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Sirens 2 Boom!
Legion fans should note the powers of some of the Sirens. We get a deadly version of Phantom Girl under Thora's influence. There's also Lightning Lass and Saturn Girl power sets. There seems to be a lot of characters crammed not the Siren's ship. And just as you're getting used to them the rest of the crew is introduced in a comic cliché way, as instructions are barked out. There are a few nods to cliches here, from ret cons to a few I'm less comfortable with.

Generally flashbacks are best avoided when in the middle of action sequences. However, Perez works them in well, giving us insights into two of the main cast, which adds to their presence in the action. Despite all the shooting, and the army of throw away villains, the plot barely moves forward. 4.5

Ares & Aphrodite 1 Oni Press
Remember Moonlighting? Remember the Maze Agency? Well, this isn’t a detective story, but the cover marks out at least the romantic side of those. I had expected the re to be more friction between the two leads,. One is a divorce lawyer dealing with the break-up of a movie director who has moved on to yet another wife. The other is a wedding planner with one client who is the new bride of the director.

Things don't go terribly well for the couple, which will draw in our two leads. Both of whom have partner gaps in their lives, a few problems, but are both generally decent folks. It's a pleasant enough read, with pleasant enough art. But there's not a huge amount of tension, particularly in the life of our female lead. It is something a little different, though and I'll probably take a second look. One has a dog and the other a cat, so that should keep me entertained. 3.5

Army of Darkness 2 Dynamite
A mash of Evil Dead with some of the Thing and Terminator thrown in for good measure. It's on a space station too. It should really be a lot better than it actually turned out to be. There are solid (if overlong) nods to previous movies, an interesting setting and plenty of threat. But it does come across as another lets-see-where-we -can -drop-Ash-this-week affair. Perhaps it's that Ash has long since become a bit of a caricature. 3.5

East of West 16 Image There seems to be a few epic geopolitical comics around. This has some elements of the horsemen from last issue, but focuses on a couple of survivors of the Texas rangers as they escape their victors. There's a real sense of sadness at the fate of the person who couldn't be saved before the Rangers' leader. There's a touch of political alliance between the main factions, and the usual Hickman based moans. 3.75

Escape from New York 2 Boom!
Like Army of Darkness, we have another iconic character dropped into a situation-of-the-week. This issue sees Snake in Florida. Things generally don’t go at all well for our protagonist all issue, but it's the visually interesting supporting cast you feel for when the bullets begin to fly. 3.5

HellBoy & BPRD 1952 1 Dark Horse
This issue mixes characters from the very beginning of Hellboy with some more recent additions to the BPRD series. A conflict between those who found Hellboy rears it's head again, as the field team visit an old castle in Brazil on a mission. I'm still a little disconnected from the newer BPRD agents, preferring the quirkier ones from the very start. The art captures the oddness of Hellboy and places it very normal surroundings with some lovely scenery added too. 4.25

HellBoy & BPRD 1952 2 Dark Horse
The team are thrown into the mysteries around the town, following a death. This is a fairly standard BPRD/ Hellboy affair, with the added action of having Hellboy available in a fight as it's set back in 1952. One of the team shows his hand this issue, which was a lot earlier than I thought he would. Another member may have some hidden talents of her own, that could prove to be interesting. 4

The Fade Out 4 Image
I'm jumping on in issue four, where our main character starts to make connections. We get a useful introduction page in a murder mystery tale set in post war Hollywoodland. Film stars move through the lives of the very flawed central characters. There's a noir feel to the book you can almost taste, with the solid dialogue and art that you'd expect from this creative team. This is one I'll be picking up the back issues of. 4.5

God Hates Astronauts 5 Image
I'd forgotten how silly this one was. So it does take me a page to get used to Cheeseburger eating space Tigers, cyborg super cattle and cats with jetpacks. A planet is threatened by the Crab armada, but fortunately a Killravenesque Hippo and his NASA bears will save the day. Possibly. But, still as much fun as the last issue I picked up. 4

Walking Dead, The 134 Image
In a series of unexpected carnage, the ability of one character to hold off hordes of undead (and others) is a bit unlikely. Still, one of their new foes looks to have been captured. Back at the ranch, tensions mount leading to confrontation and revenge leading to an escalation that will have repercussions.

Between the scenes it's interesting to see that certain characters are noted as being important leaders. It adds an undercurrent of tension to the book, even though probably the whole cast have done any number of important things simply to stay alive. 4.5

B.P.R.D. 125 Dark Horse
An excellent issue, providing the reader with updates, and background, on a number of characters, while no lessening the knowledge of the threats that they face. We get a look at the background of Howards, linked through an ancient weapon to an older time.

