This and that, and the Always Popular Other Thing.

I am about to resume blogging; just wanted to let you know. Review post coming later tonight, after I've reread one of the books in question- I've almost forgotten what was in it! Hardly a ringing endorsement, I know...and no, I won't tell you which one it was. Anyway, later tonight.

Today would have been the 128th birthday of former U.S. President Chester Alan Arthur, did you know that? Neither did I, until this morning.
And now, you know.

I did begin what looks like it will be a 3-part look at the Thriller comic over at Trouble With Comics...I don't know if it will be any more or less revelatory than the website, but check it out anyway!

Shh!

...don't wake up the sleeping blogger!

All seriousness aside, I'm not asleep, not right now anyway, but I am being pulled in a number of directions, only one or two blog-related, and something has to give, i.e. this blog. I plan to get back to posting here soon, so please bear with yet another of my extended silences over here. I really do want to have at least 100 posts this year, and I'm still a ways away.

I do have a couple of longish posts up over at Trouble With Comics, so there's that, if you haven't seen them already. I'm fond of the quick-and-dirty image posting over at my Tumblr site as well...a lot of the illustration work I once posted here ends up there now.

I swear by the Hammer of Grabthar I will get back to Hammer Locke eventually, and I have quite a few comics to review once I can get the energy.

So...right. See ya later!

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Once more into the breach, dear friends, with CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, where I opine in shortish fashion about comics that I have bought and/or received and/or read in the interval between August 19 through September 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.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #3: Oh, Grant, Grant. What I am I going to do with you? I complain about needless obfuscation in Seaguy, yet I get dissatisfied when you play it straight here. It's enough to drive a poor comics geek to drink. Anyway, that's not to say that this is bad; anytime Morrison collaborates with Quitely there are multiple pleasures to be had- unfortunately mostly visual this time out, as Frank does the all-hell-breaking-loose resolution of the first story arc in smashing fashion. Recent fans of the Batman R.I.P. storyline have been delighted at the little bit of circular storytelling via the callback to that series which occurs at the end of this one...but I don't count myself among that number. This isn't bad, but it's no All-Star Superman- hell, it's not even in the same league as All-Star Batman and Robin, and it grieves me to say it. B+

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #3: Doesn't say much for your hero when he and his support have to call in the JLA to intimidate the latest threat. Nicely drawn, but dramatically inert. Isn't it about time for another Jingle Belle book? The back feature isn't much better, a disappointingly rote scuffle between costume-less (not naked, unfortunately) Manhunter and Jane Doe that is predictable in every way, and the art adds nothing. C-

DAREDEVIL #500: Well, didn't see that coming necessarily, and I suppose it's at least a new direction, even if that direction points down Angel Street towards Wolfram and Hart. I suppose this is as good a way for Brubaker to exit the title as any. We also get a teaser for Andy Diggle's upcoming stint; a shortish story that brings Ann Nocenti, clumsy writing voice and all, back for a blatant nostalgia wallow, even though frankly (no pun intended there) I don't see how people can possibly be nostalgic for the Miller/Nocenti years when the character hasn't strayed from that path since his Marvel Knights resurrection over a decade ago. Anyway, it's a good-enough story made a lot better by David Aja's art. Finally, we get the standard pinups and a reprint of a Miller story, still effective after all this time (it has been quite a while since I've actually sat down and read those Miller issues, which I don't own anymore)...but sadly, I'm also reminded how much I hated Klaus Janson's inks then; sure, he could spot a black like nobody's business and was a deft hand with zip-a-tone, but his clunky, brittle line highlighted every shortcoming in Miller's equally clunky figure work, and he never made any penciller better except perhaps Sal Buscema. Anyway, as 500th issues go, this is just fine. I don't know why you'd want to get this, though, if you don't own the previous 125 or so. A-

DETECTIVE COMICS #856: Guess I need to dig my Rucka/Martinbrough 90's-00's issues of Detective out of storage and reread, because I sure don't recall any storylines with morphing monster people in them. It's been a while, though, and I don't have every one of them, so I'm sure I just missed it. Anyway, doesn't matter, because they just add another layer of weird to an already odd story arc...and besides, it's the art that's the star here anyway, especially in a wonderful formal-ball fundraiser scene that features lots of well-staged sexual banter and some genuine tension of more than one kind; for the first time, Rucka provides enough to keep Williams from having to do all the heavy lifting and it really pays off. The Question backup pales in comparison, remaining bland and unmemorable, just the sort of story that got backup stories killed off before. A-

FINAL CRISIS: RUN #'s 4, 5: Somehow I neglected to opine on #4; guess it got lost in the shuffle of losing my laptop. Anyway, it's pretty much on a par with its successor; despite the utter lack of anything remotely approaching a sympathetic character (even the Justice Leaguers are smart-ass dicks), Matt Sturges is somehow keeping me interested in the squalid goings-on as the Human Flame continues to run from, and confront, both the "good" guys and the "bad" guys who wish to a) kill him, or at least beat him up a lot before bringing him to justice, and b) kill him. Another writer might want to make us feel empathy for poor ol' misunderstood Flamey, but not Sturges- Flame keeps backstabbing, blinding, maiming, and dumping on anyone who comes in contact with him with one goal only- to become more powerful than those hunting him. He manages to achieve this in the cliffhanger ending of #5, what happens next remains to be seen and I'm happy to say that when all bets seem to be off to the degree it is here, well, who knows how it will end. Artwise, the hypermuscled style Freddie Williams brings to bear is not always a favorite of mine- think of a slightly more restrained Bart Sears- but he does a good job of ramping up the tension via pacing and layouts. By far the best of the Final Crisis Aftermath books I've read so far. B+

GREEN LANTERN #45: I don't know, perhaps it's because I'm just not following all the myriad Blackest Night spinoffs as closely as I should, but half of this was exposition that dealt with events that happened in other books, and the other half was a long, boring, talky fight scene between Sinestro and Star Sapphire that would have gotten me all worked up when I was 15, but just tries my patience now. My admittedly tentative interest in this whole thing has begun to fade. C-

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #17: I suppose it speaks to how comfortable Abnett and Lanning are with all this Cosmic Space Opera stuff that this modest little book is probably the best thing in that narrow, exclusive-to-Marvel genre since Jimbo Starlin broke that ice three decades ago, and the return of Jim's second-most interesting bad guy in this issue underscores it. The art, by Brad Walker, Victor Olazaba, and Scott Hanna blends together well and acheives a nice dynamism necessary for the breathless pace. Of course, this is still tying in with the War of Kings thing, but not to the story's detriment. The debriefing scenes annoy, because they're a kind of giveaway as far as who makes it through the events described (as if we didn't know anyway) and there are a couple of arbitrary cast member deaths that we all know probably won't last, but otherwise, this remains a very enjoyable little space romp. A-

HELLBLAZER #258: Things keep going from bad to worse for poor ol' Conjob, as the mess he started keeps escalating, as it so often does for him. Effective Hammer-horror goings-on, effectively rescuing what seemed like a (again, no pun intended) DOA storyline just two months ago. Artist Giuseppe Camuncoli seems to finally be in a groove as well, just in time for Simon Bisley to step in next issue. This prospect is not one which excites me; I've never really been a fan of his work. Oh well, I'll continue to roll with the changes, as the song goes. B

