Via the Spurge's Comics Reporter, I see where none other than Andy Helfer is celebrating his 48th trip around the sun. He's only a couple of years older than me, howaboutthat. Here's a Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting for yas, my first in what seems like a small eon.

Anyway, I got nothing but mad love for Tom, but the only proper and fitting way to pay tribute to Helfer is by posting a cover from what is by far the best thing he ever wrote, and indeed in my humble opinion one of the best series to ever appear under the aegis of National Periodical Publications AKA DC Comics, INC: his SHADOW, most notably the issues he did in collaboration with Kyle ("I don't remember much about it, it was just a paycheck") Baker, #'s 8-19. As far as I can see (in my admittedly less than definitive view) it was a masterpiece of black comedy and adventure, and was a TON of fun to read. He picked up from where Chaykin's original less-than-reverent miniseries left off, and I dare say he outdid his predecessor, especially on the extraordinary "Seven Deadly Finns" arc. Of course, that meant it wasn't long for this world, and was cancelled abruptly under somewhat mysterious circumstances...most likely so nobody would confuse this, shall we say, less-than-reverent treatment with the, shall-we-say, effing horrible (as it turned out...God that movie was bad) then-just-announced Alec Baldwin film treatment.

That's the agents of the Shadow on the cover above, from Baker's trace-everything-with-white-grease-pencil period. Whatta crew, huh! Oh, I could go on and on. And someday I just might.

Hello, everybody! Apologies for the lack of content lately. Real life and work have been a bitch lately, and I've just been too tired and distracted to compose my thoughts into anything resembling a coherent post. Yeah, I know, so what else is new. There have been one or two over at the LJ, though, if you care.

I've got some new comics, and will get more on Friday, which I'll opine upon soon. And Until then, be good, be good to each other, and may every song you sing be your favorite tune.

THE BACARDI SHOW NEW COMICS REVUE!
In which I altercate, argue, bounce off, canvass, compare notes, confabulate, confer, consider, consult with, contend, contest, converse, debate, deliberate, descant, discept, discourse about, dispute, dissect, dissertate, examine, explain, figure, get together, go into, hash over, hold forth, jaw, kick about, knock around, rap, reason about, review, sift, take up, talk about, thrash out, toss around, ventilate, and weigh in on various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval between the last JBNCR and this here one. Or, if you prefer, July 26th through August 11th.

NOW WITH ALL REVIEWS DONE! (Well, there is Leading Man 2 and Savage Brothers 1, which I just got and haven't read. Next time for those.) THANK GOD! I can't remember EVER taking this long to get a review column done! Newest reviews are at the top. Thanks for your patience.



ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN 1-4
S: Frank Miller; A: Jim Lee. (DC, $2.99)

Can't help but be reminded of Christgau's review of Lou Reed's Sally Can't Dance album, in which he says "...even as he shits on us he can't staunch his own cleverness". And, it's odd, in a lot of ways the post-Dark Knight Returns Miller writing style reminds me a lot of 1970's Lou's- cynical, dismissive, nasty, and brutal. I found these copies for 50 cents each at a sidewalk sale recently, and I suppose for that price I got my money's worth- this isn't dull, Miller does have some nice moments with Alfred, and there is an occasional quip or one-liner ("Goddamned Batman" notwithstanding) that's chuckleworthy. But he gives us a real creepy, asshat Batman, the Vicki Vale character is just like every other female character Miller writes- either a hardass bitch or a helpless victim- and the third-hand Spillane he uses for the bulk of his narration and dialogue just lies there on the page, rarely coming across as lively as he means for it to. The most obvious thing about this, though, as far as I'm concerned, is that I can't fathom Miller's motives for writing this, other than the Warnerbucks- it's obvious he has no respect or love for comics or their fans, and seems to consider himself above such juvenilia- and while financial gain is a valid enough motive, it's not always the best reason for churning out theoretical "art". At least it's not as out-and-out contemptible as his DK2. Jim Lee, for his part, hasn't progressed one iota past his 90's Image heyday; he's still drawing legs on women that are easily six feet in length, not to mention hips that are usually always too thin for the legs they are theoretically attached to, and the necks, arms and legs on his men- hoo boy, they're as thick as redwood tree trunks. Scratchy, busy lines adorn everything he draws, faces, buildings, cars, whatever. But even given all these difficulties, he obviously has skills and talent- witness #4's foldout spread of the Batcave, for example, very impressive, and once in a while there's a scene or panel progression that is sharp. This is far from a trainwreck, and I actually liked it better than the last couple of Sin City series Miller has come out with, not to mention the godawful abortion that was DK2. But I don't care for a Batman that seems to have been imported lock, stock and smoking barrel from The Big Fat Kill, and Lee's art mostly leaves me cold. Will I buy more? Can't say. Perhaps they'll have #'s 5 and 6 at the next sidewalk sale! C+

CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN MUST DIE! GN
S: Jeph Loeb, A: Tim Sale (DC, $19.95)

I picked up the singles back when they were first released, in 1991, God, has it been that long? Like Brian Bendis in his introduction here, it was an impulse buy. I liked the Brian Bolland cover, had always kinda/sorta liked the Challengers (even though if I ever bought a copy of their original ongoing series, I don't recall it), and after skimming through it and being amazed at what I was reading- the bemused tone, the actual destruction of Challengers Mountain!- I couldn't help but want to read more. And as each issue came and went, I dug it more and more: here we had an realistic (well, as realistic as a code-approved comic can get) take on superheroing, complete with consequences of actions, surprises, well-rounded characters, and a lot of cleverly placed humor, along with quirky, interesting art. I do recall being vaguely disappointed that Loeb decided to go the "evil extradimensional demon menace" route, which was cliched even then, but hey- the journey was so much fun I didn't mind the destination. Another thing to remember was that there was no online comics fandom to speak of back in those long-ago days of yore; other than the mixed reactions in each issue's letters page, I had no clue what my fellow readers thought about this clever take on the venerable team. A few years later, when I started frequenting the DC Message Boards, I found out: the rank and file HATED what they thought was a demeaning depiction of these noble characters. Surprised, I tried to defend this work, but I found few allies. As we're finding out more and more these days, revisionism isn't always popular with longtime fans, to state the obvious. Anyway, this was the first of the Loeb/Sale collaborations; they've gone on to do a lot of work together with varying results. I quite liked their first couple of Batman Halloween specials, although the last couple were just too convoluted and unwieldy to be enjoyable (even though I'll always appreciate Loeb using the Calendar Man the way he did in the otherwise dull Long Halloween), their excellent Superman for All Seasons, and Daredevil: Yellow, their first Marvel collaboration and the only one I found worthwhile. Everything else has been hit or miss for me, mostly miss- I haven't bought anything by either in a good five years. I don't think Loeb has ever topped this, but Sale's work has improved a great deal; he's gotten more skillful, as opposed to a lot of his work here which looks like he's still trying to get comfortable. But, there's a wit in this earlier stuff that's missing from what I've seen since- no way Sale would now use a visual device like the little bomb-bearing robot that teeters across the page to his destination now as he did in issue one for example. It also features what is certainly the best Superman appearance not written by Alan Moore in twenty years, not surprisingly, Loeb scored with his later Superman tale as well. To sum, this is the way I like my revisionist takes- with wit and enthusiasm rather than mercenary cynicism. And I highly recommend this to anyone who shares my opinion, and anyone except perhaps hardcore Challheads, all two dozen or so of you. Oh, and Neilalien: You're probably already aware of it, but Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum gets an extended cameo (aspiring magician Ace rents it while the "owner is out of town"), as does Wong later on. Kewl, eh?
A-

JACK OF FABLES 1
S: Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges; A: Tony Akins (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

I suppose it's a compliment to Willingham's creativity, especially in regards to the ongoing Fables, that he has so many stories that he can spin characters off. I suppose it's also a compliment that this reads pretty much like your basic issue of that title as well. But it's not an especially clever or interesting one, just like the title character, and not even a nicely staged naked Goldilocks appearance can bring it to life. Still, it's early. We'll see. B

CHECKMATE 1,3,4
S: Greg Rucka, A: Jesus Saiz (DC, $2.99)

Hokay, I was hoping for some good ol' spandex-flavored espionage action, and that certainly is the case here. Plus, I like a lot of these characters: Sasha Bordeaux, an obvious Rucka favorite from his underappreciated late 90's tenure on Detective, Count Vertigo, Fire. But this is way, way WAY too cluttered, technical, and talky, full of people explaining everything to other people explaining things when they're not constantly referring to each other as "Black Bishop", "White Queen" and other cutesy chess references, and after a while it gives me a real headache. Plus, I'm still not a big fan of Saiz' art- it's competent, but generic and he draws Amanda Waller less like "THE WALL" and more like "a partition", if you know what I mean. My admittedly tenuous interest is sorely tempted to be occupied elsewhere, but I'll hang with for a few more issues. C+

JLA: CLASSIFIED 25
S: Steve Englehart; A: Tom Derenick, Mark Farmer (DC, $2.99)

In which things go from bad to worse, or dumb and dumberer perhaps, as Englehart completely fails to evoke Gardner Fox or even Gerry Conway with a tedious and convoluted chain of events and poor dialogue which left me missing the 70's more than ever. A strong contender for WORST Aquaman appearance in the highly checkered history of the character. About the only positive I came away with was that there was a lot of classic Gypsy, even though a lot of the mythology Englehart tried to impose on her was just unnecessary and pointless, and the Derenick/Farmer art kept reminding me of Trevor Von Eeden. Any comic that makes me wish to read Gerry Conway again is evil and should be ignored at all costs. D