There are elements of Conan( Howard again no coincidence) and Slaine with some lovely texture to the older society and their foes. Impending threat plays a part throughout, as we see the BPRD reequipped with help from other forces, as they clear out towns. We know there are horrors out there. Then there's the advanced equipment seen in an apocalyptic future a few years ago in the book. We also get to see events in the Zinco, the corporation, tied to so many of the worlds' crises and some background into Dr Nichayko and his captive, familiar to Hellboy readers. 5

Astro City 19 Image
There's a bit of sadness as we see the career of Quarrel in flashback. It's a shame we didn’t get to see more of it as it was happening. There's a nice nod to Green Arrow's induction into the JLA as Quarrel joins the Honor Guard. Other comic cliches such as villains striking at hero IDs and time travel are woven in seamlessly. Concepts such as heroes using their technology and serums to help others in the same world are things that readers have wondered for years, and that Astro City delivers on.

Crackerjack is consistently shallow throughout, yet there to drive quarrel on when he has to. Theirs is a complex relationship and neither is short changed, which could have been an easy trap to fall into with Crackerjack. 5.5

Re: Sirens, I stopped reading issue two as soon as they went for the retcon option. Bad Perez, bad!

That was early on too. I grew up with Strontium Dog and his temporal grenades, so I may be a bit more accepting of that sort of thing as a throw away bit of fun.

More fun would be a one shot where both sides have such devices and we see the world lurch to and fro. There does seem to be a lost in time aspect to Sirens, so I'd not rule out something along those lines actually.

My main concern with the series is that the huge number of Sirens may easily overpower their foes, reducing the threat to the point that conflicts are pointless.

Capsule Comic Comments:-

Abe Sapien 19 Dark Horse
Abe spends a lot of the issue wondering about going home again. After all the tiny hints an glimpses over the years, it's very odd to see his past summarised in a page or two. We see the normality that our cast have found, compared to the likes of Houston. But the dark things within are touched forward another inch. It has the feel of a filler issue, even with the removal of two cast members. 3.75

Ares & Aphrodite 2 Oni Press
Our two leads make a wager on the outcome of events between their clients. Since they both agree that a date could be one outcome, there's really not that much tension left between them. The issue focuses on events from last issue. Again, there's not much actual tension. Everyone in the supporting cast is pretty strong, and there's not much in the way of tension raising cliches here. So, although not a great deal happens, it gets a third issue to see how things are going. 3.5

B.P.R.D. 126 Dark Horse
A more action orientated issue, returning to a location from the previous issue, but six months on. Enos leads a patrol including Howards to scout out a creature for the air force. Initial findings aren’t what they seem, and the patrol are attacked. In Russia, a creature is also confronted. It's a more successful operation, but the survivors realise it's a pyrrhic victory. There's a nod to the strain on resources being felt and the length of the war. A possible romance for Enos is clearly doomed as the lady doesn't even get a name on her armour like some others, despite the large badge. 4.5

Copernicus Jones: Robot Detective 6 Monkeybrain Comics
There's quite a bit of fun to be had with standard detective stories, when you add androids and transferable identities. The issue starts nicely with a summary of the previous issues. Unfortunately the summary doesn’t stop as we get pretty much the whole finale in flashback. Being told the story isn't the same as reading it happen, and things pick up again only at the final confrontation. That seems a little pat, and reinforcing the standard noir detective never coming out on top ends the series. There's some potential here, and the next Copernicus Jones series will be worth a look, and should have improved. 3.5

Federal Bureau of Physics 17 DC Vertigo
Standard sci fi trope of precocious unearthly child explains what's going on to the reader throughout ,and prods the main characters along to the solution to survive the cliff-hanger. That's about it in a pretty quick read. The solution is not uninteresting; the characters just keep their identity above the plot events; there's a vault of unused FPB vehicles that is suggestive to someone who hasn't been reading the series. 3.5

Powers 1 Marvel Icon
All of the standard powers checklist entries are ticked here. The super power related crime; society adjusting to super powers; Pilgrim and Walker (late on for Walker) and lots of blood and swearing. It also has the usual drawbacks where anyone near the central character is a complete smart ass losing plenty of empathy along the way. I've no idea how this ties into other Powers series, but if it's connected the central pairing still being anywhere near the police is very unlikely. So pretty much like most of Powers issues across a number of years. 4

Roche Limit 1 Image
A missing persons case on a offworld colony near a galactic anomaly. The narration is a little ponderous, particularly at the start. It paints a dismal picture and yet we have mankind reaching the stars. Our protagonists are standard cop relative and Constantine fixer. The final page is a touch disjointed, and isn't that big a draw into the next issue, although there's more to it than a simple discovery. 3.5