HEROGASM #4: In which Garth gives us one of the more squirrely 9/11 conspiracy theories you'll ever run across, and this continues to slowly but surely build to a, well, climax, for lack of a better term, and I have to wonder what the ramifications will be for the main book. McCrea's art has been inconsistent, depending on who inks; I think this was his best issue yet, not coincidentally because he inked himself. B+

IMMORTAL WEAPONS #2: The Weapon with all the spiders (Bride of Nine, or somesuch) gets her turn, as does Damned (I wish to Jebus the second trade would come out!) writer Cullen Bunn, and he gives us a pretty good old dark house-style mystery story in addition to a times-past account of the Bo9S's early history as well; the clash between the modern artifact-chase thread and the ancient battle-in-China scenarios is handled nicely. A big benefit is some slightly surprisingly (well, not so- he's a tremendous artist in whatever media he chooses) good pencil-and-ink work by Dan Brereton, stepping out of his painted comfort zone and showing a style that betrays a lot of Gene Colan, Don Newton, and I'd bet Gray Morrow influence. It looks mah-velous, despite three, count 'em three inkers. Not so mah-velous, but pretty darn good just the same, is the back feature, the continuation of the Iron Fist story by Duane Swiercynski and Travel Foreman that I'd bet was intended for the next few issues of Immortal Iron Fist. A-

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #133: With Herc off pretending to be Thor, we look in on Amadeus Cho as he tries to get to the bottom of the events that lead to the death of his parents, his sister's disappearance, and why he's regarded as the "seventh smartest person in the world". What he finds is one of those "town under the thrall of an evil, mind-controlling genius" scenarios, but Van Lente and Pak typically handle it with a light touch, and have my interest. Love the reference to the wonderfully cheesy old Sci-Fi B-movie Fiend Without a Face in the floating brains scenes, and we get yet another amusing recap at the beginning. So far, gotta go with the Thorcules story as the most entertaining, but Amadeus' at least has me wondering where it's heading. I wish the art was a bit better; it's slick and professional looking, and Photoshopped up real purty, but it lacks personality, that little something extra that makes the eye sit up and take notice. Oh well, could be worse. B+

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #17: I suppose this is the time-honored "darkness before the dawn" type issue; things certainly don't look good for Pepper, Maria Hill, and especially Tony Stark, whose self-inflicted memory loss keeps getting worse and worse. Of course, I've been reading comics long enough to know that whatever happens won't be as dire as it seems it's going to be...but Fraction is enough of a wild card as a writer to raise the specter of possibility that something significant might...just might happen. The whole "Dark Reign" background remains a fertile ground for interesting character interaction as well. Salvador Larocca continues to provide adequate, but unexceptional art. B+

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #30: The character interaction was OK, I guess, but otherwise this is just another slickly done generic spandex slugfest, mostly bereft of the more purposed feel that Johns brought to the party. Nice to see Eclipso back, although the last time I saw the character, he was a she, Jean Loring to be precise. Guess something happened in some comic or another I didn't read. Oh well, if this is the kind of retro back-to-the-80's-feel comics you're looking for, then I guess this is as good a place to get it as any. Me, I'm beginning to think my time could be spent doing something else more worthwhile. That Cyclone sure is cute, though. D+

MADAME XANADU #14: Sandman Mystery Theatre nostalgia continues unabated as Wagner gives us Wesley Dodds in full gas mask and fedora regalia this issue, as he encounters Madame X in the course of an investigation. So for that, if nothing else, this issue is a winner, and the encounter is done very well, as is the alternate Spanish Inquisition flashback. Mike Kaluta's art is a bit better this time out as well; of course, it's as finely detailed and expertly staged as usual, with excellent period detail as well, but the awkward figure drawings in evidence last time are practically nonexistent. Another fine chapter of this consistently good series. A-

POWER GIRL #4: This one thankfully returns to what made her previous miniseries, as well as the subsequent Terra series, as much fun to read as it was, as PG and her young friend team up to battle a magical ecoterrorist. It also helps that no matter how dire your script may be, putting Amanda Connor in charge of illustrating it is a recipe for success, she's just great as usual. This is the first issue that I can recommend to the curious, and for the first time, I hope it continues, and not just so I can see more Connor art. A-

SCALPED #31: The plight of Dash Bad Horse and the fallout from Red Crow's actions i the previous issue provide most of the story impetus this time out, although there are many other interesting things going on in the background. More of the hard-hitting dramatics we've all come to expect from Aaron and Guera. A

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ECLIPSO: Growing up, I read a lot of comic books that were written by Bob Haney. I read many, many issues of Teen Titans, Metamorpho, Aquaman, and later on I was a regular buyer of The Brave and the Bold until I was in my early twenties. I generally liked Mr. Haney's work, as awkwardly dialogued and as jerry-rigged, plotwise, as it could be- he was rarely dull, and usually always seemed to be enjoying what he was writing. So believe me when I tell you that this is easily the worst Bob Haney stuff I've ever read. That said, I've always liked the Eclipso character, when he would pop up here and there in comics I'd read as a kid; you may recall the Metal Men story I wrote about the other day as one example. Ol' Clipsy seemed like a great, hissable villain, ruthless and evil and with a cool visual style and power. But the first run of Eclipso stories saw print (1963-1965) before I really started buying a wide variety of comics (or, more accurately, had my mom and dad buy them, heh), and while I'm sure I saw issues of House of Secrets on the racks, I guess there were just others I was more interested in. The first time I read an Eclipso solo story (i.e., not as a villain in Justice League or whatever), it was a reprint that appeared in Archie Goodwin's 1970's Detective Comics run; it was illustrated by Alex Toth, whose work I remember liking when I saw it in other places like CARtoons and other DC books. The story didn't make much of an impression on me, and reading it now once more as one of the selections in this collection, I can see why. I'm kinda getting ahead of myself here, I know, so to sum up so far: Appearing in House of Secrets #'s 61-80 (he closed the book down the first time, before they revived it with supernatural stories), Eclipso was an attempt to do a Sci-Fi kind of Jekyll & Hyde tale; probably inspired by the success Marvel eventually had with the Hulk, it's the story of a young scientist named Bruce Gordon who ran afoul of a hostile tribal chief named Mophir on an island, and who was scratched by the chief's mysterious black diamond as he plunged to his death in a scuffle with Gordon. After that, every time an eclipse of the sun or moon occurred, Gordon would transform into Eclipso, a malevolent doppleganger who used the power of the diamond to carry out his evil schemes, most notably by firing a black power beam out of his eye through the dark gem. Also mixed up in this is Gordon's mentor, Professor Bennett, and his daughter, Bruce's fiance, Mona. At first, only the Prof knows Bruce's secret, but eventually Mona gets wise. Anyway, right off the bat, we see that Haney isn't interested in exploring this schism; Gordon is portrayed as a stoic, heroic, good guy and Eclipso is cunning, vicious and cruel- but Haney never seeks to establish that perhaps this is a side of Gordon that he was never able to release, until the magic black diamond enabled him to do so. The typical plots, as the series went on, usually always followed a basic template: eclipse happens (or light passes over him and puts him in shadow, it often got ridiculous how many different ways Haney enabled Bruce's changes- eclipses don't happen nearly as often in real life as they do in these stories), Bruce changes (or splits off, that happened later), raises hell for no real good reason except some sort of vague "conquer the world/nation/something" master plan that only seemed to exist as a reason for 'Clipsy to act evil, Bruce and the Prof concoct a way to change Bruce back (often several times in a story), and eventually they get rid of Eclipso for good- or do they? Haney, to his credit, did seek to change things up from time to time- a (probably editor-mandated) team up with book-mate Prince Ra-Man, which was pretty much the highlight of the post-Toth issues simply because it was different, and contriving ways to physically separate Gordon and Eclipso, to allow for more movement of both and potential conflict, I suppose. Regardless, these stories, even the handful illustrated by the great Toth, are depressingly routine and often nonsensical; as so many writers did back then, the characters are constantly explaining and describing everything to everyone, and with the exception of Ra-Man, there was not one memorable villain in the entire run. After a few early issues by Lee Elias, whose Caniffesque style was fine, if unexciting, Toth took over for about six issues and delivered a typically outstanding job- he was really coming into the style that he became loved for. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be especially engaged with the scripts (I can only imagine what he must have thought of them, as finicky and outspoken as he could be), and his imaginative layout style is subsumed in favor of just the basics. He doesn't even letter many of them; the one or two that he does really stand out by comparison. Eventually, after Toth moved on (probably to Hanna-Barbera), Jack Sparling took over, and his grubby, awkward style really looked lackluster and unimpressive. I'm sure he was a reliable artist, and not without talent, but while he could do a mean horror/mystery tale he was all wrong for superhero action- as he proved not only here but on Metamorpho and other titles as well in his mid-late 60's stint with DC. So that's what you're getting with this package, I'm sorry to say- the worst of Bob Haney, and some awfully uninspired at best and sloppily-rendered, bland at worst art. Eventually, Eclipso kept popping up in other places, usually as a bad guy, until he finally was done well by Walt Simonson, and his notorious 1980's solo series had some definite highlights in the course of its 18 issues too. No wonder it took so long, seeing what we were given at the beginning- this is by no stretch the best of Silver Age DC at all. Recommended for Toth completists only; this would get a big fat D if not for him. C-

