Monday, January 19, 2009

Short Reviews

All Star Superman 11 & 12.

I love the tone of this comic. As I say to customers, "this comic reminds me of the feeling I used to get when I read comics as a kid." The Quitely art is pretty spectacular too.

Superman dies in issue 12. Gasp!

Greatest Hits #4.

Still enjoying this thinly veiled history of the Beatles, except in this story, they are a superhero group.

Ferryman #4.

Ferryman are suicides who are given a second chance by ferrying souls who were sold to a "Mr. Webster." One of the Ferrymen starts to have doubts, even though he has been promised he'll see his murdered wife.

Muddy and confusing, but there is something about it I really like. It has a very Sam Keith "Maxx" vibe to the art.

Back to Brooklyn #4.

Straight ahead film noir, down and dirty. Just exactly like the kind of crime fiction I like to read.

Wolverine #70.

Won't give away the plot line. But it's set in an alternate "Road Warrior" future, and so anything goes.

Unknown Soldier #3.

Black American goes back to his 'home' land in Africa in the middle of a civil war. This comic's heart is in the right place, the the motivations and emotions are not quite believable; the plot takes odd turns.

Push 3 & 4.

I started reading this before I knew it was a movie. My reaction was that the 'set-up' was very strong, but the ideas and plot had been done a million times before.

Which makes sense as a movie -- after all, the High Concept set up is what sold it, and the ideas in movies aren't used up yet.

But it seems so simple and straightforward and unoriginal in a comic, these days.
Competently done, but that's it.


I seem to gravitate to the "Vertigo" type comic; mostly genre, more adult comics. I've noticed that Wildstorm is offering more of these type of comics, and so are Image and Dark Horse, and the Max Line from Marvel.

Firmly middlebrow, just like my book reading.

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