Marvel's President's Day Digital Comic

"Gettysburg Distress" Written by Matt Fraction and Illustrated by Andy MacDonald
"Spidey Meets the President" Written by Zeb Wells and Illustrated by Todd Nauck
Marvel

Marvel is working very hard at innovating online content, probably because at some point they're going to slowly move to digital for most of their stuff. Probably not Spider-Man or the Avengers, mind you, but things (no pun intended) like The Thing or She-Hulk or Mid-Level X-Men Character. Books that are probably great but can't get the sales going would probably find a home with people like me willing to a pay a few bucks a month for the privilege of seeing Damage Control bwa-ha-ha their way through life.

"Gettysburg Distress" is an online only work that, based on the cover, should have been amazingly cool. Unfortunately, it ends up being about as lame as possible, with Spidey and the old Cap tussling 1970s style with robots made to look like members of Lincoln's family (at least I think so, it's hard to tell by the art). Soon cap launches into a speech about hearing the Gettysburg address and the rest of the comic is simply that--Lincoln reading it to the public.

The text even claims that "Spider-Man and Captain America travel back in time"except that's entirely false.

Holy Silver Age Superman Bait and Switch Batman!

It's obvious that Fraction was trying to capture the magic of old Spidey Electric Company comics, except that there's so much winking and nodding going on that he forgot to put a story together along with it. We may never forget the Gettysburg Address, but I have a feeling people will forget this one-trick pony shortly after reading it.

Since I don't know when or if I'll be reading Brand New Day trades, I'll also review the expanded (to add a few gags) edition of the (in)famous Spider-Man meets Obama comic.

Honestly, for a rush job, it's not bad. Joe Biden as geeky Knight Rider fan is funny, John McCain is given a dignified cameo (that even references continuity), and the whole thing is wrapped up neatly and quickly, without taking away from the solemnity of the moment.

The problem primarily comes from what wasn't done--i.e. since the villain is not a superpowered one, why not let Obama take center stage in the takedown, making Spidey unneeded and giving us a chance to reference the Parker Luck? Or why not tie it into Secret Invasion? Or at least a comment of "see why that Registration Act is a terrible idea?"

I'm also not sure what's historic about five covers with essentially the same picture, but perhaps I'm just grumpy tonight.

All in all, the story, even with extra pages, feels like it needed a bit more room to breathe, but again, that's probably a lead-time issue. They'd have been better served waiting a bit and doing this as a 2-part story, perhaps tied to the 4th of July or something.

If you want to check them out, the comics are (for now, they may move this link by the time you read this) available at this link. It's probably worth a look--after all, you can't beat the price, and as Lincoln said, "A penny saved is a penn--" oh wait, never mind.

Legion of Superheroes Volume 1

Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Barry Kitson, Leonard Kirk, Dave Gibbons and various artists
DC

I'm not a big Legion fan, so there's no sense of changed continuity for me. However, I understand that the Legion has been rebooted more times than the American economy lately, so perhaps there really isn't any strong continuity to be destroyed in the first place. Regardless, for me personally, this was just about story, and I thought the story was pretty good.

The idea is that teens all over the galaxy in the 30th Century want to help shape the future, but the adults of the establishment, especially the police, don't want them to have a say. Well, sooner than you can say, "teenage wasteland", there's a call to form a legion of superheroes!

As with most Mark Waid-written comics, there's a lot of connections between the characters and the plot he's building as we move along issue by issue. It's a quality story that doesn't take all that well to modern DC comics, which stress overarching concepts rather than stories within individual books. It's a shame because Waid was definitely on to something here, and Kitson's art is sharp as always. I need to see if I can track down volume two.

World War Hulk Damage Control

Written by Greg Pak and Dwayne McDuffie
Illustrated by Rafa Sandoval, Vicente Cifuentes, and Salva Espin
Marvel

It's hard reading a crossover from the library because of the timing on when they come in. While I've not read all of the "during" series yet, here I am reading "Aftersmash" comics, or so they titled them.

This trade has two series in it--a one shot called Aftersmash that sets up the idea of healing in the wake of the Hulk's vengance. The other is the return of the bwa-ha-ha Damage Control, a welcome (and appropriate) coda to the events surrounding World War Hulk.

Aftersmash is written by Greg Pak, the architect of the crossover and shows the heroes cleaning up in the wake of the battle. Most of the players from the event get some screen time, including Iron Man, Misty, Hercules, the Warbound, and of course Spider-Man and Luke Cage, because we can't have a major Marvel event without them. It's such a time of healing that Stark doesn't even try to chastize the unregistered heroes.

The theme is one of healing, right down to the core of the island itself, which is falling apart in the wake of one of the Hulk's major battles. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Hulk's war party fight amongst themselves, not unlike the Confederates after the Civil War. Will Earth's heroes be able to solve the cracks, both literal and figurative, before the damage gets worse?

I like Pak's fix for the problems he presents in the aftermath of the war, but I'll leave those for you to discover when you read it. I continue to be impressed by Pak's writing abilities.

For those of you who haven't been reading comics since the Reagan Administation (and watching Spider-Man on TV since Carter), Damage Control was created as a humourous look at the way in which New York always manages to repair itself after every attack. When last we saw it, a writer had turned them evil as part of war profiteering during Civil War. That was a really good story, but it saddened me that yet another funny part of the comics (like Blue Beetle) had turned deadly serious.

Enter Dwayne McDuffie, who brings back the old school Damage Control. For instance, the new Goliath is asked to take a number in the waiting room. When he refuses, they insist. At which point, he grows and announces (in "comic title" lettering) "I'm BLACK GOLIATH."

The response?

"Okay, take a big seat."

Now that's humour comics! If that's not enough for you, the writers play with the style of Marvel's modern single issues, playing with the recap page, the crossover titles, and even the fact that they're not allowed to do editorial comments anymore. It's great old school fun that you don't see very much of anymore.

