Advertisement
Word Balloons
November 4, 2008
1985 #6
Millar, Edwards
Marvel
Growing up with comic books is one of the quintessential experiences of the American childhood. For millions of young people, these dime-store morality plays are the first, clumsy, technicolor forays into the worlds of art, literature, mythology and philosophy – Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk. While boys and girls spend golden summers dreaming in the immensity of it, real life slowly encroaches, inch by inch until one day we wake up and…we’re grown ups. This is the final issue of the mini-series about a boy who loved comics so much his imagination literally brought them to life, written by Mark Millar and drawn in alternately photorealistic and cartoony styles by the versatile Tommy Lee Edwards. I highly recommend it for fans of Ray Bradbury or Harlan Ellison, and others who travel through similar twilight zones of nostalgia.
The Amazing Spider-Man #575
Kelly, Bachalo, Townsend, Mendoa
Marvel
Chris Bachelo’s fantastic manga style art is the star here, in this hyper-active gangster story featuring an all-new, suped up Hammerhead and the sinister Purple Man.
Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1
Ellis, Davis, Granov
Marvel
I’ve always been a little conflicted about Warren Ellis. I love his self-created projects, like The Authority and Planetary, but he often seems to stumble when working with traditional superheroes, as if trying to jam them into shapes he’s comfortable with, (a notable exception being the hilarious NextWave series.) Here he treads familiar ground with a tale of alternate worlds and alternate X-Men. Fan-favorite Alan Davis does his usual, tidy job, and newcomer Adi Granov is fantastic. But aside from the art, enjoyment of this book relies almost entirely on your familiarity with current X-Men continuity. I’d say it’s for fans only. Great bonus in this issue, a sneak peak inside the creative process - a copy of Warren Ellis' script!
The Incredible Hercules #122
Pak, Van Lente, Henry, Espin
Marvel
Greek god Hercules and boy-genius Amadeus Cho are mixed up in some sort of wacky arranged marriage family feud between deadly Amazon warriors and fearsome Atlantean mermaids. Greg Pak made a big splash with last year’s World War Hulk storyline, (back when this book was titled The Incredible ‘Hulk’,) but this is turning into the roadtrip that never ends. If something doesn’t happen soon, I’m probably going to drop it.
Hellboy: In The Chapel of Moloch
Mike Mignola
Dark Horse
Nobody does creepy humor like Mike Mignola. This one-shot follows Hellboy to Southern Portugal to investigate the odd behavior of a painter working in a mysterious chapel with roots that go back to the Crusades. I love the little historical footnotes he uses, I wonder how much of that stuff is true.
That's it for this week.
Excelsior!
November 4, 2008
1985 #6
Millar, Edwards
Marvel
Growing up with comic books is one of the quintessential experiences of the American childhood. For millions of young people, these dime-store morality plays are the first, clumsy, technicolor forays into the worlds of art, literature, mythology and philosophy – Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk. While boys and girls spend golden summers dreaming in the immensity of it, real life slowly encroaches, inch by inch until one day we wake up and…we’re grown ups. This is the final issue of the mini-series about a boy who loved comics so much his imagination literally brought them to life, written by Mark Millar and drawn in alternately photorealistic and cartoony styles by the versatile Tommy Lee Edwards. I highly recommend it for fans of Ray Bradbury or Harlan Ellison, and others who travel through similar twilight zones of nostalgia.
The Amazing Spider-Man #575
Kelly, Bachalo, Townsend, Mendoa
Marvel
Chris Bachelo’s fantastic manga style art is the star here, in this hyper-active gangster story featuring an all-new, suped up Hammerhead and the sinister Purple Man.
Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1
Ellis, Davis, Granov
Marvel
I’ve always been a little conflicted about Warren Ellis. I love his self-created projects, like The Authority and Planetary, but he often seems to stumble when working with traditional superheroes, as if trying to jam them into shapes he’s comfortable with, (a notable exception being the hilarious NextWave series.) Here he treads familiar ground with a tale of alternate worlds and alternate X-Men. Fan-favorite Alan Davis does his usual, tidy job, and newcomer Adi Granov is fantastic. But aside from the art, enjoyment of this book relies almost entirely on your familiarity with current X-Men continuity. I’d say it’s for fans only. Great bonus in this issue, a sneak peak inside the creative process - a copy of Warren Ellis' script!
The Incredible Hercules #122
Pak, Van Lente, Henry, Espin
Marvel
Greek god Hercules and boy-genius Amadeus Cho are mixed up in some sort of wacky arranged marriage family feud between deadly Amazon warriors and fearsome Atlantean mermaids. Greg Pak made a big splash with last year’s World War Hulk storyline, (back when this book was titled The Incredible ‘Hulk’,) but this is turning into the roadtrip that never ends. If something doesn’t happen soon, I’m probably going to drop it.
Hellboy: In The Chapel of Moloch
Mike Mignola
Dark Horse
Nobody does creepy humor like Mike Mignola. This one-shot follows Hellboy to Southern Portugal to investigate the odd behavior of a painter working in a mysterious chapel with roots that go back to the Crusades. I love the little historical footnotes he uses, I wonder how much of that stuff is true.
That's it for this week.
Excelsior!
posted by:
|
New York City
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