Stump Town v3 1 Oni Press
This is my first issue and we're in volume three. So I don’t know the back story, or even if there's back story to know. Through a couple of soccer games we are introduced to the key cast members and what could be the inciting crime incident that ties them together. Although some of the images of the games are a bit skewed perspective wise, the atmosphere comes across nicely, adding a certain background tension throughout the issue. Having the characters be part of a wider world, makes them more believable, something a lot of titles could learn from. 4

Walking Dead, The 135 Image
The repercussions of last issue are possibly more unsettling than the events themselves. Things could unravel very quickly in Maggie's camp with the natives and the new antagonists both setting themselves out to attack. Inside, just what will their new prisoner tell Carl and what way will he jump? All character driven this issue and all the better for it. 5.5

Gotham by Midnight 1 DC
I picked this up for the Templesmith art, which turned out to be a bit constrained by the title's needs. We have a group of cops, who work outside the norm funded by James Gordon and provided with cases by Batman. Bats knows that Corrigan is the Spectre, and presumably is aware what happens to the criminals the Spectre catches up with. There's a blob of salt in precinct 13 for example that looks just like the Spectre's work.

Corrigan's colleagues are the overeager, gushing Rook, and the standard nun and geek. In a DC world of gods and monsters, why internal affairs should be at all surprised that there are supernatural cases, is a bit of a mystery in itself. Considering the level of such threats, why the group should be working as an isolated unit with the world seemingly smugly on their shoulders is another one. The actual case is pretty decent though, taking an abduction and adding an eerie twist. The closing third had a decent escalation of pace. 3.5

Capsule contained Comments Concerning Comics Conveyed...

Ares & Aphrodite 3 Oni Press
Following a (nicely set up) fight between the engaged party, our tow leads try to track one of them down. The real mystery is how one of them finds an evening dress, when they didn’t bring any luggage and weren't going to drive back. The romance between the two leads starts in spite of the wager. There's some soul revealing dialogue on the beach, which avoids being clunky as best as it can. A fairly pleasant, if not riveting read. 3.75

B.P.R.D. 127 Dark Horse
Enos gets some good lines as he reports back to base. Johann has always been an awkward leader. I've wondered why people defer to him other than he's a central character. Enos' function addresses this somewhat. Howards is a uncommunicative character, a force rather than a person. While cool looking, there's would normally be no depth at all in such a figure and interest would quickly fade. Giving Howards a link to a older time, where he does talk makes him far more interesting and gives the book another storyline. 4.75

Walking Dead, The 136
Image The tension from the last issue mounts as each subplot moves along at a nice pace. Things are coming to a head (again) and there's a lot more to the new prisoner. There's even a lot of uncertainty for the character who seemed to be the most likely to somehow survive. 5.5

Wild's End 3 Boom!
All over too quickly, this issue. It's going to make a good TPB, to read in one sitting. Our cast react to the shocking events of last issue. Keeping to the pacing of the first two issues, events don’t automatically escalate. Instead they stick firmly with the well defined main characters and their next steps. 4.5

Invincible 115 Image
Analogues of Man Wolf and Superman battle it out to see who can stay upright as their intestines fall out. They are both distracted by groups who wish them to succeed, much to both parties dismay. Elsewhere insects give birth to lots of human babies. Weird. Pretty much an all-fight filler issue, complete with "this is my life"!" cliche dialogue. 3.75

Lazarus 13 Image
A lot of the issue is a holding pattern, dealing with some reactions to the end of the previous issue and setting things up for the conference to come. The Lazari continue to form relationships, with the expectation that they may fall apart as negotiations between the ruling families continue. Only at the end is there movement as one family takes a course of action that threatens ruin. More interesting having read a few now, but a solid issue. 4

Sixth Gun 45 Oni Press
Well, any one sidedness in the fight last issue, was merely to add to the tension when things go against our protagonists this time round. While the villains don’t quite press home their advantage this issue, there are some moments of suspense and a reveal concerning one of the cast that would be more disturbing had I been a regular reader. All this is among the aerial battle, snake people and doorways into dark realms. 4.5

Groo Friends & Foes 1 Dark Horse
This series looks as though it's going to focus on Groo's extensive cast as he travels through their lives. Look at their tears of happiness. Well, tears anyway. In this issue we have Captain Ahax, counting on Groo doing what Groo does best, but something's not quite right. 4.25

Usagi Yojimbo: Senso 4 Dark Horse
Crumbs! What's worse than almost getting flattened by a Martian Cylinder? Well, crawling free just to walk into one of the cylinder's inhabitants! There's a few pages exploring Yojimbo and Tomoe's feelings. Some would say that it's the thought of the roof coming down that forces the conversation. I'm wondering when they'll be quiet and get out of there. While the pair face peril in the cylinder, the tripods destroy life above. A moment in the final pages reminds me of a cross between an independence day scene and LoEg. It's powerfully done, and leaves this reader with a sense of impending doom. 4.5

