Short comic reviews.

Outside of Batman and Robin and Star Wars and a bit of Wolverine and Punisher here and there, I seem to be reading mostly Vertigo and Icon titles -- which I guess would mean, Icon is Marvel's Vertigo. Then there is Marvel's Max line, which is definitely Vertigo-like. And the occasional Dark Horse Vertigo-like or Image Vertigo-like comic.

Anyone else here seeing a pattern?

Oh, and Joss Whedon.

Maybe I should look up Vertigo on Wiki:

"Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Its books are marketed to a late-teen and adult audience, and may contain graphic violence, substance abuse, frank (but not explicit) depictions of sexuality, profanity, and controversial subjects. Although many of its releases are in the horror and fantasy genres, it also publishes works dealing with crime, social satire, speculative fiction, and biography. Each issue's cover carries the advisory label "Suggested for mature readers". As of 2008, Karen Berger is the executive editor of the imprint, and has overseen it since its inception in 1993.

Vertigo comics series have won the comics industry's Eisner Award, including the Best Continuing Series of various years (Sandman, Preacher, 100 Bullets and Fables ). Several of its publications have been adapted to film, including Hellblazer, History of Violence and V for Vendetta.

Yep, that about covers it.

I'm going to try to plow into Blackest Night, since it's the best selling comic of the year, but just browsing it I suspect I'll be lost in the DC detail.

SHORT REVIEWS.

SWEET TOOTH 2-5: the sweet little mutant boy and his protector (who's intentions we are still unsure of) in a post-holocaust world.

KICK-ASS #7: Wow. This could be a great movie. And it shows not every story starring kids is for kids...

DAYTRIPPER #1: Um...interesting.

Spoiler.

The main character dies at the end, so the rest of the comic will be flashbacks. I don't much care for that gimmick.

Two new one-shots by Joss Whedon:

SUGAR SHOCK. A quirky band from Earth, thinks they're invited to a Battle of the Bands, only it's a Battle of the Planets, and they are about to be incinerated when the lead singer, Dandelion,(who hates Vikings) sings "The Saddest Song In The World":

"For the song is indescribably sad. It's sort of like Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" if it was written by Leonard Cohen and Paul Westerberg for Emmylou Harris, with a hint of the theme from that French film Diva in the underscoring and a bridge that feels a bit like the Dead breaking into "Morning Dew: and a narrative of loss and empitiness and vibrantly agonized love, with lyrics -- even syllables -- too potent to print, consonants that flick and tumble over lips like the gold goins of virtue and vowels that ring out as plaintively asthe unreturned call of the last dolphin on Earth but mostly it prettymuch sound like "Adagio for Strings."

Cut to a full page of characters weeping pitiously -- except for the playing squirrels; "Squirrels have No Souls!"

It was a fun comic, though I suspect Joss Whedon tossed it off one evening after a binge of Red Bull.

DR. HORRIBLE: The beginnings of Dr. Horrible vs Captain Hammer. If you don't know what that means; Quick! Rent the video!

PUNISHER MAX #1: Restart? Garth Ennis has all but made it impossible for anyone else to do Punisher, but this has Dillon art and a pretty good copy of Ennis writing, so I'll go with it. The mobsters come up with a mythical "Kingpin", named Wilson Fisk(!) as a lure, while hiring a new hitman.

CHEW #1-4. Surprise hit of the year, from Image Comics. A cop can get psychic impressions from -- this is weird --- really really weird -- wait for it -- ready? -- anyone he eats. Yep, psychic, cannibal cop.

Goes to show, you never know what will catch on. Though it is pretty well written, actually.

BATMAN AND ROBIN 2-6:

Dick Grayson as Batman and Bruce Wayne's 10 year old son as Robin. Grant Morrison's writing is fun, though sometimes a little confusing and Frank Quitely's art is gorgeous.

GREEK STREET #3-6: Speaking of confusing. Mixing urban noir with ancient Greek tragedy, ironically makes the Greek stuff look even more twisted than anything we write about today. More taboo's broken, more twisted sex, and more violent revenge than most anything we write about today. I hadn't intended to keep reading them, but I'm glad I did. I'm sort of fascinated by how much weirder the old Greeks were....