Trouble Waiting to Happen.

I don't usually repost press notices here when I get them, but I thought I could make an exception with this...

Comic Book Galaxy Expands in Tenth Year with New Group Blog TROUBLE WITH COMICS

(The Comics Internet) -- Now in its tenth year of pushing comix forward, Comic Book Galaxy has had as few as one and as many as two dozen contributors at any given time in its history. As it rolls into its tenth year, the Galaxy is expanding once again with the creation of the new group blog TROUBLE WITH COMICS.

Comic Book Galaxy publisher Alan David Doane says in his post introducing the new blog that "[Trouble with Comics] grew out of conversations with my good friend and partner in thoughtcrime Chris Allen, as I was assembling my recent eBook, Conversations with ADD. I had to dig into the Galaxy's deepest, hidden recesses to find some of the material for the eBook, and Chris helped me pound it all into shape. As we worked together on all that, I think we both realized just how much we missed feeling the rush we got from the most exciting times we had together (and sometimes separately) on Comic Book Galaxy. With that in mind, we started talking to good writers we knew, some who wrote for Comic Book Galaxy in the past, some who are new faces around the Galaxy Clubhouse but who nonetheless agree with our stated goal of 'pushing comix forward.'"

Edited by Galaxy veterans Alan David Doane and Christopher Allen, the mix of contributing writers to TROUBLE WITH COMICS includes returning Comic Book alumni Johnny Bacardi, d. emerson eddy, Mick Martin, Marc Sobel and Diana Tamblyn, as well as writers new to Comic Book Galaxy like Alex Ness, Matt Springer, and David Wynne.

TROUBLE WITH COMICS will include regular reviews and features, as well as interviews, profiles, previews and more. Among the features currently on the blog is the first in a new series of Five Questions interviews by Alan David Doane, this one featuring comics writer Ron Marz.

You can read TROUBLE WITH COMICS by going to www.comicbookgalaxy.com/troublewithcomics/ and subscribe to its RSS feed at http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/troublewithcomics/atom.xml .


And that's the way it is. I know, I know, I hear you saying "But JB, you can't even maintain a regular posting schedule on your OWN blog, how you gonna contribute to this?" And that's a good question. I'm thinking and hoping the great talent assembled there will prod and inspire me. I do have one longish post in the works, one which I've been asked to do by more than one person, so there's that...and plans are afoot for theme weeks and that sort of thing, which I think I could take part in as well. Regardless, I think ADD and the rest are OK with my irregular posting, so we'll see how it works out.



Guess you can call me "Trouble Man" for now...

Guess ants won't be a problem.

I was going through my Google Reader feed, and noticed a post in which someone waxed enthusiastic about this cover for the new Adventure Comics #2. And that's fine, it's a romantic image, well drawn by promising newcomer Francis Manapul. I can see why this person liked it; it evokes the classic-for-some Superman-flying-with-Lois scene from the first Superman flick, and I always appreciate a comic book cover that employs understatement rather than the usual hysterics.

Problem is, I also look at this cover and wonder exactly what practical purpose having one's picnic thirty feet in the air, on the back of your super-dog no less, would serve. Seems like you'd always be having to fly down to the ground to get this or that, and if you should drop your napkin, well, better have a few more handy! I'm sure this Kon-El character would have anticipated it, because, well, he's super and all that. Poor Krypto will, I'm sure, be begging for scraps, and that could cause some tension-mounting plunging-to-the-ground situations as he scrambles to get them. I'm sure he'll get impatient and be glad when his master gets done pitching woo as he munches on his tunafish sandwich, and heaven help them if he spies a cat on the ground below! Maybe it's just because my soul is a shriveled-up little black thing that resembles a raisin, who knows...but this scenario just looks odd and impractical to me.

Reviews coming. Coming at a snail's pace, but they're coming just the same.

"Tea?"

For your reading pleasure, the three pages which made me a fan of Paul Grist, and his Jack Staff (and later on, Kane) series. I had seen his work before, most notably in an issue of TwoMorrows' Comic Book Artist, which sported a back cover depicting the X-Men, most notably Professor X, in his unusual (well, unusual by mainstream comics standards, especially in the late 90's) style. I think I had also seen him mentioned in the Journal once or twice, I was still buying it regularly then. Anyway, I was intrigued, but by the time I first discovered him Kane had suspended publication, and he had already self-pubbed five issues of Jack, plus I just didn't recall seeing very many issues of either at my comics store, and neither did I want to dive into the back issue boxes and get #'s, oh, 12, 17, and 20 of Kane, then be frustrated for months looking for others. But when I spied Jack #6 on the rack, all brand new and shiny with its loud orange cover, I pounced. I was entertained by Grist's always-lively layout style, with its extreme perspectives and panel placements, along with his deft use of black and white areas...but what really got me was the deceptively simple, very British and understated scripting style he employed, in display above. He's still doing this sort of thing to this day. I've been a fan and a reader ever since, going back and acquiring the back issues of Jack I missed, as well as continuing to pick up the ongoing series, now printed in color by Image. I also went out and got all the collected trades of Kane, a cop series that is even better than Jack in a lot of ways, and one I hope he returns to someday.