C.O.W.L. 6 Image
A flashback issue to the 1930s and the origin of the Grey Raven. We have the promising starts to a few secret origins for the character, all of which build up to the act that made him finally take a stand. It has a few nods to the old comics, although some events here are a little hokey even for those. How the hero's ID stays secret at the end (if it ever did) is a little puzzling. 3.5

October Faction 2 IDW
The smug kids from last issue want to follow in their father's footsteps in dealing with monsters. Neither of them really stand out. The father is the more interesting of the family here. The plot seems quite slow as we get the results of a summoning and a protracted feeling dinner scene. There's an interesting antagonist at the end, but that's about it for anything new here. 3.5

Savage Dragon 201 Image
Another sex obsessed issue. Is Larsen finally going through puberty? Relationships are reviewed, split and form as Dart and co break into a lab, and Malcolm runs off to do battle. A lot built on previous issues, rather than anything particularly fascinating starting off here. 3.5

Compressed Comic Comments...

Copperhead 2 Image
Crime scene investigation begins after events last issue. It also mixes in repercussions of the new sheriff's actions, both on an incarcerated family member and her deputy. Action is threaded through this as her son encounters some of the more aggressive locals and a possible saviour. 4.25

Shutter 1 Image
A father takes his young daughter to the moon. Just one of the wonders this family of explorers has enjoyed. There's a hint of LoEG about the lineage of adventures, and a touch of other Moore multiversal ideas creating a bustling metropolis (Top Ten). We get flashes of the perilous adventures the central character was taken on as a child (where were the social services having a chat with the father?).

But it really focuses on her as an adult. Her exploits have made her famous, but she's in a lull. We get a touching moment on how she celebrates her birthday and things form her past make for an interesting end to the issue. With such a wide number of worlds and genres to play with, there's no shortage of interesting opponents. One looks very familiar. Now to find issue 2 as I'm behind in this one. 4.75

Invincible 116 Image
The big fight scene from last issue is seen on only a few interspaced pages, and could run on as an in joke for several issues. The meat of the story is in the world reacting to tyranny, and Mark's eventual decision on what to do about it. Hopefully Eve will get more input next issue, which will probably show more differences between her and her parents. 4.5

Chew 44 Image As good as our agents are. As good as Olive is. Well… Anyway, there's a fun double spread of Poyo, and we meet Babycakes! The flashback chop and change is overdone this time round though. 5

Usagi Yojimbo: Senso 5 Dark Horse
There's desperate battle between the bat like Komori and the invading Martians. But that's just a back drop to the lessons in honour and loyalty that weave their way effortlessly through the cast.

We have a mix of personal relationships to decisions at a national level as the characters react to the ongoing invasion. The depth of Yojimbo's cast really comes out well in this series. There's a really fun final page, showing that Sakai is happy to take this genre mash one step further. 5.75

Star Wars 1 Marvel
With Cassaday on the art, this is always going to look good. We're a page in and the theme tune pops back into my head. Then the opening page takes us back to a Star Wars starship staple. The rebel mission has enough familiar props for it to seem perfectly in keeping with the setting. Likewise we stick to the core cast just after the end of the first movie. There's plenty of action, and that edge of darkness as things go as well as they usually do with Han Solo involved. Slight downside is that our heroes and villains seem to run into each other a bit quickly as this is only the first issue. 5.5

Saga 25 Image There are a couple of really annoying moments where the narrator (the child of our two central characters) gives away upcoming plot details. Show me what happens, don’t just tell me how it turns out. Taken to it's logical conclusion, just have a one page text issue summarising the ending, saving me the hassle of reading further (see also annoying EGOs narrator and Astro City).

With that out of the way, we get a good background into the racial tensions between the cast, as well as a good analogy of post WWII warfare. It's not preachy, or a reprise of earlier issues and lets the newer reader (i.e. me) get a better handle on what's going on. The array of lifeforms in this book pus the Legion into shadow, particularly as they all come across so well. In among the tension, the kidnapping and the dragon hunting there are a couple of laughs too. 4.5

Walking Dead, The 137 Image
A rather obvious set up is executed, with the resolution to come. Another subplot has large events happen, but it looks to be a slow burner for a while overall. Everyone acts completely to character, possibly with a slight exception for Maggie. Things get complicated for Carl on the relationship front. 5.25

Federal Bureau of Physics 18 DC Vertigo
Some central characters (who I would know better if I read earlier issues) are taken into a BPRD-like setup after the ravages of the previous issue's quantum storms. Here, there's at least 1 other character who I should know (but don’t) from earlier issues.

