This week is this week

This is cool: Viz's Shonen Sunday site has posted the first chapter of Rumiko Takahashi's Mermaid Saga. I've never read that series, but that's a pretty good start; I hope they continue to post more.

Another week, another batch of randomness:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 10/21/09):

Azrael #1

Oh god why.

Beasts of Burden #2

If you didn't read the first issue of this, you missed out; it was awesome. Gorgeous art by Jill Thompson, a nice expansion of the stories into something bigger and with higher stakes, enjoyable characters, weird stuff happening, the works. This series is awesome; don't pass it by just because it's all about cute doggies and kitties.

Chew #5

It sounds like the backlash against this series has begun; for a while, everybody was talking about how good it was, and now they're all saying it's overrated. I'm not sure what to think, but I imagine it's a decent bit of comics, with some good art and an enjoyably strange premise. Maybe I'll find out for sure whenever it gets collected. Maybe.

Citizen Rex #4

Gilbert Hernandez! I'll read this eventually. Hope it's good.

Comic Diorama One Shot

Top Shelf has this small collection of stories by cartoonist Grant Reynolds, a bunch of surreal little tales about stuff like mermaids, explorers, and an anthropomorphized planet Pluto. Looks interesting; here's a preview.

Dominic Fortune #3

Howard Chaykin, with more debauchery, one expects. This has been pretty fun so far; we'll see if it keeps it up.

Ex Machina #46

Coming closer to the end. Collection, please.

God Machine Preview Book

Archaia seems to be making a bit of a comeback after their recent financial troubles. This is one of their releases this week, a pamphlet-format preview of an upcoming graphic novel release. It's hard to tell what the hell it's about from the description, which mentions a guy whose girlfriend died, except she might still be alive, and he gets mixed up with a couple of goddesses named Good God and Evil God, and who knows what happens. Weird, but kind of intriguing, maybe? This CBR article has a preview.

Invincible Iron Man #19

It's the end of the "World's Most Wanted" arc, as Norman Osborn catches up with Tony Stark, and Pepper, Maria Hill, and Black Widow attempt to escape from the bad guys. This hasn't been a bad arc, and it should be interesting to see where Matt Fraction goes from here. I'm still not big on Salvador Larocca's art, but whatever.

Robotika For A Few Rubles More #3 & 4 Double-Sized Issue

Here's another long-delayed Archaia book, and I believe it's finishing up the second miniseries in Alex Sheikman's comic about a robot samurai. At least, I think that's what it's about; I've been meaning to check it out, since it looks pretty cool. I'll watch for a collection, I guess. You can see preview pages from all of the issues here.

Sugarshock One Shot

This is a single-issue collection of the story that Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon did for Myspace Dark Horse Presents, and although you can read it for free online, here's your chance to own it if you really have to. It's pretty fun, although it's very Whedon-y, so if you're averse to his style of dialogue, you probably don't want to inflict it upon yourself. But Moon's art is pretty great, so there's that. Enjoy, maybe?

Swordsmith Assassin #3

I haven't been keeping up with this series from Boom!, but I did like the first issue pretty well. I'll read the next ones at some point, and let you know if there's anything worth commenting upon, good or bad. But it's probably safe to say that the next issues follow the same sort of ground, so take that as you will.

Titanium Rain #1 & 2 Double-Sized Relaunch

And one more from Archaia, reprinting the first issue of this miniseries about futuristic global war and adding a second one that hasn't been previously released. I haven't read any of it, but it does look interesting. As always, I'm flush with backhanded recommendations. You can see a preview of issue 1 here.

Underground #2

Hey, here's a definite recommendation though. The first issue of Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber's series about cave action, corrupt businessmen, small-town economics, and fucking park rangers was quite good, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Get it!

Arkham Asylum Living Hell TP New Printing

This miniseries from a few years back by Dan Slott and Ryan Sook was a pretty decent bit of supervillain violence and mayhem, looking at a regular criminal who got sent to Arkham and was terrorized by the likes of the Joker, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, etc. Not exactly essential, but if you like your Batman comics to be creepy and nasty, it works pretty well. Probably a good Halloween book, come to think of it.

Arsenic Lullaby Pulp Edition Omega

I've never really been into this series; it mostly seems to be gross and offensive without being all that funny. It's not Johnny Ryan, that's for sure. Of course, I haven't read all that much of it, so if you're in the same situation and must experience this bit of supposed hilarity, here's your chance.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid HC Vol 4

So, this series is popular, right? I wouldn't know; I've never read any of it. Is it even comics? From what I've seen, it's mostly illustrated text. But it always gets nominated for lots of Harveys, if that means anything. Yeah, maybe I'll check it out at some point. But probably not; I've got better things to do than relive my days as a wimpy schoolboy. Now I'm a wimpy adult! Take that, posterity!

Detectives Inc HC

I'm not familiar with this series from the 80s by Don McGregor, Marshall Rogers, and Gene Colan, but it sounds like it was pretty groundbreaking, dealing with real-world social issues like homosexuality and abortion. Now IDW is reprinting it, and it'll cost you $25. Interesting; I might have to try to check this out.

Dread And Superficiality Woody Allen As A Comic Strip HC

It's the comic strip for fans of the Woodman's "early, funny" period, although I don't think he had much to do with it beyond lending his name. Stuart Hample was the writer and artist, and it was published back in the late 70s. Judging from the samples I've seen, it seems to be based on Woody's stand-up comedy. It's not a bad imitation, I suppose, but I don't know if there's a lot of affection for that sort of thing these days, outside of nostalgia. But hey, if What's Up, Tiger Lily is your favorite of his films, you might love it.

Five Fists of Science GN

This graphic novel is one of Matt Fraction's earlier, possibly lesser-known works, and it's awesome, all about Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla teaming up to fight the eldritch horrors of JP Morgan and Thomas Edison, and featuring nice art by Steven Sanders. If you missed out on it when it first came out, don't make the same mistake again.

Frankenstein Mobster Vol 1 TP

I've seen this series around here and there, but I've never read it, so I don't know if it's any good or not. It's got a nice premise though, with this version of Frankenstein's monster being put together from three mob bosses and fighting against himself to control his murderous urges. Maybe I'll check it out sometime. It's by Mark Wheatley, and this edition from IDW will run you 20 bucks. Enjoy Halloweenies.

Fro Origin GN

I don't know about this. I guess this was a reject from Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, which isn't a good sign of quality, if you ask me. I guess it's about a guy who gets a magical, musical afro wig, and now he fights crime by surfing on a guitar or something. Yikes. But hey, maybe it will surprise me and turn out to be the next big thing. Yeah, I can't even say that faux-seriously. If you're interested, here's an interview with the creator and some sample art.

Garth Ennis Battlefields HC Vol 01

Continuing their trend of charging too goddamn much for their collections, Dynamite has this hardcover that includes all three of the war miniseries that Garth Ennis did, Night Witches, Dear Billy, and Tankies. This version is a bit better, costing $30 for what was originally three $12.95 paperbacks. But it's still kind of pricey for nine issues worth of material, isn't it? Still, if you haven't read these, this is probably the easiest and most cost-effective way to do so, and I implore you not to miss out. Ennis is usually at his best when doing war comics, and I thought all of these were excellent, especially the latter two. I might end up posting a review of all of them at some point, but by a friend who borrowed the issues from me. How about that?