All this is in order to send Mr. Grist a Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting on this, his birthday today. Hope it's a good one.


Golly, if it weren't for birthdays, I'd never post anything around here, would I? Anyway, reviews are forthcoming.

Five for Sunday, or Inspiration Often Strikes Late, If At All.

From time to time, I like to participate in Tom Spurgeon's "Five for Friday" series over at the Comics Reporter, which you should all know intimately. If for some strange reason you don't, suffice it to say he calls the tune, and we all dance to it by naming five things which fit the established criteria. I always see the Reader feed on Friday night, usually about 7 or 8 PM CST, and to be frank (or David, or Bob, or...never mind), sometimes I just can't think of anything and am often too tired to make the effort because I am old and feeble.

Anyway, the latest one, which went up today, was themed "Name Your 5 Favorite Funny (And Not-So-Funny) Animals." I was unable to get it up, metaphorically speaking, in time for the deadline of midnight Friday night...but I did think of some and now I will share them with you, including one I've meant to spotlight for a long time.

First of all, a disclaimer- and I realize to some, this may be heresy...but I have never really been a big fan of funny animal comics. Just didn't interest me much as a kid, and that didn't change when I theoretically grew up. I mean sure, I had plenty of funny animal comics- Gold Key Disney Donald Ducks and Mickey Mouses, and liked Pogo and so forth, had a handful of old Howard the Duck comics (although I was not the fan of this character that many were/are) as well as many, many cartoons and films featuring a host of animals, both funny and not-so- but I was never really enticed to buy/watch (or continue to buy/watch on a regular basis) simply because there were anthropomorphic characters. Now, when I came up with this list (and this disclaimer has gone on for a lot longer than I wanted it to), I thought I would name some I didn't see on the others' entries over at Tom's...so rest assured I appreciate and like, nay, even love in some cases the likes of Hobbes, Omaha the Cat Dancer, Ray Smuckles, and so on, even if I don't especially embrace the genre, if that's what you want to call it.

Shall we begin?



1. Fox and the Crow
I don't know, this may technically count as two, but hey- this is not official, it's on my blog, and I'll dance if I want to. Fox and Crow were a DC funny animal title that began in 1952, and ended sometime in late 1967 or early 1968, taken over and replaced by Stanley and His Monster. I have often (well, not really all THAT often) thought that Kevin Smith's butchery of Stanley was brought on because he was a closet Fox & Crow fan. I remember owning a few of the F&C books, with and without Stanley (although more with) as a kid, and I was amused by them...hence their inclusion.



2. Dirty Duck
By Bobby London. One of the best things about the comics section of the National Lampoon. Kinda overlooked and forgotten these days, and that's a shame- I wonder if there's a collection in the offing someday? Should be.



3. Harvard-Harvard
Bob Hope's talking Dachshund, from the Super-Hip days of his comic that I'm always going on about. Pic courtesy of Magic Carpet Burn.




4. The cast of Puppy Action!

OK, now here's an obscure one for ya. Back in 1990, one issue, and one issue alone, of this black and white indie comic came and went, lost in the shuffle of the thousand and one black-and-white funny animal comics of the day. I myself would have never noticed it if not for one Suzanne Boggs Feinstein, who worked at the Great Escape nee Pac-Rat's at the time, and thought it was very funny- and suggested I might find it so as well. And y'know what? I did. It's a fast-paced and amusing, if a tad dated, satire of corporate business, with the boss dog decked out in a crown, and all the usual office types scheming and cutting up behind his back (and in front of him, sometimes). This sort of thing has been done to death by now, and the last story is a type that's been done even more, a satire of Nerd/Geeks at a comics/SF convention, but it predated Office Space as well as Dorkin's Eltingville Club, so that much is going for it, at least. This comic is so forgotten that it doesn't even have an entry on the Grand Comic Database, nor is there one in the Comic Book Database either. Pearlstein went on to develop the animated Sniz & Fondue, which aired as part of Nickelodeon's Ka-Blam! show later in the 90's. What he's done since is unknown to me, certainly a look at his IMDb profile doesn't yield much. Anyway, so you can get a taste, I've scanned two pages- check 'em out below:



And finally...



5. The Talking Fish from Timespirits

This one's a natural, since the plight of Steve Perry has me thinking a lot about this title. This character was perhaps the closest thing that Cusick and Doot had to an arch enemy; he shows up during two different story arcs and causes trouble in both. Speaking of Perry, I hope you all have considered sending something along to help him out. I haven't been able to just yet, but I'm working on something.

Snap, crackle, pop...sluice.

Yesterday was Walt Simonson's birthday, and of course I missed it, as unable to find the time to sit down and focus and write as I seem to be these days. Even still, I thought last night that I would attempt to pay a little tribute of some sort, and I wanted to spotlight a somewhat unheralded and kinda-forgotten art job he did before he went on to Marvel, and Thor, and the FF, and so on: his brief stint on the Metal Men comic back in '76-'77. By this time, he had really begun to perfect the dynamic, playful style he had gotten everyone's attention with in the excellent Manhunter, and this, as well as the last few issues of Hercules Unbound (which he did at about the same time) just blew me away back then. I searched high and low for scans of his MM ( for some reason, I no longer own my originals) run so I could post a few pages for your edification, and finally, one night later, I found some. They were mostly corrupt and wouldn't display properly, but I did manage to find a few great pages from one issue in particular, #49, which was the conclusion of a two-part story involving Eclipso (I've been reading the Showcase Presents that came out a week or so ago, and I'll probably try a longish review soon. relatively speaking.) and his quest to resurrect some sort of ancient god, the likes of which were most popular back in the mid-70's. Apologies for the awful look of these; I don't have a computer at home with Photoshop anymore so I can't touch 'em up. Still, the resolution's OK and they're quite readable.

Anyway, many things jump out at me- the breathless pace of the action, full of speed lines and Simonson's patented lighthearted onomatopoeia; although you can't tell it much from these pages, Simonson made a definite effort to pay homage to Alex Toth's version of not only 'Clipsy but alter ego Bruce Gordon and girlfriend Mona Bennett as well. Marty Pasko's script (I've always felt that his work on this title was his best) was breezy and fun, not written with overwrought imitation Roy Thomas dialogue like so many writers' scripts from that time period were, and Simonson's art brought a lot of that out- look at the last panel of the last page, in which Mercury exclaims "There he goes- sluicing back into the sea!"...and sure enough, he does so accompanied by a big "SLUICE" in wobbly letters, courtesy of the artist. There's also an amusing sequence (in the page at right, click to see biggerer) in which the Big Bad, name of Umbra, fires death-beams out of his fingertips, which seek out their intended targets- humans Doc Magnus, Mona, Gordon, two others- and Walt gives us a panel with helpful little boxes with arrows pointing to each, telling us which target each beam is intended for. Well, I thought it was amusing, anyway.