Events are set up for our main character as to why he should be there, and there's a twist on those reasons at the end. About the only character I have some empathy for is the woman who has to restrain her emotions, as she knows the fate of most of the early test subjects. 3.75

Astro City 20 Image
It's the writer's choice, but I felt a bit let down at the ending to this one. It had been telegraphed for a little while, but I was hoping that nothing would come of it, or it would be a twist. Other than that, the issue continues pretty much as the last one left off, with our central character adjusting to getting older and a look into her relationships. 4.25

Hey, kids! Want some reviews of comics that came out back in October?

Fuck YEAH, Lardy!

Ooooooh-KAY!

Amazing Spider-Man 7 (Marvel)
A lite team-up with the new Ms. Marvel and virtually no subplot development? And there's a part 2 next issue? Smells like a fill-in before Spider-verse! *yawn* Even the Spider-verse prelude afterwards is just kinda mean...stomp on my '80s animated childhood, really? I rave about Slott's Spidey usually, but this is utterly skippable. 0.25

American Vampire: Second Cycle 5 (DC/Vertigo)
After kind of an "eh" return arc after a long hiatus, this issue gives us an utterly creepy standalone that works damn well! Love the journal entries from the past providing backstory interspersed with the VMS agent's mission in "present" day. Excellent issue which makes me remember why AmVamp Vol. 1 was a consistent Top 5 fave of mine! 5.5

Astro City 16 (DC/Vertigo)
Excellent take on the Superboy/teen Luthor/Pete Ross dynamic with a really heartfelt twist. Kurt and Brent ACe (see what I did there? ) it again! 4.75

Batgirl 35 (DC)
Finally read the start of the new Batgirl era, which I had recently decided to cancel before having started it. May have been a mistake. This was a pretty sharp take on Barbara fighting cybercrime that feels very bleeding edge. Based on this, I'm not seeing any disrespect for Babs' established character that I've heard about so often. Loved how her smarts and photographic memory are played up. Might have to rethink the drop. 4.0

Buffy Season 10 7 (Dark Horse)
Some pretty nice character bits, but this didn't dissuade me much from my decision to drop and maybe read the trades. As a continuation, it still just seems to be spinning its wheels and afraid to really make lasting changes to the characters. 2.25

Daredevil 8 (Marvel)
Felt like the weakest issue in the relaunched series, so far. I guess I'll have to wait and see, but the purple children don't impress me all that much, even though there's some creep factor. 2.75

Fables 144 (DC/Vertigo)
Two regulars go up against a stalwart who's not himself and don't fare well at all. There's a welcome return at the end, though. the backup with the Three Blind Mice gives three pages to what should have been a three-panel joke at most. 2.5

Fade Out 2 (Image)
More from the masters of noir, Brubaker and Phililps. Very involving narrative and character development but not a whole lot on the murder mystery. A couple of surreal moments make you wonder where things are going. Always good to have some Brulips to read. 4.25

Grendel vs. the Shadow 2 (Dark Horse & Dynamite)
Always good to see Matt Wagner on both story and art. Two noirish costumed characters used to slaughtering the competition meet their matches. Grendel looks to capitalize on his business opportunities in the past, but the Shadow stands in his way. Wagner does his thing very well here. 5.0

Manifest Destiny 10 (Image)
Another one I'd decided to drop because trades might better serve the reading experience, but damned if the proceedings here against gross mosquito creatures isn't one of the most rollicking issues yet! Several of the characters really stand out here better than usual. Gonna be a harder drop than I thought! 4.75

Massive 27 (Dark Horse)
Three issues to go and something once lost is now found. There's still a lot of mystery enshrouding central character Mary and her connection to the book's big apocalyptic event. It looks like we're nearing a pay-off, and I'm hopeful the book will deliver. 3.5

Morning Glories 41 (Image)
The latest in a number of semi-self-contained issues that spotlights one of our characters, this time Guillame. I like how he's cooking up something unusual to try to give a big "eff you" to the establishment through a n apparently fixed sporting event. MG always keeps me coming back though it can be a maddening enigma at times. 3.75

Outcast 4 (Image)
A cop seeks help from Kyle in what he thinks is another case of demonic possession. I half-expect this not to be the case, given what little evidence we have. Issue 1 was far and away the best issue so far, and the rest have seem slow in comparison. Pretty good, though the little inset close-up scenes are starting to annoy me. 3.25

Sabrina 1 (Archie)
This was a pretty good read in the vein of Afterlife with Archie. Promising start that still has some trappings of teenage angst in a good way. Bad news is I don't think issue 2 has even been published yet?!? 4.0

Sex Criminals 8 (Image)
Excellent issue that is the first not to feature any trips to The Quiet and just knocks it out with funny scenes and character development. The whole scene at the gynecologist was hysterical! I hope the "pussy doctor" sticks around, personally. Sex Crims is solidly in my Top Five and proves it every issue. 5.25

