's mess too) is not going to be cleaned up quickly or easily. However, I believe that having Obama in office will open doors that are now shut to those who would be able to assist, and I believe that he will surround himself with people who are similarly inclined to thought and discourse. Not yes-men, but people who can provide important input. And the thought of having such people in these positions of influence fills me with a cautious optimism...which is a refreshing change from the resigned cynicism I've had before. And this is not to mention the mostly positive effect it will have on our relations with the rest of the world.

I don't know. Obama may get in over his head, and be a spectacular failure. And if that happens, we're all well and truly screwed. But I like our chances with a man like him in charge. I hope you agree.


("Rock the Vote" art ganked from Lethologica.)

Sending out Bacardi Show Birthday Greetings, whether he wants them or not, to the great STEVE DITKO, who observed his 81st today. Hasn't been all that long ago that I held forth on the Sturdy One, so I won't bore you again, but I didn't want to let the occasion pass without at least making note of it and taking the opportunity to post just a fraction of his work, including a knockout interior page below from one of his Warren stories- Eerie #10 to be precise. Hope he's had a great day, and is happy and loved. Really.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!

Tonight's the final round of Friday Night Fights: Ladies' Night, and for this momentous occasion I present three pages of Vixen, doing that thing she do. This is from the first issue of her ongoing miniseries Vixen: Return of the Lion, on sale in finer comics selling establishments everywhere. Writin' by G. Willow Wilson, artin' by Cafu. Gesundheit.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT.

From The Johnny Bacardi Show

IMA GUNNA GET NEW COMEEKS THIS WEEK.

And they are:

CRIMINAL 2 #6
FINAL CRISIS #4
HELLBLAZER #248
SCALPED #22

UNKNOWN SOLDIER #1 (I know, I already reviewed this one. I explained that whole thing the other day.)

DAREDEVIL #112
BLUE BEETLE #32

HELLBOY IN THE CHAPEL OF MOLOCH is by none other than Mike Mignola! I've been wondering for a long time what his take on Hellboy would be like and...oh. Wait. Heh. Never mind.

MADAME XANADU #5 sports a loverly cover, I think anyway. Check it:
Madame Xanadu Issue 5 Cover by ~Tentopet on deviantART

THE BOYS #24

Also, while I'm thinking about it:

From The Johnny Bacardi Show

Sometimes I'm not so sure that one hand knew what the other hand was doing in the early days of Marvel; note the "Scarlet" Witch on the above cover.

As you can tell from all the above display, it's time for another Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting slash Tribute! Today's spotlight is on that Master of the Macabre, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, who according to Tom turns the big 60 today.

I don't know exactly when I first laid eyes on Wrightson's work; I'm sure I saw it on the spinner rack on a cover of one of DC's (or perhaps Marvel- he did a couple of things for them in the very early 70's) horror-themed books...but the first place I recall becoming aware of it was in Swamp Thing #4, which was the first issue of that seminal series that I ever picked up and read. I also think it was not long after that I spotted this ad (top of the page if you click) for DC's Shadow comic, which eventually ended up being done by Mike Kaluta (with ink assists from Bernie at various junctures, including total inks on #3). And as with so many of his early-mid 70's peers that I've written about lately- Kaluta, Chaykin, Simonson, etc- I was absolutely blown away. Didn't miss an issue of Swampy after that (but it wasn't just for Wrightson's art- I really liked that series, even after he sadly left with issue #10), and I grabbed up any and every thing I saw that he drew, even covers, for most of the major companies like Warren, where he did some of his finest work. We're talking serious obsession here, folks- back when I was laboring under the foolish notion that I wanted to draw comics one day, I would literally copy entire panels out of Swamp Thing comics, trying to nail that fluid style he had, in which everything he drew seemed to be perpetually coiled and in motion, like the folds of clothing and drapes that he drew so well. Of course, I eventually found out about the Studio (which he shared with Kaluta, Jeffrey Jones and Barry Smith, favorites all) and its attendant portfolio book, which I bought as soon as I could find it in 1979, and eventually discovered (most likely via Pal Dave) that he was the latest in a long line of horror/fantasy artists such as Frank Frazetta, "Ghastly" Graham Ingels, Wally Wood, Jack Davis and others, and these were his direct influences. I bought the Frankenstein portfolio, and marveled at its insane detail and amazing fine-line rendering. Hell, when my son was born in 1982, I almost named him after Mr. Wrightson...but I just didn't know if I wanted to keep explaining to people why (not to mention my son having to explain it years later) so I decided against it. Anyway, that just shows to go ya how much into Mr. Wrightson's work I was as a young man.

