Town Boy

Written by LAT
Illustrated by LAT
First Second

[Yes, I managed to read this books in reverse order, if you note the reading date on this one. Learn from my mistake! -Rob]

This is the second in a series of autobiographical graphic novels by this Malaysian artist. Brought to us by First Second Books, the publishers of the English versions of Joann Sfar's work, it's formatted like an old Far Side cartoon book, though the insides are a continuous story.

Lat tells us about his teen years in the "town" where he and his family move for his education. He meets up with a wealthy Chinese boy, who introduces him to things like owning your own records. Though the circumstances are not quite the same, I can completely relate to LAT here--relatively speaking, of course. There were several friends I had, and I'm sure you had, too--who could not quite grasp why you couldn't have the newest of everything.

The story itself is fun, but nothing extraordinary occurs, so if you're looking for a tragic death or cruelty or anything like that, you'll be disappointed. But if you enjoy graphic novels that put a comic spin on the ordinary--think Life in Hell here (Matt Groening was used as a blurb writer for this book, I think that was a spot-on choice), this is for you. The art is quirky and the scenes are fun, if not laugh-out-loud funny. The part about wooing the prettiest girl by helping with her art is one of my favorite sections. That trick never worked for me! I'm sure any reader can find things to connect to, despite the cultural gap. I enjoyed this, and I'm sure those who like the genre will, too.

Kampung Boy

Written by LAT
Illustrated by LAT
First Second

A young boy from rural Malaysia grows up before the eyes of the reader in this loosely autobiographical work from LAT, a cartoonist well known in his home country but making his debut in English here. Watch as he experiences life without the constraints of adulthood and slowly learns what a boy in his country can and cannot do, forming friendships along the way.

I'd actually read "Town Boy" first a few years ago, but I'm glad to have gotten the chance to read this book, LAT's first in what I hope is an ongoing series, though I only see this and its sequel on First Second's website. I always enjoy getting to read comics from other countries, and because this one is autobiographical in nature, it's even more of a treat for me.

I love getting to learn about other cultures through the medium of comics, because the author usually isn't trying to make things better or worse than they actually were. Plus, given the constraints of space and time within the comic, there's only room for so much and the boring crap gets left out. Is there exaggeration? Of course, but then again, what autobiography is free from that sin?

In LAT's case, he's honest that these early adventures are tinted by the lens of his mother. After all, who remembers what happened to them when they born? Soon enough, LAT is school age, sent to a strict master, who gets to discipline the students with the rod, a practice that might seem harsh until you remember, this is the 1950s we're talking about, and it was just as common in the United States.

An imp who's bound to remind you of the fictional Calvin or front cover blurb writer Matt Groening's Bart Simpson, LAT's avatar gets into all sorts of adventures with his new-found friends. They fish and swim and experience things for the first time, like powdered milk or fleeing from the police. It's all very innocent, which is probably a bit of polish on LAT's part, but the key is that, though the specific items might be different, anyone reading this is going to make connections to these young boys. I know how much fun it was to just duck into the woods and stay out all afternoon, never knowing what I'd find. My first wedding puzzled the heck out of me, but I'm pretty sure my dad never cut a rug on the dance floor. Maybe yours did.

Regardless, I can't see anyone coming away from this book not making connections to LAT and his world. While some things might be so very different, there's a commonality to the experience of growing up that shines through on every page.

Kampung boy also helps to get a feel for what it was like in Asia during the same time period that America was feeling the chill of the Cold War. LAT uses illustrations on every page that, in their scribbled detail, give us a picture of what daily life was like, from the setup of buildings to the jungle to the dress of the people he meets. LAT is definitely of the school of artists who use loose, exaggerated lines to tell his story, but despite (because?) of the long necks, huge bodies, and other visual tricks, I feel like we get a very vivid picture of the world in which he grew up.

First Second is really good at finding these gems and putting them out for an English audience. If you like stories of growing up or just want to sample the comic art of another country, I can highly recommend Kampung Boy. It's a great book, and I wish we'd see more from LAT in English soon.

Doom Patrol Volume 6

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Various Artists, including Richard Case, Sean Phillips, and Walt Simonson
Vertigo

Look out world! The Candlemaker is on the loose, set free of Dorothy's mind and bent on unmaking the world. His first stop? The Doom Patrol! Already reeling from the revelations of the prior volume, can Cliff and company manage to save the day, one more time? Plus, see the "final" fates of many of the characters from this incarnation of the Doom Patrol, as well as a story I can only call...What if Grant Morrison got hit on the head and turned into Rob Liefield?

All great things must come to an end, and these issues mark the final entry in the absolutely insane (but almost always entertaining) run of Grant Morrison on DC's always dysfunctional (but not like this) team. As with the prior volume, it's a bit hard to talk about them without really wrecking the experience of reading them for the first time, but I'll do what I can.