Stray Bullets: Killers 7 (Image)
Another solid issue as our teenage couple runs headfirst into the troubled Virginia's past. As if it doesn't already look bad enough, it looks like the shit will truly hit the fan next issue! Lapham really makes you feel like you're getting your money's worth each issue. Great series, and so glad it's back so I could finally discover it! 5.0

War Stories 1 (Avatar)
Garth Ennis is back and doing one of the things he does best, telling gripping tales set primarily (but not always) in and around WW2. This one shows that not all casualties happen in combat as we see a terrible accident on an airfield. This is part 1 of 3, so our central character of this tale still has a lot of horror to come, presumably. 4.0

Wytches 1 (Image)
Solid debut for the new Scott Snyder/Jock series. Lots of creepy moments and a heap of character development and background in a very packed and rewarding first issue. This definitely has my attention and looking forward to more. 5.5

Heck, I wish I could get another perspective on some of those comics. 'specially those awkward October ones... Hey Lardy!

I was wondering about the Sabrina comic earlier. I thought I'd missed it.

I've just got the second issue of Fade Out and I've yet to read Outcast, so thanks for the reminders.

Really pleased to see Stray Bullets getting loved. There's a new number 1 for the next arc just out.

I wasn't that impressed by Grendel/ Shadow, but they are two characters I like and I've liked Wagner's stuff before. I might take a second look.

Arrgh! I missed the second issue of Wytches. Must look out for the back issue.

I think I'll try this when the first trade comes out. I love stories about the underside of the cinema industry. Thanks, Lardy.

Hey, let's see how we reviewed some of the same books:



I gave it a 5.0



I liked it better and gave it a 4.75.



I gave it a 4. I think if the art were a little stronger and the chills a little chillier, I would have ranked it higher. Really surprised that there've been no new issues in 4 months. Has it been cancelled?



Same exact score! Love me some Sex Crims!!!

It's definitely up to Brulips' usual standards, which are always high. IMO, though, Sleeper is still the best thing they ever did. The twists, the intrigue, the characters...it's just ALL there! There might be a little "first time" bias on my part, though. I'll have to re-read it in the not-too-distant.

I think the second-best story they ever did was the last Criminal arc they've done to date: "Last of the Innocent". The kind of seedy take on the Archie characters gave it such an incredible subtext! I kinda hope their next project is another Criminal arc.

I'll definitely try Sleeper and Criminal. I think Brubaker is, by far, the most talented comic book writer of his generation. Thanks again, Lardy.

Sigh. All this noir talk makes me wish PAD would revive Fallen Angel. I would think after everything he's done for Marvel, they'd let him revive it on the Icon imprint or whatever.

Oh, missed this one:



I rated this a good bit higher at 5.5. In fact, it's interesting to see that the too Scott Snyder books (this and AmVamp) were the ones I rated highest in the batch. Especially since I dropped his Batman (along with the rest of DCnU for over a year before sampling Batgirl) and basically found his last Vertigo thing, The Wake, just okay at best, both during AmVamp's long hiatus. Nice to see he's still got some juice.

However, impressive first issues, though difficult in themselves to pull off, often have subsequent issues suffer in comparison. We'll see....

Nice, though, to have several good horror entries in the batch.

I hope you like them. Criminal is a bit hit-and-miss, though never terrible. Last of the Innocent is the absolute best by a mile, imo. Sleeper....I hope you like it. It's a bit twisted and sadistic at times but is a very rich piece. It's set in the Wildstorm universe and features powered characters in the criminal underworld. And our main character is there to infiltrate them for the good guys and finds himself crossing the line. Kind of like that great TV series Wiseguy at its peak...but, you know, with super powers and stuff.



I remember enjoying the first two trades of the DC series but never was able to continue. Some day, I'll get the rest.

OMG, I just LOVED the first two extended arcs of Wiseguy, especially the Mel & Susan Proffit one! Now I'm more interested than ever!

Regarding Fallen Angel, I think the DC issues are good, but they were just a warm-up for the first 25 or so IDW issues! Those are some of PAD's best work of the last decade.

You're suddenly even more wonderful now than you were a minute or so ago! That first season of Wiseguy was soooooooooo GREAT!

Awwww...

I sure hope Cobie didn't miss the flurry of new reviews. (Sometimes weekend posts completely go over his head! ) I'm certainly curious as to what he thinks of such books as Wytches and some of the other more intriguing books reviewed.

BTW, I read Stray Bullets: Killers #8 last night. Another exemplary issue in many ways, but I also kinda hated the ending and wish we could had at least a couple of more pages, if you know what I mean.I get that Lapham wants us to leave it to our imaginations, but it still kinda sucked.