Sadly, as time has passed his work has lost some of the qualities which attracted me to it so intensely in my teenage years; I think it's just my evolving tastes more than any loss of facility on his part. Still, for my money, comics art doesn't get much better than the output he produced from roughly 1969 till 1980 or so- and in that spirit, I hope Bernie has a wonderful birthday, and many more. And will always wonder why he added the "e" back to the end of his first name.

Here's Mr. Wrightson's official website.

Here's a cover gallery.

Also, here's "The Black Cat", scripted and illustrated by Wrightson.

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Time once more for CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately October 11 through October 25, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

100 BULLETS #96: After last issue's detour into grim irony, we finally get to find out the outcome of the big Dizzy-Lono fight in #94. Also, we get a cool/funny phone conversation between Graves and the big Hawaiian. Otherwise, as we head into the home stretch, (repeat after me) another well-done issue what will engage the already engaged, baffle the uninitiated, and even baffle the initiated upon occasion. I think I'll continue to cut and paste this review for the next 4 issues. A-

AIR #3: For this they cancelled American Virgin? C+

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #'s 15-21: Hugely entertaining little serial adventure in which Batgirl and Catwoman play cat and mouse for seven issues' worth of fast-paced and funny shenanigans, even getting Batman and most of his rogues' gallery involved via a detour into Arkham in the process...and all over the stolen notebook of Comissioner Gordon, which Babs lost and Selina stole. And how can I not mention the total fanboy service Gotham sex club scene which I so nicely posted for you all the other day? Typically well drawn by Kevin Maguire, expressive as always, and surprisingly well written by Fabian Nicenza, he of a million dour and dire X-books for Marvel in the Nineties, who manages to channel Giffen and DeMatteis' bwah effectively and consistently. I hope they collect this, and you should too. A

THE BOYS #23: Perhaps it's because the history lesson is finally over and we're back to the usual goings-on, this issue seemed to flow better. Of course, you just knew Garth was gonna get around to taking the piss out of the whole X-Men thing eventually, and that time has come in spades. By now I think you know what to expect from this book, and if you don't, you just haven't been paying attention. For them what likes, and I do like, here is more. A-

B.P.R.D.: THE WARNING #4: This story zigged when I thought it was going to zag, and has lost a lot of its effectiveness when it abruptly switched to a soldiers-vs.-giant robots scenario from the more interesting weird robed guy that haunts Liz Sherman's dreams storyline. I guess that's still there, but it's been folded into a narrative that I think is trying to do too much all at once, and not even the great Guy Davis can prop it up all that much. B-

FABLES #77: I'm beginning to wonder exactly is going on with this title, even though Bill Willingham helpfully tries to explain in the text page- by committing to extending this series beyond its preplanned ending, he runs the risk of anticlimax...but he also kinda sabotaged his climax by presenting it as such a fait accompli. So. I think I should just give up wondering where he's going and try and enjoy the ride, I suppose, and that's easy to do when you give me Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (two of my favorite fictional characters of all time) in everything but name, and wonder of wonders, you do a very good job of writing them to boot. Mark Buckingham, now inked by Andrew Pepoy, does his typical Mark Buckingham thing, you know, that thing he's been doing for several years now. A-

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #2: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #3: More of the same dour mix of superheroics, violence, dimestore theology, philosophy, and other -sophys, filtered through the prism of Jack Kirby, John Ostrander, George Romero flicks, and Gotham Central. It does tie in, tangentially, to FC so if you're trying to play along at home it warrants your attention, or if like me you still have a little affection for the Spectre character, or the new Question, or the new Batwoman. Otherwise, you might want to steer clear because this is a slog. C+

