High School Debut: In which I get some macho back

Another review: Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1, over at Comics Bulletin. And then there's this:

High School Debut, volume 2
By Kazune Kawahara



Good lord, I think reading this book made my Y chromosome kick back in. While some things get me feeling all girly, I must have an estrogen tolerance limit or something, because while I wouldn't call this book bad, it was just a bit too feminine for me. No, it's filled with nice, slick art, and some pretty well-defined characters, but the angsty romance (or rather the teenage stumblings toward it) just got tiresome; I almost starting yelling at the main character to just act on her feelings already and spare me having to sit through the indecision.

So here's the deal (with which I already was familiar, after having read the first chapter when it was previewed in Shojo Beat; I feel like I didn't miss much, skipping to the second volume): Haruna was an athletic tomboy in junior high, but now that she's in high school, she's decided to be more girly and try to get a boyfriend. But she's terrible at attracting boys, so she ends up recruiting Yoh, a handsome, quiet guy who swore off girls after a bad breakup, to be her "love coach" and tell her how to get guys to like her. Which sounds pretty mercenary, but it's got a good message, of the "be yourself, rather than what you think people want you to be" variety. Yoh pushes Haruna to be more outgoing and shows her some good fashions and hairstyles and such, but he doesn't try to make her into anything she's not. How wholesome.

So at the beginning of this volume, Haruna has decided that she's in love with Yoh's friend Fumi, so she gets Yoh to hook them up. This leads to an amusing date in which Haruna is too petrified to talk, so she has Yoh watch from nearby and keep texting her with what to say:



Ah, to be a teenager again. Yeah, this only emphasizes how much those years sucked for most of us (or maybe just me).

So, yeah, good times, but then the drama kicks in, because Yoh's sister Asami, who had helped Haruna out by offering encouragement and lending her clothes, turns out to be a backstabbing bitch, swooping in and stealing Fumi out from under her. Damn, girls can be mean to each other. This leads to a bunch of angst and crying, along with a possible subplot about Asami's mental health problems. But Haruna eventually gets over it, just in time to fall for Yoh himself. Which is a problem, because Yoh forbid her from doing so, saying he wouldn't be her coach anymore if she did. So, more angst, as Haruna tries to deny her feelings and freaks out about not being Yoh's type. This is where I get frustrated, as it's page after page of the internal drama and indecision:



But it's probably great, if that's the sort of thing you're going through in your own life. It just drives me crazy, being male and adult.

So while it's not for me, I would recommend it for somebody closer to the age of the characters. It's got nice characters and good plots, and some spiffy art. I really dug the depiction of Haruna doing her softball fast-pitch:



Yeah! Kick-ass! Be yourself, Haruna! That's the way to get Yoh to like you!

...Okay, I think I need to go read some Lone Wolf and Cub now.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

Local #11: I didn't want to punch her in the face

See, here's a review already!

Local #11
Written by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
Art by Ryan Kelly

In this penultimate issue of Local, Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly (who co-wrote the issue this time around) deliver what might be their best issue yet, touching on the invasiveness of biographical storytelling, self-reflection by artists, and the folly of trying to discern a story from only small fragments. It certainly gave me plenty to think about, and that’s what art is all about, right?

This time around, series protagonist Megan is living in Toronto, but we don’t follow her too closely. Rather, we watch an office co-worker of hers, a young artist named Nancy. As the cover of the issue indicates, Nancy ends up stealing a bunch of mementos from Megan’s apartment and displaying them as her senior project, claiming Megan is fictional. It’s an awfully intrusive and horrible thing to do, and Megan is shaken, as you can expect. But when you think about it, that’s pretty much what Wood and Kelly have been doing with this entire series. Since each issue takes place a year later than the last, and only features a small incident, we are limited to small fragments of Megan’s life. We may think we know her, but do we really? To act as if these bits of kitsch can tell us everything about her is pretentious and presumptive; it’s almost as if Wood and Kelly are lashing back at themselves for not doing justice to their creation. It’s a wonderful little bit of meta-commentary as the series is coming to a close.

There’s also the interesting Nancy, who, as the issue’s title indicates, is a member of “The Younger Generation”. While this was an awful thing to do to Megan, maybe she didn’t see it as such. This younger generation is used to putting themselves out there for the world to see, through Myspace, blogs, YouTube, or whatever other channels they find. As the world continues to shift to this style of tell-all communication, maybe what she did wasn’t so bad. I don’t know if this is what Wood and Kelly were intending, but it’s an interesting idea, and it might be one to explore further.