I mentioned in my intro to this week's theme that I love the character of Cliff Steele. This trade is he culmination of everything that Morrison has done with him. He's literally been taken apart in so many ways, and yet, no matter what, Cliff never gives up. Whether it's battling a creature that has almost limitless power, watching people die before his virtual eyes, or facing his own potential destruction, Robotman carries on, because that's what a hero does.

No matter how weird things get in the Doom Patrol, Cliff has always been the "straight man." He's saying and thinking the same things as the reader, time and time again, and that's true here again in this final collection. All of the focus on Cliff in the past pays off, because by the time he's needed to save the world (with an assist by good old Doc Magnus and the rest of the remaining Doom Patrol), we know he's ready to do whatever it takes, because nothing can be worse than all the crap he's seen the past few years.

I really liked how Morrison's resolutions only solved the immediate problems facing the world and not so much the individual group members. It allows others to tell their stories by picking up where he left off (even if DC hasn't done that), which any good creator should do when such a transition is coming. (I don't remember on JLA, but I know this was true for X-Men.) Cliff must deal with the fallout this battle had on his self and that of his love, Crazy Jane. Rebus is...you know, I don't think I really know what Rebus is up to, frankly. Dorothy and Danny the Street go their own ways, but will they find happiness in new roles? You can either see what DC has done with them lately or imagine your own future for them.

And what else has Doom Patrol been about under Morrison, other than looking at alternative ways to view the world? From Jane's multiple perspectives to the moralists to the insane shadow cabinet under the Pentagon to the Chief's vision for the future, it's all been about perception and perspective. That's the whole point of the Brotherhood of Dada and their mission, isn't it?

In fact, one could make an argument that the entire series has the backbone of Cliff, our moral center, learning that the world is more than he perceives it to be, and only when this happens can he finally win. That's just the sort of thing Morrison would come up with and it fits. Then again, you might feel differently, which I think proves my point! (Ha!)

There was only one issue in here I didn't like, and that was Jane's coda. I didn't care for how Morrison places her in the victim role once again, after building up how much she'd worked to be her own person. It just struck me as being unneeded, even if things turn around (or do they?) by the end. I think he was using the character to prove a point, and I'm not over fond of that.

Otherwise, this is great stuff, and not even the many artists working at it could slow the work down. Sean Phillips does his usual strong stuff here, and the Stan Case-Steve Woch combo has that off-kilter look that fits the series so well. Grant Morrison is one of the few writers I know who can trump the problem of too many artists, at least most of the time.

If you grew up reading comics in the 1990s, then the ending of this book will have you rolling on the floor laughing. From the spot-on parody cover by prankster Keith Giffen and moody Mike Mignola ("Doing Penance" according to their signature) to the makes-no-sense plot to horrible, tin-eared dialog, this one sums up everything about 90s comics that came to drive me up a wall, but especially those authored by the Image co-founder.

The characters are all mock ups of the Doom Patrol, which is part of the fun. It's really hysterical to see them tricked out in 90s attitude, costumes, and odd visual perspective, not to mention a complete and other lack of perspective. The plethora of artists on this all manage their best impressions of Liefield and his imitators, which just goes to show that you can in fact break the rules after you learn them,.

Meanwhile, Morrison gets in digs at Wolverine, the nihilism of so many comics of the day, the insane situations they face, and the way in which these stories were billed. My personal favorite is that one character may not be the best at what he does, but that's okay because no one else does it. There's all kinds of little touches like that, giving any comic fan of two decades a lot of room to laugh.

I'll miss having more Grant Morrison Doom Patrol to read, but I am so glad DC reprinted this in full. I don't always like Morrison's projects, but when he's on to something, there's no one better at taking a fresh approach to a concept, without making it feel out of place with the source material. That's the Doom Patrol in a nutshell. I strongly recommend this to all Morrison fans as well as anyone who wants to see what you can do with a "cape comic" when you don't have to worry about breaking anything. The results can be amazing.

Doom Patrol Volume 5

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Richard Case, Ken Steacy, Stan Woch, Philip Bond, Mark McKenna, and Scott Hanna
Vertigo

[Moved to today to fit with the Doom Patrol Theme Week.-Roob] It's Doom Patrol: Disassembled as the team tries to fight the Brotherhood of Dada and finds their abilities lacking. While Cliff tries to hold everything together, one by one, the team starts drifting away. Can they get things together before it's too late? Or is it too late already?

There's a whole lot going on in this volume as Morrison races to the end of his run on the book. He finishes up the Brotherhood of Dada in a way that leaves them as tragic heroes. Their section leads off the volume and is filled with the brilliant insanity that we've come to know and love from Morrison's work.