Plus, McDuffie makes the Totally Evil Thunderbolts look like a bunch of tools, and that's always a good thing.

But perhaps the best part of all this is when the Chrysler Building turns up alive in the wake of some alien mojo. How the heck do you stop a living building?

Give it a month off.

Don't worry, once you read it, you'll get the joke.

I'd be remiss if I act like the whole comic is one big joke. McDuffie shows the folly of the Registration Act, gives Robbie Baldwin some quality time, and shows how real life business deals often require finess. The little touches like that within the humour are part of why this is so good.

The comic ends with Tony Stark hoping we see Damage Control again soon. For once since the Civil War mess started, I agree with him.

Fables Volume 8

Written by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus, and Andrew Pepoy
Vertigo

This volume of the ongoing Fables story is titled Wolves, which is appropriate because the entire focus is on Bigby and his family.

We start with Mowgli continuing his search for Bigby, leading to some excellent sequences with real wolves. Willingham shows off what he does best here--using the legends associated with his various Fables cast members to tell a new story adding to the myth. Mowgli must return to his wolfly roots in order to find the former Sherriff, who's made it pretty clear he doesn't want to be found. The ending is a bit flat because we kinda know what has to happen, but the getting there is quite good. Props to Buckingham and Leialoha for some great art sequences in this one.

Next up is Bigby-as-terrorist, though I'm sure Willingham would take objection to my description. Politics I completely disagree with raise their ugly head again as the Big Bad Wolf fights the Adversary one on one and Bigby becomes the writer's personal mouthpiece. (I understand that Vertigo is for creator-made series, but I think DC editorial should have stepped in here. And yes, I'd have felt that way if it had been the reverse statement. Blatent speechifying in comics annoys the hell out of me.)

I will admit, however, that I found it less anoying this time than the racism of the prior volume that also had a political basis. At least this time, within the context of the issue, it made sense, if a kind of sense I find abhorrant.

Once he's finished, there's only one thing left to do--make an honorable woman of Snow. But will she have him? And how to deal with the thorny issue of Bigby's ban from the Farm? Let's just say that, for once, the Fables get to live Happily Ever After.

If you're looking for a jumping-off point for Fables, this is it. I'm not recommending that you do, but most things are tied up neatly and if you feel you've had your fill, issue 50 is a satisfying conclusion.

Want to proceed? Okay, then you can go to Shawn McManus' kinda sloppy follow-up tale with Cindarella, as she works the political front and must shrink herself in pursuit of a potentially rewarding treaty with Americ--er, I mean the Cloud Kingdoms. It feels very much like a fill-in issue, with hints of consequences but nothing earth-shattering. It's the type of work that could be done in a few panels of a larger issue, but does have a few good lines from the secretest of Fabletown secret agents.

There's also a bit of bonus material, including maps drawn by Willingham, with incidental art. (I'd love a Fables one-shot written and drawn by him, his art is pretty cool.) They've also including his script for issue 50, but I have to be honest, I'm not much into reading comics scripts.

This feels like the closing pages of a first act. I'll be curious to see where Willingham takes us from here.

Green Arrow Year One

Written by Andy Diggle
Illustrated by Jock
DC

I tend to be lukewarm about the idea of "Year One" stories or revised origins, as I'm sure you may have noticed by now. But Green Arrow is one of my favorite characters (and is in fact the only comic link I share with my father--he was a big fan of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories in the 1970s), so even if it wasn't by the Losers team of Andy Diggle and Jock, I was going to be reading this one.

It turns out, however, that because this *is* the Losers team, the revamp actually works rather well. And the key to this is that they keep the basic story while updating it a bit to make more sense in modern times. It's like they took John Byrne's adage about the Fantastic Four (i.e. the only thing you need to know is that they got their powers by going up in a rocket ship) and applied it, with good effect, to Ollie's origin.

You see, he's still a brainless billionaire (think Bruce Wayne without a childhood tragedy) who goes out on a boat and had bad things happen to him that leave him to fend for himself. By the end, he learns there's more about life than money, and works to help those who can't help themselves.

Sure, there's plenty more to the story--and I'll get to that momentarily--but the basic gist of what makes Oliver Queen don green tights and right society's wrongs is right up there in the above paragraph. And rather than try to give him some gimmicky reason (his uncle was a street bum or his old college friend is now a junkie who dies by bad drugs or something similarly inane), Diggle just rolls with the actual history of the character (what a concept!) to retell the origin.

There's a bit more Grell in the origin now, as Ollie gets a bit of a social conscience sooner (as well as a way to tie him in to Asia) but that's not really a bad thing. In fact, the fact that Diggle merges the classic origin with touches of the "grim and gritty' Green Arrow of the 80s is part of why I enjoyed this so much--if you're going to do a retro story, there's no reason not to go ahead and make some disparate parts of the character merge together better than they were in the first place, so long as you don't destroy the cahracter in the process.

The story itself, even without the needs of an origin comic, flows nicely. Queen takes a fateful boat trip with his right hand man, finds out there's trouble afoot, and ends up as the sole member of a Survivor cast. Now this boozy braggart must tap into a part of himself he didn't know existed in order to survive.

Of course, survive is one thing we know Ollie will do, so the key to keeping a story like this interesting is the *how*, which Diggle manages pretty well, though the fact that the island he washes up on just so happens to be important to him in a whole other way besides being a way to stay alive does stretch things just a bit to the breaking point. However, since the pacing is good, you're not given a lot of time to think because chuckling over the fact that Diggle manages to sneak in the trick arrows here and there is a lot more fun.