Jonah Hex Lead Poisoning TP

You know, I often hear that this series is good, but I have yet to read any of it, even when artists like Darwyn Cooke or J.H. Williams III show up. I should remedy that at some point. Anyway, here's the latest volume. Enjoy, facial scarring fetishists.

Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers HC

Didn't the collected version of this already come out? Well, if not, here it is. I reviewed an issue or two of the series, and it's not bad, but nothing really noteworthy or spectacular either. Cute animals fighting bad guys, and that's about it. I don't know if this contains any extras, along the lines of earlier appearances by the characters, but if not, it's way expensive at $25 for four issues. But if you gotta have your Lockjaw, here's one way to get it.

Miserable Dastards Vol 1 Punching Bags GN

Ripping off Adam Warren (and getting a movie deal to boot), this book is about some henchmen who set out on their own to be real supervillains. Not a bad concept, I suppose. I'll be surprised if it ends up being all that great though. You can see some preview pages at artist Jeremy Dale's blog, if you're curious. (EDIT: As Mr. Dale points out in the comments, this is certainly a strangely negative blurb, and I don't remember why. Cynicism about superhero comics? A bad mood that day? Lack of editing? Who knows. Please take my comments with a grain of salt, and feel free to bitch-slap me in the comments if you think I'm being a douche.)

MMW Inhumans HC Vol. 1

And here's your other source of Lockjaw for the week, also overpriced at the usual rate of $55 for Marvel Masterworks volumes. This one collects some backup stories from Thor, the Jack Kirby-written and illustrated Amazing Adventures, and some other appearances, including a couple issues of Not Brand Ecch. Yeah, I wouldn't mind owning this.

Noir An Anthology Of Crime Comics TP

So, is this the paperback version of the book that already came out a few months ago, or is it the only version, and I'm just misinformed? Whatever the case, it's Dark Horse's anthology of crime comics, with lots of good creators inside, including Becky Cloonan, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Paul Grist, Brian Azzarello, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Rick Geary, Jeff Lemire, Eduardo Barreto, and others. Nice. I'm excited to finally read this one.

Runaways TP Vol 09 Dead Wrong Digest

I'm confused; I guess this is the latest digest collection of the series, to match the others that have previously come out, but it's coming right as Marvel is rereleasing the earlier digests as full size trade paperbacks. They can't seem to make up their minds when it comes to format. Eh, it's a moot point anyway, since this short run on the series by Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos was pretty awful. I recommend not getting it.

Runaways Rock Zombies TP

And here's the second part of Terry Moore's run, which was a bit better, but mostly just because of Takeshi Miyazawa's art. The story was still pretty blah. Um, there you go; I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with that information, but don't blame me if you buy it and don't like it. Not that you should really be counting on me to make your buying decisions for you anyway...

Scalped TP Vol. 5 High Lonesome

Another volume of the acclaimed Vertigo series comes out, and I get further behind. I'll catch up someday, hopefully...

Showcase Presents House of Secrets TP Vol. 2

More black and white reprints of old horror comics. No Swamp Thing here, so it's not necessary to get that bit of history. But the list of creators includes Berni Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, Alex Nino, and Sergio Aragones, so it does sound like something worth checking out. If I had the money and time to afford getting reprints like this, I would probably do so.

Uncle Sam Deluxe HC

Doesn't this one get reprinted all the time? It's Alex Ross's big breakthrough comic, a Vertigo miniseries from the 90s that was all about the title character being a bum, or something like that. I haven't read it. Maybe I should sometime.

Waiting Place GN

Speaking of reprints, here's a collection of the teen drama series by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton, including a new story. I've never read it, but I do like McKeever's work on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, so I wouldn't mind checking it out. Someday, someday.

Wolfskin Vol. 01

This Warren Ellis barbarian series was interesting, if kind of inessential. I wouldn't really recommend this collection though, since even the paperback version is $18 for contents that consist of three issues and an annual. If the story was awesome, sure, maybe, but this is only decent, even by Avatar's standards. Look for back issues, says I.

Wolverine Noir Prem HC

I have little interest in Marvel's "noir" books, but this one did seem interesting, if only for C.P. Smith's idiosyncratic artwork. Not that I ever need to read another Wolverine comic, really. And oh yeah, I gotta complain about the expensive hardcover: 20 bucks is too much, buy back issues, wait for paperback, blah blah blah. You know the drill.

Art Of Osamu Tezuka God Of Manga HC

Here's your big coffee table book, with author Helen McCarthy looking at Tezuka's life and art, with lots of images included. I don't know if I can afford the 40 bucks, but I certainly wouldn't mind owning this, since I do love Tezuka unreservedly. Maybe I'll put it on my Christmas wish list for some of my fans to buy me. Wait, I don't have fans? Damn!

Naoki Urasawas 20th Century Boys Vol 5 GN

Ooh, time for more Urasawa intrigue involving conspiracies, cults, bizarre psychic shit, nostalgia, and clunky technology. I love this series, and if I get this volume, I'll be all caught up. That never happens!

Real Vol 6 GN

See, this is what I'm talking about. I haven't even read volume 4 of this series yet. I'll get to it though; I love Takehiko Inoue's story about fucked-up individuals playing wheelchair basketball. Good times.

RIN-NE Vol 1 GN

Coordinated with the Japanese release, it's the latest manga by Rumiko Takahashi. If you haven't read it online, you'll have to do so soon, since they're taking it down once this volume is released. It's pretty enjoyable, about a girl who can see ghosts getting mixed up with a human shinigami (grim reaper) who is always poor. The series seemed to get a lukewarm reception in online manga circles, but that might have been because the first volume or so mostly consisted of setting up the situation and characters. It was kind of low-key and goofy, which I found fine, but some apparently didn't like. If you stick around though, bigger and longer conflicts have started to develop, and Takahashi tells the story impeccably, as always. Give it a chance, people!

Vagabond Vizbig ED GN Vol. 05

Speaking of Takehiko Inoue, here's the latest omnibus volume of his samurai manga, collecting what would have been volumes 13-15 of the series, I think. It's yet another series that I should really get caught up on...

What a Wonderful World GN Vol. 01
What a Wonderful World GN Vol. 02

And here's the "prestige" manga release of the week, with both volumes of this series by Inio Asano coming out together. I haven't read them yet, but I will soon, and I'm really looking forward to them, since I loved Asano's Solanin. This one has several intersecting stories, with at least some of them being about unfocused young adults, I believe, but it's not just a retread of familiar ground. If you like manga for adults that tells serious stories about realistic characters, this is for you. Don't miss it.

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That's everything, I guess. Posting might be light this week, since I'm mostly caught up in my reading. That probably means more Kirby, which is good. I loves me some Fourth World.

The Deformitory: Do I belong there?

Elsewhere: I did my usual blather about Fringe and Dollhouse over at The Factual Opinion, with an added bonus look at the So You Think You Can Dance live tour, with an appearance by my wife! There's something I thought I'd never see, since she has zero interest in this blogging thing I do. I'll sway her yet.