So, yeah, this was a damn good issue. Let’s bring it home big next time, boys! (and not too late, I hope.)

This week, there's lots of stuff. And lots of other stuff too

Quickly, before the (probably inaccurate) discussion of whatever's new this week, I've got a review of Glamourpuss #1 up at Comics Bulletin. If you care about someone who has only read a little Cerebus thinks about Dave Sim, check it out.

And then:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 5/7/08):

Amazing Spider-Man #558

Well, I thought I was going to be buying this for a couple months, but it turns out the next artist is Barry Kitson, who isn't bad, but he's just not enough to keep my interest. I might be back when Marcos Martin comes on board, and maybe for Chris Bachalo's next arc. Maybe.

American Splendor Season Two #2

I'm not sure who's among the lineup of illustrators this issue (I would put money on Dean Haspiel), but I'll be buying and digging it whatever the case. Go Harv!

Batman Death Mask #2

The first issue of this manga take on Batman was not bad at all, if only for the nifty designs of all the villains and whatnot. I was also amused by the way the murderer's victims got their faces chopped off, leaving a smooth, flat surface underneath. Ah, anatomical comedy! So, yeah, I'm getting this one.

Boys #18

If we're betting on stuff this week, are there any takers for how many menstruation gags Garth Ennis will use in this issue? I think there will be at least five. Also: zombie bestiality! Good times; this book is fun.

Invincible Iron Man #1 Larroca Cover
Invincible Iron Man #1 Quesada Cover
Invincible Iron Man #1 Djurdjevic Variant
Invincible Iron Man #1 Layton Variant
Invincible Iron Man #1 Tan Variant
Invincible Iron Man #1 1 in 25 Variant Set
Invincible Iron Man #1 Movie Variant
Invincible Iron Man #1 Secret Movie Variant

Good god, that's a lot of variants. Who knows if the movie (which had a pretty successful opening weekend, even though I didn't see it) will bring up sales of this book (which seems to be going for a more classic "billionaire playboy" take on Iron Man, rather than the semi-villain portrayal he's sported for the last while), but Marvel's going all out trying to goose sales with the gimmicks. Come on, it's what's inside that matters, people. And for me, that's a story by Matt Fraction. Don't let me down, fellow new daddy!

Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #1

In other Iron Man news, John Favreau (who directed the movie, if you didn't know) writes this four-issue miniseries, which is illustrated by Adi Granov, who usually sticks to covers after his horribly late six-issue run on the main title back when it launched. I should have a review up tomorrow on Comics Bulletin. Here's a preview: stiff art, tattoo cheesecake, lizards, silly politics. More later!

House of Mystery #1

The latest revival of the DC horror property, written by Jack of Fables scribes Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges (although I believe Sturges is handling the bulk of the duties). I imagine it will be entertaining, so I'll at least check out the first issue/arc.

Logan #3

More of Wolverine in Hiroshima. Not the best thing I've ever read by Brian K. Vaughan, but it's been decent. Who knows, maybe he'll turn it into something incredible for the finale. At the least, it's got some sweet Eduardo Risso art.

Lucha Libre #4

More of that wacky Euro-flavored masked Mexican wrestling shenanigans. The feature this issue is the Luchadoritos, who were more of a backup strip in previous issues. Whatever; it should be fun, like always.

Madman Atomic Comics #8

Please, Mike, don't make me leave the book. After the last few disappointing issues (see my review of #7 for details), I'm wondering if I want to keep reading, and that's a depressing thought for a longtime Allred/Madman fan like me. Bring me back, Mike. Please. Show me how awesome you can be.

Maintenance #10

Wow, this storyline has stretched into four issues now, a new record for the book. That's fine though; I'm digging the alien-fighting, girlfriend-rescuing plot. Keep it up!

Pretty Baby Machine #1

A "historical" story about Pretty Boy Floyd, Babyface Nelson, and Machine Gun Kelly team up against Al Capone. Hey, it could be fun. The art is by Kody Chamberlain, who I like. I'll take a look, if I see it.

Rex Libris #11

Long-winded, hard-hitting librarian battles the forces of fiction. This series is cool. That is all.

Metal Men #8

I liked the look of this series, and from what reviews I read, it's chock full of cool ideas and everything. So this being the final issue, it should get collected soon, and I'll try to read it. How about that?

Tor #1

Joe Kubert revives his barbarian-fights-dinosaurs series. It sure looks cool.

War That Time Forgot #1

Speaking of reviving old DC properties, here's a new version of their wacky old soldiers-versus-dinosaurs series. It sounds like it's got some cool elements, but renowned bad writer Bruce Jones is at the helm, so the outlook isn't good.