By the end of the mini-series, Green Arrow has (perhaps a bit too conveniently) faced all of his demons and come out on top, complete with acidic wit and a sense of purpose. (I'd argue that Ollie's womanizing gets minimized a bit too much by using a pregnant love interest, but that's a minor quibble.) There's several winks and nods to the camera--including a great line about cheating death--but even those without arcane knowledge of Green Arrow's history (I even own reprints of the Kirby issues, for God's sake) will find this an action thriller with a lot to entain the reader. More "origin" stories could learn from this one.

Fancy Froglin's Sexy Forest

Written by James Kochalka
Illustrated by James Kochalka
Alternative Comics

The cover picture here should be able to tell you all you need to know about the internal contents of this ribald comic by James Kochalka. If you ever wanted to know what cute smut would look like, look no further.

Fancy Froglin talks like a kid but is most happy about one thing in his life--his boner. No really, I mean it. He invites other creatures to see it or touch it, right up to and including the reader. (This is a perverted frog that realizes he has an audience.)

Most of the book features the rise and fall of his emotions based on the status of his wang, with the dialog getting funnier and funnier as Kochalka takes the simple idea and hammers it home over and over again. By the time we reach Uncle Funky, who shows he has an amazing gag reflex, you just can't help but wonder how this ever saw print but are so very glad it did.

There's a coda story about Christmas that is all a set up for a simple sex joke that's also cute (and sick) but it just can't hold a candle to the over-the-top ribaldry that is the main story.

The press page for this comic actually lists all of the offenses of the book, which I find hysterical. I won't spoil it here by listing them, but let's just say I'm pretty sure just a casual glance at this book would cause John (cover Lady Justice) Ashcroft to keel over dead.

What makes this work so well is these are all the same cute drawings from Kochalka's other stories, as voiced by Andrew Dice Clay but on the reading level of Mister Rodgers. It's one of those things you declare to be so very wrong--but also so very right.

Joker

Written by Brian Azzarello
Illustrated by Lee Bermejo and Mick Gray
DC

About a year and a half ago, I wrote the following: "Still, the way Azzarello gets into Lutor's head and gives us an idea of how he thinks is spot-on, and that makes all the other stuff worth ignoring. It would be great to get a similar treatment of the Joker, for instance, though that would require a writer with a bit more subtlety."

Well, here we are with a Joker-centric story ala "Lex Luthor" just like I requested, though it, too, is by Azzarello. And though I'm sure my 2007 self would have had reservations, I think there's quite a bit of subtlty going on, as you'll see.

As with his Luthor story, Azzarello works without the confines of continuity to tell whatever narrative he wishes. It's fun, actually, to see the Joker using the other members of the rogue's gallery with impunity (except for Catwoman, for some strange reason), just as I'm sure the "real" Joker would like to do. Thus, Croc, Penguin, and the Riddler all do the Joker's bidding (some more willingly than other). He's the lord of everything, until the inevitable happens. (Apparently, just like in the old 1970s comic, the Joker must be caught at the end.)

You see, the Joker's sane now, at least according to Arkham. and Johnny Frost is the man welcoming him back to a city that had assumed he was gone for good. Soon the Joker, with the help of Croc and Harley, are taking back what's his. Alternating between sane crime boss and batshit crazy lunatic, the Joker cuts his way back into a strangely Batman-free Gothham. There's only one person (or should I say two people?) who can stop him now, and once he gets past that, there's no stopping him. Or is there?

The more I re-read this one, the more I think this is a story playing out in the "real" Joker's head. Think about it--he's declared sane, but no reason is given. The other rogues bow to him, the police are almost invisible as he commits crime after crime. And right up until the very end, there's no Batman--except for a mysterious person the Joker seems to keep calling for as time goes on, even implying that his killing of some of the mob bosses helps this mysterious person. Even Batman's one line sounds like something from the Joker's brain rather than the Dark Knight, as why Batman has a chin is really not a sane question, is it?

It also makes sense that "Johnny Frost" the narrator could be a construct for a pre-insanity Joker. He wants to make it big, like the Joker does, but he's partly terrified by the idea and often questions what is going on, mentally if not by outright comment. When he starts to laugh, just like the Joker laughes, that's when our Clown Prince of Crime turns on him. Other little ticks, like his desire to break out of the run of repeat offenders, the objection to pills, and the need for respect also point to him being a Joker within the Joker.

Or maybe I'm overanalyzing this, and the story is just an over-the-top romp with murder mayhem, and DC forcing artist Bermejo to NOT show any nudity because, after all, comics are for kids, even if they do have an implied scene of sexual violence and a man skinned alive.

Though I'm still not fond of Bermejo's pencil work, he does some nice splash pages. The Joker walking out of Arkham is menacing, and his closeups of Harley, Croc, Riddler, and the rest are stunning within the context of this graphic novel, even if they'd never work outside of it. Ironically, I think there's more lighting in this comic than in its sister work.

"Joker" is proof that I can in fact like a non-continuity comic as long as it's established right up front that it's not canon. Azzarello revels in making his own world here, and it shows. His Joker, while not quite as crazy as I'd like, does have the insanity that makes the character work, if with a darker edge than normal. Plus, if it really is supposed to be a "Joker Dream" where Batman wakes him up at the end, that would be really cool. Even if it's not, it's still pretty good.

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel

Written by Brian Azzarello
Illustrated by Lee Bermejo
DC

Azzarello is best known for his 100 Bullets work, though he's done both Batman and Superman here and there. This time, in what is I guess is in-continuity(?) because it lacks an Elseworlds tag, he turns the focus on Superman's arch-foe, Lex Luthor. [Edited to add: I was unaware at the time that DC is not using the Elseworlds label anymore. However, it's clear this is not in continuity, tag or no tag.]

For the first half of the series, Azzarello works hard to make Luthor look human. He greets his janitor by name, even helps with the trash and trying to get the kid to school. Luthor is out to help his fellow man, whether it's by making deals with brainless billionaires like Bruce Wayne or working to give the human race hope by trying to destroy the one being on earth who is their "superior"--Superman.

