|
Two notes. Firstly, I recently made a guest voice-appearance on the Starbase 66 Star Trek and science-fiction podcast, the relevant episode of which is now available (free) here. Starbase 66 is one of the Simply Syndicated network of podcasts, check out their site for more free podcasts (if you don't already know, think radio shows but downloadable), all available free.
Secondly, I meant to review Chaos Campus #8, but due to technical problems (the PDF copy Approbation Comics sent me is stuck on the laptop, and I'm on my desktop PC at the moment - don't ask, I really need to organise myself better) that'll have to wait until next week. Since I left a gap in this week's issue photo, I just stuck in some random art of Jamie looking all butch and sexy.
 Athena #2 ~ After an in-goddess-character episode with a gunman (who comes off severely second-best in that fight), Athena reverts back to her regular modern-day (unsuspecting) life - although that doesn't keep her from getting herself into the middle of the Trojan War, refought by feuding mobsters. Not a lot really happens this issue, but it happens with style, if you follow me - the mythology-exposition sequence introducing Paris's choice, the prelude to the war, is quite nicely handled with an ominous foreshadowing feel, and when the parallels start becoming apparent there's a real sense of immanent violence in the echo of the Greek army going to war. The art is nicely judged, with a slightly more realistic, subdued style than typical comics, which sets this Athena apart from Marvel and DC's slew of ancient gods bumming around the modern world.
The Unknown #2 ~ I can't say if it'll have the same effect on every reader, but for me, this issue hit the perfect pace for a mystery - I was getting an inkling of what was really going on right in time with the pace of revelations, so I wasn't out ahead of the story waiting for the characters to catch up, nor lagging behind feeling like I was missing something. The investigation into the murders - and the bizarre clues left by their victims - moves from Italy to the USA, and a strange, half-empty town where 'mysterious goings-on' is an inadequate term to describe it. There's plenty of atmosphere to go around, with quality art (although the faces vary a little) and solid, confident writing, and as with last issue, a great twist on the final page.
J. Scott Campbell's Fairy Tale Fantasies 2010 Calendar ~ I'm not averse to my walls being covered in miscellaneous decoration - I'm going through a bit of a spartan phase at the moment, but it's not uncommon for me to have posters, calendars, photographs and the like collage-style overlapping each other so the actual wall is completely invisible. And J. Scott Campbell does pretty good art - mind you, what I really like is his affectionate parody of superspy movies in Danger Girl, which obviously isn't what we've got here, but never mind. WHat we do have are twelve 10"x13-and-a-bit" prints (not including the actual calendar bit down the bottom below the art), each one based on a well-known fairy tale or genre story. In order from January to December: Dorothy and friends from The Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty, Tinkerbell under Captain Hook's malevolent gaze, Ariel from The Little Mermaid (not so little in this version, naturally), Goldilocks and the three bears, Alice descending into Wonderland, Little Miss Muffet being startled by a spider, Belle and her admirer from Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood out in the woods, the Evil Queen (with her magic mirror), Snow White, and Cinderella with an outfit that's transparent in plenty of areas besides the footwear. All are highly enticing, in Campbell's usual neo-pin-up style, with Nei Ruffino's colours standing out as praiseworthy. The calendar is ring-bound and shipped plastic-sealed and with a rigid card insert to keep it from being bent, so if you like the look of the cover, and fairy tale imagery in general (and half-nude in particular) - especially if you thought Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #52 (reviewed here) was fun - this is a worthwhile purchase.
Psylocke #1 ~ An experimental purchase, since I'm not much of an X-Men fan. This wants to be a serious comic, but it lets itself be compromised too easily - I'm no opponent of superheroine costumes (I like Ms. Marvel, after all), but I just can't figure out why Psylocke would wear a swimsuit at all times, Wolverine's appearance seems forced, and the body situation (if you read it, you'll see) is just too wrapped up in continuity for a new reader to accept as anything but silly.
Fathom #9 ~ The delay between issues has affected my enthusiasm for this story. It's still good, and doesn't pull its punches, but I also found the rapidity of development this issue to sap some of the weight out of what was going on. On the plus side, big progress in the storyline keeps things from getting dull.
The Legend of Isis: Gods of War ~ I haven't yet had time to read this through fully - if I do so and enjoy myself, I'll revisit it in a later column. However at a glance, the switching between artists does strike me as a bit jarring, especially in the final chapter of this volume.
|