Wasteland #17

Man, this series just keeps coming out like clockwork. Which is cool, because I'm digging it. This issue sees more of the battle for Newbegin, I expect. Damn sandeaters.

Wulf & Batsy #1

Bruce Baugh's werewolf/sexy vampire series. I still need to read the stuff he sent me, but he's got a good, creepy style, so I recommend looking at it.

Alien At Large

One of Platinum's offerings this week, about a bumbling alien ambassador. Could be fun.

Gary Panter 2-Volume Slipcased HC Set

For those who understand Panter's work (a group in which I am not a part), here's a super-expensive ($95) collection of his work. Enjoy, art snobs!

Iron Man Enter the Mandarin

Hey, another Iron man thing! This collects the recent miniseries by Joe Casey and Eric Canete, which I've been intending to pick up when it was collected. So it looks like this is the week (unless I'm spending too much elsewhere...)! The story is one of those "untold tales" from early in the character's career, which I'm not usually a fan of, but I do like Casey, and Canete's art is pretty nice. So I'm sure I'll get it eventually, if not immediately.

JLA Presents Aztek the Ultimate Man

Wow, DC finally collects the quickly-cancelled (it lasted ten issues) Grant Morrison/Mark Millar series from the late 90s. I've read it, and it's all right, but not exactly the lost work of genius that it's reputed to be. But if you really want it, don't let me dissuade you.

Life Sucks TP

From First Second, the new vampire-related graphic novel by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece. I've read mixed reviews, but I would be willing to give it a look.

Little Vampire Vol 1 TP

Also from First Second, I would give this one more than a look, because I dig Joann Sfar. I'm sure it's full of his Euro-whimsy, with plenty of tales somehow related to his Vampire Loves character. Sfar is good, so I'll recommend this sight unseen.

Salt Water Taffy Vol. 1

Good, all-ages adventure. Here, I just reviewed it.

Suburban Glamour Vol. 1

Jamie McKelvie's magical teenager book. I've heard it's good. I might take a look sometime, although I should really try to read Phonogram first.

Tales from the Crypt Vol. 3 HC
Tales from the Crypt Vol. 3 SC

After that Free Comic Book Day EC Sampler, I would love to read these. I'm not shelling out the big bucks necessary for it though. Maybe I'll find them at a library someday...

Tinyrannosaurus HC

Well, this certainly looks cute. It sounds like a ripoff of Gon though. Still, could be fun.

Absolute Boyfriend Vol 6 GN

Hey, we made it to the manga! Here's the final volume of a not especially good Yuu Watase series. I talked about the ending when it ran in Shojo Beat, but basically, it's not good. So I recommend avoiding it, unless you really need to know what happens to the indecisive girl and her robot boyfriend.

Color Of Rage Vol 1 TP

This one's from Dark Horse, and it's written by Kazuo Koike! The premise has to do with a Japanese man and an African American who escape from a slave ship and do the whole "shackled together" routine. It's like a buddy movie! But knowing Koike, probably pretty violent. I would love to check it out.

Crayon Shinchan Vol 2 TP CMX Edition

Man, I need to read these, whenever I get the chance. Good old potty-mouth comedy. Also: kids are horrible, awful creatures. Good times!

Eden Its An Endless World Vol 10 TP

I'm only nine volumes behind on this series; I'm sure I'll catch up someday.

Fairy Cube Vol 1 GN

A new (old) series by Kaori Yuki, creator of Godchild and Angel Sanctuary. I discussed the first chapter when it ran in Shojo Beat. It seemed interesting, in a symbolic way, if fairly confusing and not especially up my alley. That might describe everything by Yuki...

King Of Thorn Vol 4 GN

Aw, man, I still need to find volume 3. I had forgotten about this series, which probably isn't a good sign. But it's on my radar again, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to the rampaging monsters and petrification diseases soon.

NANA Vol 10 TP

Oh, man, it's another volume of one of my favorite series. Prepare for some fangirlish squealing around these parts in about a week or so.

NANA Essentials Ultimate Fanbook SC

And I guess I could tide myself over with this in between volumes, but somehow I suspect it won't do too much for me. These sorts of fan-discussion books always kind of miss the point, explaining minutiae of a property while failing to recognize what makes it special. But it still makes me glad that I'm not the only person crazy about the series; there must be at least a few others out there for a product like this to exist, right?