ASTRO CITY SPECIAL: THE SAMARITAN
S: Kurt Busiek; A: Brent Anderson (DC/Wildstorm, $3.99)

Just when I had pretty much given up on Astro City being interesting ever again (Dark Age was deadly dull), along comes Busiek with this solid, thoughtful tale of his Superman analogue and the friendly rival thing he has with someone called Infidel, a sorcerer/scientist Vandal Savage type perhaps who seems less evil than just pragmatic. Few writers can do this sort of thing successfully- the usual suspects: Moore, Ellis, maybe Morrison- and Busiek succeeds with flying colors. And in the process, reminds me why I liked this series so much at the beginning. It certainly wasn't because of Anderson's art- he's capable, but his sloppy, earnest Bucklerisms leave me ice cold. All in all, a smashing success though, and I've never been too concerned with the art here anyway. Keep it up, Mr. B. A-

CATWOMAN 53-57
S: Wil Pfieffer; A: David Lopez, Alvaro Lopez (DC, $2.99)

I'm sorry to say that I had bailed on Catwoman after Pete Woods left; I was a little skeptical of friend Holly assuming the mantle, new artist Lopez's samples just didn't look as facile as Woods', and it just seemed like a good jumping off point, with my constant search for ways to save on my monthly comics expenditures. Bad move on my part. Pfiefer has done a wonderful job of crafting an interesting storyline out of the ashes of Identity Whatever, and I'm very glad that I decided to get caught up. I'm also impressed with new (to me, anyway) villain Film Freak; although perhaps he would be better served remaining behind the scenes, a manipulator rather than instigator of action, he's a fun and cool nod to movie buffs like me and, I dare say, a lot of you reading this- and judging from his blog, Pfiefer too. I'm also still not completely sold on Holly as Catwoman; she doesn't have any prior experience, and sparring with Wildcat, despite being Dorian's dream, doesn't prepare one for a busy evening of jumping off tall buildings. At least Pfiefer does show her having her share of awkward moments; getting caught on tape beating down the Angle Man, for example. And Lopez does a fine job- there's nothing really all that idiosyncratic about his work, he's as ordinary as the next DC art drone, but the saving grace of this art team is the graceful line of one of my favorite inkers, that other guy named Lopez, Alvaro to be precise. Catwoman is perhaps one of the top three DC titles right now, as far as I'm concerned, and I won't be dropping it again anytime soon. A-

MEAT CAKE 15
S/A: Dame Darcy (Fantagraphics, $3.95)

I can't imagine what compels Darcy to keep putting out her whimsical, naughty, homespun illustrated fables, nor can I fathom why Fantagraphics continues to put them out, because I just don't see how enough people could be attuned to this sort of thing to make it worth their while...but I'm awfully glad she does and they do. I can't quite put my finger on what makes each issue of Meat Cake such a blast to pore over- perhaps it's the oddball, yet very cleverly realized characters such as Wax Wolf, Strega Pez (a witch with a slot in her neck through which comes Pez-shaped tablets bearing pronouncements), or Friend the Girl (the simplicity of that cracks me up); perhaps it's the can-go-anywhere subject matter; the chaotic but adventurous layouts and primitive art style she employs...maybe it's just that she has incredible charisma and it manages to project itself through the printed page. Who knows. Not me, that's for sure! Highlights this issue include the lead, a "Zombie Survival Test" which is essentially a scavenger hunt that features another reoccuring character Richard Dirt looking quite fetching in a nun's habit and careens towards a demented resolution; a crash course in palmistry (my wife and I have meant to get Darcy to read our palms for years now- she would do it for $20 if you mail her copies of your palms in various perspectives); a bittersweet tale titled "The Red Bird" which speaks to some unpleasantry between the lines...ordinarily the saccharine ending that this one sports would send me crawling up the wall, but the rancor suggested grounds it totally. There's also a weird sort of science fair competition going on in a couple of the vignettes, to amusing effect, and a whimsical take on the Chupacabra legend, in which ol' Choopie inhabits the form of a Texas cowgirl, sipping on blood in a Big Gulp and listening to Hank Williams. And that's just scratching the surface- Darcy packs all her issues of Meat Cake to the rim...and most of it works, seemingly through force of will if nothing else! I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you should run out and buy this- if ever oh ever an acquired taste there was, this is it- but if any of this sounds interesting at all to you, then by all means partake. And you just may pick up a new habit, like I did years ago after reading a short interview with the Grande Dame in the Comics Journal. A

POWERS 19
S: Brian Michael Bendis; A: Michael Avon Oeming (Marvel/Icon, $2.95)

The best moments in this continue to come from the pen of Oeming and colorist Peter Pantazis- the superhero fighting stuff is appropriately kinetic, the talking heads stuff is rendered as interesting as can be, and in this issue especially the erotic stuff is very well-handled- there's a masturbation scene that's every bit as sexy as it should be, something you don't see in comics very often, unless you are inclined to check out some of the Eros line's better publications. Bendis isn't really breaking new ground script-wise and even seems a bit bored, but as long as he's got Oeming's art and the lurid hues of Pantazis backing him up, he'll be all right. There's zero buzz about this book these days, especially when you compare it to when I first started getting it several years ago, and that's too bad- but this is still highly readable. A-


BLUESMAN VOL 3
S: Rob Vollmar; A: Pablo Callejas (DBM/ComicsLit, $8.95)

***SPOILER ALERT***

All in all, a solid and interesting look at a subject that one would think would be ripe with possibility- the trials and tribulations of blues musicians in the 20's and 30's. And Vollmar does a lot with the one story he was called to tell, finishing it up with a surprising turn of events about midway through, as well as a touching coda. But he almost goes a bit too far with the resolution, a deus ex machina climax which sets our protagonist Lem Taylor up as a literal Christ figure, kinda making me wince because it incorporates an unnecessary air of the fantastical into the mix, very late in the proceedings- but fortunately he stops just short of going all the way with this notion. This, kids, shows restraint- and that's usually always a good thing in a writer. Artwise, Callejo seems to be getting comfortable (just in time for the end of the tale), but I don't know if I'll ever warm up completely to his awkward and murky Crumbisms. If there were any justice, HBO would let Vollmar develop this concept as an ongoing series. But then again, they'd just axe it before its scheduled run. A-

DAREDEVIL 87
S: Ed Brubaker; A: Michael Lark, Steven Gaudiano (Marvel, $2.99)

***SPOILER ALERT*** (assuming you haven't already read it, that is)

Can Ed Brubaker bring the goods or what? Dealt a lackluster hand by departing writer Bendis, he managed to draw to an inside straight, finishing up in grand form as we get a one-two punch: an actual interesting fight between Bullseye, the Kingpin, and DD, something I never thought I'd see again, and in this issue, the escape from prison with help from the Punisher (wittily handled) and a great cameo from Iron Fist, a welcome (if temporary, I'm sure) addition to the supporting cast. Plus, there's that ending, which surprised me, because frankly I thought it was time to make some significant changes in DD's life- and between Milla (via Bendis) and the death of Foggy Nelson, I thought that was a good start. But then Ed goes and pulls a little "psych!" move on us, and even though I have nothing against Foggy as a character, his being dead kinda made me think that anything was possible, even removing a major supporting character. Now, I realize that won't be the case, and Brubaker has compromised himself somewhat by doing this. Still, I have been hugely entertained by this whole story arc (which frankly, I was dreading because at first it seemed like more of the same old same old) and I won't underestimate him again. Oh, and this just in- Mike Lark is pretty damn good in his understated way. Dare I say that I get a Wally Wood vibe from his work? Not necessarily in its literal appearance, Gaudiano's inks are too sloppy for that, but just in its general unassuming, down-to-earth feel. A

CASANOVA 2
S: Matt Fraction; A: Gabriel Ba. (Image, $1.99)

Well, for what it's worth, I'm a Revolver man myself, and I have special affection for the post-Fabs odds-and-sods collection The Beatles Again aka Hey Jude, so I suppose that would keep my brains in my head at Winston Heath's dinner table...and the notion of a pleasure island orgy to the strains of the Help! soundtrack isn't altogether unpleasant. Fraction is once more as incoherent as ever, even though this one came across as more linear than the previous issue and was good fun once I got my bearings even though I kept getting reminded of Austin Powers and his girlbot adversaries, and I hope that's not what Fraction had in mind. I chuckled at most of the appropriate places, too, including the aforementioned dinner scene and the impromptu comics criticism in which Mr. Quinn indulges. Again, Ba acts as our tour guide, helping us navigate the complicated events with aplomb. I want to like this comic a lot more than I do; the concept is great and the art is top-notch. I just wish it wasn't so much damn work trying to parse it- Fraction keeps saying to me, in this way, "That's one for you, nineteen for me" (sorry about the strained Beatles pun there)...and keeps giving me "Revolution No.9" when I hope for the "Hey Jude" B-side "Revolution". Please, Mr. F, give peace (of mind) a chance! B+

MARTIAN MANHUNTER 1
S: A.J. Lieberman; A: Al Barrionuevo, "Bit". (DC, $2.99)