It's interesting to glean from the letters page, though, that Ginny has been a regular character in the series. I've always thought that Stray Bullets was self-contained in its arcs. Well, in a way they definitely are, as I had no problem getting into Killers without knowing any backstory. But I always assumed the characters were arc-specific.

This should add quite an extra dimension when I eventually read my recently-purchased Uber Alles edition of the original 41 issues!

While I probably missed most of what’s gone on LW in other forums, I didn’t miss this thread! And I’ll gladly give a few thoughts on various things you guys have talked about.

Wytches thus far has had a really strong start—probably the best thing Snyder has done in the last year or so. Jock on art duties definitely helps amp up the tension and horror, and the two clearly make a great pair. One thing I’ve really enjoyed thus far is there is a genuine sense of uneasiness and eeriness that just permeates the series, which so many horror series are unable to do. I’m definitely hooked.

BTW, I agree about the Wake. I thought it was good—and artwise, with Sean Murphy, it was simply dropdead gorgeous—but it wasn’t all that reviewers made it out to be. I think a lot of comic “newsites” were anxious to jump on the Snyder bandwagon and made it out to be the greatest series of the year. But while it was “good”, it wasn’t the greatest thing ever. I felt the same about Jeff Lemire’s “Trillium” too. I’m not sorry I bought either one of the series, but I can’t say I’m going to go out of my way and recommend anyone buy them.

Meanwhile, I’m also loving Stray Bullets as well, though I can’t remember how #8 ended and if I’ve read that one so far. My past with SB is similar to your own though I’ve had a smattering of random issues and storylines over the last 10 years or so here and there. I’ve enjoyed it immensely since it’s restarted. I do know most of the characters you’ve seen have been in stories before, though! That’s part of the charm of the series—lots of characters return in and out of other characters lives, and it all weaves together. But each individual story is standalone, so you’d never know it unless you read them all at once. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good stories. It’s pretty damn genius.

You must have seen my high praise of Batgirl when the new era first came out, I assume? I hope so, at least, since no one ever replied to it! Which, as we all secretly know, is a clear indicator that everyone else on the boards hates you. Despite all that despair I felt at no response, I’ve mentioned a few times how much I’m enjoying this current Batgirl run. It’s already probably my single favorite Batgirl run ever, regardless of who was wearing the cowl. It’s fresh and interesting, and a lot of fun. I love the art most of all, and think Babs Tarr takes this recent trend in the last few years of “cartoony art” to another level, with hipster manga influences that are really pleasing on the eyes. It’s also gotten DC to start relaxing a little and not infusing every story line with a rapist murderer who eats the flesh of his enemies and kills the parents of the hero (which ironically, is what Dan Didio did to Jim Lee).

Fade Out is right in my wheelhouse of old Hollywood mystery and conspiracies, which is a huge hobby of mine outside of my comic book reading. (Fanfie, we should start a thread. But my expertise is really 1920’s – 1960’s, I have to say). Brubaker has a lot of insider knowledge of this era as well and it clearly fits his strong talents. He remains my single favorite “pure writer” of this era (re: writer who does not also draw). Thus far, I’m enjoying the issues immensely.

I do have to say, though, that I did not love the Fatale ending. I perhaps built it up in my head too much and then subsequently could not feel slightly let down. It felt a little like there wasn’t enough of a payoff, though its hard to put into words exactly what I mean. I wish it was slightly more epic or slightly more poignant. But there is a very good chance that a full reread of all 25 issues might give me a different reaction. Series that I collect in single issues have to face something that series I collect in trades don’t: some days, I’m just not quite in the right frame of mind to be reading what I’m reading. I don’t think I had this issue as much when I was a kid. While some days I can relax and find some nice escapism in the comics, some other days I’m simply too annoyed at the world or stressed or distracted and an individual issue might be facing a much bigger uphill battle than others. Stories that take a long form approach need to keep that in mind, I think.

Lastly, I agree about the Criminals arc with the Archie analogues being one of their best. Highly recommended!

I’m continuing to enjoy Outcast quite a bit too. It’s another nicely eerie series that is packing some rough punches each issue. There is a lot of promise to where this series can go, especially when you keep in mind that Kirkman can take something that at first appears like it could barely fit 12 issues and turn it into 100 issues.

Astro City has been better than ever with the Superboy type story in #16 and the latest Crackerjack and Quarrel story. This is what I was hoping for when the series came back full-time and it fells damn good to have it back.

I agree that American Vampire opened with an underwhelming first story arc, but #5 as a standalone was totally awesome. It’s a reminder of what the series and Snyder at his best are all about. And speaking of Snyder, it feels like he’s going to be spending 2015 firmly embracing his creator-owned and indy roots again, so I’m hopeful that all his work, including Am Vamp, has this level of quality.