Countering that insanity is Cliff, our straight man robot who cannot just accept the logic of everyone else. He rushes to stop the Brotherhood, but the confusion that surrounds him makes it impossible for him to act. He cannot deal with the fact that Crazy Jane has her own, abuse-driven mania. He cannot deal with Larry's transformation into something new.

With all this going on, Cliff misses the two most dangerous threats of all, and by the time he wakes up, it's entirely too late. The big reveal in this trade has been coming if you were paying attention, but to see it all play out and watching Cliff's entire world come crashing down is a piece of brilliant writing. Morrison may be taking the Doom Patrol as we know it apart, but he does it so expertly here that it's hard to get angry at him for breaking it in the first place.

I admit I generally don't like huge, continuity-killing stories like this, but Morrison gets a pass because of how well he constructs it. The changes were set up slowly and they build from the previous issues. If you are going to do a significant retcon, this is the way to do it.

While the main focus is on Cliff, we also get spotlights on the problems of our other cast members. Larry has a transformation issue, Crazy Jane tries to deal with her past, and Dorothy's woes may be earth-shattering. Morrison weaves us in and out of these stories with a deft hand, showing just enough to keep us going until he reaches a climax in the final issues next trade.

But it's not all seriousness. Morrison gives us an issue where Denny the Street dreams that the Doom Patrol are the Fantastic Four. Ken Steacy provides the mock Kirby art, and it works perfectly. The issue is a riff on "This Man, This Monster" and it works perfectly. (I especially love Cliff chomping on a stogie the entire time.) The Dada portions are also filled with dark humor. Spliced between things getting worse, this issue gives the reader a nice breather and is a loving tribute to the comics of the 1960s, if DC had been as innovative at the time as Marvel.

Unfortunately, multiple artists and Grant Morrison seem to go together. It makes it hard to follow the story cohesively. They all do a nice job, but I really wish there had been a solid art team. But then again, that just doesn't seem to be something Morrison can ever have, from X-Men to his Batman work.

You have to have a high tolerance for the absurd to read Morrison's Doom Patrol, but it's well worth being patient when he's a little off the mark. Doom Patrol is one of his best works, and those that like Morrison's later stuff definitely should be reading this series. It's good--if bizarre--stuff.

Doom Patrol Volume 4

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Various Artists
Vertigo

Doom Patrol gets back to being good again in this fourth collection. Morrison brings the team back down to earth to add a new and versatile member while we learn the secret of Flex Mentallo. It seems that there was more to those ads at the back of old comic books than we thought there was. Meatime, a plot intro from volume three flames up as a sinister organization from within the US Government threatens to destroy reality as we know it by the use of--telephones? Not if the Doom Patrol can he...more Doom Patrol gets back to being good again in this fourth collection. Morrison brings the team back down to earth to add a new and versatile member while we learn the secret of Flex Mentallo. It seems that there was more to those ads at the back of old comic books than we thought there was. Meatime, a plot intro from volume three flames up as a sinister organization from within the US Government threatens to destroy reality as we know it by the use of--telephones? Not if the Doom Patrol can help it! As a quick breather, we get a solo story about a man who dislikes beards, along with some interplay between Cliff and Jane. But the lull won't last long--the DP must fight off yet another foe who wants to infect our minds--Shadowy Mister Evans. Things change all over for the team as they try to beat him--with just a tip of the cap to a Superman foe--and the next thing we know, the whole world is ga-ga for the...DaDa!

There is a lot--and I do mean a lot--going on in this series of issues. Morrison ramps up his insanity factor and throws plot lines all over the place. What is Niles working on? What secret does Dorothy hold in her mind? What's going on with Crazy Jane? Just what in the hell is Rebis, anyway? We of course get answers to none of these things, but what we do is absolutely mind-boggling amounts of weirdness. What makes this weirdness even better is that a) it all makes a strange kind of sense and b) the little jokes and puns are slipped in without seeming to dominate. Who can argue with making a superhero out of a comic book ad, for instance? Or a being that brings lust wherever it goes that has to be stopped by the Sex Men?

I could try to write up all my favorite touches, but I think it's better for you to experience them in the book itself. Suffice it to say, no matter how strange it all gets, no matter how many new foes Morrison dreams up, he always manages to find a way to keep the story moving. There's still plot, but it's buried in magical artists, dreams, and talking clocks.

Then of course there's the Dada. Such a wonderful grouping of turn-everything-on-its-ear that gets aided by a bit of drugs, they return with a bang and look to be set for another grand confrontation. As if the original band wasn't strange enough, Morrison actually writes up more of them to bedevil poor Cliff, the only person in this book who, metallic body aside, appears to be normal. He is the reader's anchor, and when he says, "Maybe they're right," we should all give pause to think.

I love this book and everything about it. You should, too.

Doom Patrol Volume 3

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Richard Case, Kelley Jones, and others
Vertigo

Continuing the weirdness that is Grant Morrison paired up with some of the strangest heroes in the DC Universe. The first two trades were excellent, and I was looking forward to more.