As we see more of Lex, and how he deals to get what he wants, the shine falls off his bald head and the evil man returns more and more. While protesting that he's trying to preserve the hope of all humanity against the arrogance of Superman, his personal arrogance grows ever larger. More and more people are hurt as Luthor manipulates lesser villains to get his way, even those he sought to protect.

In the end, it's Superman that must rush to save the day, returning again to gaze at Luthor, who even as his most recent plans lay crushed, insists he has hope...

I have some qualms with this mini, even though it's very well written. Standard DC Bruce would never make a deal with Luthor, for instance. And the setup for the great attack on Metropolis is very sloppy, by Luthor standards. Still, the way Azzarello gets into Lutor's head and gives us an idea of how he thinks is spot-on, and that makes all the other stuff worth ignoring. It would be great to get a similar treatment of the Joker, for instance, though that would require a writer with a bit more subtlety. The art is just okay--I know DC likes that shadowy, overdrawn style that this book features, but it really distracts here when I'm trying to figure out some of the subtler details. All in all, though, this one's worth picking up.

Sleeper Volume 2

Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Sean Phillips
Wildstorm

It took fricking forever to get this one from the library, but at least it finally arrived. (I shouldn't complain too much, since the library keeps me in all the books I can't claim to justify buying, but with this and a few others it just took SO LONG to get to me.) Ed Brubaker, writing continuity-free, can do amazing things, and Sleeper shows them off very well.

Agent Carver has a problem--his only lifeline to the world he knew is dead or dying and now he's a sleep agent without a way to wake up--or is he? Enter Sir Malcolm Jones, a former agent who knows where the bodies are buried. Can he help Carver get free? What happens if the plan fails? Can Carver take the risk? Does he have any other choice?

The decision our Sleeper makes sets the pace for the rest of the issues in this trade, as Carver dances the thin line of the double-agent, literally sleeping with the enemy, trying to keep one step ahead of those who hate him in Tao's organization while he figures out what the hell to do.

Normally, this running in place would seem like stalling, but the beauty of Brubaker's writing is his ability to find a way to make it interesting, with cliffhangers, computer intrigue, and a James Bond-like retired agent who's probably too cocky for his own (and Carver's) good.

Once the consequences of Carver's decision take over, the trade fairly flies through tense moment to tense moment. Tao smells a rat, and Carver likes cheese. When a heist goes south, it may be the end of the line for Carver. The climax meshes with Carver's own problematic mental state and moves us into a place most spy stories don't--what happens if the spy might just like it better with the enemy?

I'd like to single out a highlight of Brubaker's writing here, but I can't because the entire trade is so good. Whether it's Jones' assurance that he can't fail, the look at capes from the side of the bad guy ("fucking dweeb"), Carver's attempts to keep himself dirty (clean?) with Tao, or Tao's complete mastry of all that's going on (it's like Tao has Brubaker's script sometimes, which might normally seem out of place but he is written to know all the angles), the story flows smoothly from start to finish. This is a tribute to Brubaker's ability to plot things out from point A to point B, a trait I'm seeing on his work with Captain America.

Helping out with the mood is Sean Phillips. Though he still seems hell-bent on drawing naked ladies at the drop of a hat, his dark tones hold the mood without blurring the characters so badly you can't tell who they are. Tao, Carver, Jones, and the rest all get distinctive looks that can be identified easily, even in the darkest panels. I appreciate this a lot, as I can't stand it when I'm staring at a comic asking myself, "Who is that?" over and over again.

Sleeper is a great crime comic that fans of the genre should read. I hope I don't have to wait so long for volume 3.

Sleeper Volume 1

Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Sean Philips
Wildstorm


This is set in the same universe as the Authority, though I kinda feel like it shouldn't be. There's an off-handed reference to them, and it's just too dismissive of this really powerful supergroup that wants to be the quasi-official ruling body of the world overlooking things that could definitely impact on its ability to do so. At any rate, this is the story of being stuck in deep cover in the world of capes. Our hero is...a sleeper.

This is a very, very dark book. I mean, really dark. So dark, I'm using adverbs all over the place despite my general dislike for them as a rule. It's that dark. No one in this book is remotely innocent, not even the victims. Certainly not our hero, Holden Carver, who absorbs pain and transfers it to his victims. Certainly not the boss who got him into this miss and is now too incapacitated to help. Certainly not, well you get the idea.

Holden takes us through his new life, infiltrating a secret organization and moving up through the ranks to become one of the inner circle, killing those he has to in order to survive. Towards the end, we can see this is killing him inside, and his desire to get out, some how, some way combined with a refusal to let go of his past, should be--and I will be mad if it isn't--the death (or at least near-death) of him at some point.

Brubaker cuts loose here, writing a tale darker than I thought him capable of managing. My only problem is that at times, it seems like he's piling it on. Noir is dark, I get it, but a few references appear to be in there only for how much they can shock the reader. I also have a problem with the fact that the women, ether at Phillip's idea or Brubacker's direction, seem to be naked a lot. I've no problem with nudity, but as with Vertigo, I feel like someone along the way is equating a mature rating with needing to toss about the titties. That's a trend that drives me crazy. In this particular case, showing so much skin took away from what should have been a big moment--Carver being seduced--because I was annoyed at that point by the nudity. This may just be a problem with me, who knows.

(Yes, I am smiling at having written "toss about the titties" I admit.)

If you can handle the rough subject matter, this is definitely worth reading. Brubaker plots a good suspense and Philips does a great job of setting mood when he's not overdoing the women. I look forward to reading more of this one.

Heroes for Hire Volume 1

Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Illustrated by Billy Tucci, Francis Portella, Tom Palmer, and Terry Pallot
Marvel

Heroes for Hire is an odd duck. On the one hand, it knows that comics tend to over-sexualize its female characters, because we get lines like this:

"Well, look who's in my part of the crib. The overtly sexual, scantily-clad, adolescent-male fantasy team of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing."