And speaking of The Factual Opinion, the latest episode of Tucker Stone's video show, Advanced Common Sense, is up, and as hilarious as ever.

News: While David Petersen is working on the next Mouse Guard miniseries, there's going to be a sort of anthology series in the interim, Legends of the Guard, featuring stories by other creators. That's pretty cool, and one of the guys scheduled to contribute is Cursed Pirate Girl's Jeremy Bastian, who is awesome.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Afrodisiac volume. That book looks great; I can't wait.

Webcomics: Mike Dawson has posted all the stories from his book Gabagool! online. Neat.

And Vertigo has the first issue of Shade: The Changing Man available for download, in promotion of their upcoming collections of the first twelve issues of the series. I love that comic; Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo, baby! Bachalo's art is kind of undeveloped at this point, but that first issue is pretty incredible, if I remember correctly.

The Deformitory

By Sophia Wiedeman

You've got a girl with sentient claws for hands, a mermaid with octopus tentacles instead of a sexy fish tail, a girl that's a slug from the waist down, a girl with a skeleton body, and several other freaks in the building of the title, a sort of retirement home or sanitarium for abnormals like them, although one suspects that this is all symbolic. Sure, that's kind of obvious, but the question remains what the allegorical content stands for, and the beauty of Sophia Wiedeman's work is that one could come up with several possible interpretations.

The main story in this 46-page Xeric Grant-winning pamphlet follows Dolores, the aforementioned claw-handed girl, who develops her condition after what seems to be a typing-induced bit of carpal tunnel syndrome. Surprisingly, the claws don't bother her too much, especially since they have eyes and speak to her, becoming her friends and confidants. Soon she's having a swell time with them, although the people she encounters find the whole thing kind of gross. The problems start when her claw-hands develop their own independent thought, and start disagreeing with her choices, even becoming violent. She's forced to take drastic action, and while it solves the problem, she ends up losing something that seems precious.

So what's the interpretation here? It seems to me that it's about mental illness, perhaps bipolar disorder. The claw-hands enrich Dolores' life, making her feel like she's got friends and is happy, even though she's separated from the rest of humanity. It feels good, but at some point, it becomes too much to handle, and she gets hurt even worse. She ends up doing something terrible, just as people end up hurting themselves when they feel like there's nothing else they can do. And when the problem gets "solved", she misses the euphoria she felt. It's a sad comment on the way mental illness can ravage one's emotions and leave you scarred for life. Or that's one way to see it, at least. Maybe something like addiction could also be mapped onto the story, or other parts of the human experience. The interesting thing is, Wiedeman managed to capture something universal and relatable here; it's impressive work.

Other stories in the booklet do much the same thing; the octopus girl shows the affect of self-esteem issues, with an amusing twist that shows how eager people are to dish out punishment as well as take it. And a boy who spots a unicorn ends up spending his whole life trying to catch another glimpse of the beast, as so often happens when people can't let go of something that they once experienced. I'm not sure what the cartoony "heart monster" means, but it does make for a cute visual, at least.

Wiedeman's art makes for a good way to deliver this type of story; it seems simplistic, with characters having dots for eyes and minimal expressions, but she fills pages with plenty of dense linework and a gorgeous sense of design, especially in the dark forest and the somewhat fantastical Deformitory. She also does some interesting things with scale, making the island on which that building stands look tiny next to the neighboring shore, emphasizing how tiny this place of solace is compared to the rest of the world.

Wiedeman definitely has something here, and hopefully she'll be able to explore this unique sensibility in her further work. That's exactly what the Xeric Grant should be about, letting talented creators get their work out there, and it should be fascinating to see what Wiedeman comes up with next.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the creator. To purchase the comic, visit Wiedeman's site.

Monsters: That's more crusty penises than I ever needed to see

This one is good.

Monsters

By Ken Dahl

Who would have thought a comic about herpes could be so funny? Maybe those who are familiar with Ken Dahl would expect it, but those of us who haven't read his prior work will probably be surprised at how he takes such a serious subject and wrings a great deal of humor out of it, while still educating readers about the disease and delving into the physical and psychological toll it takes on those affected by it. It's definitely a testament to Dahl's cartooning skill, as well as his fearlessness when depicting himself in a less-than-positive light.

That's right, the monster of the title is Dahl himself, who discovered in 2003 that he had herpes when his girlfriend came down with a genital infection. He had often suffered from cold sores, but never considered that he might have the disease. Needless to say, he soon devolves into a state of guilt and self-loathing after their relationship falls apart, and much of the rest of the book chronicles his attempts to come to grips with feeling like a sub-human freak who could spread disease to anybody he touches. It can be hard to watch, since Dahl seems like a likeable fellow, but he's so hard on himself, and he's angry at the unfairness of being put in this position. For over half the book, he acts irresponsibly, sometimes being unsafe with others when he gets drunk, all because he seems to think that if he doesn't face the situation and learn more about it, he won't have to accept the reality of the situation. But he does eventually take action to educate himself, and then we see him learn to deal with things and be responsible. And eventually he gets a chewing out from another character, who lets him know that he's making a much bigger deal of things than is necessary, and he needs to just "man up" and quit feeling sorry for himself. It's a nice emotional arc, one that really puts the reader inside Dahl's head and makes them feel the reality of the situation. It's a surprisingly enjoyable ride, and one that makes you feel smarter at the end and ready to deal with the situation yourself, god forbid.

As mentioned, Dahl's cartooning is what's really makes the book work; he's got a lively style that makes the reactions and emotions incredibly expressive. There are tons of bulging eyeballs and distended limbs and necks as Dahl freaks out about the turn his life has taken, and he uses a lot of great cartoon imagery, often depicting himself as turning into a freakish mutant or a giant herpes virus:

When he decides to become celibate, he gets so turned on by the sight of random women that he morphs into a Tex Avery-style wolf:

And he's often haunted by anthropomorphic herpes viruses who try to tempt him into spreading the disease or ridicule him for being such a freak:

It's gorgeous work, simple and effective when it needs to be, and full of funny details in crowd scenes or other settings that call for it, like the co-op store where Dahl works, giving him a chance to make fun of his hippie-ish lifestyle:

The "facts" section, in which Dahl lays out as much information as one can quickly process about herpes in only a few short pages, is likewise effective, offering a lot of information in a way that makes sense and is easy to understand, while still being entertaining. It's impressive work, of the same type that fills every page in the volume. Dahl is great at storytelling, and hilariously frank, holding nothing back when talking about sex and often depicting himself in the nude. And he doesn't whitewash the effects of the disease by making them cartoony and silly; several pages are filled with realistic images of outbreaks of sores on various body parts, so be prepared to see some graphic stuff within these pages. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's a great read, entertaining, informative, perfectly paced, and very, very funny. But don't let the subject matter scare you off; it's amazing to see a creator bare their soul, expose their foibles, and educate readers about something important all at once. Ken Dahl does all of the above, and much more; he's an exciting artist to watch, and I for one can't wait to see what he does next.

Per FTC regulations: This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher. It wasn't a bribe though; I liked it on its own just fine. Just because I didn't pay for it doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it. Please do; it's good. Really.

Moyasimon: Oh, Japan, you fascinate me

Elsewhere: I reviewed Nomad: Girl Without a World #2 at Comics Bulletin.