This time, however, things slip a bit. Grant Morrison is a very hit and miss writer. He has an unbelievable amount of ideas--I'll paraphrase Mark Waid, who noted that Morrison has more ideas in 10 minutes than anyone else--and when they work, no one can touch him.

When they don't work, however, he can miss the mark, and that's what we find

The first story is pretty good, but stops rather abruptly. Danny, a sentient street with gender issues gets attacked by a man with a wacked out sense of normal. Soon, in some great Kelley Jones art (man, I wish he'd have stuck around for more than a fill-in issue!), the Doom Patrol gets involved, trying to help Danny fight off the invader, who notes that the Doom Patrol were "next" on his list. Before the dust settles and we can learn more, Morrison shifts us to a length arc about Rhea, who's been in a coma, suddenly waking up and ending in the middle of a war between alien races.

This is where the train comes off the tracks. Morrison throws so much stuff at the read it's nearly impossible to keep up. I don't even know how to begin to describe it, other than to say it's an all out war using all kinds of tactics, and that the Doom Patrol ends up on both sides. While there are some great plays on words and the visuals are just downright creepy, I got lost along the way and didn't feel like it was worth trying to keep up. In the end, the Doom Patrol saves the day in only the way they can, but I'll be happy if they do some more stories are are, at least for them, down to earth.

Doom Patrol Volume 2

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Richard Case and others
Vertigo

The short version is that this is one of the best comic runs in history, especially considering the time period it was written in. Alan Moore may have been doing great work with Swamp Thing, but it was great work within a more conventional framing. This is just weird shit, plain and simple.


Continuing the adventures of the DC Universe's strangest team, Grant Morrison picks up where he left off in the weirdness department, introducing a new set of enemies for the Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood of Dada. Yes, that's right, the Brotherhood of Dada.

See what I mean?

The Brotherhood, made up of villains with really weird powers (such as a germophobe that has every superpower you didn't think of), steal a painting that can absorb whole cities at a time (hence the title of this volume) and completely baffle the JLA. Enter, quite literally, the Doom Patrol. Filled with playful absurdist humour, stunning artwork by Case that shows off a range of drawing styles, and a danger only the Doom Patrol can solve, this first arc shows that Morrison is really hitting his stride, writing exactly the type of story he set out to do. My personal favorite line is about how one character, hiding in South America, is stuck reading magical realism all the time. It's little lines like that which make Morrison great.

Once that's over, we move inside Crazy Jane's head for the best story in the collection. Robotman must risk his own sanity to help her recover from the events of the fight within the painting. Dark and yet absolutely perfect, this is a moving story that makes this trade worth it alone.

Finally, with some changes to the team, the Doom Patrol must help a John Constantine wanna-be stop the un-g-d from destroying the world. The un-g-d, by the way, was created when G-d made the sun and created a shadow, His opposite number. (How does Morrison come up with these things?) Worshiped by a cult, they must read the book to free him, which just so happens to be printed on a human being. Can they get past Morrison's veritable army of silly creations (a fingerprint-faced Armon Zola type creature that talks in anagrams, for instance) in time? Well, that would be telling. There's so many interesting and creative ideas going on here (soul kites, Hiroshima Shadows, etc.) that it's a wonder one man can think of them all, and makes me even sadder that Seven Soldiers didn't work.

There's also a one-off with Robotman versus Robman's brain, but that's so inferior to what comes before, it's a shame to end the volume on it.

You simply have to read these things, they're just that good.

Doom Patrol Volume 1

Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Richard Case and others
Vertigo

You know, I knew this was going to be good. What I didn't expect was how good. After the bad taste in my mouth that was "Seven Soldiers"--upon reflection, I decided I didn't like ANY of that extended mini--I admit to being a bit leery, even though this was recommended by just about everyone I know that's read it.


We start with a Doom Patrol that is more or less trashed--some members are dead, others in the hospital, and still others doubting themselves. Only the Chief remains convinced of the need for a Doom Patrol. But circumstances can change everything, and as weird beings with scissors for hands start wiping people out of reality, Robotman, Rebis, and some new faces must stop a fictional world from taking over.

The Doom Patrol is born again, ready to take on a god-like Jack the Ripper for the life of a former teammate and also deal with some leftover junk the JLA forgot about in their old HQ. Along the way, Morrison creates oddball characters for which he is well known, gives us one person grounded in reality amongst the strange (Robotman filling the bill this time), and some really oddball concepts. Try dealing with your period when you're a young meta with no parents!

It's hard to put this into words without really ruining the fun by going too deep into the plot. Suffice it to say this is everything good about Morrison--reality bending in strangely plausible ways, characters put through the ringer because he can, and plots that are air tight--and you should read this if you haven't!

This Week is Doomed!