This one's been getting savaged all around the Blogosphereiverse; and it's easy to see why- just like practically every other spinoff of Identity Crisis, it's just no fun. Let's face it- there have been many attempts to garner a wider audience the Martian Manhunter over the years, and nearly all of them have failed to varying degrees because (I believe, anyway) when you have a character that apparently can do anything he wants (shapeshift, heat vision, flight, super-strength, psychic abilities, twist the cookie off an Oreo and never leave a trace of filling), then you have a character that is spread much too thin. Only the humor approach of the Giffen/DeMatteis League made him interesting in a supporting straight-man role- and Dini, Timm and Company did a lot of good work with the character, portraying him as a somewhat taciturn but warm-hearted father figure of sorts...John Ostrander had his moments years later too, but if anyone could make J'onn a solo comic star, I honestly believe it would have been done by now. Which brings us to the here and now, and the umpteenth attempt to launch our boy into the A-list...and obviously the decision makers at DC did decree that good old reliable, rock-solid J'onn J'onzz, friend and confidant to the superheroes of his adopted world and Oreo eater, was old hat, a failure; we need to have a serious Martian Manhunter, pissed at the world with all the attendant angst and rancorous feelings that someone somewhere at 1700 Broadway NYCNY thinks that all costumed adventurers and beings should have so they can be taken seriously by people who might throw money their way or accuse them of, horror of horrors, writing "funnybooks". Now don't get me wrong- I've always thought that it was a good thing to have characters and storylines that have a certain gravitas about them; a sense of consequence and of cause-and-effect. But this, and most of the stuff I've read over the last couple of years, is just too much. I'm sure Lieberman, Meltzer, and all the involved parties are convinced, or have convinced themselves, that they are making the kind of comics that they would want to read...but that doesn't make it right or entertaining or even worthy of attention. It's not the apparent editorial "get-serious" mandate I mind so much as it is the heavy handed and clumsy execution of same. So yeah, sure, we've got J'onn being all glum and feeling betrayed and alone, even though he's had years to sort out his attitudes and feelings about this world and his place in it, and much of his bad mood is caused by his discovery of fellow Martians who have been kept in captivity in some sort of Roswell-like facility for a long time. This kinda threw me too- is he bummed because these are GREEN Martians, and he hadn't seen any of that particular strain around in his tenure on Earth? Because there have been multitudes of Martians of various OTHER hues coming and going to and fro on ol' Terra for ages now, or at least farther back than the braintrust's evident short memories extend. I don't know. That's not an invalid idea, if my no-green Martians theory holds, but the leaden execution of the story just turns me off, and the artists don't do me any favors either- the art on the page looks off-kilter somehow, like it was drawn at a size smaller than 7-1/2 x 10, or whatever size a trimmed comic book is these days (I don't have a ruler handy) and enlarged to fit on the page. Everything looks pinched and claustrophobic, and these guys are still, if you'll excuse the expression, a little green when it comes to perspective and anatomy. Also, someone went all Photoshop-crazy in what seems to be an effort to make it look more James Jean or J.G. Jones-ish (lotsa luck THERE), and only succeeds in amping up the murk factor. I appreciate the comp, I really do, and it's entirely possible that this could pick up steam and become the resonant drama that they think/hope it will become...but I'm not going to hold my breath. I think a D or below is a bit harsh for such a competent book- the "heartless and pointless" of my D criteria hold, but this is far from "brainless"- much thought (or groupthink) went into this, it's plain- so I suppose I'll just mark it with a C-.

DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON #6
S: Graymiotti; A: Khari Evans (Marvel, $2.99)

Entertaining conclusion to this highly underrated miniseries, which, if I understand it correctly, will morph into a Heroes for Hire title in a short while, but with the stiff, fanboy-pandering art of Billy Tucci replacing the almost-too-loose but visually clever stylings of Evans. This is the main reason I haven't signed up for HfH, but intend to view it on the rack first. I like the Misty & Colleen characters, always have, Iron Fist too, and even this newish comic relief Otis guy, so I want to give it a chance. Anyway, back to this- while it started slow, it soon evolved into a fun little Tarantinoesque mishmash of kung fu, afros, and guys and dolls in super-suits and always maintained a fresh stance as it did so. Many try this, few succeed, so get the trade, mkay? This issue: A-. Entire series: A-

MANHUNTER #24
S: Mark Andreyko; A: Javier Pina, Fernando Blanco (DC, $2.99)

In which we get the finale that shouldn't have surprised anyone: Dr. Psycho out of his mental restraints, and raising psychic hell in the courtroom- but Andreyko still managed to make it interesting...and that, in a nutshell, is why I'm digging this comic. It sure isn't because of his take on Chase (the reason why I started buying in the first place, remember), which only superficially resembles the D.C. Johnson template and more often as not makes her into the "sexpot roomie" of many a slasher flick, and that concerns me. Shagging sidekick Dylan doesn't help her case. So help me God, if Chase ends up in a refrigerator I'm swearing off DC comics forever. B+

SHADOWPACT #3
S: Bill Willingham; A: Cory Walker (DC, $2.99)

I've been pretty hard on this title since I started getting it, so I'm pleased to report that this, the finale of the first story arc, was a bit better, even though it felt rushed and contrived. It's never a good thing, story-wise, when your super-guy or -team gets their asses kicked thoroughly in the previous issue, with no hope of turning the tides- only to suddenly rise up in the next and easily defeat their oppressors through a series of events which work only because the writer wishes them to- kinda comes across as a cheat, to me anyway. Say what you will about Mark Millar- he at least knows how to write this sort of thing (his basic Authority script template was always like that) so you can believe it. Artwise, Cory Walker isn't too bad- reminds me a little of David Hahn only greener. And Cory, for future reference, those big yellow circles on the Phantom Stranger's chest aren't decorations- they're the objects that hold those big collar flaps in place, as well as hold together the chain that holds the cloak together. They way you draw them on page one, it looks like they're embedded in his chest! B-

UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS 1
S: Graymiotti; A: Daniel Acuna (DC, $2.99)

At this point, after reading Checkmate, and a few of the other post-IC books, I'm beginning to wonder exactly how many covert metahuman groups are necessary in the DCU...won't they all be tripping over each other as they go about their business? Anyway, once more, were given fresh versions of those hoary old Quality Comics characters- Doll Man fans, all 18 or so of them, must be deliriously happy at the leaner, meaner, tougher version of their hero. All the re-imaginings, in fact, are acceptable, but what really kills the buzz on this one is the somber, serious tone that is apparently DC editorial mandate these days. Any humor that might have a fleeting chance of balancing all the glum Bourneisms is implied rather than made explicit, and there's so precious little of it that it's practically unnoticable. Acuna, for his part, does a fine job illustrating the proceedings- I was most curious about how his interior art looked after seeing a number of good covers with his byline, but on his interiors (judging by the evidence of this 1st issue) he tends to ink with a curiously heavy line that, combined with the murky Photoshoppery in the colors, makes this look ponderous and leaden rather than lively and fast-paced. Oh well, a little to like, and a lot to shrug the shoulders over...pretty much par for the post-Crisis course, I guess. B

BITE CLUB: VAMPIRE CRIME UNIT 4
S: ChayTischKinMan; A: David Hahn (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Hahn's talents, which I'm beginning to appreciate more and more, are being wasted on this anemic...well, I don't know what the hell they think it is. Satire? Goodfellas with vampires? Late-night Cinemax "erotic thriller"? There's many a slip between cocktail napkin plot thumbnail and execution and really this is coming across (to me, anyway) as a barely coherent mishmash of stuff that just doesn't have the right glue to hold it together. The last miniseries started rough but got better. This one is a non-starter. C-

HELLBLAZER: ALL HIS ENGINES GN
HELLBLAZER 222
S:Mike Carey, Denise Mina; A: Leo Manco (DC/Vertigo, $14.99/$2.99)

Mike Carey's stint on Hellblazer certainly had its moments; but a great deal of it seemed to be reshuffling a deck that had been shuffled way too many times before. So when I'm confronted with this graphic novel, out on hardcover (I think) before his run on JC:HB was finished but you know me, Mr. El Cheapo, I gotta wait for the softcover before I buy- well, I don't know quite what to think. All His Engines is a real damned good Conjob story. Real good. Despite the fact that it once more places our "hero" in familiar settings, forcing him to travel to the Colonies in order to work a pack of demons and forgotten gods and save a loved one (this time Chas' granddaughter), there seems to be a real sense of gravity, of things at stake, that elevates it above the usual run of the mill Hellblazer story. Thing is, it makes me wonder where this heightened sense of cause-and-effect and solid characterization was for the bulk of Carey's run? Oh well, shouldn't carp, I guess. Regardless, Neil Gaiman's cover quote is right- this really is a, if not necessarily the quintessential Constantine story. It should be required reading for anyone who thought the film was hot stuff (there must have been someone, right?). For his part, Manco rises to the level of the script, and does his strongest job since he came aboard- nowhere near his Hellstorm salad days, but not-bad just the same. Meanwhile, in the ongoing, current JC:HB scribe Denise Mina winds up her first story arc, and it's as vague and inconsequential as always. Perhaps she should have not tried to do something as ambitious right off the bat, because this is an utter failure. But on the other hand, I am happy that she's at least trying to bring something fresh to the table, and she does have a pretty good read on Conjob's personality...so let's just say she's earned the benefit of the doubt, and go from there. Manco doesn't really do her any favors, either- his work is as stiff and sloppy as it's been for longer than I care to remember. All His Engines: A. #222: C+.

NEIL GAIMAN'S NEVERWHERE 8
S: Mike Carey; A: Glenn Fabry (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Since it's my habit to use that fascinating (to me, anyway) word "penultimate" whenever it applies and when possible, let me just say up front that this is the penultimate issue of the ongoing adaptation and let it go at that. I'll also state yet again that Carey has done a wonderful job of adapting the source material, and Fabry has really opened my eyes with his spot-on design and illustration work. More next time. A

The great Gene Colan is retiring, but is giving his admirers an opportunity to commission an illustration, anything you want, before he does so. For more information, if you (unlike me) have $250 to drop, go here. Believe you me, if I did, I'd own myself an original Colan drawing of Pandora Arcana.