FINAL CRISIS: ROGUE'S REVENGE #3: Now this is a Final Crisis tie-in with teeth- Johns writes these scowling Flash baddies like he was in a bad mood himself when he did so, and it adds the the general sour tone. Some genuinely surprising events here, too, with Libra and the Rogues, even though there is the requisite carnage and grimness as well. If you're going to wallow in this sort of thing, then for gosh sakes don't be half-assed about it, and Johns gets that. Scott Kolins's art is busy and over-rendered, and is a little too distracting because of it, but it's serviceable. One of the more effective FC tie-ins, if you ask me. A-

FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1: This reads so clumsily for about 3/4 of its duration that I thought Grant was employing ghost writers to help him stay caught up in the course of this sprawling out-of-control crossover monster he's created, but a second reading assures me he hasn't, which is a little dismaying because it's just so obvious and flatfooted. But then he shows us Jefferson Pierce aka Black Lightning, AND I SPOIL HERE, newly converted to anti-life, burning the same books that he so stiffly and long-windedly spent most of the the story extolling the virtues of, SPOILER OVER, and I was actually horrified and saddened at the sight of it. Maybe it's just the book reader in me, dunno, but that one scene redeems for me what was mostly a poorly drawn and slovenly written comic. Oh, and you might want to read this before you read Final Crisis #4. Unless you read my spoiler sentence, then I may have saved you three bucks. C+

GREATEST HITS #2: Second issue of this clever miniseries doesn't really break new ground, but does continue to expand the core conceit beautifully. Dave Tischman continues to prove that he's not just Howard Chaykin's mouthpiece. I think Pete Best should read this and see that it could have been worse. Also, another great job by Glenn Fabry on art, no big surprise there either. The act you've known for all these years. A

HAWAIIAN DICK: SCREAMING BLACK THUNDER #5: Yeah, sure, it's tardy, and the resolution of the whole ghost pilots in the sky thing was a bit anticlimactic. But I like what Moore's doing with the ancillary characters, especially the would-be crime boss they call the Thinker, who seems to have had a meeting with, gasp, someone who's dead- or is he? (cue thunder crash, or volcano rumble)...and the subplot involving Byrd and the mysterious P.I. who's come to the island is promising as well. Scott Chantler, you made a believer out of me; I wasn't sure your style was a good fit at first but I came to accept it and even enjoy it before it was done. Now get back to work on Northwest Passage, Scott, okay? A-

HEXED #1: Another BOOM! title that just screams "film me!" A mix of a lot of elements from a lot of places, Hexed! gives us a young lady named "Lucifer", uh huh, who is a thief for hire whose specialty is stealing supernatural objects. One of her patrons is a snobby art gallery director, with whom she has a Devil Wears Prada-type relationship. She's approached by a not-welcome fellow from her past who coerces her into working off her "debt" to him by stealing some arcane object called a "Carasinth", and she's off, using necromancy of a most disgusting sort to find a way to the demon's realm in which the object is kept. It reminds me of lots of things- Supernatural, Charmed, Tru Calling, Hellblazer, Image Comics' Strange Girl from a couple of years ago, and probably others I'm too braindead to think of at present- but curiously enough, this is enjoyable enough...which is to say that the dialogue's not terribly cliched, and even though the situations are a bit familiar they're at least not especially contrived, or at least one doesn't notice them being so. Artist Emma Rios tells a story well enough, although her pencils aren't really done any favors by digitally inking them in lieu of actual inks, plus the garish colors really are hard on the eyes. A nip here and a tuck there, and this could get its feet under it and become interesting, I do believe. B