This week, Panel Patter will feature a set of reviews of the six volumes of Grant Morrison on his run of Doom Patrol, a series that always had dysfunctional heroes but never saw anything like the way the man who would go on to kill Batman would write them.

Morrison had a distinct vision for the team, using them to show what a superhero comic can do if you stop worrying about convention. It doesn't always work, which is typical for Morrison, but he hits a lot more than he misses and turns Cliff Steele into one of my favorite characters ever to appear in a comic book along the way.

Join me as I wind my way through these trades and enjoy the now-Vertigoized stories that show no fear in terms of deconstructing a superhero team--sometimes quite literally!

Dororo Volume 3

Written by Osamu Tezuka
Illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
Vertical

The story of Dororo the thief and his traveling companion Hyakkimaru comes to a conclusion in this final volume of the series, where both characters must face their past and either make peace with it--or die in the process. As Dororo matures and Hyakkimaru moves ever-closer to being a real human, can they stay together? Or is it their fate to move apart? Watch them battle demons both real and personal in the final pages of Dororo.

If you're used to reading things in trade form, you may end up shocked at the extremely abrupt ending of Dororo. While I've seen good (and bad) Western comic series come and go, since I tend to read all my manga in trade form, I sometimes forget that they, too, have their origins in "floppy" magazines. That means that good ideas get canned before they're finished in Japan just as easily in America. If you only ever read in translation and book form, it's easy to overlook that possibility. After all, how many American manga companies are going to translate a "failed" series from Japan?

Just like how Marvel and DC will reprint odd offerings from hot creators (Marvel Boy from Grant Morrison or Geoff Johns' Avengers anyone?), Vertical brings us this aborted manga from a comics legend--Osamu Tezuka. Even if you don't do a Google to confirm it (I did, just to be sure), it's easy for any long-time comics reader to see that Dororo's final pages are the work of a man who didn't get to finish his story.

That's a shame, because it looks like we were going to get some really interesting character development for the title character and a better idea of why it's named after Dororo and not Hyakkimaru, who gets most of the page time in these three trades. Things are progressing normally and slowly for almost the entire book, with Dororo starting to show signs of being more than comic relief (though there's plenty of that here as well). It's not until you get to the very last chapter that the reader is given signs we're wrapping up, culminating in rushed revelations, rejections, and a final page spread that gives a vague idea of where Tezuka was headed.

At least he had a chance to do that. I've seen comics given far worse endings because of an abrupt change in plans from the publisher. However, it's still very unsatisfying, because with Dororo, Tezuka was really onto something. Unfortunately, it was probably too hip for the audience of his day.

Knowing that this series has such a quick hook, is it still worth reading? Very much so. Over the course of the volumes, Tezuka slowly develops the personalities of Dororo and Hyakkimaru. By this third collection, it's clear that they need each other. Dororo is still not ready to make it alone, but will not retire to a quieter life that Hyakkimaru recommends. Similarly, Hyakkimaru must have someone around to help him learn how to be a true human being, not a cyborg. We see this clearly despite the way in which the manga takes a sharp turn towards the end, and I wonder if Tezuka had plans to play on this idea, as he did so many times both in this volume and in the previous two.

There's also the matter of the foes that Hyakkimaru faces. We have everything from a sake-breathing shark demon (my personal favorite!) to an old priest corrupted to the unfortunately anticlimactic battle between Hyakkimaru and his father. That last battle was almost certainly rushed to meet the page count, as it should have gone on much longer. Dororo gets some good scenes in as well, battling with Buddha statues, taking on a shark, and trying to fight a variety of evil men who are much bigger and stronger. They set the stage for the many, many shonen stories we've read in the decades since, balancing action with characterization in a way that manga series seem to miss out on far too often.

Finally, I love the way in which Tezuka designs the characters in this manga. Though the creatures are a bit more normal this time, taking mostly demonic animal shapes, his drawings still have that feel of an old Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Tex Avery. People are wildly fat or tall or short or have big noses or eyes or feet. Sometimes, they even share all of these qualities. No matter how dark the material gets--and Hyakkimaru's meeting with his father and thoughts about what it means to be human can get pretty heavy--it's hard to take seriously any book where the main characters all look like they're Japanese cousins of the old-school Elmer Fudd. Between that and Dororo's colorful language, it's clear Tezuka didn't want you to spend to much time worrying about the message about humanity he sneaks in here and there.

Speaking of messages, I'm a big fan of comics writers who can slip in social commentary without it dragging down the book or feeling ham-fisted. Tezuka appears to be an expert at this. Hyakkimaru gets in several scenes here where he muses on the idea of his lost humanity at the hands of cruel parents. Dororo must face the facts that his life is not going to be nearly as easy as planned. Several non-demonic villains are shown being cruel to the world, and Hyakkimaru gives one character a simple eulogy expressing his wish for a world without cruelty. Oh, if only, Mr. Tezuka. There are definitely powerful moments in here, but as I said above, they aren't designed to be the focal point, and that makes them all the better.