Links: I've sung the praises of artist Connor Willumsen before, but I just found that he's got several of his short comics available to read free online, including the one I reviewed here. Check them out; I love this guy's work.

This gallery of caricatures by Stuart Immonen is pretty amazing.

Here's a list of all the comics mentioned in Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, with links to any that are available to download online. That's a pretty great resource for the curious, like me.

Weird manga!

Moyasimon, volume 1

By Masayuki Ishikawa

This manga seems like one of those "only in Japan" comics, featuring such a narrow-focused, bizarre subject matter that it's hard to believe anybody reads it at all, which makes the fact that it's a smash hit even more surprising. For those who haven't heard already, it's about a guy who can see bacteria, germs, and other micro-organisms with the naked eye. That's just strange; who would come up with that idea? And in addition to having a bizarre premise, it's also kind of an educational manga, with regular talky scenes that see characters lecture each other (and the reader) on various subjects. But somehow, not only is it actually quirkily charming, the torrents of educational facts actually turn out to be pretty informative. That it's so entertaining is almost as surprising as the fact that it got made in the first place.

Our story, which is much less plot-focused than your usual manga, follows Sawaki Tadayasu, the aforementioned germ-seer, as he enrolls at an agricultural university in hopes of learning more about the tiny creatures that he can see everywhere. He's joined by his pal Kei, and they immediately find themselves in an slightly odd environment, surrounded by quirky students and professors and involved in goofy experiments and research projects. The first chapter sees them trying to connect with Professor Itsuki, an old friend of Sawaki's grandfather, and the stumble across him when they have the police exhume one of his projects, which they think is a dead body (long story), leading to this bit of nastiness:

That's a pretty typical moment here, with something strange happening and our heroes reacting accordingly. It's a low-key, ambling series, not unlike the similarly-college-set Honey and Clover, although with less of a focus on character and more on comedy and the relation of scientific facts. The first two days at school take up nearly the entire first volume, with Professor Itsuki and his irritable, leather-clad graduate-student assistant trying to enlist Sawaki's abilities for a research tool, then Sawaki and Kei making friends with a couple of goofy sophomores who are more interested in money-making schemes than education, then other oddness occurring, including a food-poisoning scare and a bit of freshman hazing. And through it all, Sawaki gets to use his abilities to see what's going on at the cellular level, which means we see plenty of cute little creatures floating around the page and crawling on any available surface:

Interestingly, this translation retains the little author's notes that often fill the margins of manga stories when they are originally serialized but get elided upon collection (and therefore translation). While many of these are just character recaps, the purpose of including them seems to be the little portraits of the various micro-organisms, with descriptions that are probably quite amusing for bacteriologists. It's one example of Ishikawa's flair for goofy comedy, which also sees some memorable facial expressions and intermixing of germs with the rest of the art:

One scene in particular is a great example of comic timing, seeing Professor Itsuki feeding a fermented ray to the other characters as part of one of his many dubious experiments (which all seem to involve eating gross food or drinking sake). The sour taste provokes varied over-the-top reactions, and the way they play out over several panels is hilarious:

It does take Ishikawa a good portion of the volume to settle into a good rhythm, but by the time this first book is over, he's got a formula going that seems sure to deliver a mixture of laughs and interesting factoids in each chapter. One still wonders how he possibly thought this would be a good idea, but whatever the case, it somehow works, and will probably only get better and funnier as the series continues. Check it out, but don't be surprised if you start paying more attention to every sneeze and cough that you hear, or wondering what's lurking in all the foods and liquids that you consume.

Per FTC regulations: This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher, although no monetary compensation was provided, no matter how much begging was involved.

This week, I feel like I'll never get caught up

It's like the comics keep piling up, with only small dents occasionally being made. Man, if only I could just read and write, instead of work, chores, TV, movies, family interaction, eating, sleeping, etc. Yes, that would certainly make for a lovely existence. Anyway:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 10/14/09):

Anchor #1

This new series from Boom! Studios looks cool; it's written by Phil Hester, with art by Brian Churilla, and it's about "God's leg-breaker", a super-strong, demon-fighting holy warrior who single-handedly stops Hell's attempts at invading Earth. That's a cool concept, and judging by the available previews, it should be pretty awesome. Check it out, says I.

DMZ #46

It's probably obvious that I think this is a really good series, considering the praise I lavish on each new collection that comes out, but I do think it's fascinating and thought-provoking, and I hope people are still reading it. So here's another issue that they can check out, although I'll continue to kill comics by waiting for the trade.

Fables #89

And here's another example of trade-waiting, on a series that I like but don't read nearly enough of. I think the current storyline is about the various witches, but I try to avoid details, so I can go into each volume fresh. That means this one will probably take a while to get to me, dammit.

Godland #29

And so will this, since Joe Casey and Tom Scioli's series comes out kind of irregularly these days. I sure do like it when I can get it though. I think it's scheduled to end with #36, so that probably means the current storyline is nearly over. Maybe I'll get to read it soon after all!

Hector Plasm Totentatz One Shot

I haven't read any of the adventures of this character, outside of maybe a short story or two in various anthologies, but I like the idea, of a ghost hunter and his adventures, and the art was quite nice in the ones I did see. So here's a single-issue Halloween story, written by Benito Cereno with art by Nate Bellegarde; I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Hellboy The Wild Hunt #7

The latest Mignola/Fegredo miniseries is getting closer to ending, so I'll be able to catch up when it's collected. I hope it's good, but I imagine it will at least be gorgeous to look at.

House of Mystery Halloween Annual #1

I'm not so sure about this series anymore, but this special is notable for sort of crossing over with other Vertigo titles, including Hellblazer, Madame Xanadu, and the upcoming I, Zombie, or at least containing stories featuring those characters with a sort of framing sequence by the regular series creative team. There's also a Merv Pumpkinhead story by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Kevin Knowlan, so that's also something to look out for, I guess. Vertigo doesn't really have as much of a cohesive "universe" as they used to, so it's interesting to see something that sort of gestures in that direction, however effective it ends up being.

Liberty Comics A CBLDF Benefit Book #2

It's another one of those fundraiser books, which are almost always notable due to high-profile creators contributing exclusive stories. That means something by Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee, a Painkiller Jane story by Jimmy Palmiotti and Jim Rugg(!), a Mr. Gum story by Mike Allred and Jamie Rich, The Apocalipstix by Ray Fawkes and Cameron Stewart, Channel Zero by Brian Wood, a preview of Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith's Choker, Martha Washington by Dave Gibbons, and "exclusive material" (which probably means pin-ups) by Paul Pope, Gail Simone and Joelle Jones, Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, Chynna Clugston, Paul Grist, and Jason Aaron and Moritat. That's a lot of worthwhile talent, and even if it's kind of lightweight, it's for a good cause. I'll buy one.

Life Undead

IDW has this one-shot/single-issue-story/album about a cop who has been turned into a voodoo-style zombie and is out for revenge. It's by Lost writer Paul Zbyszkewski and artist Stephen Thompson. 48 pages for $7.99. Maybe worth a look?