Sand Chronicles Vol 2 GN

And finally, another excellent shojo series that I totally fall for each month in Shojo Beat. Everyone, I implore you to please read this; it's one of my favorite manga currently coming out. Don't let it fall by the wayside!
-----

Whew, this seems like a big week. Eh, I should have more reviews and stuff posted soon.

Aqua Leung: Would it have hurt to include a character named Jethro?

Before I start with the blathering about comics, I want to give a quick recommendation to the movie Bug, which came out last year. It's sort of a horror movie, but it's more of an exercise in paranoid delusion, starting slowly as a broken-down, redneck-ish Ashley Judd takes in a drifter (Michael Shannon, who seemed really familiar, but probably because he had a small role in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which I recently watched) and becomes involved in his beliefs that he's infested with microscopic bugs as part of a government experiment on soldiers. It eventually builds into a disturbing, nasty, violent climax, with plenty of nudity, freaky shit, and ambiguity about whether or not any of it is real. Recommended, if that sounds like your sort of thing. It's definitely mine.

Now on to the comics talk, in what, by the way, is my 500th post on this blog. Wow, I'm prolific!

Aqua Leung, volume 1
Written by Mark Andrew Smith
Art by Paul Maybury



As a fan of The Amazing Joy Buzzards, which writer Mark Andrew Smith co-created (along with Gyakushu's Dan Hipp), I was looking forward to this exercise in undersea fantasy. The preview art certainly looked pretty neat, and the idea of epic ocean-floor battles seemed unique enough to be pretty cool. Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed by the final result, and in an area I didn't expect: the overly-serious writing. Smith brought a light, fun touch to AJB, so it's really surprising to see him take such a ponderous tone here, with plenty of lengthy speeches about honor, destiny, and other such weighty matters. While that might work for some, I found it quite tiresome after a while, especially when I came across a page that was covered in word balloons which would surely be bogged down in long speeches.

But anyway, the story seems to be a fairly generic fantasy riff, following the eponymous young man who was orphaned at a young age but turns out to be the son of the Octopus King, who once united all the undersea kingdoms, but fell to treachery. After discovering his true heritage, Aqua is spirited away to the ocean to undergo training and learn about the ways of the sea, eventually leading an army to recover his father's kingdom. It's not a bad idea or anything, but the plot and script just feel so generic, with little to distinguish it from any other Lord of the Rings knockoff other than the undersea setting. And while the oceanic stuff is a unique idea, the presentation is fairly standard; rather than swimming or making use of the watery environment, characters simply march along the ocean floor. Actually, the main purpose of the setting seems to be to provide the various races that populate the story, like fish, crabs, lobsters, and octopi.

The plot isn't any great shakes either; as mentioned before, it's a standard fantasy "regain the lost kingdom" deal. I even found the subplots somewhat hard to follow; a mission in which Aqua and some pals infiltrate an evil kingdom to steal a fire-based weapon included an unexplained scene in which they stop off to assassinate a previously-unmentioned character (unless that was supposed to be the evil king, but like I said, it wasn't explained). And then, after a big deal was made about the powerful fire they stole, they fall asleep around a campfire made from that fire and allow it to be stolen by sea monkeys (which, charmingly, are depicted as looking just like baboons). Then they find the sea monkey kingdom on fire and just light a stick with that fire, apparently recovering enough of the weapon to complete the mission. Why weren't they more protective of their "quest item"? And couldn't anybody now come and light a stick from the burning monkey kingdom and have their own weapon? I dunno, it just seems like much of the story was poorly thought out.

The characters don't really inspire much interest either. Take Tiberius, a lobster with one eye and a tragic backstory involving the slaughter and rape of his family that's so generic it's almost laughable. No points for guessing whether he gets revenge while dying heroically. Some of the others are a bit better, like Sonny, Aqua's fishy mentor who looks like a character out of a Spongebob cartoon:



Or a tiny octopus named Ringo (son of George, who, along with John and Paul, acted as advisors to Aqua's father) who never speaks but sure looks cute:



There are a few others, like the gigantic octopus king that enslaves Aqua as a means of training him, or an enigmatic archer that joins the crew late in the game in order to have some badass moments during the climactic battle. But none of them really seem worth dwelling on too much; as a whole, the plot and characters just aren't very interesting.