JOKER GN: They say this isn't trying to tie in with the Dark Knight flick but that's bullshit. We get the sort of story that they used to sell as an "Elseworlds" one-shot, all gussied up and in hardcover, to hopefully attract the attention of the punters at Barnes & Noble. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And all told, this isn't a bad story per se...it's certainly intense, and Brian Azzarello mostly succeeds in capturing Heath Ledger's randomness in his portrayal of the character, but it's also an uninspired, by-the-numbers story we've seen in all sorts of places before. Azz sets up an alternate Gotham City in which the Joker returns from an unspecified period away at Arkham, how he got out no onee knows and he ain't tellin'- and seeks to reestablish his kingdom by any means possible, including gratuitous violence. We witness this through the eyes of reader stand-in Jackie Frost, ha ha, who soon finds out, of course, that he's getting more than he bargained for. We also get some re-imagined Gotham villains, most notably a weird-ass Riddler simulacrum that may just be the most memorable thing in the whole book. Art is by Lee Bermejo, who I remember as doing a bang-up job on Hellblazer a while back, and he does fine for the most part, even though most of his figure drawings are excessively rendered to the point where they resemble paper that's been wadded up and re-spread out. He's a solid craftsman, though, and he makes this look pretty good. Problem is, there's nothing here, other than some visual fake-outs, that we haven't seen in the last decade or so of Batman proper comics...which would seem to diminish the appeal to the hardcore comics fan and limit prospective sales to those who don't know all that much about Batman comics history, but liked the movie, and are seeking a printed sample of more in that vein. And maybe I'm naive and foolish, but I can't imagine that there are that many of that sort of readers out there. C+

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #19: Even though Johns has been on a minor winning streak lately, this was the first issue of this title that I've come away disappointed in since I started reading it. I still have a hard time figuring out why they're all following gargantuan, wish-granting Gog around; I know, they want to keep an eye on him, but there's not a hell of a lot they can do with him if he decides to act out; and the whole battle-within-the-team thing was just contrived and tiresome. Oh well, at least we got some good characterization, mostly involving the people left back home, specifically the charming Cyclone and her pet chimp, and the usual solid art. B+

MEAT CAKE #17: As I've said on numerous occasions, Dame Darcy's whimsically primitive work is a hate-it-or-love-it proposition, and I love it, even though I'll be damned if I can tell you why exactly. A convincing argument could be made by this issue, I do believe- its three stories are some of the best things, both story and art-wise, I've even seen her do...the fairy story, the rude/crude rockstar story, and the expansive, imaginative, dare I say even epic "Spider Silk Tropics", starring her standard repertoire of characters, are all done with a passion and commitment, and yet also with a wink and a nod, and that, I do think, is the mark of an outstanding storyteller. I think, if (to borrow a turn of phrase from Ian Anderson, of all people) you're geared towards the exceptional rather than the average, then I think you might come to agree with me. A

MANHUNTER #35: Kate's still trying to bring down the metahuman farm in Mexico, and this turns out to be another all-star fight issue for the most part- par for the course for a struggling title trying to claw its way up the sales charts. For this sort of thing, it's well-handled enough although I find myself hoping that they move on to other things before this run is done. The subplot with her kid is working OK, and the subplot with Chase just pisses me off. B

TINY TITANS #9: Cute. A-

UNKNOWN SOLDIER #1: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. B+

ZOMBIE TALES #6: This one's a bit better than #5; fewer ambiguous endings. Lead story has a OK twist at the end; Skywald-worthy, if not Warren-worthy; third story was clever enough in its Shaun of the Dead kinda way, and I liked the sentiment at the end. Second story, by our boy Ian Brill and Toby Cypress, is enigmatic in all the right ways, and Cypress' loose, sketchy but never hard to parse art is outstanding, reminding me of people like Paul Pope or Joe Kubert. Ian, lord love him, has come up with another interesting spin on zombie stories, and I'd like to read more about that Henry Carve guy. Hopefully we'll get to. B+

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!

It's still Ladies' Night at Bahlactus' four-color squared circle, and my offering tonight is a scrap involving a character of which I knew a whole bunch of nothing: MISS MASQUE. She appeared in comics published by a company of which I was equally ignorant, Nedor Comics. I think a lot of the characters published by this company, including the Fighting Yank and the Black Terror, have been revived for modern audiences at least twice, the most recent being Alan Moore's America's Best Comics, in the pages of Tom Strong and I also seem to recall a one-shot or series of minis or something. Anyway, Miss M is secretly Canadian socialite Diana Adams (why were Golden Age heroines always socialites? Guess they had more time on their hands, I dunno), who solves mysteries and fights crime- even risking getting shot at by the Devil! Aw, OK, it's not really ol' Beelzebub, but it is a compelling visual, eh? Anyway, the names of the writer and artist of this little opus have been lost to the sands of time. But, thanks to the fine folks at Nedor-A-Day, we can still enjoy her, and her compatriots', exploits.

BAHLACTUS SAID KNOCK YOU OUT.