Anyway, Simonson and Pasko's short-lived Metal Men was good comics. Take my word for it. If I ever run across a set, I'll buy them back someday.

Oh, if you want further testimony to the man's excellence, if any was needed, here's my last year's tribute, with lotsa covers.


Oh, and lest I forget, Tuesday the 1st was the birthday of the great Gene Colan. I wished him a happy one on his Facebook page, 'cause we're all best buds and such. Anyway, here's last year's covers tribute.

Bacardi Show Birthday Greetings to both!

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Yes, it's time once more for CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, where I opine in shortish fashion about comics that I have bought and/or received and/or read in the interval between August 5 through 18, 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.

ACE-FACE, THE MOD WITH THE METAL ARMS: Mike Dawson's other project, which has appeared here and there in Project: Superior and Superior Showcase, is a likable stab at doing superheroics in his idiosyncratic style. It's quite possibly the best comics series ever featuring a character inspired by an album by the Who, as well, so there's that. It deals with a fellow who was born in the early 60's without arms, and "his scientist" (did everyone have scientists of their own back then?) arrive at an unlikely solution: give him experimental, super-strong robot arms, that he can grow into. Of course, as he gets older, he embarks on a crime-fighting career as Ace-Face, the Mod with the Metal Arms, adopting a Who-style circle-arrow t-shirt as his costume, even joining in a couple of super-teams before retiring at the birth of his first child. This collection of shortish stories jumps around all through his career, which ends with him losing his job as a teacher when he stops a student who was doing some vigilantism of his own (more like bullying, actually). I'm sure Mike can draw parallels between his creation and his own life in places, and while I get some Paul Grist-style superhero-tweaking vibes, mostly this reminds me a lot of the stuff Scott McLeod did in the tail end of his Zot!; stories less about superguys and gals, and dealing with more stuff of a personal nature (even though we do get one kinda-fun Claremont-inspired adventure story as he faces an evil mind-controlling villain who forces Ace to fight his U.S. Outcast teammates)...Dawson's art, with its open, clean lines, reminds me a bit of McLoud's in places. Reminding me not so much of McLoud are the gnomish-featured people which populate his stories (with one exception, which I'll discuss in more detail later)...that's his style, nothing wrong with it, but it does draw attention to itself. Rounding out the volume is short stories of a pair of annoyingly bratty kids with superpowers (one is a telekinetic, one can teleport) who constantly pick on each other; it's OK for a while but before long they just get tiresome (their dad would agree), and most interesting of the bunch, an ongoing thread in which Ace-Faces' normal son tries to decide how to deal with unruly punks on the stoop below his apartment- it's drawn in a simpler, thicker-lined style, much different from his usual method, and it reminds me a lot of Paul Grist. I wouldn't mind seeing Dawson go more in this direction on future projects. I don't know if there are more Ace-Face projects on the way, but this collection is worth a look, especially if you like Mike's other work like Freddie and Me. B+

AGENTS OF ATLAS #9: Perhaps this series' best issue yet, as Jimmy Woo tries to pitch, well, Woo to old flame Suwan...but Suwan has, to understate, moved on and moved up in ambition and is no longer receptive to our Jimmy's charms. Lotsa action, too, thought not the kind that poor Jimmy was hoping for. I like the new artist, too- Panosian's art is lively, fairly threatening to bust out of the restrictive panel grid. If you despair of ever seeing good old fashioned honest action and sharp characterization in your funnybooks, and not cynical horror-movie-style wannabe movie-of-the-week potboilers, well, you really should be reading this. And I know there aren't nearly enough of you who are. A-

THE BOYS #33: For those who wondered why Ennis named the character "Butcher". He spends the majority of this issue doing just that to the hapless superpeople who have gotten on his bad side. And it's got you covered both ways, if you're invested enough to care about this comic; the backstory stuff, with its promise of trouble down the road, is involving, and the frontstory stuff gives us Butcher butchering with a sardonic smirk to assholes who seem to have it coming. Plus, John McCrea, not exactly inspiring Hitman nostalgia but not bad just the same. Win-win! B+

B.P.R.D.: 1947 #2: In which Dysart borrows just a smidge from Jonathan Norell and Mr. Strange, and that's just fine because first, no one's oversaturating us with adaptations of that fine novel (with its ambiguous, somewhat disappointing ending) so it's fair game as far as I'm concerned, and also because it's all brought to life quite vividly by the Moon/Ba duo's expressive, mood-evoking artwork. Don't know if I'm going to hold this one in as high a regard as I did 1946, but so far this is another winner from the B.P.R.D. team. A

DOMINIC FORTUNE #1: Welcome back, Howie, it's been a while. Sure, he doesn't exactly stretch out and break new ground on this revival of a Chaykinman character he created in 1974 (I bought 3 Atlas titles off the rack in 1975, and The Scorpion #'s 1 and 2 were two of them), but he sure seems awake and committed for the first time in, well, a long time. Like primo Howie, the humor is glib and sardonic, the action is fast-paced and furious, the layouts are not-as-good-as-80's-Chaykin-but-still-mighty-damn-good, the dames are voluptuous and the "hero" is as square-jawed and handsome as Max Glory, Cody Starbuck, Lord Brian Ironwolf, Reuben Flagg, Monark Starstalker...etc., etc., understandable, since he was roughly third in line in that progression. Anyway, it's also good to see Chaykin back in the late Forties milieu, a period he has a marked affinity for I do believe (well, I think it's post WWII anyway; it's not specified. It's either that or the early 50's judging by the clothes)...and if that wasn't enough, we even get the obligatory blow job scene! Whee! Happy days are here again. If anything, the whole Jewish Dom gets a job as bodyguard, runs afoul of a Nazi scumbag storyline so far seems a mite pedestrian, blowjobs or no, but I have no doubt that it will get better. Besides, how can I resist a comic in which the lead quips "Like I said, boys...behave yourselves, like gentlemen...or it's goodbye booze and cooze...hello hot fudge sundaes at C.C. Brown's."? I ask you. A-

FABLES #87: Buckingham returns, plot is advanced, and more bad stuff continues to accumulate around our poor beleaguered cast. In short, another solid issue of this most consistent of good reads. At least we don't get zombie Fafhrd and Mouser this issue. B+

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #5: Gee, it seems like the wait between this one and #4 was about the same interval as between my review posts, doesn't it? Oh well, it was worth it because this is shaping up to be another excellent weaving of folklore and Mignola-lore, and for me, anyway, Duncan Fregredo's dynamic art is always worth the money. Yeah, sure, this is kinda the same basic plot- Hellboy runs afoul of some powerful evil magical being, usually female, who threatens trouble and wants to take over the mundane world- that we usually get for the more extended HB stories, but again, no worries because even if it is a well-worn riff, Mignola plays it well. A