On the other hand, Misty's one costume, used over and over in the series, has arrows pointing at her nipples.

Sigh.

I guess you could make the case that, like Civil War itself, this book at is at war with itself. On the one hand, it's a playful romp, winking and nodding at old comic tropes. Misty and Colleen quip about keeping gadget-makers in business, the main villain of the piece is an old foe out for revenge, and someone even survives a building blowing up. That's fun in the old Mighty Marvel Manner.

On the other hand, one team member, Tarantula, tries to kill every foe she faces. Deep concepts like the Civil War and registration issues frame most of the subplots. There's quite a bit of gore in the battle sequences, too, and the artists never seem to miss a chance to do a butt shot or a cleavage catch for the all-busty female protagonists. (The shot I used above is pretty typical.)

The stories themselves do a good job of winding their way through the Marvel Universe. Like a good tie-in, the stories mesh with the overall story but still tell us why we're reading about these characters and not just the main arc. Heroes for Hire starts up again in light of the Civil War and goes after unregistered folks, including at one point Captain America. They also get entangled in what I am sure was designed as a pre-Secret Invasion story, as Skrull organs are being used to enhance folks, either superpowered or not.

Unfortunately, where the book bogs down a bit is in the size of its staff--there's simply too many people running around. Black Cat is useless window dressing who does next to nothing for the entire trade, except a few hip quips that seem out of place in her mouth. Shang Chi seems to fall in and out of the plot. I wasn't even really aware that Orka was part of the cast until he shows up at the end, though I guess I may have missed something. And hell, Tarantula III(?) is tossed off with Mr. Fantastic for a portion of the book, a fate even she bemoans.

However, I should mention that the dialog, as a rule, was pretty good. Our pair of writers keep the characters bantering well, and Orka's role as the straightman-strongman works well. Misty comes off as being hip without being stereotypical, a trick I wish they'd teach Azzarello.

All in all, Heroes for Hire isn't perfect, but I had fun with it. And you know, that's really not a bad thing to say about a comic, is it?

Dark Horse Book of the Dead

Written by Various Authors
Illustrated by Various Artists
Dark Horse

I'm rather sad that this is the last of these anthologies for me to read, but how can you argue with a collection that starts with Kelley Jones doing a zombie story and ends with Jill Thompson illustrating zombie dogs?

Once again, editor Scott Allie puts together a solid collection of horror tales centering around a theme, this time people who should be dead but just can't manage the job.

As mentioned first up is Jones and his crazy pencils, telling the tale of man who must stay away from a horde of zombies. An abrupt change of art brings us the obligatory Hellyboy entry, where our red hero takes on a ghoul with his usual literary tact: "You sick piece of crap!" Mignola's writing continues to be strong in these vignettes, with this story using Shakespeare as a framing device.

Robert Howard of Conan fame is Gary Gianni's author-muse this time, illustrating one of his one-shot stories about a man with an immortal heart. Even in something so short, Howard's love of the outsider shines through. I have to admit, however, that I wasn't overly fond of Gianni's choice of illustrations this time.

I think the best piece, however, is Bob Fingerman's, where Death decides to take a holiday, leaving a very confused youth in search of hand-sized condoms. It's slapstick black comedy at its finest.

Eric Powell uses his realistic etching style to "adapt" a story of the Wallace expedition, an artic expedition gone horribly wrong, as the white men blame the native for a crime far more hideous than any human could possibly conceive. Given some of the stuff we've seen in teh Goon, this was almost disappointingly restrainted.

Perhaps most interesting in this set is "The Magicians," where a son uses magical powers to raise his father from the dead to ask him for advice. Rather than going for the creepy, Allie and art partners Paul Lee and Brian Horton put together a poinent story of a family split apart by the dark arts and perhaps a bit of redemption.

Evan Dorkin and Jill Thomson end things, as usual, with the dog pack and their stray cat friend. This time, a character from the past comes back for her revenge--using the power of zombie dogs! Do I really need to say more than that?

These four Dark Horse anthologies are really good, and you'll enjoy any of the ones you choose to read. I suggest late at night, with a flashlight...

Losers Volume 4

Written by Andy Diggle
Illustrated by Jock and Ben Oliver
Vertigo

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed this time out, as the usually sharp Andy Diggle writes himself into a corner by not cleanly addressing the big reveal from the end of the last trade. Had I been reading in single issues, I'd have probably been pissed.

As it stands, I was merely annoyed by the fact that the surprise link between Aisha and the rest of the Losers is buried, where I felt it was festering while other cool action took place. I'm hoping that there was a real point for handling thing as he did, but if not, that's going to be a blotch on the record for this one.

The main thrust of this penultimate trade is that as the Losers get closer to Max, the closer they realize that there's more to Max's plans than meet the eye. The stakes get higher and even the help of our rogue CIA agent may not be enough. (I have to admit, I saw the two anti-Max factions getting together from a mile away, another reason why this set of issues was less interesting to me.)

So how does one catch a Max? Well, first of all, try to take down the bank he owns, and if they give you any trouble, use the new Fuji blade disc, adaptable to any computer DVD player. Meanwhile, take over a micronation (yay micronations!) and use it to hack the system. There's only one problem---if an old enemy comes back to life. the plan may fail.

Yes, Diggle goes there. And while it leads to some interest dialog, it also puts Aisha so far out of character as to be unrecognizable and drops the Losers into the same cliches for this type of story that Diggle had thus far worked so hard to avoid.

The rest of the trade features the Losers vs. this person as they struggle to keep some extremely powerful sea junk out of Max's hands. The final battle does feature one of my favorite sequences as Jensen gets show he's more than the geeky comic relief. "I underestimated you." "Colonel Franklin Clay, you are not the first man to make that mistake."