At left there is a Colan illo, ganked from that info site, of a character that he's never done before (and had published, that is) to my knowledge, but it's such an obvious, no-brainer great idea that I wish someone had thought to ask him to do it for real: The Shadow. That character is perfect for his style.

Well, crap.
I began to wonder recently when and if DMP was going to put out the third collection of Kaneko Atsushi's Bambi and Her Pink Gun aka one of the few manga that I care to read on anything resembling a regular basis, and eventually found their message board- where I registered, found the Bambi thread, and posed that very question. And here is the response I got:

Bambi is on hiatus...

Bambi is on hiatus. In TV speak, that means "don't hold your breath waiting for any more." I don't know about you, but this news makes my world a bit less brighter place.

OK, I'll get this done right off the bat: sorry I haven't finished my reviews yet. Work (it's been insane, insaner that usual, for two weeks now) schedule and fatigue have conspired against me, it seems, and thus I resort to yet another whining "I'm sorry..." post. If Brenda Lee was a blogger...

But here are two things: first, the pic at right is something I found somehow, I forget where- I've had it bookmarked for a while now. Probably Mike Sterling, but I dunno. Anyway, it's the two-page spread promo for Thriller from DC Sampler #2, which I useta own but don't no mo. Unfortunately, it's the inferior Wm. Dubay/Alex Nino version, done about the time of issue #10, but still it's kinda neat to see again. If I live long enough to get around to redoing my Thriller site, I'll definitely have to include it but since that ain't gonna happen anytime soon you can all check it out right here. Found at tonyznet.com.

Also, kudos to Chris "Knight" Arrant, Neil Kleid, Elizabeth Genco (bet she hates those insurance commercials) and all the other Chemistry Setters for the successful launch of their new webcomics site. And judging by the results so far, all are interesting, and a couple are more than just that: Arrant & Dan Warner's 1 Way Ticket and Genco and Adam Boorman's Scheherezade are off to nice starts. I also am struck by Jim Dougan and Eric Kim's Vulture Gulch, weird western buff that I am. Which is not to say that the others aren't worthy of mention...oh hell- I'll mention 'em anyway: Vito DelSante's Stuck, with art by Tom Williams that reminds me a smidge of Paul Pope or Hawaiian Dick's Steven Griffin, and Kleid and Kevin Colden's Todt Hill nicely establishes a mood. I'll try to opine more later, perhaps.

A personal note- I was born much too early, I think. I spent the first, oh, 25 or so-odd years of my life wanting to be a comic book artist really bad. Knew I had some skills, as Napoleon Dynamite would say, but my style, especially my poor inking, just didn't look like the Kirby/Adams/Buscema/etc. established-and-preferred style that the big boys wanted...no matter what I tried. Plus, living in Bumfuck and not being able to afford (or, let's face it, with a wife and family, justifiably believing myself unable) to head off to the Big City and pursue that dream...not to sound like I'm bitter, far from it on THAT account. It was just something I couldn't do. Too many responsibilities. So after I turned 25 or thereabouts, I tried less and less and despite 6 years of college art classes beginning in 1994, including about 3 of them actually spent drawing or painting, I didn't get any better. So, as dreams often do, I let that one die a gentle death with much sadness and regret. But now, I see the proliferation of styles and approaches, and great venues (such as the Chemistry Set or Ellis' new site, name of which escapes me offhand- Modern Tales (?)) through which one can get their work out there and have it judged by its own merits rather than being saddled with drawing Martian Manhunter in a 4 page backup story inked by Bob McCleod or Vinnie Colletta (believe me, though, in 1982 I would have jumped at the chance)...it's amazing and saddening all at the same time. And I can't help but wonder what if. But don't cry for me, Argentina- I'm sure I wouldn't have made the best of it anyway. It's the one constant in my inconstant existence. Maybe...maybe...I coulda been a contendah! I coulda been somebody!. Well, I'm "someone" now. Nobody important, necessarily, but someone. You know what I mean.

Am I rambling?

Anyway, that's all I have for now. The painkiller is taking effect, I'm getting all weepy and boring, and I...must...finish...thi-i-i-i-ssss...nooowwwww

Aw, I'm kiddin'- I'm only taking Naproxin for my tendinitis-plagued shoulder. Won't make you drowsy or nuttin, darn it. But it's OK, I'm drowsy anyway. Good night.

I can think of few things I'm looking forward to more than Darwyn Cooke's Spirit series. Bob Andelman, writer of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, has posted an interview with Cooke, one of the ongoing series at his blog, that's mighty good readin'. I know everybody's linked to it already, but you never know when someone will come here first so I felt like it was my civic duty to point you in that direction. So go!

Kudos to Hope Larson for her illustration in the New York Times! And it's as typically great as all her stuff so far has been!

Also, I've been getting several emails from Neil Kleid about The Chemistry Set, the new webcomics project that has a number of interesting creators lined up. Will be well worth checking out, I'm sure, and it launches Monday the 7th.

Hope that makes up for all the PR he's been sending and I've been neglecting to post...

Comics reviews are proceeding apace. Got a copy of the new attempt at Martian Manhunter today, so I'm going to try and squeeze that one in, after I've read it of course, and I hope to pick up a goodly amount of back issues tomorrow at the Great Escape's sidewalk sale, in which they have 20% (used to be 25%-mebs! mebs!) off everything in the store. Don't look for them in the upcoming review post.

Speaking of back issues, I'm jonesing something awful to pick up a set of these. If anyone would buy them for me, I'd be eternally in their debt! Sad thing is, I could probably get them for less than 12 bucks in decent condition...but I'm trying to save my pathetic cash for the sale tomorrow, so the trigger remains unpulled. I'm a little concerned that interest may spike in them after the release of this, which I stumbled upon as I scanned through DCBS's newly updated order site. I'm a little confused, too- is this, and by this I mean the announced Lankhmar: Swords and Deviltry from Dark Horse, another reprint (with a horribly bland cover, different from the one seen at left) of the original Leiber stories (some of my absolute favorite fantasy stuff of all time, in case you didn't know), or will this contain the 1980's Chaykin/Mignola/Williamson Marvel/Epic illustrated adaptations (which I still have, by the way- don't know WHY I got rid of my Sword of Sorecerys), or is that coming later? Interesting announcment about a movie in the solicit text...about time someone realized the potential for a really good, witty, adventure-filled Fafhrd and the Mouser film! Of course, if they don't fuck it all up- which is probably the most likely scenario. Faf and the Mouser are too hedonistic- can't have them being naughty and debauched and not suffering for it! At least in Hollywood, anyway. Maybe I'm just jealous because I'm never naughty and debauched anymore...

Anyway, I meant to make this a shortie and it turned out twice as long as I wanted! I could have posted five reviews in the time it took me to type this!

So stop typing already, Dave!

ALL RIGHT!

And now, more JOHNNY B HEART NETFLIX!

MIRRORMASK
As someone who has been a regular Vertigo and Sandman reader since day one, but not necessarily one who drank the kool-aid with any sort of conviction, I was of course curious about this collaboration between the Sandman writer and its cover artist. The visuals here were imaginative as you'd expect, but again the script doesn't quite live up to the promise, coming across as flat and routine, as if Gaiman didn't even try to keep up with Dave McKean's art direction. Oh well, still, it is a film with a distinctive look and while I wasn't especially entertained or surprised by Gaiman's story, I didn't get bored either...so while it's not a revelation by any stretch, I found it watchable and recommend it to anyone who is attuned to the McKean aesthetic. B-

THE TRANSPORTER 2
I didn't like the first Transporter flick at all, finding it full of sizzle with no steak, despite the presence of always-likeable Jason Statham. Against all odds, though, I found this sequel tons more fun, and I'm hard pressed to explain exactly why. Better supporting cast, perhaps, a tad more energy and imagination in the script, such as it is...who knows. All I know is that this was a neat little streamlined B-movie action thriller, clocking in at a very economical 87 minutes, and the kind you look forward to seeing come on Cinemax late at night...and while it was often preposterous, it was never boring. Kudos to Kate Nauta for not hamming it up (too much) as she played the psycho girlfriend of the bad guy. B+

KING KONG
I remember seeing the trailers for this one and getting very excited when I saw Kong leaping up from his perch on the Empire State Building and swatting planes out of the sky. Great idea, thought I, and it bodes well for this film, especially with Peter Jackson coming off his Tolkein movies. Well...no. Unfortunately, Jackson decided he had to make Titanic the movie instead of a movie about a titanic ape, and the ridiculous, overblown pomposity of it made this more like an unholy marriage between the Sci-Fi Network and Lifetime. Mr. Jackson, I don't presume to tell you how to do your job...but I don't even think the hardcore romance flick crowd can honestly buy, even for a minute, Ann Darrow actually actively being in LOVE with the big effing ape. Think back, if you will, to the superior 1930's original. Fay Wray's Ann DIDN'T LIKE being in the spot she was in. She (quite correctly) FEARED FOR HER LIFE in the clutches of the big monkey, both on Skull Island and in NYC. She was CARRIED TO THE TOP of the E.S.B. by Kong, she didn't climb up there herself and try to shoo away airplanes. THERE IS NO WAY TO PLAUSIBLY GIVE US A SERIOUS ROMANCE BETWEEN A NORMAL MORTAL WOMAN AND A GIGANTIC APE! Can't happen! Physically impossible, and hardly practical. So all those awful scenes with Kong frolicking on the ice in Central Park, and the ludicrous impromptu vaudeville performance she gives on that ledge...well, all that Harlequin romance bullshit just sunk your movie, big guy. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is KING FRICKING KONG and ANN FRICKING DARROW, not Jack and Rose! And the shame of it is, if you take away that terrible misbegotten attempt at shoehorning the Lifetime movie of the week aesthetic into what was a riproaring adventure yarn, this Kong has a lot going for it- Jack Black was an inspired choice and he was pretty darn good, even though he didn't have the likeable regular-Joe Palooka vibe that Robert Armstrong had, he made up for it with energy and spunk. Naomi Watts was fine, when she wasn't making goo-goo eyes at the giant ape. The FX were EXCELLENT. But by not trusting in the pulp adventure at the heart of the story, Jackson shot himself in the foot with this overlong and soppy picture. Sometimes simple is better. C-