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #132: A bit of a return to form after the rather joyless previous couple issues; of course, there's drama as Amadeus and Herc go their separate ways (we all know that Van Lente and Pak would be foolish to keep them separated, so no real worries there), but soon after we get Zeus, now reborn as a smart-mouthed young boy, and Herc (with Athena along as well) getting tabbed to replace none other than Thor as he's enlisted by Balder to battle Dark Elves who threaten Asgard, and by extension, the world. But of course, that's not exactly what's really happening, and good old oblivious Herc crashes right in to the middle of it. Lots of amusing jibes at Marvel's Thor mythology, especially in the snarky opening recap page, and I find myself liking the art team of Reilly Brown and Nelson DeCastro, a bit stiff in the figure department but doing a nice job with some very detailed pages, as well as some decent action scenes. A-

MARVEL DIVAS #2: Proving last issue was no fluke, we get another enjoyable blend of humor and drama, all filtered through the Sex and the City aesthetic, which is not to make that sound like a bad thing in this case. We also get a callback to the excellent Brian Vaughan mini Dr. Strange: The Oath, which remains proof that the character can work, and work well, and not need the sour, cynical, Bendis-style reimagining. Aguirre-Sacasa and Tonci Zonjic do a lot better by Daimon Hellstorm in this, too, but he still looks a bit too neat and tidy for my liking. Oh well, not bad, not bad at all, and it's funny how much better this, which no one expected anything from, is than the Distinguished Competition's Gotham City Sirens. A

STARSTRUCK #1: Few comics on the market today have had as convoluted a history as this one, fitting, I suppose, because it's got such a convoluted narrative anyway. I can't tell you how many times I had considered trying to do a series of blog posts about the issues that had already come out over the last three decades, but shied away because frankly, it's so densely plotted and loaded with so many characters with complicated backgrounds, and I just didn't feel equal to the task. As he so often tends to do, Jog did a pretty good job of summing it up in his review of the Marvel Graphic Novel a few months ago, but even he only really was able to scratch the surface, and that's in part because we've only been given the surface after one graphic novel, six ongoing issues, four reprints of the previous with a handful of newer pages, and a smattering of peripheral stories such as the Galactic Girl Guides backups that appeared oh so long ago in the short-lived Rocketeer Adventure Magazine. But I'm sure you want me to cut to the chase and tell you what I thought about it, I know, so here- yeah, I loved it. But understand- I loved it in 1982 when I read it the first time (and over and over a few more), and loved it again in the early 90's, when I reread it as part of Dark Horse's aborted revival/reprint attempt. So, yeah, I loved it again- the quirky characters, usually joined right in the middle of some scene, and speaking cryptic things to each other that only they know the meaning of; the gorgeously detailed Mike Kaluta pages, with all the clever architectural designs and all the well-thought-out panel layouts and body english. But if the total effect, for me the Starstruck veteran, was a bit like reading and re-reading a long novel, but only being able to get through the first chapter before having to put it away for a while, then forgetting what it said and having to read that chapter again...well, that's OK. I don't mind in this case. IDW seems to be committed to getting this in print, and therefore I know we'll eventually get to even more elaborate, clever, and wonderful places very soon. No, the main thing I found enjoyable this time around was the marvelous job Lee Moyer has done on color art- I'm not always the biggest fan of excessive Photoshoppery in my comics art, but when it's done right, as a compliment rather than as a band-aid, well, it can be wonderful, and that's what Moyer does here. So, anyway- look: I don't think Elaine Lee's ever been better than she is here; I've read a few of her other series in the past and never got the same buzz that I did from this. The intricacies and the imagination employed to build this universe amazes me just as much in 2009 as it did in 1982. The Altman-esque dialogue style is also a joy to parse out- as confusing and disorienting as it sometimes can be, it's always witty and clever. You all know what I think about Kaluta, and save for selected Shadow pages and illustrations, I think this is probably the finest work of his storied career as well. I can't tell you if you should buy this or not. It's not an easy read, not something you can turn your brain off and go with. You have to study and think about this connection to that thing or vice versa. You don't really have a lot of backstory to by about these characters, either, and I know that bugs a lot of people. It helps to have read the previous series, but I know many of you won't have that advantage. You'll have to work a little to follow along, but believe me, it's worth it, especially if you enjoy experiencing the unique. A+

WITCHFINDER: IN THE SERVICE OF ANGELS #2: When it comes to comics that deal with the supernatural, well, I guess I'm a little jaded- from the Warren mags of my youth, on through Taboo and such, to the grotesqueries often found in today's horror comics, well, I just don't usually see anything that gives me the creeps or even evokes a spooky mood. It's my shortcoming, not the various creators'. So believe me when I tell you that the unconventional seance scene in this issue, brought to life by Ben Stenbeck, whose work here suggests Mignola inked by Pete Snejbjerg, evokes mood quite convincingly; I don't think Mignola himself could have done any better. It's the kind of excellent sequence that can make or break a series sometimes, I hope it isn't the series peak. Otherwise, the supernatural murder mystery, as rooted in mummy movie cliches as it started out to be, is moving along well- I like the various odd characters Mignola introduces, and how they all interact with each other, even Ed Grey, whose predilection to uttering god-bothering screeds and quotations goes down a bit better than in issue 1. So far, another winner for the B.P.R.D. factory. A

Lotta good ones this time out, and as always, I apologize for being so tardy in getting these capsules posted. I'm usually more critical than this, but really, I got a very good stack of books in that period. I'll also get back to Wednesday Comics soon. Trying something new this time; instead of searching or scanning for all the cover images, I'll just link to them instead and you can click if you're curious.

Working my way through a new box of comics received just last Friday, and hopefully I'll get those reviews up sooner than I did these!

"It Pays to Advertise"

Billboards is a new collection of short stories by author Clifford Meth, who also maintains the Everyone's Wrong and I'm Right blog, which I'm sure you all have bookmarked. I was recently (and I use that term very loosely, it's been some time and for my tardiness I apologize) given the opportunity to read and review a PDF of this release- and in the spirit of better late than never, here's what I thought.

The collection leads off with the titular story, one of the two longish tales that bookend the collection, and it's a slice of William Gibson/Blade Runnerish dysfunctional future SF slash social commentary about a world to come in which people rent out their bodies for billboard space in the form of illuminated tattoos (hence the title), and it's probably the best one of the set, with a resolution that I didn't see coming. It's also the only story that has illustrations, and they're fine, but one thing bugged me- at one point we're told that the young lady on the cover at left there has words tatted on her eyelids in five point Friz Quadrata type, but the illo shows a font that looks like at least 12 point and and is most definitely not Friz. Picky, I know, but it's the graphic designer/typesetter in me. Whaddaya gonna do. Communication breakdowns aside, Meth gets in some good shots about the ever-spreading rampant commercialism we deal with now, and he knows as well as we do that it's only going to get worse.

After that, we get a handful of vignettes about different subjects; in the first, we sit in on a business meeting of "Advanced Septic Systems", yep, that's right, A.S.S., as they plan to go forward with a system that can transform feces into toothpaste. It's got some crude humor and a cynical surly tone, something which informs many of these shorts. Next up is a script conference between a "smaller god" and a "medium god", said script seeming to be an account to a pregnant woman going away on a trip with her (and I'm assuming here, from the tone of his description) gay son; we cut back and forth between the script conference and the events of the script, and it ends abruptly with a big deal being made of said son being unable to get comfortable in his airplane seat. There's a "Princess and the Pea" joke inferred here, a play on the title "Revisions on the Pea"...and I'm sorry, I just don't get it. I guess there's something there I'm not seeing- wouldn't be the first time.