Nomad Girl Without a World #2

The first issue of this miniseries written by Sean McKeever seemed to be a return to his Marvel style of storytelling, with some action and intrigue and also high school conflict. Not bad, but we'll have to see how it goes. David Baldeon's art isn't bad either. I should have a review up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, so watch out for more intensive analysis.

Punisher #75

I think this is the final issue of the current incarnation of the MAX Punisher series that Garth Ennis made famous, with the title being relaunched next month as PunisherMAX (a pretty stupid title if you ask me, but obviously nobody did), with a new creative team of Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon. But for the swan song of this post-Ennis version that has been limping along in his shadow, we've got a bunch of short stories by pretty good creators, including Peter Milligan and Tomm Coker. Wait, that's only one story that's probably good, and you never know with Milligan. The others are all by the various post-Ennis writers, which, from what I understand, have not been very good. All right, shove them all into one issue for a last bit of crappiness! Maybe Aaron and Dillon will do something interesting next month, and maybe not. Ah, the Punisher: trudging along for 30 years or so and remaining inexplicably popular. Or not, really; people like murder.

Absolute Death HC

Another week, another hugely expensive book that takes previously published material and prints it at a bit larger of a size, then asks for tons of money. Really, $100 is a lot to ask for six issues' worth of material (plus a couple issues of Sandman, and a few other short stories), isn't it? Am I that cheap that spending that much seems crazy to me? I mean, I wouldn't think it was a good deal even if you cut the price in half. I guess high-end items are always going to be around, but they'll still bother me.

Act-I-Vate Primer HC

Ah, here's the release of the week, if you ask me. It's an anthology of material from the various creators who publish webcomics on the Act-I-Vate site, but these are all-new. That means work from Dean Haspiel, Michel Fiffe, Mike Dawson, Joe Infurnari, Roger Langridge, Nick Bertozzi, Molly Crabapple, Mike Cavallaro, and plenty of others. That's a great lineup; I can't wait to dive in and see what they've got. Here's a preview.

Air Vol. 2 Flying Machine TP

I think this Vertigo series was supposed to get better around this point, or at least toward the end of the first collection. How did that work out, anyway? I wouldn't mind giving them a read, just to see what happens.

Blood and Water TP

Here's another Vertigo series, probably getting a new collection because it's about vampires, and, in the words of Will Ferrell, those are really hot right now. I dunno, I've never read it, but it's by Judd Winick (back before he dove into the depths of the crap pool, so it might not be terrible) and Tomm Coker. Maybe not awful? There's a recommendation for you.

EC Archives Frontline Combat HC Vol. 1

This is apparently the week where I complain about overpriced books (wait, that's every week); I would love to read these collections of EC comics, but they're so goddamn expensive at $50 for six issues' worth of material. Probably some great stuff herein though, with stories that are reputed to be some great anti-war tales and contributors like Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Will Elder, John Severin, and Jack Davis. To the library!

Epic Chronicles of Hagar The Horrible HC

Did Hagar ever have any "epic" stories? I've only read strips from the past couple decades, but they all seem to be him drinking at the tavern and getting bitched at by his wife (ha ha, just like modern man! Nothing ever changes, get it?). Maybe it was different in the beginning, but probably not too much. Here's the chance to find out though; this volume collects the first two years of the strip, from 1973 to 1974. Enjoy, Viking-lovers.

Garth Ennis 303 TP New Printing

If you haven't read this Garth Ennis/Jacen Burrows miniseries from a few years ago, here's your chance. It's good stuff, following a hard-edged Russian soldier from Afghanistan to Texas to Washington, D.C., where he completes some deadly business in a story that garnered a surprising lack of controversy, considering that it came out during the height of the Bush years. I liked it, but I'm a whore for Ennis. Read it anyway though, says I.

Groom Lake TP

I read some of this series by Chris Ryall and Ben Templesmith, and it was pretty entertaining, if not among either creator's best work. Aliens, robots, government conspiracies, that sort of hilarity. If that's your thing, and you like Templesmith's always-fun artwork, check it out.

Hatter M The Looking Glass Wars Vol 2 Mad With Wonder

Speaking of Templesmith, I never did read the first volume of this series, which he illustrated, adapting (or maybe just tying into?) a series of novels that offer a weird riff on Alice in Wonderland. It seemed interesting enough though, so I might still check it out. And here's the second, Templesmith-free volume, continuing the story of Hatter Madigan, bodyguard to Queen Alyss, and his adventures in the "real" world. As with so much else, I might get to it someday.

Heavy Liquid TP New Printing

Wait, another new version of this Paul Pope comic? Didn't it just come out a year or two ago? Maybe that was a hardcover, and this is the paperback. Whatever the case, it's pretty awesome, so give it a read if you haven't before. $25 might be a bit steep, but Pope is worth it.

Mome GN Vol. 16 Summer 09

Dude, this is late; it's not summer anymore. Not around here anyway; the temperature was 30 fucking degrees this morning (Note: I think this is a typo; it's actually the fall issue. I refuse to pass up the chance to bitch about the weather though). This installment of Fantagraphics' house anthology would probably warm me up if I read it though, even though I haven't been following the series at all. This "issue" features a lot of the usual suspects, like Dash Shaw, Renee French, Laura Park, and Lilli Carre, but there's also a Cold Heat story by Frank Santoro, and stories by Ted Stearn and T. Edward Bak. Good stuff, I imagine. I should try to read some of these, yes I should. Here, have a preview.

Odysseus The Rebel GN

It's the latest print volume from Big Head Press, who has also done online comics like La Muse. This one is by Steven Grant and Scott Bieser, and it's apparently the umpteenth retelling of The Odyssey. The classics never get old, do they? Oh wait, they do; that's what "classic" means, sort of. Still, it might be all right; if you're cheap like me, you can read the story online starting here.

Poem Strip TP

Well, this is interesting; it's a graphic novel of sorts from 1969, well before anybody was using the term. It's by Italian artist Dino Buzzati, and it's all about a guy traveling through bizarre dimensions trying to find his missing girlfriend, or something like that. This blog has a bunch of sample images, and it's striking stuff, reminding me of Tom Gauld in places, but seeming really unique and strange. I'll have to check it out; to the library!

Runaways Teenage Wasteland TP

It seems like I have to mention each new reprint volume of this series that comes out (which seems pretty frequent lately), but the standard line applies: It's good, read it if you haven't before, yada yada yada. This is the second storyline from the first volume, in case you were wondering. Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, Takeshi Miyazawa, read it.

Ultimate Wolverine VS Hulk PREM HC

This took its sweet time getting collected, didn't it? Ha ha, that was a joke, because the series was notoriously late. But it seems like Marvel collects things nearly immediately these days, and this series (finally) ended a couple months ago. Whatever; it's probably not worth reading anyway, unless you really need to find out what happened after Hulk tore Wolverine in half in that image that everybody must have seen by now. And actually, it probably doesn't read all that well in collected form; I recall the first issue after the years-long delay being mostly a recap of what had come before. That's not the kind of thing you want in the middle of a book. But overall, it's decently enjoyable, with lots of violence and mayhem and the creation of Ultimate She-Hulk and Huly sexiness and fairly boring moral quandaries. Enjoy, fanboys.