The story's still entertaining but I think the quality dipped a bit this time. We'll see how the series finishes once the library gets it to me.

Sweaterweather

Written by Sara Varon
Illustrated by Sara Varon
Alternative Press

I really enjoyed Robot Dreams, and so I was happy to find this one, which was her debut novel. A collection of short stories featuring the same style of characters as Dreams, there's an experimental feel that reminds me more of zines published in a larger format (I don't mean that as an insult).

There's a cute opening tale about a tortoise and hare that share a shell to keep out the cold, as well as another wintery tale of hibernation and snowmen. Neither use (nor need) words to tell their story, letting the visuals take the reader across time to the heartwarming conclusions.

Perhaps most interesting is Varon's experiment with making each panel match up with a letter of the alphabet, which explains why Q-bert shows up for no apparent reason. There's a few cute nods when you go back to look after learning the premise, but I think my favorite are Varon's shout-outs to indy magazines for women.

Varon's experiments also include panel blurring, repetition of styles and even a few times where panels are eliminated entirely for the Eisner blended page effect. For a comic like this one, I really enjoy seeing artists experiment with the medium to see what they can do.

Other tricks are just odd ideas that might be out of place elsewhere but somehow work within the context of this book, such as cutout dolls (with details on both sides and a warning not to cut up library books), a party invitiation, postcards, and even fake stamps. Again, this reminds me more of something done by a person sharing his or her work with friends rather than a published effoft for national release. (In other words, just the type of thing that won't hit Diamond anymore.)

There are other stories in Sweaterweather, all of which show off Varon's storytelling skills, such as the wing-growing fantasy or the creation of a pool within a turtle shell or even the strangely compelling essay on beekeeping. If you're looking for a potpouri of material from one author, Sweaterweather should be just the thing for you.

The Walking Man

Written by Jiro Taniguchi
Illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi
T/A Fanfare

An interesting little manga as it doesn't fit into the typical shojo, shonen, horror, romance, or school genres. I am sure there's a category for it, but my feeble American feed of Japanese comics doesn't allow me to really be able to comment if it is something new or part of a larger grouping of comic styles.

The story itself is a mostly non-verbal narrative of a man (who appears to be jobless, despite his professional attire) who walks about his little corner of the world and observes what he sees--elderly people out for a walk, school children running, toys stuck in trees, and the like. Every time he eventually returns home to his rather patient wife. (She seems to be resigned to the fact that he'll only be home for a late supper, if he makes it home in time for dinner at all.)

This is a story of the ordinary. Our protagonist takes off his shoes to play in puddles, sneaks down alleys to see what's there, and learns things about his world that I bet no one else will ever know. (We see this in an example where he talks about a local Mt. Fugi, that his wife appears to have never known existed.) There are no great plots or arc. No one dies. No one get the girl. What the reader gets is a nice, relaxing visual walk. I think it's worth the trip.

Flower of Life Volume 2

Written by Fumi Yoshinaga
Illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga
Digital Manga Publishing

One of the reasons I will (usually) give a manga several volumes before I stop reading it is because certain stories take a bit of time to build up before they hold my interest.

That seems to be the case with Fumi Yoshinaga's mangas, as I definitely liked this better the second time than I did initially. The satire is a bit more pointed, the characters feel like they have more going for them than just props to skewer the shojo genre with, and the dialog (especially Majima's) is crisper than I remembered from the first volume.

This time around, we get two main plots (a classmate has a great idea for a manga, but Majima wants to change it into something he thinks will get them invited to manga conventions is plot A, while a school play--involving that manga--is plot B) as well as a continuation of Saru's dealing with his renewed life and a teacher's complicated relationship with another teacher. There is good movement on all four fronts, and all of them are blended together in a way that makes this stand out over other series, at least in my opinion.

I think the best part of this series is when Yoshinaga points the finger at the reader and says, "Look how silly you are!" The boys love the play when Majima tries to hurt his female classmate, but they love it more when she strikes back. The parts about trying to get into a manga convention and obsessive fanboy (and girl) antics also made me chuckle.

In fact, though he plays a smaller part this time, I think Majima's actions really drive this comic and lead to some inspired moments, as his seemingly careless ways impact on the remaining cast.

I'm not sure where some of these stories are going, but I definitely want to find out. I think you will, too.

Life Sucks

Written/Illustrated by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece
First Second

I really enjoyed La Perdida, Abel's book of a woman's misadventures in Mexico as she tries to be something she's not. So imagine my surprise when I read this graphic novel, which seems to cover the same idea, but comes to a very different (and, I think, flawed) conclusion.

Dave Miller is a low-level vampire stuck in a Clerks-like job. He crushes hard on a goth-chick named Rosa, but lacks the ability to woo her until he's challenged by Wes, another member of the undead, but one who deals with the idea better. Dave refuses to kill and drinks stale blood-bank blood. Wes revels in his status, using his vampiric powers to bolster his life and reputation.

Soon, both Dave and Wes must decide who gets Rosa, and enter into a rather demeaning contest in relation to Rosa, once you stop to think about it. There's quite a bit of angsting by Dave both before and after this contest, but never fear, because in the end, boy gets girl--and his vampiric mojo to boot.

This is one of those books where the story would have been fine if it had just ended about twenty pages sooner, not unlike Paris. Because it does not, however, we are left with an ending that is not only unsatisfactory, it requires a Deus ex Vampira to succeed. (I suppose that's mildly better than a Deus ex Batina, but I'll leave that up to you to decide.) There is nothing in the actions of the characters that leads me to think this happy turn of events is the way it would have turned out had the writers followed the logical conclusion, namely that Dave can't survive in this world he's been created into. (Even if you argue that he opts to change his ways, the problem is that I can't see him being helped to that change by those who do it. Apologies on the vagueness of the specifics, but to say more would seriously ruin the plot.)