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE
This one, on the other hand, I expected to hate a LOT but wound up liking in spite of myself. Burton's "animated" style has never really yanked my crank; it's just too mannered and twee to really be (to me, anyway) as clever as he and his admirers seem to think it is. So I went in with zero enthusiasm; I rented this because lover-of-all-that-is-ghostly Mrs. B wanted to see it. But I found myself laughing at the occasional visual pun or throwaway joke, and was entertained. That said, I think I can cheerfully go the rest of my life without seeing another one of Burton's rinky-dink Goth fantasies. B

THE FLAMING LIPS: THE FEARLESS FREAKS
Took me a while to become the Lips fan that I am; I was entirely unimpressed with their Transmissions From the Satellite Heart CD back in '95, when we were playing "She Don't Use Jelly" at the rock radio station I worked for for a brief while that year. A long while later, I caught the tail end of a performance on HBO's Reverb show, which had Wayne Coyne in his full bloody-faced glory performing "The Spark That Bled" from The Soft Bulletin. I had no clue who it was, and the TV listing didn't have any credits. So it took me until 2002, and their majestic "Do You Realize?" single, to get me interested- and after getting Yoshimi Battles... and loving it, I quickly snapped up Bulletin- and fell in love with it from the literal first few bars of "Race For the Prize". A definite transformation in their heads had taken place between the routine Psych-noise of Heart and the sublimities of their post-Bulletin output; but I didn't really know what until I sat down and watched this documentary recounting of the band's history from their beginnings in Oklahoma, of all places, till just before the recording of their latest album. LOTS of background on not only Coyne, but the other past and present bandmembers, and surprisingly few punches are pulled- instrumentalist Stephen Drozd's frank discussion of his drug abuse is as fascinating as it is offputting, and more often as not Coyne comes across as a bit of a crackpot. Unfortunately, not a lot of time is devoted to the actual creative process behind the songs, so that's a drawback, but it's not a major problem. If anyone is curious about this band, I couldn't think of a better way to begin, other than getting a copy of the amazing Soft Bulletin, of course. B+

PICADILLY
Outstanding silent star vehicle for the incredible Anna May Wong. Wong is Shosho, a scullery maid at a swanky London nightclub who catches the eye of the owner and is soon the star attraction at the nightspot. Of course, complications ensue as the infatuated owner gets caught up with intrigue and murder in the Chinatown district. This British production came towards the end of the silent era, and honestly, it doesn't look as creaky and dated as many silents do- there are several nicely composed shots (in my less than expert opinion) and the production values were solid. The performances are a bit stagy, as silent film perfs tend to be, but even they aren't so stiff as to distract. If you like silent films, and if you are half as infatuated with Wong as I am (it's a character fault I have, all this obsessing over dead movie actresses), I heartly recommend this interesting period piece which gets by even by modern standards. A-

WEDDING CRASHERS
I know many are already getting sick of Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and the others in what wags are now calling the "Frat Pack", but I went in expecting nothing from this and wound up laughing my ass off. Wilson and Vaughn are top-notch as a pair of divorce lawyers who attend wedding receptions without an invite, just to meet and score with girls. But of course, this being modern Hollywood, they can't go on having fun forever and life lessons must be taught to all us poor sinners out in the Great Unwashed, so Wilson begins to second-guess his hobby when he meets Senator Christopher Walken's lovely daughter at her sister's reception. And of course, he is now faced with telling the truth and ruining what chance he does have with the engaged-to-some-one-else (who's a real jerk) Senator's daughter, or walking away, which he can't do 'cause he's in LUHVE. Vaughn, too, also gets more than he bargained for but his story is a lot funnier and a lot less dreary than Wilson's. Still, everybody's really good in this- Wilson's got that smarmy-but-likeable aw-shucks Valley Guy thing down pat, Vaughn is as boorish-but-likeable as ever, Walken is WALKEN, and even Jane Seymour, as Walken's horny wife, has some funny scenes. And Will Farrell shows up at the end as some sort of uber-wedding crasher guru, and damned if he doesn't almost steal the whole movie, especially at the end. Three-quarters of the time, these sorts of films are endurance tests for me, but once in a while one jumps up and smacks me on the nose...and this is one of them. B+

MADAGASCAR
If you've seen one imitation Pixar flick with an all star voice cast featuring animals dealing with life outside their element, you've seen 'em all. This was watchable and sometimes amusing, but just barely. The imitation Robin Williams lemur was probably the most memorable character, for what it's worth. Yawn. C+

Right now, I've got Syriana and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada sitting next to the DVD player, unwatched, and next up is V For Vendetta as soon as I can get one of them back in.

I was working hard on getting the movie capsules done so I could begin the comics commentary, but I got interrupted (comicus interruptus?) and it's too late now to get back into it. Later.

But hey! A few days ago, I was asked to do a fill-in Meanwhile... linkblogging column for the Blog@Newsarama, and I did, and you can read it right here. And drop a comment or two- who knows, maybe they'll ask me do write something else someday!

Also upcoming: Confessions of a Spinner Rack Junkie #2, and a guest column at another of the sponsored group comics blogs...more on that later...

JOHNNY B HEART NETFLIX! THE RETURN!

In which I take a look at films I've rented recently via that most excellent of online DVD rental services, as well as some I've seen on cable TV as well.

BREAKFAST ON PLUTO
Good cast and excellent early-mid 70's period detail get sunk by a lackluster script. Breakfast follows the exploits of one Patrick "Kitten" Braden, a young fellow with a predilection for transvestism who leaves his convoluted parentage issues behind in the small Irish town of Tyreelin, searching for his niche as well as his long-lost mother (as we are reminded constantly), set against the background of not only the Glam-era U.K. (does a much better job of evoking that fondly-remembered era than Velvet Goldmine, in fact), but also the unrest and violence of Ireland and England. Kitten blithely goes from encounter to encounter (one with none other than Bryan Ferry as a nasty bit of rough trade), from an affair with a Ted-looking rock singer (think Gary Glitter fronting the Sweet; a mostly amusing perf from Gavin Friday) to living the sordid life on the streets, to being in the wrong place at the wrong time as he gets caught in an explosion in a London disco, then gets arrested and blamed as the (apparently) sole Irishman in the place. Of course, he skates after a period of time, and eventually ends up reconciling with his past and helping a friend through a rough period. I think screenwriters Neil Jordan and Pat McCabe (from his book) really intended Kitten to be something of a Forrest Gump-like holy fool as he goes from bad spot to bad spot and gets through by simply acting vague, innocent and/or insane, but unlike Gump, who was at least somewhat likeable and had a sort of moral backbone- the courage of his convictions if you will, Kitten is just annoying...and that's the biggest problem with the whole thing as far as I'm concerned; I just never could buy the character, even though Cillian Murphy does a great job of bringing him to life as he's written. The whole film is well acted, with great turns provided by ol' reliable Liam Neeson as the conflicted Father Bernard, and the radiant Ruth Negga (picture at right, with Murphy) as one of Kitten's pals from the Auld 'Hood who ends up married to an IRA bomber and pregnant- she's sexy and tough and vulnerable throughout, and has some of the most expressive eyes I've seen in quite some time. Guess you could say I was smitten, huh! Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye out for her in the future. There's a lot to like about Breakfast; it doesn't drag but I just wish it had been a little sharper and a little smarter in certain places. B+


ULTRAVIOLET
Excellent, imaginative visuals and the ever-sexy Milla Jovovich (quite the visual herself) are the only reasons to watch this confusing, violent and unsatisfying mess of a film. C+

NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD
I suppose if I liked Neil's Prairie Wind album more than I did, I would have been more favorably disposed towards this handsomely photographed account of a Young show at the fabled Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Problem is, I just don't so I got kinda bored about halfway through. The most fun I had with this was at the very beginning, in which filmmaker Jonathan Demme interviews the band in various vehicles as they drive through the streets of Nashville to the show, and it was neat to see the familiar landmarks and streets framed in the windows behind the subjects. I doubt that was what Demme had in mind as he filmed. As far as the concert itself goes, we get earnest, sincere and dull renditions of selected oldies and much of the Wind album, in which he is backed by many of the usual suspects (Ben Keith, whose steel hasn't sounded unique since 1975 or so; Spooner Oldham, Emmylou Harris, bassist Rick Rosas) and just looks and sounds geezerly and feeble in his light suit and hat. I liked the semi-animated opening credits. If you're an admirer of Young's recent work, which I am not really, you'll be more charitably inclined. But as someone who remembers when and has given up on seeing its like again, I give this a B.