Weird Fishes GN

Slave Labor is publishing this webcomic collection by Jamaica Dyer, about kids with overactive imaginations who grow up into mentally-disturbed teenagers. That's what it sounds like, at least; Dyer's cartooning has a nice look to it, and there seems to be some playful humor to the concept. It could be quite good. As with most all of these types of books, you can read the strip online for free if you're cheap. Enjoy, fellow frugals.

Wicked City Novel Vol 1 Black Guard TP

Unless I'm mistaken, this is a translation of the novel upon which the notoriously freaky anime movie was based. You know, the one with the demon lady whose vagina turns into a toothed maw and kills a guy, or something like that; I haven't actually seen it. This version has illustrations by Jennyson Rosero, who has done some OEL manga with Seven Seas like No Man's Land. So if you want to read the original story with some Americanized pictures, here you go.

You Are There HC

Fantagraphics' other big release of the week is this second entry in their line of Jacques Tardi translations, a satirical story about a landowner on a small island losing everything and being forced to eke out a living by collecting tolls. Weird. I think it gets into some crazy, fantastical, metafictional stuff at some point, but I'm not sure. I do know that I want to read it though, along with all the other Tardi stuff that Fanta is releasing. Here's the usual preview/slideshow; enjoy, Eurotrashies.

Zombie Survival Guide Recorded Attacks GN

Max Brooks might have been influential in stoking the flames of the zombie craze with his books, but he almost seems like a latecomer to the trend with this graphic novel that tells stories about attacks of the undead from throughout history. It might still be decent enough, but the trend certainly seems to be dying out, finally. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking; I think Marvel is doing their usual month of zombie covers, and DC has their zombie lantern event going, so it's not over yet. I've been tired of them for a while now, at least in comics. Maybe the rest of the world will catch up to me soon enough.

Akira Vol. 1 Kodansha Edition

Ghost In The Shell Vol 1 GN Kodansha Edition

Finally, it's the first of the books released by Japanese publisher Kodansha in English. Of course, it's nothing new, being popular licenses reclaimed from Dark Horse. They've finally made their move though, so it's only a matter of time before we see some new material being released in English, right? I'm hoping for some salaryman manga, and there's probably plenty of other untranslated gems that we can lust after. We'll see what happens, oh yes, we'll be watching. Until we get distracted by the latest volume of Pluto or something...

Destinys Hand Ultimate Pirate Collection TP
Hollow Fields Complete Collection TP

I mentioned Seven Seas above, and here they are with some comprehensive collections of a couple of their OEL series. I haven't read either one of these, but they sound like they could be all right, with the former being about pirates (always a potentially enjoyable subject) and the latter about a girl attending a boarding school for mad scientists. Has anybody read either one? Should I bother giving them the mental energy of consideration?

Gantz TP Vol. 7

Finally, it's the latest volume of action and violence in this series. I should really try to catch up. Someday, someday, someday.

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And that appears to be everything. I will hopefully have some writing of some sort on this here blog, so stay tuned, to use the obsolete parlance.

Inglourious Basterds: Learn to spell, Quentin

Elsewhere: The Factual Opinion. TV of the Weak. Dollhouse. Fringe. Read.

Link: The Peanuts "tribute" that Roger Langridge posted here is hilarious.

Non-comics: I rarely write about movies anymore, so here's a nice change. Spoilers ahead.

Inglourious Basterds

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

2009

Nobody stages a tense conversation like Quentin Tarantino. He's done it in all his movies, to various effects, but he goes nuts with the technique here, starting with the opening scene, which sees a seemingly cheery chat between an SS officer nicknamed "The Jew Hunter" and a French farmer. It's the kind of scene that starts out seeming like something bad is going to happen, and then stretches out so long without coming to the point that the anxiety becomes near-unbearable. And that's just the first scene; the rest of the movie is filled with similar ones, from a bit in which undercover Allies try not to give themselves away in a bar filled with German soldiers while playing a silly guessing game, to a dinner scene where a woman theater owner is interrogated by Joseph Goebbels and that same SS officer from before about her venue, and even to an interrogation scene with the title characters in which the threat of horrible violence hangs over the subjects' heads like an ever-lowering pendulum. It's masterfully-paced filmmaking, as can be expected from Tarantino; he knows exactly how to manipulate viewers with every second that passes, until finally paying off expectations with the bursts of violence that everybody knew was coming.

And in addition to admiring the way Tarantino plys his craft, there's a lot of other content to ruminate on, like the way the promised Nazi-killing band of soldiers of the title are mostly marginalized, pushed off to the side in favor of a plot involving a Paris film premiere attended by several high-ranking Nazi officials, providing a chance to end the war well ahead of schedule. It's a bit of misdirection that starts with the very title of the movie; while Brad Pitt and his gang of psychos are present in the minds of most of the characters, they're less important than the Jewish woman who seizes the opportunity of having several hundred Nazis in her possession to wreak some terrible vengeance for what has been done to her family. This means that outside of one "chapter" in which we see the Basterds performing the deeds promised in the trailer (scalping, striking fear into Nazis, etc.), the movie centers around what happens in that theater, with different forces converging on it for the big finale. And what a finale it is, with all the promised violence exploding into some glorious mayhem and an enjoyably surprising ignorance of actual history in favor of the angry, vengeful, Hitler-killing fantasy that everyone who contemplates time travel has considered.

It's an immensely satisfying film all around, and in addition to the aforementioned tense face-offs and violent action, there's also some great acting, especially from Christoph Waltz as the cheerfully sadistic SS Colonel Hans Landa and Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, the put-upon theater manager and erstwhile spirit of Judaic revenge. She especially embodies her role, barely containing panic and fright behind a facade of cynicism when facing Landa, the man who killed her family, and later exhibiting a chillingly hard-edged lust for murder. Everyone else does great work as well, with the only weak link, if you want to call it that, being Brad Pitt's scenery-chewing turn as the ridiculously-Southern-accented leader of the Basterds, and even that is an obvious choice of mannerisms; if nothing else, his attempt to speak some Italian is good for some laughs.

And Tarantino's flair for signature moments is in full effect as well, with occasional expository narration from Samuel L. Jackson, on-screen captions that look like something from the 70s, and lots of effective music choices and little references to other films (my favorite being a brief bit of score taken from Sammo Hung's Eastern Condors). But he uses plenty of other great ideas and techniques as well, with one amazing bit seeing Shosanna's face projected on a cloud of smoke, as if her ghost is cackling at the mayhem and death she's brought down on her oppressors. It's a glorious and beautifully done film; if Tarantino can continue to produce fascinating work like this, I'll be happy to watch his films for years to come.

Collection catchup: Vertigo plus one

Links: Have I pointed out Kevin Church's new projects? He's got a weekly strip called The Loneliest Astronauts with Ming Doyle, and it looks pretty damn enjoyable. And there's also what appears to be more of a serialized crime story called She Died in Terrebone: A Sam Kimimura Mystery, with art by TJ Kirsch. They both look quite good; that Church fellow is going places.

This Paul Pope strip of a scene from Dune is pretty nice-looking.

Hey, let's make this a regular thing (which probably dooms it to obscurity): short(er) takes on collections of ongoing series, what those in the publishing world (and, inexplicably, the comics community) call trade paperbacks. Go!