In other words, we start with Clerks and get a Clerks-like story via a Julia Roberts movie.

The story itself is alright, but it tries to be too clever by half and is marred by poor coloring (I had no idea, for example, that Dave was white, because he's colored the same as Rosa.). The idea that old-school vampires are aging capitalists who get together to play poker feels too strained of an idea (hey look, they're just like the former Communist Bloc states!). Vampires getting drunk on blood beer? I guess. But really, goth parties? Have we not had enough comicss related to goths and vampires by now?

There's also another bone I want to pick, namely Rosa's reaction to the fact that her Goth boyfriend may be gay and/or bisexual. She is totally repulsed, and we're supposed to find that funny. Well, I don't. This is a book that highlights outcasts, but apparently, that doesn't include sexual orientation. Apparently, it's okay to be goth chic, but only if you're a happy hetero.

I don't know if this was a case of having too many people involved, or if it's just mediocre story that came from a good writer, but this one just wasn't for me.

The Rabbi's Cat 2

Written by Joan Sfar
Illustrated by Joan Sfar
Pantheon

There are times when I wish I didn't commit myself to reviewing everything I read, because there are times when I hit a book I don't know how to review.

On the other hand, reviewing everything makes me really think hard about what I'm reading and what I thought about it, so that each work, good or bad, is given its due. Once I started reviewing everything, no matter how brief the reviews were in the early days, I found I remembered what I was reading better than before. When you read as much as I do, that's helpful, as I admit some of the books I read in the middle of this past decade are something of a blur.

All of this brings me to this review, a book I'd definitely duck reviewing if I could because, after over a month to think about it and also going over sections of the book several times, I'm really not sure what to make of it.

A sequel to the first, this time our cat is not tied to his master nearly so much, as he travels with the Rabbi's cousin, a street performer, as well as accompanying the Rabbi and friends to find a Jerusalem in Africa.

And I think that's the main problem this time. Part of the magic of the original was Sfar's use of the cat as an amoral observer, questioning everything that the Rabbi took for granted. Here, he's the observer with no foil, so instead of a back and forth, we have a monologue. Rather than challenge the ideas of those he sees, the Cat watches as the actors pass about him on the stage. His passive actions, especially in the second story (during fights over religion and race), are out of character with the cat we met in the first volume.

There's also the problem of the cat's ability to speak. I liked that he used that power to save the Rabbi but at a powerful cost. Now, he's back speaking again, and even talking in varied tongues. It just ruins the mood for me.

Combine that with the wandering narratives that seem to go nowhere--there's no resolution to any of them, honestly, from religious tension to proto-zionists to African Jews. It's all just thrown about, as though Sfar wasn't quite sure what to include this time and so he opted for just about anything he felt like drawing.

That's a shame, because I really enjoyed the first book. This one, not so much, and as you can tell by the scattered nature of the review, I'm still not entirely able to say why.

[Those who've read this one--I'd really like your comments, maybe it will help.]

The Rabbi's Cat

Written by Joann Sfar
Illustrated by Joann Sfar
Pantheon

Joann Sfar is one half of the team that produces Dungeon, a great series featuring the adventures of a duck in a dungeon. Yeah, remember never to mess with a duck in a dungeon. This is the second solo work of his I've read, the other I didn't much care for but can't find my note to at the moment, so that will sit for another time.

Meanwhile, what happens when you get a sentient cat that lives with a Rabbi?

This is the story of a jewish cat, who looks at the world very differently from that of his master, the rabbi. When he eats a talking parrot, he gains speech, and immediately starts challenging the ideas held sacred by the rabbi, confronting him constantly about all sorts of issues. I don't know much about jewish theology, so I can't speak for how good this part of the book is, but from what I could tell, I thought it was well handled.

When it looks like the rabbi may lose his position, the cat makes a desperate bid to help him, doing the forbidden--calling on the name of g-d. This has a serious impact on the rest of the book, for both the cat and the rabbi himself.

As the book progresses, through the eyes of the cat we see the rabbi's life change in dramatic ways, leading to a climax in where his very faith is tested. This is a great moment, and my only quibble is that Sfar really doesn't do much with it afterwards. We get a changed rabbi at the very end, who confuses his congregation with his new words, but it just seems like there should have been more.

There's a lot of great things about this book--the way Sfar draws a sleek, active cat (modeled after his own, he notes). The cat as amoral narrator, commenting without the human influences normal burdening the viewpoint. The way the philosophy falls into place without sounding preachy or tin-eared. It's obvious Sfar took pains to make this work, and she should be praised for it. This is a very solid read that I think anyone would like.

Robot Dreams

Written by Sara Varon
Illustrated by Sara Varon
First Second Books

I rarely feel the need to quote a back-of-the-book blurb, but this time, I feel it's the best way to capture my thoughts on this one. Tom Devlin says, "With Robot Dreams, Sara Varon has managed to make a comic that is not only cute and fun but heartbreaking as well." This is completely true. The artwork, as you can tell from the cover, is not unlike what you might find in a children's book. There's a happy robot and his dog, with everything from raccoons to snowmen gracing the back...more I rarely feel the need to quote a back-of-the-book blurb, but this time, I feel it's the best way to capture my thoughts on this one. Tom Devlin says, "With Robot Dreams, Sara Varon has managed to make a comic that is not only cute and fun but heartbreaking as well." This is completely true. The artwork, as you can tell from the cover, is not unlike what you might find in a children's book. There's a happy robot and his dog, with everything from raccoons to snowmen gracing the back of the wraparound. Aww, teh cute.

Inside, however, is a very different picture. The dog builds the robot to have a friend, who he then abandons when the robot rusts and is stuck at the beach. As the robot dreams of rescue, the dog lives out the year meeting a variety of friends who come in and out of his life the way that dreams come in and out of our consciousness. Each friend comes with its own problems; each dream is broken by the harsh reality of the robot's failed life.