I loved reading Dororo and am very sad that it's over. I definitely want to re-read it again in the future. It's earned a place in my permanent library, which is no small feat given how many comics I read in a year. Once you've read Dororo, I think you'll want to make it a keeper, too.

Dororo Volume 1 Dororo Volume 2

90 Days to SPX 2010!

I figured I'd do a little shout out here to my favorite comics convention (and the only one that's a must-see for me since I started going), the Small Press Expo!

This year's con is being held on September 11th and 12th, in its standard location in Bethseda, Maryland, nestled close but not quite in, Washington, DC.

I first went to SPX in 2008, as a person who knew a few indy comics people and was excited to get to meet James Kochalka. I left finding there was a whole world of innovative, imaginative creators that I'd never seen in my world of capes comics.

SPX changed how I read comics, and it did so for the better.

(It also let me tease Jeffrey Brown about the Pens beating the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup, but that's a story for another day...)

I strongly urge anyone who has a love for comics to come down to SPX and see what's there. Grab some stuff from the free table. Pick up a dozen or two $1 and $2 mini-comics. Take the opportunity to pick up some stuff from the bigger names (Fantagraphics, Oni, Top Shelf, and the like) without paying for shipping or giving Amazon their cut. Go see what some of the cool mid range presses can offer (Adhouse and Fanfare, to name two, if they both make it this year). Grab a comic that looks cool that you know nothing about ahead of time and be thrilled to find a new name.

SPX might just alter your comics reading. It's definitely worth the trip to find out!

Check back in a month, when I'll highlight some of the folks I recommend you check out when you go to SPX.

Goon Volume 8

Written by Eric Powell (with the Fillbach Brothers, Kyle Hotz, Rebecca Sugar, Frans Boukas, John Arcudi and Bob Fingerman)
Illustrated by Eric Powell (with the Fillbach Brothers, Kyle Hotz, Rebecca Sugar, Frans Boukas, Herb Trimpe, Al Milgrom, and Bob Fingerman)
Dark Horse

The Goon continues its move to a climax as our mob boss bruiser tries to get one step ahead of his former employer, even as things grow steadily worse. More folks die and betrayals abound as the Buzzard tries to help Goon fight off a foe that's far more than he anticipated. There seems to be no way out...or is there? The answer and choices will haunt the Goon for all his days.

Plus, a plethora of creators get together and put together a Goon story, almost entirely without the help of Eric Powell. Is nothing sacred or must I hand out a Knife to the Eye?

I'm a bit conflicted about this trade of the Goon and where the story is headed in general. There's more of the Goon Graphic Novel (aka Vol 6) brought into the narrative, making that almost humorless Goon adventure part of the big story. That means that the tone of this book gets steadily darker, with the jokes entirely removed from the plot and coming only in the dialog. We get some good one-liners, such as when the Goon gets ready to jump into the big battle scene, but the overall sense of irreverence gives way to a need to make sure that the reader understands the nature of the stakes that are on the table.

And boy, are those stakes high. Without giving away too much, I will say that Powell does a great job of ramping up the danger to the Goon and his ad hoc family bit by bit, and is not afraid to do horrible things to them if necessary. That's the best thing he does here, actually--I honestly can believe that the Goon will lose this fight. It's something that a comic with 30 years of history and multiple media tie-ins can't manage. Anyone is fair game and just might be by the time everything is said and done.

I think the most clever part of this volume, however, is the choice that the Buzzard presents for the Goon. It's handled very much in character for everyone involved, and while the final answer is probably a bit obvious, I still like that Goon made a choice and will have to live with it. No matter how callous he may seem, Goon has a heart and really does care for the town (cleverly never named) and its seemingly damned citizens. That caring may, in the end, just cost him more than he'll ever want to bear.

While it was nice to have the short stories included here, they feel horribly out of place. Written in the style of the early Goon issues, their light-hearted tone and irreverence remind me of how much I liked the first few Goon trades, even if their attempts to imitate Powell's writing style misses the mark more often than it hits. (I liked the first story the best, and they kind of progressed downward from there for me.) It was cool to see Herb Trimpe and Al Milgrom (both known for doing some lengthy work with the Hulk) do a take on Goon, but I'm not sure reminding the reader of what typified the Goon they liked in the first place while he's changing rapidly at the hands of his original creator is such a good idea.

A big part of why I loved the Goon series so much is that it never took itself seriously. Now that it does, the gross out moments (like when the kids are preparing to firecracker a monster) feel out of place, like they're relics from some of the earlier trades. These moments are shorter in nature, and ironically, it makes them stand out all the more. I'm just not sure that the Goon's origin is where a story like this one should start. It's a bit like how the major capes comics folks will take a lighthearted character and make them tragic, except that since Powell is an amazing writer he is able to pull it off in a way that doesn't make me want to stop reading the comic.