Fables, volume 12: The Dark Ages

Written by Bill Willingham

Art by Mark Buckingham, Mike Allred, and David Hahn

There were a couple possible ways to go with Fables after ending the long-running war plot, with the more difficult one seeming to be seeing how things work out in Fabletown and the Homelands after defeating the Empire. What would happen in all the liberated worlds, and how would the new leadership (such as it is) cope? Bill Willingham hints that this might be what is going on in the first issue of this collection, but then he immediately upsets the new status quo in a pretty surprising way, knocking the victorious Fables back on their heels and leaving them scrambling to not only survive against a new threat, but trying to figure out what has happened and who has done it to them. It's pretty canny storytelling, jumping back into the pattern of downtrodden heroes fighting a powerful enemy, but in a much different way than they had been before, and with a lot of new wrinkles to the setup. Yes, the title continues to be as gripping as ever, and I couldn't be happier, even with the tragedy that befalls the beloved characters here.

And that's the other thing that Willingham does: focus on characters, rather than just hitting plot points. The big event here (aside from the main plot developments, that is) has to be the worsening condition of Boy Blue; watching him slowly deteriorate while fighting his war injury until he looks like little more than a desiccated corpse is tough, and the moments he has with friends and loved ones are pretty great, especially his eye-opening confrontation with Rose Red, who also looks to be growing into a major character who is full of fascinating flaws. But even the little stuff is neat to see here, like Fables who were born after the evacuation to the mundane world wanting to gain a birthright by taking over some of the newly-freed worlds, or the way the animal Fables bristle at the way they get brushed aside from being included in big decisions. And the new bad guy, the ominous Mr. Dark, is one hell of a creepy fellow; I'm very interested to spend more time with him.

On the art front, Mark Buckingham is as good as ever, filling pages with tons of gorgeous detail that combines a realistic setting with fantastical characters and still seems like something out of a storybook. His art definitely fits the title of the arc, as it gets increasingly dark over the course of the story, using some interesting toning patterns and lots of inky shadows. Mike Allred also turns in some nice guest art on that aforementioned filler issue, which sees Pinocchio giving Gepetto, the deposed Emperor, a tour of Fabletown while dodging the various angry protesters, shopkeepers who refuse him service, and people who march up to give him a piece of their minds. I'm especially struck by Allred's depiction of Pinocchio as an innocent-seeming, dot-eyed young boy, which stands in contrast to Buckingham's usual cynical-faced miniature adult.

Yes, it's another good volume, and I'm as excited as ever to get to the next one. Interestingly, there is a bit of metafictional exploration here, as characters wonder about the power that mundane storytelling has over them. It hints at the contents of the next arc, "The Great Fables Crossover", which sees Jack of Fables, which usually goes much further in that metafictional direction, and a miniseries about an even more metafictional type of Fable, The Literals, meet up with the main title. I have no idea where it's going, but I can't wait to find out.

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Unknown Soldier, volume 1: Haunted House

Written by Joshua Dysart

Art by Alberto Ponticelli

This is one hell of an intense book, and not in a good way. That is, it's full of action and violence, but it's the type of thing that happens in the real world, and it's stomach-turning in its (only slightly exaggerated, I imagine) nastiness. Joshua Dysart famously made a research trip to Uganda to gather material for the story, and it shows, with lots of details that come straight from real life, and a sense of moral outrage at the awful way people can treat each other (both face-to-face and through willful ignorance and unseen advantage-taking). It's the kind of thing that's designed to make one angry at the inhumane acts being perpetrated on people, and mind-boggling to consider that it's only focusing on a small portion of the violence and horror that's going on in the world.

But all that detail is in service to an interesting story about a heroic African-American doctor who has pledged his life in service to the downtrodden refugees (or "internally displaced persons", to use a less headline-grabbing term that keeps them off the world's radar) of northern Uganda, along with his loving and equally-medically-talented wife. But the anger he feels at what he sees seems to be welling up inside of him, assisted by horrifically violent dreams, and one day he snaps after being caught in a standoff with a rebel soldier, with a strange, ominous internal voice urging him to commit his own acts of violence. He complies all too easily, sending him into what seems to be madness, and he ends up taking up a one-man war against the people who would casually rape and murder innocents, sporting the telltale bandaged face of the long-time war-comics character after he mutilates himself in despair at his actions.

There are hints at a story there about how he gained such deadly prowess with weapons and strategy, something about CIA brainwashing, but it's not really necessary; the real focus here is on the actions that spur him to take up arms, including the recruitment of children as soldiers, the rape and kidnapping of girls, and the casual murder of civilians just because they are in the way. There's some gut-wrenching stuff here, and its understandable to see the character want to painfully murder the perpetrators, but the actions he takes are just as horrible. And pointedly, they seem to make matters worse. He does his best to make things right, to stop those who are laying waste to the people and destroying lives left and right, but in doing so, he murders children himself, and only spurs them to retaliate in ever-more-awful fashion. Before his "conversion", he gives a speech about how violence only begets violence, and he just proves it later, turning into more and more of a monster and taking good people like his wife down with him. That seems to be the real message here, that peace needs to be achieved through something other than killing, and Dysart is doing his best to show why that is, and making sure we know it's not just artful speculation, but a very real issue that is killing more and more people each day.

Italian artist Alberto Ponticelli provides the art here, and it's often quite gorgeous, capturing the landscape really well and filling plenty of pages with the dirty details of medical camps and battlefields. The people, on the other hand, can sometimes be awkward, and maybe even a bit cartoony, but his exaggeration really brings out the lost innocence of the child soldiers, as their big heads, spindly limbs, and extreme difference in size from the adults really make them seem tiny and frail, especially when they are carrying huge guns that they seem barely able to lift. Some of the action is a bit hard to follow at times, but the gist is always clear; we understand who is being gutted and decapitated, or just shot, and even when it's a rah-rah action movie moment, there's a real feeling of disgust at what we see. Maybe a more "realistic" artist would have been more appropriate, but Ponticelli still does a good job of filling in all the nasty details, and he makes some of the more surreal touches and dream sequences really work. And who knows, maybe he'll get even better as the series goes on. That's something to hope for.

Ultimately, one wonders why Dysart chose to tell this story in this way. If you're going to do such extensive, dangerous research, why make an action story starring a version of a long-lived

war comics character? But maybe flying something like this under the radar as if it was just another bit of Vertigo violence is sort of the point. I suppose something like Joe Sacco's journalistic comics would have been more "acceptable", but maybe a release from a mainstream publisher will attract the attention of those who don't normally read about what's going on outside of their lives of Western comfort. Those of us who stick to what's comfortable occasionally need something to jolt us out of our complacence and realize the reality lurking beneath our entertainments, and maybe this will be enough to get us off our seats and actually do something, anything, to help make the world a better place. Sure, it might be kind of far-fetched, but it's a nice idea. Maybe Dysart can actually do something to help it happen.