But it's not like the whole thing is a wash. No, Paul Maybury pretty much saves the book by himself (along with Russ Lowery, who provided the incredible colors), providing some amazing visuals and doing some really unique, standout stuff that makes the book really stand out visually from anything else on the stands. While he starts out a little rough, and even in the later parts of the book seems to have some trouble with varying line thickness, he really comes up with some cool stuff, like the character designs that vary from Aqua's Scott Pilgrim-like simplicity to some of the grotesque, wrinkled creatures that they confront (or team up with), like the, um, Freudian things guarding the flame weapon:



Or the nasty-looking crabs, the evil opponents that Aqua's army faces in the volume-ending battle:



Or even the weird, half-human, half-octopus nature of Aqua's father, who looks like a man with tentacles protruding from his back:



And then there are the crazy visual tricks that Maybury throws at the reader. In one scene, Aqua alights on the lower lip of a giant sea beast whose long rows of teeth continue all the way to the edge of the page; upon turning the page, the reader sees that the jaw of the creature, which already seemed gigantic, continues across a double page spread and onto the next page following. It makes for an awe-inspiring sense of scale (even though I don't really know what's going on in the scene). At another point, when Aqua first enters the ocean, he is hit with a barrage of sensation, which Maybury (or possibly just Lowery) depicts as a psychedelic mass of colors. During the final battle, the initial fighting is represented as a hail of arrows coming from both sides, covering a double-page spread to the point that it looks like a black cloud. It's effective stuff.

And while I'll leave those scenes to the imagination, I had to highlight my favorite page of the book, from the aforementioned scene with the giant monster, which reminded me of the "cave on Dagobah" scene from The Empire Strikes Back. On this page, Aqua has a vision of a giant electric eel (I think):



I love the lightning bolts, and the brightness of the scene. It's very striking. In fact, I should compliment the colors in general, which really bring a whole new dimension to the book. I read an interview where Maybury stated that he wanted to avoid the typical blues and greens of undersea stories, so he went the opposite direction, using a lot of bright reds and yellows. He certainly succeeded; many of the pages are eye-searingly striking, looking like nothing else out there. And Lowery pulls off some cool computery effects too, like this scene of the monkey kingdom on fire:



It's a beautiful-looking book at least, and whether that's enough for you will let you know if you want to read it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for the plot, and I don't know if I'll even be that interested in the second volume, but I will definitely be keeping my eye on Maybury; he's a talent to watch, since he can only improve.

Salt Water Taffy: It's pretty tasty

Trying...Trying to get caught up...

Salt Water Taffy, The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny, Volume 1: The Legend of Old Salty
By Matthew Loux



I never read Matthew Loux's previous book, Sidescrollers, due to the middling reviews I saw, but after checking out this new all-ages adventure of his, I might have to read that one. If it's anything like this bit of amiable fun, it should be some good reading.

In this first volume of a continuing series of 96-page graphic novels, Loux establishes an interesting setting for his protagonists, a pair of young brothers named Jack and Benny. They've traveled to the small coastal town of Chowder Bay, Maine for the summer, and while eight-year-old Benny is optimistic, eleven-year-old Jack expects it to be a boring place with nothing to do (their house doesn't even have a TV!). A taste of the eponymous candy, a local delicacy, begins to soften his complaining spirits, but he really begins to enjoy himself when he and Benny make friends with Angus O'Neil, a fisherman and old friend of their father who has a penchant for tall tales. But might there be a hint of truth in his crazy stories about a giant lobster that plagues the coastline? The boys did see something large crawl into the ocean from their bedroom window...

It's a pretty appealing book, especially since Loux's artwork and storytelling are just plain enjoyable. He has a unique way of depicting characters in a spindly-limbed, acutely-angled fashion:



It's rather charming, especially when showing what bundles of energy the kids are; they seem to be in constant motion. There's also the occasional bit of loose-limbed, Peter Bagge-style motion:



I love that stuff. I'm a little less enamored of the odd oval mouths that the boys sometimes sport:



But that's nothing that can't be overlooked. Loux also does a great job of establishing the setting, placing his cartoony characters against lush, richly-detailed backgrounds:



And the action is dynamic and enjoyable, like in this scene from one of Angus' stories:



All in all, its a really fun book. It might not be the most hard-hitting or consequential comic of the year, but it's a good time, and something that should do well with kids. Hopefully someone will be able to get it into their hands.

And this is just the first volume (due out on May 7, by the way). The second installment, subtitled "A Climb Up Mt. Barnabas", is scheduled to arrive in the fall. I hope Loux can keep making these for as long as he wants.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

Nixon's Pals: With friends like these...

Seems like I'm always behind these days...