I've come a long way with Powell and the Goon, and it's been a great ride. While I can't say that I like this change in direction (I'd love to have the stupid awesome brawling and quipping Goon that fought giant, talking fish back), I find the story so compelling that I'm drawn in despite my misgivings. That's the sign of a great writer, which I think Powell is. I'll be seeing Goon off into the sunset in the next volume, and definitely recommend that you do so, too.

World War Hulk: Frontline

Written by Peter David and Peter Jenkins
Illustrated by Various Artists, including Lee Weeks, Sean Phillips, and Scott Hanna
Marvel

Once again in their crossover event, Marvel gives us the underside of the proceedings, as we track Ben Urich and a common cop as they try to untangle the problems inherent in an alien invasion. Plus, see how it all began, as Peter David brings his ability to tie everything together to start of World War Hulk. While Urich looks to see what the war does tothe common man, our cop must find an alien's killer--or die trying. Read what Marvel calls its "street-level view of World War Hulk here on the Frontline.

It's always fun to get Peter David back on a Hulk story, even if in this case, he's steadfastly refusing to go over his own history with the character. If you read his opening carefully, you'll see that while he's more than willing to show old Lee-Kirby fights and Iron Man's great power, or even some Bill Mantlo-Sal Buscema scenes, nowhere at all does David try to tie in his part of the Jade Giant's life into the narrative.

That's a bit odd, given how much of Hulk's history that David has written. However, even without it, the opening to this book is very good. David uses a dual narrative to show how we've gotten to the brink of war, and instead of just going with the "true" history of each event, he uses the unique (and biased) perspectives of Hulk and Dr. Samson to show that nothing is quite as we envision it. His style of using but not abusing continuity here meshes very well with Grek Pak and Fred Van Lente's work on the Hulk and its related books, which I appreciated a lot.

The dialog is crisp, and it's helped along by three artists who do a great job with their parts. Each captures the feel of what they are depicting, and despite the fact that they're all mixed in with each other, I didn't feel like I was ever jarred out of place. Week's ability to draw the classic scenes (I'm pretty sure those are his parts) is pretty cool, and reminds me favorably of Steve Rude's aping of past styles.

I'm not a huge fan of Paul Jenkins, but I think he did a pretty good job with this set of stories. Urich shows that so much gets lost in a war, as we get caught up in the big battles and famous names. As in all of his other roles over the years, Urich is shown to be the voice of reason in a world gone mad, and Jekins does that pretty well. It may be a bit heavy-handed at times, such as when Urich goes to an arena battle and finds that his fellow Americans want blood just as badly as those who are there to oppress them, but overall, I thought the effect was pretty good.

Jenkins' handling of Urich's partner, Sally Floyd, is another matter. She's given the task of showing the despair of those who feel that all is lost, and regresses pretty badly as a character, if you ask me. When J. Jonah Jameson is your moral anchor, there's a problem. (I'm sorry, while I like JJJ, I can never forget that his whole purpose as created by Stan Lee is to show the selfishness of a humanity that can't stand it if someone is better than they are.) Those sections are given too much attention, which takes away from the war itself. However, they're not so bad as to prevent the Urich half of that story to be unreadable.

The crime story involving the cop and the alien was a lot of fun. We're given a problem that makes sense in context, and must work along with the protagonists to solve the crime. The clash of cultures despite the same desire for justice works extremely well, and there's even a few humorous moments thrown in. I loved the ending, which shows that sometimes we are blinded by our biases.

The cop story, to me, shows that when he tries, Jenkins can write a really good comic that doesn't have to keep pulling on emotional strings. Whether it's Spider-Man pining for Uncle Ben or Sally wanting drink after drink, I sometimes feel like Jenkins can't write a comic that doesn't turn into a Lifetime Drama. As a result, this part of the trade was really refreshing.

Overall, as with most of the World War Hulk stuff I read, I was pretty pleased. Given the right group of writers, a crossover can be good. I feel like World War Hulk gets lumped in with some of the other stuff that's been going on at Marvel the past few years, but it's an unfair comparison. While there are some mighty modern failings in here, those who just like good comic stories that don't do things just for shock value should find World War Hulk Frontline an enjoyable read. With a few exceptions here and there, I know I did.

Nana Volume 8

Written by Ai Yazawa
Illustrated by Ai Yazawa
Viz

Shock follows shock as the relationship drama gets taken to another level, as Nano O starts to wonder about how she treats people, Trapnest fights off the press (while inviting scandal) , and Blast wonders about the compromises involved in making it onto a major label. But most shocking thing of all is happening to Nana K, whose life will change forever based on the choices she makes now. Everyone's world may be crashing down around them as we continue the adventures of our dual heroines in Nana.