In the end, both dog and Robot do what they need to do to survive. When they meet again, you wonder just how the two will react. Will there be a heartfelt reunion? Bitter words (relatively speaking, as this is a wordless work)? The answer may just surprise you, or it may leave you feeling like it's just a bit too pat. I rather enjoyed it, personally, though perhaps that's because I was riding good thoughts from a concert that night.

This is one of those good indie books that I've been trying to read more of, and I definitely would recommend it to others, particularly those who like James Kochalka's work.

Losers Volume 3

Written by Andy Diggle
Illustrated by Jock, Nick Dragotta, and Alé Garza
Vertigo

It's a bit strange reading the Losers in a post-Bush Administration world, because the comic relies so heavily on the knowledge of the way in which those associated with the president and his staff profited on the dubious war and its aftermath. It makes me a bit sad to think that this series, which I am enjoying a lot, will probably join "Get Your War On" in the dustbin of comics history, readable only by those with a strong desire to see how the medium dealt with the second Iraq war.

At any rate, the plot really thickens this time, as our ragtag team flies into the Middle East to try and track down Max. Instead of straight answers, they're used by a power broker of a different stripe to try to clean up extremists on both sides. It's here that the series really shows its time frame, as the references to specific politics in Saudi Arabia are quite obvious--to someone living in 2008, at any rate--and the idea that there are those who would incite terrorists for their own ends is something anyone associated with the political Left will know that was traded about a lot in the early part of the first term.

Will a person reading in 10 years understand any of that? I'm not sure.

Diggle does a great job with his players here, from the extremists to our grizzled old agent to the Losers themselves, in terms of their places within the plot. However, I have to admit, it felt a bit forced in viz z viz the overall story. Diggle clearly wanted to make a statement about how fucked up the Middle East is--hell, the whole series is slanted that way--but this time, it felt less like part of the flow and more like an op ed.

To make up for that, the second half of the book--after a one off adventure showing Aisha has a distinct plan of her own--gives us the sorely needed origin of the Losers. After all, we know they were on a detail that went south, but just what caused Uncle Sam to cut them loose?

It seems that after doing the jobs no one else wanted to do, the shadowy Max asks for them to clean up a few loose ends. What he didn't count on is that just because they're losers doesn't mean they're pushovers. The team gets an in-and-out job that ends up complicated by the revelation of a horrible slave trade and one man's horrible secret.

If you learn too much in the world of Black Ops, it's time to die, and that's just what the Losers do--except, of course, they didn't, and we're back to the present.

Normally, this would feel like a straightforward narrative, but Diggle works hard to keep the mystery going, and the big reveal at the end of the trade makes me eagerly await what comes next, as the series moves closer to its climax.

I have a bit of a concern about the book losing steam just a bit, and the addition of other artists took a bit of the fun away from this, as I really like Jock's stylings for the characters and setting.
Still, the Losers are what happens when you write a good spy story, something you don't see very often today. Three trades in, this continues to be a fun ride.

B.P.R.D. Volume 1

Written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, and Brian McDonald
Illustrated by Ryan Sook, Curtis Arnold, Mike Mignola, and Derek Thompson
Dark Horse

I enjoy the world of Hellboy so much that I decided I just couldn't wait anymore, it was time to start reading his side material, which shows up in the form of the B.P.R.D. trades. These feature work that is sometimes only slightly liked to Mignola himself, and it's interesting to see how that plays out (pretty well, actually).

The only caveat I'll give the reader is that you should apparently read up to Volume 5 in the main Hellboy trades before reading this, as it spoils some of the plot points in Hellboy. It did not hurt my enjoyment or reading of these stories, but since I know better now, it's my reviewerly duty to tell you this.

The main story focuses once again on the need to save Liz. This time, she's gone off to find herself, which only leads to more trouble. Abe Sapien, who clearly has a thing for Liz, leads a Hellboy-less team, featuring Roger (who I last saw giving up his life for Liz) and a psychic without a body, who really wants to meet our red menace but can't for obvious reasons.

They encounter a strange location, a creepy world within a world (called the junkyard at the center of the earth by the back cover blurb) and of course another mad Nazi scheme to run the world. Because hey, you can't have a Hellboy book without at least one Nazi plot, even if Hellboy himself is otherwise occupied. Can they save Liz? And just how good is the B.P.R.D. with Abe at the head of the team?

Ryan Sook's art is perfect for Hellboy's world, just as I figured it would be, and the pacing of the story is pretty good, even if there are a bit too many writers for my taste, and it's obvious when the lines are Mignola's (like Liz asking in the midst of a crisis about her lack of pants).

Also featured in this trade is the first appearance of Lobster Johnson, which is apparently a big thing for some people but just okay with me. He seems more like a throwaway attempt to give Hellboy's world a golden age, personally, but the story is fine as far as it goes. Abe also gets a short solo story explaining how he saved Roger's life. This vingette shows Mignola at his story-paralleling best, with Abe recalling a similar circumstance from his own life.

Last but not least is the first Abe Sapien solo story, a real fish tale about Abe being sent out to take on supernatural events aboard a ship. Abe, by the way, is apparently prone to sea sickness, of all things. Trying to figure out why people are going crazy on the shipping lanes, our fishy protagonist learns that the Middle Passage is not ready to let go of its dead. Props to Mignola and Co. for doing a story about the brutality of the slave trade in a manner that is actually quite respectful of the dead. The only downside is this story's art is nothing at all like Mignola's and that threw me out of whack, not unlike the first time I saw Mike Wieringo's drawing of feet.

I think you all know by now I'm kind of a Hellboy fanboy at this point, so I'm sure you're all shocked to learn I think this is a collection that is a good companion to the main canon. Enjoy!