Next up, "Blowing Smoke", another script conference of sorts, this one set in the children's book world. It at least makes surface sense and has some amusing lines, mostly involving the book's title- Timmy's Weiner. Stan Lee also gets some namedropping in the course of the discussion. I suppose the idea here is to once again make a statement about how absurd creative people (and the not-so-creative people that tend to make decisions affecting them) can be. It, too, ends on an odd note, as the exec in charge reveals a brainstorm involving a new form of mass communication involving smoke signals. Again, I feel like there's a big underlying point I'm missing, but I just don't see it. "The Other Woman" follows, and it's a fairly straightforward account of a man being harassed by a nutjob young lady who apparently was also the cause of the breakup of his marriage. This one at least has some verisimilitude, but both leads aren't particularly likable or interesting (and in all fairness, the story's so short we don't get the chance to get acquainted), and that blunts the impact a bit. Speaking of crazy girlfriends, the next story also deals with that sort of thing as well as a writer deals with a phone call of a fan who seems to be on the Annie Wilkes side, although it really never gets that serious. The intent here is to make a comment on the whole obsessed fan mentality, I'd think, but it's resolved in a somewhat weak, or at least unremarkable, fashion. Ascribing real-life motives to fictional stories is always a sucker's game, but I can't help but wonder if there aren't some real-life events with the writer that may have informed some of these shorts.

Finally, the second of the two longish stories, "Queers", rounds out the collection. It imagines a future where people are genetically engineered to be predisposed to be attracted to the same sex, and attraction to the opposite sex is looked down upon and persecuted. However, our protagonist Craig is different- he's attracted to girls, especially a new girl at school, Alynn. Complications ensue, as Craig fends off the advances of a young man who takes him to the prom, and he somehow makes the connection with the real object of his desire- which leads to a conclusion that I didn't see coming (and neither did Craig, I have to say). Meth saves the best for last here; Craig's plight was quite involving.

So there you go- while I can't say this was the best book, or collection of short stories, I've ever read, I was entertained and drawn in to the longer ones, and can say that you might enjoy the collection if you're so inclined to check it out and are looking for social satire with an attitude.

It can be purchased through Amazon, and other venues.

A Bacardi Show 15 cover birthday greeting.

Some of my favorite artists, I don't remember the first time I saw their work. Or, to be more accurate, I don't recall exactly when I first noticed their work. However, with Michael William Kaluta, I remember exactly- it was the cover of The Shadow #2, the first issue of DC's 1973 revival of the venerable character that I had seen on the spinner rack at the local Jr. Foods Store. I had heard of the Shadow, and had seen an ad or two in DC comics at the time; he sounded interesting. For some reason, I didn't see #1, but when #2 came out I plunked down my 20 cents to find out what the fuss was about...and got a lot more than I bargained for with my first exposure to the graceful, nuanced, 30's pulp-styled illustration work of Mr. Kaluta, and it was that first exposure that led me to be a lifelong fan. I tried to imitate it in my own crude way, me still being a 13-year-old aspiring comic book artist, but I just never really could get it right...it was just too idiosyncratic. I could draw a decent Shadow (relatively speaking), but his other characters, no. Much to my chagrin, Kaluta abruptly abandoned the Shadow's exploits with the issue that I posted above; the monthly deadlines were too much. I would see his work pop up here and there over the next few years, mostly on covers, until 1982, when he and Elaine Lee hooked up to give us the amazing Starstruck, and I fell in love with Kaluta's work all over again- this was vastly more detailed and clever than his earlier stuff; Lee gave him a whole universe to play with, and he brought it to life vividly- as those who picked up last week's Starstruck #1 from IDW are finding out. After the inevitable failure of a title that readers just weren't ready for in the 1980's, it was back to covers, mostly, for Mr. Kaluta, and almost all of them were typically intricate and often more gorgeous than the interiors of those comics deserved. Through thick and thin, I've remained a staunch fan, and have often named him as my favorite illustrator, comics or otherwise. He's had a hell of a career; I wish there had been more sequential work, but these things tend to play themselves out the way they're meant to, and I'm happy for what we've had.

Anyway, I post this because today is his 62nd birthday, and I wanted to pay tribute. I could post at least 30 more covers, there are that many that I have liked over the years; I tried to choose a mix of ones I loved as a teen with others that I have admired recently. I'm sure I've omitted a great many excellent ones. For more on Mr. K, including some pages from that second Shadow issue that galvanized me so, go here to last year's birthday post.

So happy birthday, Mr. Kaluta, good luck with Starstruck, and I hope it's been a great one.

Passing along an appeal.

Got some disturbing news Friday night when I was reading Steve Bissette's Myrant blog- seems that Timespirits scripter and co-creator Steve Perry is terminally ill and apparently destitute besides; according to Bissette he is in dire straits, and he has put out a call for help for his friend.

Please go here to read Bissette's post, if you haven't already.

Even though I don't know Perry personally, I had some brief email correspondence with him a few years ago after I wrote this post about the 80's Epic series that lasted a too-brief eight issues. A year or two later, he emailed me out of the blue to let me know that Image was planning to reprint TS in a trade collection, which has yet to see print due to what I understand are technical issues of some sort. He was very nice to me in both instances, and I appreciated being kept in the loop. Timespirits is one of my absolute favorite series; a true unappreciated and overlooked gem in my opinion, and even after all this time, when I reread these books I am often amused, excited, and even moved by the drama, humor and adventure contained in those stories. Of course, a large part of this is due to Tom Yeates' excellent art (as well as a couple of others who did short features, including Bissette himself and Rick Veitch), and I don't know what the exact ratio of ideas and concepts was between the two...but Perry had a really dry, but marvelously expressive, dialogue style that served these stories very well and he made the two leads, Cusick the Tuscarora and Doot of the Wawenoc, come alive in a way that few writers could, as true then as it is today. Anyway, this news makes me very sad, because I have been touched and moved by these tales, and it hurts to hear that one of the men responsible is in such straits.

Even if you've never read Timespirits, I hope you can find it in your heart to perhaps send something along or take some sort of appropriate action. For my part, I will try to send something, but as always I live paycheck to paycheck and rarely have much to give. I have considered perhaps doing an illustration of the 'Spirits, and auctioning it on eBay, to send whatever I get along to Perry. I'll let you know here when I do.