I'm normally more articulate than this in a review, but all I can say is...wow. Yazawa certainly doesn't pull any punches in this one, in terms of the seriousness of the subject being discussed. It looms over everything that happens in this trade, which is a bit of a shame because I think there's a lot of other things going on that are going to matter later which might get missed.

It's hard to blame any reader, however, for focusing on the elephant in the room that we get here. I had a feeling this issue might pop up somewhere along the lines, given the hints that were tossed out there that certain parties were not acting as smart as they should have.

I'm not going to come out and say what the problem is, but let's just say that it's a sensitive subject that, depending on your feelings, may offend you when you read it. There's not a lot of middle ground, and I think that's the territory Yazawa opted to land on, at least for now. I give her a lot of credit for going down this road in the first place, and I give her even more credit for doing it tactfully.

This is not a quick plot point designed to complicate things for a chapter or two, then moved to the background. Nana K's feelings are explored in depth, including her chain of logic. She discusses things with her closest friends, and best of all, she does it without being perfect in the process. Nana K is a very flawed person, that's what makes her so interesting as a character. When you are screaming, "No, don't let that happen" at the main character of the book, then you know the author has done something right.

In the bigger scheme of things, I'm not sure how this is going to play out in future volumes. It seems like we may be set for a separation of sorts in terms of the paths of the main characters, especially since Nana O (taking the narration reigns this time) seems to be pretty upset at what appears to be the loss of friendship between herself and Nana K. I'm wondering if Yazawa wrote herself into a bit of a corner here. Only future volumes will tell.

While Nana K tries to work on her situation, Nana O and the rest of Blast aren't faring a lot better, relatively speaking. The highs of maybe going major label start wearing off here, and I like the way that Yazawa is putting problems in their path. It makes perfect sense, as I remember at least one local band I knew having similar issues. That's the kind of realistic touches that show up all over the place in Nana, and that's why it's so good.

The overall volume is really serious, but there are still good comic bits, like a misunderstanding of paparazzi's pronunciation and the over-the-top ways Nano O acts in relation to the band. We probably could have used a few extra breather moments, but that's okay.

I love Nana, and I am so glad that I am reading this series. It has drama, good characters, and now is even willing to tackle some big social problems along the way. I do suggest that parents read this first, but that's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind with any comic. Adults, however, should really get hooked on Nana, if they aren't already. There's a reason it's the #1 shojo manga in Japan.

Powers Volume 6

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming
Marvel

Another day, another dysfunctional supergroup? The truth is far more deadly when Detectives Walker and Pilgrim end up placed on the case of a hero that's a politician in his spare time. As our two detectives try to get through a wall of corporate-based silence, the reality of corruption seeps in. Even if they can catch the criminal, are they capable of bringing him or her in?

After being a little iffy on the last trade, I have to admit that this one, which was not any better, really cooled me on reading more. This volume continues the amped-up violence and has several unnecessary scenes, mostly involving religious figures or places.

I'm certainly not against violence per se, but in this case, it felt gratuitous in its scope and depiction, doing everything that modern comics thinks sells issues but manages to turn me off no matter how good the concepts inside.

It doesn't help that there's quite a bit of violence towards women in this one, either. It's the trigger for the rest of the issues and also plays a metaphorical role at the end, and I just didn't like it. Again, it smacks of "let's do something eye-catching" rather than doing something for the good of the story.

The plot itself is okay. A Justice League-like group that disbanded ages ago amongst disagreements means that there are plenty of suspects and a chance for Bendis to make reference to the ugly side of being a celebrity. That part comes off pretty well, in fact, including a brilliantly captured retro-feel by Oeming in a comic that has 1990s language and 1970s art.

I also liked the idea of trying to control people with powers, when they are several light years ahead of most mortals. It's a theme that's been sitting at the edges of this book for a long time. After all, in most of the prior cases, something has happened to make it work out in the end, sometimes in a way that's too convenient. In this one, the ending is a lot messier, which I would have liked if it had been put together in a less gratuitous manner.

At no time do I think Bendis has mislead the reader. The mystery here works well and there's actually quite a bit of detective work going into the solution. The set up for the future makes sense within the world as well. We also have some great Bendis patter, such as when Walker gets to make the famous "the butler did it" quip in such a way as to work perfectly.

The problem for me is that this volume has a lot of good little pieces that don't make up a strong whole. It's just too amped up on the violence scale for me to enjoy it. It moves Powers from being a good crime book to being yet another comic with a lot of explosions and gore.

That's unfortunate, because I still like the idea. However, I think I'm done with this one, at least for a bit. I may try to pick up from here down the line. Given the climax, this is a good jumping off point, so if you read this, and feel similar to me, I think it's a spot to turn Powers off.