Nixon's Pals
Written by Joe Casey
Art by Charles Burnham

Joe Casey seems to do a lot of work in the superhero genre, but he often comes up with some pretty unique, imaginative takes on it, from the existential, postmodern, whatever-the-fuck-was-going-on Automatic Kafka; to the high school drama of The Intimates; to the cosmic, Jack Kirby-inspired craziness of Godland; and even to the “The Thing’s condition as a disease expressing inner emotion” of Rock Bottom (and others besides, like Wildcats 3.0’s take on corporate superheroes). In a stagnant superhero market where the most innovative ideas usually involve adding more violence and rape, it’s always good to see what Casey comes up with next, even if his ideas have little chance of catching on with anybody else.

So what’s the big idea with this book? That would be mixing superhero tropes (or, more accurately, super-powered tropes, since there aren’t any actual heroes in the book) with noir-style storytelling and crime fiction. The book features one Nixon Cooper, a parole officer for supervillains who gets mixed up in dangerous business when he gets too close and emotionally involved with his charges. At the same time as his professional life is in upheaval, his personal life seems to be falling down around him with the discovery that his wife is cheating on him, with a supervillian, of all people.

It makes for a nice bit crime-fiction, and one of the highlights of the book is Chris Burnham's moody black and white art. He pulls off the combination of weird superpowers and gloomy shadows really well; it's a mix that I don't see very often, but it actually works really well here, highlighting the bizarre nature of the varied cast by portraying them as a sort of seedy underworld of crooks and gangsters. He also adds a gritty, dirty touch that emphasizes the street-level nature of the story.

And the great character design helps immensely. Casey and Burnham come up with a diverse array of weirdos, and they all seem to have personalities and histories, from Alchema, the stripper with faces on her breasts (and nipples on her face):



To Maxfield Reactor, the scientist trapped within bulky armor:



Or my personal favorite, a mobster named Rambles whose face seems to have been twisted around his skull in a disturbing fashion:



In fact, not to spoil anything, but a climactic scene sees the reveal of a huge array of freakish characters, and it's a stunning image, crammed full of detail on characters that only make tiny appearances, but seem fully-realized, just by the personality that Burnham imbues in them.

In another wrinkle, a subplot of the story has Nixon experiencing freaky nightmares in which he is being captured by aliens and dissected. Again, Burnham delivers here, making these scenes horrific and nasty. Here's a brief sample, but rest assured that this is pretty tame compared to the images surrounding it:



It's viscerally disturbing stuff, the kind of body horror that triggers almost subconscious revulsion, and it leads up to a final powerful and lasting image. Wow.

Oddly, this does kind of highlight one aspect of the book that bothered me, which is Nixon's seeming resistance to injury. He's meant to stand out as a contrast to all the freaks he has to deal with, but over the course of the story, he takes quite a bit of abuse, almost without feeling it. Sure, he ends up in the hospital, but considering the brutal beatings he receives, it's amazing he doesn't end up dead with a crushed head or exploded heart or something. Instead, he seems to come out of it with only a broken arm and some ugly stitches on his face.

But I suppose that's nothing too terrible to hold against the story. In actuality, while the plot works well enough, I particularly liked some of the smaller relationship elements that factored into the main plot. For one, there's Nixon's antagonistic marriage, which dissolves after he discovers her infidelity. But it's a realistic depiction of a married couple, and we see how they still care for each other even though they've hurt each other too much to remain together. It would have been easy to simply have them hate each other and be glad to get rid of some dead weight, but instead, Casey gives them that bit of humanity that helps us relate and adds a human touch to the fantastical trappings of the rest of the book.

And in the professional realm, Nixon has a touching relationship with one of his charges, a genetically-enhanced professional killer named Sputter Kane. In what might be a commentary about the ease of recidivism for ex-convicts, he is trying to go straight, but the money and allure of a criminal lifestyle seems like it might be too hard to give up. It ends up being one of the central conflicts of the book, as Nixon tries to save him from falling back into the lifestyle he once led. Again, even though the setting is fantastical, this bit of character development adds enough realism for us to relate, giving an emotional focus to a story that could be all surface. Nicely done.

So, yeah, if this sounds like something you might dig, I heartily recommend it. Casey continues to stretch and come up with new ideas while still retaining a human core, and I expect to keep reading the comics he writes.

Stuff from this week; there's a lot of it

Busy weekend, so not much in the way of posting. Maybe tonight or tomorrow. But for now:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 4/30/08):

Big Amoeba One-Shot

One of several releases from Platinum Studios this week; this one is by Art Baltazar, the guy who does Tiny Titans, and it's about an artistic high school student who stages a fake comics award show and everything gets out of hand. Hey, it could be cute.

Black Summer #6

We're almost getting to the end of Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp's superhero violence-fest. Better late than never, I guess. We'll see how it goes, but I hope it hasn't lost its momentum; it seems like the last issue was a while ago...