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Here we go again with CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, where I opine upon comics that I have bought and/or received in the interval between July 20 and August 4, 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.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #15: Last issues, especially last issues in which an ambitious plotline has to be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, are rarely effective and/or tidy...and this is no exception. Still, it gets the job done quickly and efficiently, and all that's left is to shake our heads at a marketplace that can't, or won't, support a well-done comic book like this one was. The racks will be a poorer place without it. A-

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #2: Guillem March, so good on covers, is just not impressing me all that much on interiors with his awkwardly distorted figures and not-especially-compelling layouts, negating whatever pleasure can be derived from the teaming of some fairly interesting characters. Plus, if you get that Hush character involved to the extent he is here, then that's pretty much a good sign you don't want me to read your comic. So au revoir, c'est la vie, and I miss Pfiefer's Catwoman ongoing more than ever. C-

DELPHINE #4: The conclusion of Richard Sala's latest "fever dream" doesn't make for compelling reading on its own, despite its not-so-subtle "beware of obsession" message...but when rendered by Sala's excellent linework and gorgeous sepia-tone, then it becomes worthwhile. Excellent work from one of the most distinctive stylists around, but my patience for writers who won't just say what they mean sometimes is wearing thin. A-

DETECTIVE COMICS #855: I still think Rucka was in a better groove on his first stint on this book; but that was then and this is OK for what it is- the whole mystery about what this cult wants with our fiery Bat-redhead is intriguing enough, I suppose. The main reason to buy this remains J.H. Williams III, and he continues unabated with some of the best work of his career. That said, I think I liked the villainess better when she was called the Painted Doll, and I don't really know who's at fault for that one. A-

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF 3 WORLDS #5: Didn't really know what to expect from this WAY overdue finale, but a kinder, gentler take on Wanted wasn't really it. All's well that ends well, I guess, unless you're a Kinetix fan, and even then we got a small sliver of hope for a revival down the road, so there's that. I guess Legion fans can be happier (they'll never be completely happy, this much I know) that we have yet another, streamlined Legion for their eventual (I presume) reading pleasure, and it's nice to know that at least one of the Archie Legion, perpetually outspoken teleporting bug Gates, is among their number. Otherwise, this is pretty much your standard issue Perez-drawn comic, with masses of bodies all flying around and pointing and swinging and hitting and shouting with gaping mouths and rubble rubble rubble and Kirby Krackle everywhere, and if this sort of thing doesn't give you a headache like it does me, then you can bump this up one letter grade. C+

GREEN LANTERN #44: One long extended fight scene between Hal, the Barry Allen Flash, and the Black Lantern-fied Martian Manhunter, impeccably drawn of course but rather routine otherwise. A functional chapter in a multi-issue crossover thing that I am following out of idle curiosity, if nothing else. B

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #16: It's 1976 all over again as we get the original Gerber/Stern/Milgrom era Guardians, minus Nikki (grumble grumble, why does Marvel and DC conspire to keep me from the comics women I love?) in a odd little story that finds part of the current team encountering the old-school GotG in the Avengers Mansion, and fighting off the Badoon before all reality comes to an end or something like that. It shouldn't make a lick of sense, but DnA pull it off thanks to the well-earned familiarity we have with the current team and how they play off their predecessors, and only the lack of Nikki makes me grade it no higher than a B+. Well, that and the earnest but not-great art.

HELLBLAZER #257: In a plot which might have been better served in a romance comic, John realizes he's not done such a good thing by giving Miss Right Now the love potion mickey given to him by the standard issue creepy demon in a kid's body...but wait, maybe it's all a scheme to get out of the s.i.c.d.i.a.k.b's pocket (the scab curse and its eradication, remember?) , and for some reason that I really can't articulate, that little wrinkle makes this more interesting somehow. So good for Milligan and good for us. B+

HEROGASM #3: More superguys behaving badly, ad infinitum. Fortunately, done with good humor and a tolerable amount of cynical snarkiness, Ennis' stock in trade. This issue's Fantastic Four satire reminded me of a sour Not Brand Echh, and I'm not sure that's what Garth intends. McCrea's on autopilot, but he's telling the story well enough. If I damn with faint praise, so be it- this is worthwhile if you like The Boys; all others stay far away. B-

IMMORTAL WEAPONS #1: It's Kung Fu Panda meets Hero meets Forrest Gump, filtered through the Marvel Comicsverse, as the first spotlight falls on the gargantuan Weapon Fat Cobra. It rambles a bit, but there are some funny lines (from a writer, Jason Aaron,who generally doesn't bring the funny all that often) and the artist does a nice job on FC's expressions as he runs the emotional gamut while listening to his life story (which he's conveniently forgotten), related by a writer he hired to help him fill in the blanks for his memoirs. In addition to the main narrative, a bevy of other artists do the flashbacks; Mike Lark's is the best, but the others, including Khari Evans and Stefano Gaudiano aren't bad at all. The backup story is an Iron Fist proper tale which pretty much picks up the dangling threads from the latest (to date) issue of Immortal Iron Fist, by the same writer- and I thought it was fine, with Swierczynski, Foreman, aided by that Gaudiano guy again, doing a better job than the previous one. B+

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #131: Been kinda hard to put a finger on it, but recent issues of this still-enjoyable title just haven't been quite as...well, enjoyable. Not bad, just not all that great either and certainly not as enjoyable as previous epic story arcs. Maybe it's the lack of a major threat, with inter-family squabbling taking its place, maybe it's the lack of an artist with a dynamic style, who knows. Still a pleasant enough read, but I hold out hope that the upcoming Thorcules business will pick up the pace a bit. B+

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #29: The post-Johns era begins with some new, and rather generic members, one of which is quite surly, and a big superheroes vs. supervillains group throwdown culminating in the somewhat surprising brutal stabbing of one of the good guys. In short, pretty much your standard DC comic these days. C+

MADAME XANADU #13: The Thirties era storyline continues, and unsurprisingly since the same person wrote both this and that, it will appeal mostly to those who really miss Sandman Mystery Theatre. For those of us who like Madame X, fear not, she's still the most prominent character in this pulpish tale of a demonic being who is driving his business associates to an untimely end. For those of us who revere Mike Kaluta, the news is not as good- he seems a bit rusty when it comes to this sort of extended sequential storytelling, and awkward anatomy and unsuccessful perspectives abound. That said, I'll take lesser Kaluta over the best efforts of many artists any day of the week. B+

PHONOGRAM 2: SINGLES CLUB #4: In which we spend some time with DJs Seth Bingo and the Silent Girl, and what it lacks in narrative clarity it makes up with nifty character moments (love the Blondie tribute), sort of shorthand for this entire series so far, both this and its predecessor. McKelvie has improved a lot since the beginning, though (or maybe I've just gotten used to his style), and this series is really humming, boogieing, choogling, whatever you want to call it, now. It also benefits from the backups by David LaFuente and Charity Larrison, which are nicely done. A-

POWER GIRL #3: PG turns the tables on the Humanite, escapes bondage, and with the help of (good to see her again) Terra saves New York in credibility-stretching, but still convincingly done, fashion. I hope you don't consider this a spoiler. Lighter in tone than the two previous issues, hence a lot more enjoyable and Amanda Conner is aces on art as always. A-

THUNDERBOLTS #134: If I only knew then what I know now about the big revelation this issue, then I wouldn't have bothered. Still, storywise OK, artwise as inconsistent as ever. Docked a notch for getting my hopes up. C+

WEDNESDAY COMICS #4: Pretty much everything I said in my review a week or so ago still applies; whaddaya say I check back in on this series after I've read #'s 5 and 6, and then after #9, and at the end with #12? Until then, incomplete.