I’m still loving Sex Criminals, and I agree with Lardy’s thought on Morning Glories: “MG always keeps me coming back though it can be a maddening enigma at times.” I didn’t realize Sabrina #2 didn’t come out yet, and to be honest, I’ve forgotten just about all of #1, so we’ll see how #2 reads after this long delay. The Amazing Spider-Man filler issues read like they were exactly that, though this latest crossover has been kind of fun in that Slott really excels at writing totally chaotic, batshit crazy epic events (even though most of the alternate spidey’s and the villains are almost entirely characters that don’t invoke any sort of reaction or emotion out of me other than Peter and Ock-Spidey. Enjoying my man Garth Ennis’ War Stories thus far, even though the second story he has planned looks like it’ll really be the one to watch.

Thoth, I’m thankful for your review of Star Wars #1 as you might be the only person I know who has read and reviewed it so far! 5.5 from you says it was pretty damn good, so that has me interested.

Also, mention of Fallen Angel makes me want to chime in to proclaim that PAD’s work on the series once it moved to IDW remained really high quality, and perhaps got even better! In fact, it remained pretty great throughout—even when it might be seeing some of PAD’s bad habits start to slip into it, the series would somehow shake them off and remain very strong. All, that is, except for his last arc, which included some Buffy or Angel characters I don’t give a crap about, which I thought was pretty annoying.

Seems like some of the best comics right now are horror comics. Good to know Wytches remains great after that first issue!



With Wake, I'd go a step further and say the story just didn't grab me at all. I think without Sean Murphy, it would've been a borderline dumpster fire!

As for Trillium, Lemire just dragged out the story too much. After 5 or 6 issues of it, I just couldn't bring myself to buy and read the last 2 or 3 issues. He was just so in love with all the different ways to split the story that he forgot to make it good.



It ended with 2 characters in a bathtub and a third entering with a gun who would be upset to see those two together. I'd certainly have liked to have seen what happened next!






Of course, I saw your comments, but not having read the first issue 'til just a few days ago, there wasn't much for me to say!




I understand what you mean. In a way the ending was just not all that surprising or much of a pay-off. It was mostly what you would expect in a way. I guess Brubaker might say Fatale was more about the journey than the destination. It was a pretty cool journey, but the destination still could have been better or at least more surprising.



It's harder to see this one going on and on than it ever was for TWD, imo. I'd be surprised still if he plans this one to go into the 300s or whatever he's said about TWD. This feels more like a 60-issue thing at most. We'll see.



And, of course, one of my letters was printed! Easily makes it a Top 5 book for everyone on the planet......



AmVamp Vol. 1 is one of the best comics of this young millenium. Let's hope issue 5 signals a return to form. That was some TERRIFIC guest artist that issue, btw!

I have to add, one of my very favorite series right now is Silver Surfer, which is full of charm, whimsy and romance. And in addition to those things, there is a certain poignancy and heaviness that hits every issue or so that is quite potent against that backdrop. I'm totally enthralled by the relationship between Dawn Granger and the Surfer, and the latest storyline has me on the edge of my seat emotionally.

Now, on to the most important response of all: "borderline dumpster fire" is the greatest phrase I've heard in an age, and I will instantly steal it and use among my friends to great applause. You sir, are the fucking boss!

I think you nailed it on Fatale. The ending was pretty much what I expected it to be since around issue #7 or so. That's fine, and there's a certain noir-esque quality to that, but it made it a little less fulfilling. I hate to split hairs, since I thought the series was great and I'd fall over if I could meet Bru and Sean. But I had really high expectations, y'know?

Meanwhile, on Astro City, I avoid the letters pages on a monthly basis now, as all subsequent letters have been bitter dissapointments. But how could they not be? They could never live up to that fateful masterpiece!

I did purchase the first trade a couple of months ago. It's in The Pile awaiting my leisure. If it's not awesome, I will send its dismembered shreds to you in the mail.



You didn't know this before?





Read. Sleeper. You. Ass.



I know, right? Kurt should have just stopped making letters pages after that! But of course, we know that he only continues them in hopes that I will write again.

I actually liked that bit, but I've grown to trust the writer. He's just giving us what would be most other writer's whole story and saying ... there's much more about it and more to come than that.

It gets weaker IMHO. The next story with Sportsmaster just didn't do it for me.

I thought it was cool when Daredevil was going up against villains who specifically contrasted with his super powers. (Even the purple kids confuse him and make things more difficult for him than a sighted super hero. Since he can't tell at first if they're possessed.)

I couldn't hang after number 1. Sirens was the cheapest off brand comic I have read in a long time. The women are wearing pumps.

I was interested in this, hoped it would be good, but it was really confusing and messy to me.