Caliber #1

One of the first books from new company Radical Comics, who don't exactly seem set to light the world on fire or anything, but they might have a few things worth looking at. This one seems to be a retelling of the King Arthur myth in the American West. Weird. I'll look inside if I see it on a shelf.

DC Universe #0

While I don't care about Marvel's Secret Invasion nonsense, I'm afraid I can't resist the pull of Grant Morrison going crazy with the DC universe in Final Crisis. So I expect I'll have to pick up this nearly-free preview thing, or whatever it's supposed to be. Hopefully it won't turn me off of the whole thing.

Ex Machina #36

This issue apparently starts a new storyline, so let's get a collection of the one that just finished already! Since switching to trades, I'm getting impatient to get caught up with the story.

Glamourpuss #1 Comics Edition
Glamourpuss #1 Fashion Edition

Ah, it's the new Dave Sim comic/fashion magazine spoof. It seems nice and weird, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Hercules #1

Here's the other Radical book for this week. If there are any fewer than twelve labors, I'll feel ripped off.

Injury Comics #2

I never read the first issue of this artsy series by Ted May, Jeff Wilson, and Jason Robards, but it looked interesting. So I bet this one will be too.

I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Space Pirates #1

Another book from Platinum, this one grabs the attention just by featuring the word "lesbian" on the cover. It probably won't be very good, but, hey, lesbians!

Jack of Fables #22

More Jack adventures! Last issue was one of those breathers, telling a one-shot side-story, so I imagine this one will get back on track with the regular "Jack in Americana" story. I do enjoy this series, so I bet it'll be fun.

Local #11

Whoa, an actual issue of the Brian Wood/Ryan Kelly series! After this, there will only be one more to go. It's always good to see an issue show up, so I'm excited to see where we're going here. The series is on the home stretch, so Wood will probably be trying to wrap things up and tie everything together. And Kelly will be kicking ass on art, I expect. He's pretty good.

Order #10

The final issue of the series I regret not buying. Well, I guess I'll have a nice single-story trade to enjoy.

Thor Ages of Thunder

But Matt Fraction is still getting plenty of stuff to write over at Marvel. I read a preview PDF of this, and it's pretty good. It's a couple of mythology-styled stories about Thor, Loki, and the other Norse gods. However, it's not really a one-shot, since it's continued in another book that comes out in a couple months. But it's a fun read, with some nice art. Check it out, if you like the violent giant-killing, and that sort of thing.

Amor Y Cohetes TP

It's the final Love and Rockets collection, gathering non-"Palomar"/"Locas" material, and including some stuff by Mario Hernandez, along with his more-prolific brothers. I'm still working on the last "Locas" volume, so who knows when I'll get to this one.

Bottomless Belly Button TP

The new book by Dash Shaw, sure to be strange and surreal. It must be really long or something, because it's $30, which is kind of steep. But I would definitely like to check it out.

Complete Dick Tracy Vol. 4

Dick Tracy is another of those classic strips that would probably be great to read, but I haven't had a chance to check it out. It might be good to look for it at a library.

Complete Green Lama HC

This is one of those expensive archive collections that Dark Horse puts out, collecting some golden age comics, featuring art by Mac Raboy. Could be worth a look.

Delayed Replays

The new book from Liz Prince, who previously did Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed? I never read that one, but it seemed interesting (if not overly amazing), so this one could be worth a look.

Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch HC

A new comic from Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli. How about that? It sounds like one of Gaiman's usual fantasies, about a magical world underneath New York, or something like that. I do really like Gaiman, and Zulli is a pretty amazing artist, so yeah, I'll probably end up dropping the $13.95 for it.

Grunts

World War II fantasy silliness from Keith Giffen, Shannon Denton, and Matt Jacobs. Sounds goofy, but it could be fun.

Gunplay GN

Another book from Platinum, this time about some sort of fantasy/horror goings-on in the Old West. Probably dumb, but you never know.

Heroes Of The Negro League HC

This looks to be a collection of a trading card series from 1990, with art by Mark Chiarello. I bet it will look hella nice, and it's educational too. I wouldn't mind taking a look.

Hot Shot & Mighty Girl GN

A superhero book of some sort from Platinum, which doesn't sound exactly appealing, except it's written by Fred Van Lente (Action Philosophers), so it could be fun.

Kirby Five Oh 50 Years of King of Comics

Wow, lots of Kirby books lately. This one is from TwoMorrows, collecting a lot of material from their Jack Kirby Collector magazine. There's sure to be some great stuff in here. I wish I could afford it.