ROD STEWART AND THE FACES: THE FINAL CONCERT, 1974

Few musicians have aged less gracefully than Rod Stewart, who was once one of the most unique and finest rock/soul/blues singers of his generation, but became convinced he was a superstar and began a long descent through increasingly slick and shallow production, songs, and persona and is now reduced to crooning oldies a la Harry Connick Jr. in a gruff, hoarse voice that retains none of the expressiveness and command it once had. Sad. Here we have a relic of the final days of the excellent band and musicians which he fronted throughout his salad days, and in a lot of ways never recovered from leaving them behind, the Faces. Sadly sans original bassist and songwriter and heart/soul of the group Ronnie Lane who had already moved on, sick of Rod's ego. Still, having never been privileged to see the Faces perform, it was good to get to view this- despite the terrible picture quality (full of visual noise, scratches, and such plus jumpy cutting) and the dismaying spectacle of Rod getting all glammy as he preens and struts and shakes his ass constantly. The camera guy doesn't help, by zooming in on it incessantly. The band, though almost done with each other, was still tight, especially guitarist Ron Wood (honestly, he's been wasted, and I'm not referring to chemical input, in the Stones) and keyboardist Ian McLagan, who shows a lot more personality and humor onstage than I expected. Rod and Co. have a lot of fun with a group of gentlemen string musicians, who are set up at one end of the stage for a few songs and add a lot in accompaniment. Keith Richards wanders onstage at various points and joins in on a rocking version of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" (which appeared in studio form, sans Richards, a few months earlier on Rod's solo Smiler LP), and a couple of other covers from Rod's solo albums- "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Twistin' the Night Away". It's kinda odd that there is only one proper Faces song represented in this show- the infectious 1975 single "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, or Anything", and the rest is either songs from Rod's solo LPs or Wood's solo LP at the time, I've Got My Own Album to Do. If there was a lot of rancor, it's not evident- everyone seems to be having a good time, and often works up a great rocking head of steam, even when wading through what appears to be a metric ton of confetti in the last third of the concert. I keep hoping that somewhere out there footage exists of the Faces, with Ronnie Lane, in concert and someday someone will see fit to release it and we can see the band at its peak. I guess this will have to do till then, and while it could have been better, it could have been a lot worse. B+

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
We all have them- films that were constantly mentioned and referred to in our childhood, and were shown fairly often on TV and other places, and the titles of which became part of the lexicon, but we never got around to seeing them. This is one of those films for me. Seems as if this was always on TV, and I was always seeing it mentioned in print, but I was never moved to watch- guess preteen me just didn't care too much about the sad fate of Thomas More and the outstanding performance of Paul Scofield as same. However, now that I am presumably an adult, and having recently become interested in viewing performances by Robert (Jaws, Taking of Pelham One Two Three, From Russia With Love) Shaw, I couldn't pass this one up. Unfortunately, Shaw has a lesser role and really only two significant scenes as Henry VIII- this film belongs to Scofield and he's great, giving a nuanced performance...which isn't surprising, given that he performed the role in its original incarnation on Broadway. Well worth watching if you're a fan of good acting. A-

THE ARISTOCRATS
This wasn't anywhere near as funny as I was expecting. Basically a documentary about a filthy joke that comedians tell other comedians when they get together offstage, in which many comics from many backgrounds get an opportunity to discuss and perform. Some are amusing, many aren't, with the only real standouts to me being a guy who illustrated the joke using playing cards, and Bob frigging Saget, who draws doubletakes at the incongruity between his roles on sitcoms and clip shows and the absolute filth he brings in his turn. I could only take talking heads, no matter how clever or entertaining (Steven Wright, Robin Williams, Penn & Teller) they may be in other projects, telling us how "It's not the setup or the punch line that's funny, it's how the teller embellishes it in between" over and over again before my finger began to stray towards the scan button. A novelty, and probably worth viewing once, but I rarely laughed- probably because I'm not inclined to enjoy scatological humor anyway. Caveat emptor. C+


LONESOME DOVE
Here's another famous and revered film project that I had never seen, despite being very aware of it when it aired as a TV movie in the late '80s. My good friend Joy kept telling me how much she loves it every time I tried to tell her about Deadwood, so I figured I might as well see where she's coming from. And y'know what? This was an engrossing six or so hours. If you're a fan of great acting, you've got a stellar turn by Robert Duvall as randy cowpoke and ex-Texas Ranger Gus McCrae, and a taciturn Tommy Lee Jones (inexplicably made up to look like Kenny Rogers or Santa Claus) as his associate and ex-Ranger bud Woodrow Call. Retired from trouble-shooting, often literally, they are stagnating on a ranch in the titular dusty Texas town until another former Ranger buddy, Jake Spoon, gives them a glowing report about the wide open spaces in Montana and off they go, driving a large herd of cattle north to sell and finance their dream of a ranch in the high country. Along the way, they encounter, and enter into conflict with, a number of colorful characters including a couple of the most egregiously stereotyped Irishmen you've ever seen, and a surly renegade half-breed, played by Fredric Forrest, with the ridiculous sobriquet of "Blue Duck" (I'd be surly, too, if someone named me Blue Duck), who has a vendetta against McCrae. Watching this after a steady routine of Deadwood for three years now makes it seem somewhat quaint...but honestly, it's as brutally frank in its TV Movie way as its HBO cousin and is thankfully never routine or predictable. I was especially impressed with the script's willingness to unexpectedly kill off characters that are somewhat important to the main story, and I can honestly say that this is the first time I have ever actually been impressed with and enjoyed a performance by Anjelica Huston, who ordinarily leaves me stone cold. And as I said before, you will be in awe of Duvall, who lays it all on the line for six freaking hours and never rings false or cheats the viewer. A-

AEON FLUX
Take the above UltraViolet review, and substitute Charlize Theron in the appropriate place. For what it's worth, I never was a big fan of the animated version, either, although it was much better than this. All this money, all that imagination- wish someone with some imagination had worked on the script. Still, I love me some Theron, so this isn't a total disaster. For me. YMMV. C+

I've got PLENTY more, believe me, including 2005's King Kong, Wedding Crashers, MirrorMask, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Stay tuned!

Feeling a little strung out (yes, drugs are tangentially involved, but not those drugs, thanks for asking) and under the weather tonight, plus I got my DCBS box so I'm currently working my way through another (bigger) stack of comics. So, another night of inconsequential posts (yeah, I know, how is that different?), I'm afraid. But I do have a higher-profile gig than I'm accustomed to coming up over the weekend, so stay tuned for that, plus I'll probably inflict a reviewing frenzy on all y'all sometime soon as well as a result of all that reading. Anyways, in the meantime why not go read this excellent interview with the amazing colossal Richard Sala, creator of the nifty Rasputin pic you see above? Credit where credit is due dept.: Ganked from the Flog LJ feed entry.

It's become a sadly recurring thing- Tom Spurgeon puts out a Five for Friday entry solicitation, I get all het up and write something for it, email it to tom@comicsreporter.com and days later, I check the site and lo and behold...several entries, none of which are mine. Sigh.

Anyway, Five for Friday #85, "Name a comic and then the person, place, thing, or event that that comic always makes you think of" was a good one, and I hate to see my labor (ha) go to waste, so here was my response.

1. Thriller #7 - Sitting outside in the parking lot of the obstetrician's office reading this as my wife was inside getting a checkup as we awaited the birth of my daughter a few weeks later on August 6.

2. Amazing Adventures #34 - I read this one as I sat outside the front of my high school building, waiting for the coach to open up the door so we could go in and start practice. I got so caught up in the story that I didn't hear when he finally did open the door, and was late! I had to run laps, and it was all Craig Russell and Don McGregor's fault!

3. Marvel Spotlight #18 - There was one house where we all hung out as teens, the town doctor's (who had four sons, three close to our age). It was just down the road from the Jr. Foods store where I bought many great comics off their spinner rack, and for some reason I remember the day I bought this one and brought it back to that house to read it. Hot summer day. This particular book made a Son of Satan fan out of me...

4. Phantom Stranger #24 - Rivertown Records in Louisville, sadly no longer in existence, where I bought a ton of used vinyl back in 1975-76. They also carried used comics for a while, and this was one I bought there...and it never fails to bring the place back in my memory.

5. Marvel Graphic Novel #13 - Starstruck. I took it with me in 2000 to meet Mike Kaluta at a convention in Louisville, and got him to autograph it.

If anyone wishes to add their own, my comments box is open and eager to receive your ministrations!

Went to my LCS today, with the intention of picking up the final installment of Steve Englehart's JLA Detroit opus (JLA: Classified #25), and heaven help me if I didn't kinda look over the racks of comics that came out the last couple of weeks...and my eye rested on the latest issue of CHECKMATE- #4, to be precise. And suddenly, despite my staunch resolve to limit my exposure to all the misbegotten spinoffs of Identity Fiasco (and the wretched Secret Six #1 certainly didn't weaken my resolve), I had a tiny flashback to the two early issues of the sadly missed Chase comic, in which she joined a Suicide Squad group on a mission...and I impulsively snatched up not only #4, but #'s 1 and 3 as well. Typically for my LCS, they didn't have a copy of #2. Not only that, but in news that will gladden Wil Pfiefer's mercenary little heart, I decided I was a tad hasty in dropping Catwoman after Pete Woods left, so I grabbed a set of the issues that have come out since then! And not only that- I also picked up a copy of the new Astro City special, despite the fact that I had pretty much decided to wash my hands of AC after the lackluster Dark Age series of a while back. I blame the Alex Ross cover, a nice pulp magazine pastiche. Finally, I got my copy of Leading Man #1, which I had put in my folder a couple of weeks ago (I'm not a regular holds customer anymore, but they were nice enough to let me maintain a folder there so I could stash stuff I wanted to buy later) since I got a advance b&w comp from Oni and had already read it, but I haven't received anything from Oni in ages so I was uncertain if I'd get an actual full-color printed copy- and I liked Leading Man enough to pick it up from DCBS on a regular basis and didn't want to miss #1. Clear? Explain it to me, please.