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Wasteland, volume 4: Dog Tribe and Wasteland #25

Written by Antony Johnston

Art by Christopher Mitten

By this point, you're probably either on board this post-apocalyptic series or not, but it's still a comic worth discussing, considering the thought and work that Antony Johnston has put into the world-building here. It's much more than just a dusty adventure story; Johnston has crafted several different cultural traditions (so far), and much of the interest comes in seeing them crash together in different ways. And it's fascinating to watch, whether you're trying to understand the nuances of the slang that the people use or the different relationships between people. There's a continuing plot featuring some well-drawn characters and a lot of action and intrigue, but seeing the world they move through continue to be defined is the big treat for me.

The fourth volume sees some continuing development on that front, as Michael and Abi, on their quest to find the fabled A-Ree-Yass-I, almost immediately stumble across and get captured by a couple of "dog tribes" of people who live in close association with packs of dogs that have become much more than just pets. The main characters kind of just sit in the background while an intense drama plays out around them, involving a conflict between the tribes that is now being resolved via a marriage between the chiefs' families. It's another example of the way Johnston defines these characters and cultures so well; we get involved in their conflict very quickly, although we don't necessarily understand what they're talking about or the way they relate to each other right away; flashbacks work to get us caught up in the tragic story.

It's very effective work, with the alien society really coming to life. Johnston does a lot of the work, but Christopher Mitten's art is what really sells it, from the vaguely African tribal fashions of the people to the way they interact with their dogs, and the deference that lower-ranking people show to the chiefs is palpable. It's gorgeous work as always, in Mitten's signature scratchy style that hides a surprising amount of detail.

And then in the twenty-fifth issue of the series, Johnston and Mitten give us one of the regular interstitial stories that doesn't directly affect the main narrative, this time being a flashback to an encounter between Michael and the nomadic trader Sultan Ameer, explaining some of the animosity that we've seen. It's a nice little story, mostly focusing on one of Ameer's wives as she tries to visit her family, who she hasn't seen since she was forced to leave them as a teenager. It's sad stuff, effectively told as always. And the big highlight is Mitten's art, which for this special occasion is in full, painted color, looking quite beautiful, with lots of deep blues and purples and searingly bright oranges. Hopefully this won't just be a one-time treat.

I don't know if the series is still gaining any readers, but hopefully if anybody hasn't kept up with it, they'll give it a second look, because as the series progresses, the creative team's talent for crafting a fascinating world for their tale to play out in becomes more and more apparent. I hope they'll be able to continue to wow readers for as long as they need to finish telling their tale.

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DMZ, volume 7: War Powers

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Ricardo Burchielli, Kristian Donaldson, and Nikki Cook

It seems like the intensity never lets up in this series, but it's morphed into intensity of a different type in these later volumes, going from characters trying to survive in a war zone to protagonist Matty Roth trying to navigate the complex world of politics, barely able to understand the forces pulling him in different directions, with dire results not just for himself but for all of Manhattan if he makes the wrong decision. It's hard to watch, and while we can sympathize with his plight, he still seems to be letting others push him around and manipulate him too easily. He does finally take some steps to remedy that trend, but even that seems to be a selfish act, rather than the "right" one. But that shows him to be realistic, acting as a normal person would, which isn't always likable.

The title story of the volume is sort of the main event here, but the volume starts with a two-parter in which Matty travels to a U.S. Army base on Staten Island, where he finds a sort of bacchanal in which the base commander negotiated an unauthorized truce with the rebel army to facilitate some mutual partying. It resembles Rick Veitch's Army@Love, although toned down quite a bit, and with less of a satirical intent. But it's the kind of thing that one can see happening in a war zone, especially when the enemy shares your own culture and values. And when it all inevitably falls apart, it's as hard to watch as anything else in the series, considering that it all seems like it's taking place in the real world, in an alternate universe where these kids are next door rather than on the other side of the world.

And then the main event starts, as Parco Delgado takes power as the provisional governor of the DMZ, immediately making some controversial moves, declaring the region to be a sovereign nation and kicking out both combating armies and severing all military contracts, especially any involving the Blackwater-esque Trustwell Corporation. This leads to plenty of chaos, and Matty is kind of left in the lurch, with nobody telling him what's going on. It turns out that he's an important part of Parco's plans, since he has contacts to Wilson, the Chinese gangster who might have a source of funds for the administration. And after securing those funds, Matty finds that Parco's got a lot of plans that don't necessarily seem to line up with his idealistic campaign promises, and at least one action that seems reprehensible in its "ends justify the means" cynicalness. It's hard to watch, as Matty's dreams of peace seem to get further and further away, but as with everything else in the series, it seems all too real, the stuff of real-world backroom deals and compromises in morality to achieve political goals. And the thing is, Delgado is enough of a charismatic talker that you almost believe him when he explains his actions. And who knows, it might all work out for the best, but given the real-world-imitating nature of this series, that certainly seems unlikely.

The volume wraps up with a single-issue story that follows Matty's (ex-?)girlfriend Zee, who left him and went off on her own into the unpoliced, dangerous area of the city after getting disgusted with the compromises that he was making. But even she can't escape the tough decisions, as she ends up forced to choose between helping out a wounded mercenary or letting her die. She's dragged right back into the conflict, or at least its periphery, as is her nature. As much as she might protest, she's in this for the long haul, like everybody else.

Yes, the quality of this series keeps going at the same level, and it's admirable that Wood is continuing to develop the conflict in new directions, and not take any easy shortcuts. If you can handle the depressing levels of violence and the despair that comes from realizing that the real world is just like this (or worse), the series continues to be required reading. I'm confident that Wood can continue to keep it up, and I only hope I can do the same.

"My auxilary atomic structure can make me as a mountain! Resist that, you tongue-flapper!"

The eleventh and final issue of Forever People is kind of an abrupt finish, demonstrating that Kirby wasn't ready to give up on it yet, but he still manages to close things out pretty satisfactorily. It's a pretty showy issue, giving us scenes like today's Fourth World Panel:

I love the unique, exotic look of that alien planet, like nothing else I've seen from Kirby, all delicate filigree and beautifully weird foliage. Nice. And we finally find out why we haven't seen the Infinity Man for so long: he's been banished by Darkseid to some unreachable cosmic dimension, which gives Kirby the opportunity to showcase other cosmic imagery:

I love that stuff.

The main portion of the story, however, sees the Forever People fighting an unrelenting foe named Devilance the Pursuer, who is described as "the relentless personality who must fulfill what he was created for--at all costs!" He's like the Terminator, never giving up or stopping until he reaches his goal, which starts out as capturing them, but after they piss him off, he decides to go the extra mile. It makes for some pretty awesome fights, as the hippie kids fend him off in various ways, but never able to take care of him permanently until they finally find a way to summon the Infinity Man, who brings one hell of a bombastic fight:

Man, I love the way Kirby could make those explosions seem almost incomprehensibly powerful. It's one of his techniques that's more effective than anybody else could manage. And here's another one that I've noticed:

That sort of image pops up here and there, sometimes with policemen and their guns, or other characters and their weapons. It's another effective image, with the characters' expressing their will through their weapons to a point that it almost subsumes their personality. Very cool.

So that's it for this portion of the Fourth World. It might not have been the best of the series, but it certainly had its moments, and Kirby found a pretty good way to end it in a fairly satisfactory manner. I can only hope he does the same for New Gods.

Next: The end of New Gods! Don't let me down, Kirby!