Klassic Komics Klub HC

Johnny Ryan tackles various works of great literature, adding lots of gross-out humor and plain old offensiveness. Should be great.

M HC

A collection of Jon J. Muth's debut miniseries from 1990. He's a good artist, it could be worth a look. Have I been saying that a lot? Well, there's a lot to look at this week.

Magic Pickle

Scott Morse's new kids' book. Sure to be cute.

Metronome HC

European (?) artist Veronique Tanaka's new experimental comic, published by NBM. Looks like it could be pretty cool.

MOME Vol 11 Spring 2008 TP

You know, I never read any of the MOME volumes, but I really should. Maybe I should start. This volume features French artist Killoffer and Jon Vermilyea.

Nat Turner HC
Nat Turner TP Signed by Kyle Baker

A new collection of Kyle Baker's excellent slave uprising story. One of the best comics I've read in the last few years; please, check it out if you haven't read it.

R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country

Another collection of a trading card set, featuring Crumb's tribute to classic musicians. Sweet.

Alive The Final Evolution Vol 4 GN

On the manga front, I hear this is a good series. Just saying, since I doubt I'll get a chance to read it anytime soon.

Tezukas Dororo Vol 1 GN

And finally, this is probably the book I'm most excited about this week, although it will probably be a little while before I can get to it. But man, I can't wait to read it. For those who don't know, it's about a samurai who had a bunch of body parts stolen by demons, and he has to recover them. Gotta love that Tezuka craziness.
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And that's everything. Damn, it's a lot of stuff. We'll see how much I end up getting. I didn't get around to writing anything else tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe.

Gyakushu!: Revenge still ain't sweet

Hey, I've been meaning to mention it, but anybody who hasn't made their way over there yet should check out the newly-launched Act-I-Vate site, featuring online comics by the likes of Dean Haspiel, Nick Bertozzi, Mike Cavallaro, and many others. Good stuff.

Also, I only occasionally link to reviews by Vern, my favorite film critic, but he recently took a hilarious look at Enchanted, filled with tangents about cartoon-fucking and that music video where Paula Abdul did a duet with a cartoon cat. If that sounds like your sort of thing, I urge you to check it out.

Okay, on to business; I'm working on getting caught up, yes I am!

Gyakushu!, volume 2
By Dan Hipp



Man, oh man, this is a cool book. Sure, there are probably some other good adjectives you could use to describe it, like action-packed, or melodramatic, or, um, revenge-tastic, but "cool" works best. Dan Hipp's art has style, from big-eyed, emotional faces, to frenetic action, to soft-toned flashbacks that highlight the characters' tragedy, and his storytelling and dialogue are amazingly enjoyable to read, crafting a story that's exciting to follow and full of twists and surprises. In a word, cool.

So, even though this is the middle chapter in a three-volume story, Hipp doesn't fall into the trap of stretching out the story by continuing plots from the first part and setting up the trilogy-ending climax; he still delivers an excellent addition to the tale, in which we learn more about the characters and get some awesome action, while giving us a great cliffhanger that will make the wait for a conclusion very annoying. In fact, it's quite well put-together, jumping forward from the end of the last book to reveal what will happen next in our hero the thief's quest for vengeance, while also stretching flashbacks even farther into the past to reveal the reasons for the tragedy that befell him and illuminate the relationships between characters. It's a nice, intricate construction that totally works, even if one or two of the revelations (such as the identity of the evil bounty hunter) might not be too surprising.

But really, as nice as the story is, it's the art that really steals the day. Hipp does some nicely stylized characters, and when he throws them together in action scenes, it's awesomely exciting and visceral. But even though the action is chaotic, Hipp makes it easy to follow, showing us everything we need to see to follow what is happening:



And he uses some cool stylistic devices, like jagged shadows that seem to point the reader's eye right where it needs to go:



Or big, block-letter sound effects, sometimes reversing letters or flipping them upside down to highlight the chaos:



And a myriad of other cool devices. I particularly like this double-page spread, with its row of panels along the bottom that give closeups of portions of the main image:



The second one from the left is especially cool; that image wouldn't even be recognizable as anything outside of the context of that large image, but when you realize it's a look at the bloody mouth of one of the characters (who, as we saw in earlier pages, had just been snacking on human flesh), it's effectively gross and creepy.

And finally, I love the subdued greytones of the flashbacks, in which we get a hint of happier times and their horrible ends:



Overall, it's a great-looking book, and I'm stoked for the third volume, even though I'm sure it won't show up until sometime in 2009. That's going to be a long wait.