But I didn't go totally nuts- all I walked out of the store with was Checkmate #1, the Astro City and Leading Man, plus the JLA: Classified. I put the rest back to await the next sidewalk sale (August 5, I believe) when I can get these books at 25% off. And don't ask me what I thought of Checkmate just yet- I haven't read it. But I will, soon, my pretties, soon.

And that, boys and girls, is my Comics Shop adventure for today. You may now resume normal activities.



Oh- and yes, I know Shadowpact is another spawn of IC...but it's got Phantom Stranger! And Ragman! And Nightmaster! And the Enchantress, albeit in a terrible new "modern" costume. I couldn't help myself.

Boom Boom! Out go the lights!

Sorry, Pat Travers flashback there. What? You don't know...? Oh. I never was much of a fan either, but he did a well-known cover of the song of that title. Couldn't resist.

Anyway, I got a clutch, a gaggle, a small plethora of Boom! comics the other day, and here's what I thunk.

HERO SQUARED 2
S: Keith Giffen, J.M. Dematteis; A: Joe Abrahams ($3.99)

Sometimes I suspect that Giffen & DeMatteis' inspiration, back when the bwah was first conceived in the 1980's, was Neil Simon- whose fast and funny snappy patter, full of one-liners, sometimes was echoed in the back and forth between Booster and Beetle and Guy and co. There's been a fair amount of that in Hero Squared so far, you bet...but this issue another inspiration rears his balding head...Woody Allen. I couldn't help but think of Allen's constant riffs on his neuroses and insecurities as I read this, the "All-Therapy" issue, and like Allen, somehow K & J manage to milk a lot of laughs out of the situation as Milo and...well, Milo have a sit-down with Milo A's shrink and rarely does what is essentially a talking heads story (no, not Dave Byrne) flow as smoothly as this one does. Bonus points for not giving us the ending that I was convinced was coming. Abrahams, for his part, has the thankless task of drawing all these heads (battling with the word balloons for panel dominance), and he does a fine job, getting more expressive every time out. Hero Squared remains one of the most plain ol' enjoyable books from any publisher. A-

JEREMIAH HARM 4
S: Keith Giffen, Alan Grant; A: Rafael Albequerque ($3.99)

Hey! Where'd Raul Lyra go? This time out, we get another unknown-to-me, Rafael (By the time I get to) Albequerque on art and he's not bad- not as loose and sprawling as Lyra, and his figure drawings look a bit more in-proportion...that is, when they're supposed to be. Otherwise, status quo as Harm continues to track down and eliminate, one by one, the escaped interplanetary felons that are wreaking havoc here on Earth. This time, he spends most of the issue in battle with Brune, the big bag of gas which is Non to Dak Moyra's Zod and Ayoma Skyver's Ursa, and the small cast of Earth people gets a bit more of the spotlight. Despite some intrusive exposition- characters calling each other by full names in normal conversation, that sort of thing- this is still an all-around solid sci-fi/action thriller. B+

THE BLACK PLAGUE 1
S: Joe Casey; A: Julia Bax ($3.99)

Damn it, I kinda liked this, which totally eliminates the obvious pun I was considering using: "Avoid this like the PLAGUE!" Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. Anyways, this is espionage highjinks with a super-hero flavor; S.H.I.E.L.D.-like superspy organization S.L.A.S.H. (Does that make this slash fiction? Just wondering) comes into conflict with superspy not-so-good guy Black Plague, who wears a costume that is totally different from the one on the uncharacteristically straightforward Dave Johnson cover, over some sort of tech...and oh yeah, organized crime is involved too! On top of that, we get interludes with a couple of old fellows who apparently were once spandex adversaries earlier, as they play chess and reminisce. Of course, there's more than meets the eye there as well. Casey sure is spinning a lot of plates here, and this should be a mess, but it actually reads just fine and is just interesting enough to make me want to see where he goes with it. All this is illustrated by another new-to-me artist whose style reminds me a LOT of Archie Legion-era Jeffrey Moy; and like Moy's stuff, one gets a bit annoyed with all the baby faces but there's enough storytelling chops in evidence to keep from impeding the flow. I've read better, but I've read much, much worse. B

SECOND WAVE 5
S: Michael Alan Nelson; A: "Chee" ($2.99)

My mom always said, "If you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything" and I suppose that applies to comics reviews as well. I will note in passing that this is now, according to the cover, "Second Wave"- apparently we've lost the "War of the Worlds" designation. By #7, I fully expect this to be titled Wave. Or perhaps Second. D+

Sending out a Bacardi Show Birthday Greeting to TREVOR VON EEDEN, Green Arrow and Batman artist extraordinaire. Oh yeah, and there's that Thriller comic from a long time ago, too...

Check out this eight-page preview of Rick Veitch's early 80's masterpiece, Abraxas and the Earthman!

Veitch has done many fine, excellent even, things since this, but Abraxas is a heady mix of wild-ass ideas, action, metaphysics, psychology, and adventure, all couched in a Moby Dick-ian premise, that I don't think he's topped since- and that includes Brat Pack, Maximortal, and his Swamp Thing run, all of which I liked quite a bit. The coloring looks really nice here, too, although I don't have my old Epics handy to compare.

And since I still have those issues, in which Abraxas was serialized, I'm not sure if I want to drop the cash for the new collection. I suppose it's too late to order it from DCBS, but perhaps they'll have it in backlist stock. I'll have to ponder.

Anyway, thanks to the Mighty Jog for the heads-up!

There have been several interesting (and plenty not-so) announcements coming from Comic-Con (aka "Nerd Prom" to those internet pundits of a snarkier bent...and judging by the live report I watched on the G4 network last night, I can't really dispute that), but this one has piqued my interest the most. Apparently Marvel intends to put out a special issue that will present what would have been Fantastic Four #102, but instead got chopped up and blended into #108, which came after Jack Kirby had bolted for the not-so-greener pastures of National Periodical Publications. Amazingly, the original pencilled pages, done as Kirby had one foot out the door, still survive and the thinking is to get someone to ink and color them (may I suggest Mike Allred, if Joe Sinnott isn't able/available?) and have Stan re-dialogue them (I'm not sure if this is such a good idea- Stan hasn't written credible dialogue since, oh, 1969). The Newsarama piece goes on to say that it will be released as "... a double-sized special, which will include the newly reconstructed version of the story, John Morrow's article about the lost issue illustrated with the unlinked Kirby pencils to the story, and a reprint of FF #108, so people can see how some of the material wound up being used."

It's funny- I was all of 11 years old when #108 hit the stands; and as such my buying habits were inconsistent and dependant on the whims of my parents, who gave me money to do so. So apparently I didn't buy an issue of FF from #93 until #109, over a year later...and while I'd seen the "Kirby is Coming!" announcements over at DC, it didn't occur to me that this meant he wouldn't be doing FF anymore. Naive kid, you know, plus we didn't have the all-pervasive comics media coverage we have now back in Antediluvian 1970. Anyway, for some reason I decided to buy #109 with my barely-earned allowance, and was a bit disappointed the Kirby was no longer drawing it. I liked the story OK, even that Nega (formerly Mega-, but without the blue helmet and robot dog he had in his video game, hee hee)-Man guy...but Buscema's FF just looked weird (I preferred him much, much more on Silver Surfer and Avengers. Still do.) Apparently I wasn't so disappointed that I dropped FF completely, however; a glance at the GCD FF page for this period shows me that I bought #'s 113, 114, and amazingly, 116-119 (four issues in a row!) before I stopped becoming a semi-regular purchaser of the World's Greatest Comics Magazine for what was apparently a hell of a long time- I'm thinking my next one was 1977's #177, thanks to its George Perez pencil art, Perez being a fresh up-and-comer then (certainly fresher than the Ron Wilsons and the like that had been illoing FF previously) and therefore interesting to l'il ol' visual-oriented me. By then, I had met my good bud Dave Puckett (who has decided to pull the plug on his own Elmo's Junction blog, much to the detriment of the Comics Blogosphere), had learned what a "comic collector" was and what he or she did, and had proceeded down that merry ol' road to ruin. Aw, I kid. feelin' all nostalgic and stuff on this early Sunday morning. Tamam Shud! Face Front, True Believers! Imperius Rex!

Anyway, short story long, I am very interested in how this proceeds, especially if they get a sympathetic inker, and will most likely be picking this up fer shur.

The cover to Manifest Eternity #5, by Dustin Nguyen; and one of the alternate covers from the most recent (relatively speaking, of course) Dirty Pair miniseries, by Adam Hughes. Click to see 'em bigga. A wise man once said, "Creativity is the art of disguising your sources." With that in mind, I couldn't help but notice a certain...similarity.

Time once more for THE BACARDI SHOW NEW COMICS REVIEW!
What I bought and what I thought, July 8-July 17.



HATE ANNUAL 6
S/A: Peter Bagge (Fantagraphics, $4.95)

As usual, the main attraction here is a new Buddy Bradley story, and Bagge doesn't disappoint on that score as we revisit the unfortunate Stinky Brown, or what's left of him anyway. The rest is hit-and-miss: a Biker story that seems twice as long as it is, lotsa Bat Boy strips that I read while standing in line at the supermarket, an amusing sports wife story, a not-bad Matrix satire, and a pretty good illustrated reminisce by Alice Cooper that I could swear I've read in prose form somewhere else before. Whether or not this is worth five bucks to you is a whole 'nother thing. B

DETECTIVE COMICS 821
S: Paul Dini; A: J.H.Williams III (DC, $2.99)

Well, it's not much of a mystery- if you blink you'll miss the only appearance, before the end, of the bad guy and that kinda comes across as a bit of a cheat- but Dini keeps it no less interesting through his usual solid pacing and dialogue. Williams is simply Williams- always a joy to behold. If he comes back, I'll continue to buy but Dini combined with an uninspiring artist doesn't exactly coerce me to part with my hard-earned three bucks. Unless it's Jingle Belle. A-

B.P.R.D.: UNIVERSAL MACHINE 4
S: John Arcudi, Mike Mignola A: Guy Davis (Dark Horse, $2.99)

The Kate Corrigan subplot doesn't get advanced this time out, but we still get more from the round-table discussion back at B.P.R.D. HQ, this time from Liz Sherman and Abe Sapiens. Abe's has Hellboy in it, as well as a cameo from Frances McDormand's Marge Gunderson character from Fargo, and is a kinda sad tale of an encounter with a wendigo that has a decidedly downbeat resolution- as is the norm for our Abe these days. This issue kinda spun its wheels a bit, but it was still good enough and was drawn by Guy Davis, always a strong plus. A-

DARK HORSE TWENTY YEARS
Various artists (Dark Horse, $0.25)

Dark Horse commemorates its anniversary by giving us this book of pinups, in which artists known for this DH property or that does a rendition of another past or present DH artist's main character. Thus we get Adam (Ghost) Hughes drawing Mignola's Hellboy, Doug (The Mask) Mahnke doing Art Adams' sadly-missed Monkeyman and O'Brien, Frank (Sin City, of course) Miller doing Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, and so on. Most are pretty good, some not so; some choices are just odd: Sergio Aragones' Conan, for example, looks too much like Groo the Wanderer to take seriously, and while it's a neat idea (I suppose), Tony (Sock Monkey) Millionaire's Tarzan looks like Homer Simpson's nuclear power plant co-worker Lenny Leonard. But hey, it's got a great Tom Yeates Escapist illo, and Adams does a nice Ghost (a character whose appearance I've always liked a lot more than the execution, if you'll excuse the expression)...so sure, it's well worth the quarter. B

DEATH, JR. VOL. II 1
S: Gary Whitta; A: Ted Naifeh (Image, $4.99)

The further adventures of the Grim Reaper's young son, who jumps at the chance to take a summer internship at the old man's office and soon winds up in a Brazil-ian scenario. Meanwhile, his bizarre friends go to camp, and of course get more than they bargain for. So far, so good, as Whitta cheerfully applies sitcommery into this oddball scenario, and Naifeh provides more outstanding art. Between this and Polly and the Pirates, I'm coming to expect his work every month! A-

JONAH HEX 9
S: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti; A: Tony DeZuniga (DC, $2.99)

A couple of issues back, DeZuniga made a triumphant return to the character he's most associated with (when people associate him at all). This time, however, he shoots himself in the foot by making a disjointed, rambling Graymiotti script even more incoherent. Maybe we just better turn the page and move on to next issue... C-

HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT 4
S: B. Clay Moore; A: Steven Griffin (Image, $2.99)

Would you believe it's worth the wait? Of course, it helps that I'm not one to grouse when a title's tardy- I'm content to bide my time and let the creators create...and if I'm committed to the title, then I'll just be happy when it does finally appear. That said, this long-awaited ending was kind of a fait accompli, and didn't quite pack the punch of the last mini's resolution. Still, it's always great to read the interaction between Byrd, Mo and Kahami- Moore makes them real and is outstanding at essaying their dynamic- and this as a whole was lively and fun. And Griffin outdoes himself on art- his facial expressions are nine times out of ten spot on and his coloring is as good as it gets. Sure, I wish it could come out more often too...but this haoli can be patient. A-

STRANGE GIRL 9
S: Rick Remender; A: Eric Nguyen (Image, $2.99)

Unremarkable, holding-pattern-feel issue, with an admittedly surprising character death, which brings the original artist back for an encore...this time with a style that's even sloppier than the one he used originally, and not to his (or our)advantage. I'm still interested in this premise, and the title character is also still intriguing in her non-glamorous way, but something extraordinary is going to happen soon or I'll soon be e-stranged. C+

SHAOLIN COWBOY 6
S: Geoff Darrow, Andy & Larry Wachowski, A: Darrow (Burlyman, $3.50)

The Cowboy travels through the belly of a giant monster, and fends off repeated attacks by a huge shark, a vehicle for the bodiless head he's been scrapping with for three issues now. Again, light story, and lots of insanely detailed Darrow art, and admiring the panels is what gets the reader through despite the totally static feel of the narrative as a whole. I wish I could tell you that I'm perfectly willing to adopt my Hawaiian Dick Zen-like patience stance with this, but I'm afraid I'm getting a bit restless. It's not that clever. Still, this issues ending offers hope, so stay tuned, kids! B+

100 BULLETS 74
S: Brian Azzarello; A: Eduardo Risso (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

A couple of unexpected plot twists (the fate of the Nagle twins, and the new Minuteman) gets this arc over and makes it a keeper. Sporting a great Dave Johnson cover, a 50's paperback/noir pastiche with hints of Russian Constructivism and certainly his best in a while. And of course, Risso just kills. One of these days I'm going to dig out the 73 previous issues and have myself a rereading session. A-

AMERICAN VIRGIN 5
S: Steven Seagle; A: Becky Cloonan (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Here's another title which is getting more disappointing with each successive issue. Between this, Testament, and Loveless, it hasn't exactly been a banner year for Vertigo, if you ask me. As I said last time, this wants to be a little bit of everything to everybody, and by steadfastly refusing to adopt a tone and live with it, it winds up being nothing to anyone. Becky Cloonan is still doing great stuff, and I really want to stick around to see how this whole business with Adam Chamberlain's dead girlfriend turns out...but I'm not sure how much more coffin-humping I'm willing to endure until then. C+

SHATTER
S: Peter Gillis; A: Mike Saenz (AiT/PlanetLar, $14.95)

Ah, it's the unexpected return of the comic that was always guaranteed to cue up that Stones song in my head every time I'd spy a copy on the racks of my LCS. You know, "Shadoobie- Shatter, Shatter". Heh. Unfortunately, I passed on actually purchasing the comic every single time because it just didn't grab me. The art, as I now rely upon my ever-fuzzier memories of 1984, just looked a little too grainy and fuzzy and sterile for my tastes...and we all know how much stock I've always placed on that crucial first impression, art-wise, that usually makes or breaks the chances of my picking up any given title. So, I've never read this. And you know what? While the art is still mighty sterile, it improves a bit in black and white and is, when examined through my ever-fuzzier eyesight and theoretically more mature and adult perspective, is actually quite good- almost always solid anatomically as well as from a storytelling viewpoint too. And the mind boggles when one takes into consideration that this was done on a prehistoric Apple computer- the amount of time spent alone gives me pause. I remember the first Mac I ever used, back in 1985 (permit me to digress a bit)- it was an Macintosh Classic, used as a Crosfield scanner interface, and I used to enjoy messing around with the desktop, rearranging the pixels to make weird shapes and so on. And that was about the limit that it could do, since it possessed a whopping 134KB of RAM! I can't imagine doing a sustained quantity of work on something even as "advanced" as a IIci, for example. So that's a hell of an accomplishment, in my book. Heck, I can't even do four pages the old-fashioned way! Anyway, with the benefit of 20 plus years of hindsight, this stacks up as a pretty darn good, even somewhat prescient, Philip Dick/William Gibsonesque thriller- rarely predictable, not as dated as you'd think, and the good stretches make up for the occasional slow ones- always a hazard when publishing as an ongoing monthly (or was it bi-monthly? I forget). I can't say if I would have liked it as much at age 24, even if I had decided to buy it on a regular basis, but I'm happy to have the opportunity to reevaluate it now. B+

DMZ 9
S: Brian Wood; A: Riccardo Burchielli (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

Now here's the rare recent Vertigo title that's getting better as it goes along. Familarity is breeding interest rather than contempt, in this case anyway. I wish I had a better sense of what's exactly at stake in this whole Matty tug-of-war scenario, but I definitely want to see how it resolves itself. And that's something, especially since I was ready to drop about three issues ago. B+

FABLES 51
S: Bill Willingham; A: Sean McManus (DC/Vertigo, $2.99)

How can Willingham be so smart over here, then turn around and give us dull hackwork like Shadowpact? Who knows, but as a follow up to last issue's events it's a bit of a letdown- but it's no less readable as this issue's spotlight characters- Cinderella, the Mouse Police, etc., get to enact a espionage thriller with shapechanging magic and castles in the clouds populated by giants, and darned if it isn't a engaging romp. McManus fills in, reuniting with Willingham (I'm sure you remember the Thessaly minis, right? Right?) and fitting right in. He's not as polished as Buckingham and Leialoha, but he'll do in a pinch. I'm not that crazy about the Buckingham/Leialoha team anyway. A-

JLA CLASSIFIED 24
S: Steve Englehart; A: Tom Derenick, Mark Farmer (DC, $2.99)

Not a disaster, but not all that great either as we watch the Detroit League and the various Royal Flush Gang members run around in the burning woods for page after page, Aquaman in hot (heh, I made pun) pursuit. On the positive side, there's a nice flashback for Vixen, and once in a while Englehart's dialogue scans like the Englehart of old, which gives hope for the future. Plus, it's still nicely drawn in imitation Alan Davis style (and I swear, once in a while, I see a Von Eeden-influenced panel or two). On the negative side, all this angst and fire and running around gets mighty tedious, and I still think that this is yet another two-issue story that's being p-u-l-l-e-d out, taffy-like, into four. Oh Gypsy, the things I do for you...C+

BEST OF THE (2) WEEKS? Probably Hawaiian Dick, although a couple of others (Death, Jr., B.P.R.D.)are right there too.

WORST: Definitely Jonah Hex, but I've been enjoying the title as a whole up till now so let's just hope that this is an aberration.