As well as the comics, this week's haul included the Hack/Slash Cassie Hack poster - it's 18" by 24", looks a bit glossier than your average poster, and aside from a small Hack/Slash logo in the upper right corner it's exactly what you see in that image, Cassie looking all goth and hardass. I also got the DC Direct 'Deluxe Collector Figure' Zatanna - I know from past experience not to expect much from these 13" dolls, and bought Zatanna purely because she's Zatanna; despite a necessarily more elaborate costume than usual, and more accessories than past figures have had, DC Direct's effort still pales in comparison to the figures Sideshow or Hot Toys or especially Triad Toys turns out. And lastly, thanks again to Approbation Comics for the continuing supply of previews PDFs of Chaos Campus.
 Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs Zombies #8 ~ So, to recap: on the perpetual run from zombies, the girls stumble into a military operation, which in turn quickly runs afoul of Kurtis, a slasher monster who may or may not be helpful (the other option is 'murderous', but he's got a weird tendency to be murderous towards other monsters in preference to our heroines, most of the time at least), and Paige has been possessed - again - this time by a dark entity from an evil Rubik's cube which has also disgorged a one-eyed musclebound monster from hell. So, Brittany and Jamie - plus Kurtis, kind of - versus Tess Raven (the evil bitch spirit) and her monster Winky: two teams, one monster each, equals Pokemon fight. No, seriously, that's what happens - further proving that despite all appearances Jamie is the sane one of the trio (insofar as the world has gone as nutty as she is) we wind up in a zombie arena with everyone dissing everyone else while the monsters have a dance-off and Brittany (of all people) tries to solve the cube. Some of the art is a bit static this issue - the linework is detailed and clean, but not so good at conveying motion - but the sense of humour is intact, and ratcheted up another notch beyond sanity as this title continues to push every issue a little bit further than the last, outrunning stability and predictability in the same way the girls are so far keeping one step ahead of the shambling hordes out to eat their brains. Go here (Indyplanet) to order issues - everything up to #7 is already available, and this issue ought to be joining them soon.
Sky Doll: Doll's Factory #1 ~ This issue's individual title is 'The Birth of Noa', and it provides exactly what's written on the tin - we see how Noa came to be, although if you haven't fully read and digested the original Sky Doll miniseries you'll be left scratching your head and wondering what's going on. For that matter, if you haven't read the original mini, you'll think this isn't great value - the actual comic is only 10 pages, with the remainder being dominated by a 44-page 'making of' of the first mini's issue one, 'The Yellow City': this version presents the pencils, plus text. Essentially what this is is a small amount of new content and a large amount of bonus feature for the original - kind of like disc two of a movie's 2-disc DVD set, weak on its own, but great as an accessory to the actual movie. And since Sky Doll was such a great comic, I'm not put off by the lack of new content here, and I think any other Sky Doll fans will be likewise pleased with what's offered here - just be aware, though, that it's not a complete full-length new issue, otherwise you may be disappointed.
Batgirl #4 ~ Well-written, well-drawn, this continues to be a surprisingly strong title for a new (more or less) character, with a very confident and versatile narrative style. There's a solid story at the core of it, but what really makes this comic work is all the extras woven into that core story - little asides, in dialogue or action, backed up by capable and versatile art that shows Stephanie as a three-dimensional character who responds to what she experiences in a likeable and fully thought-out manner, not just a simple plot device allowing the story to proceed. This issue is also a done-in-one story, which isn't common these days, and it's refreshing to see a complete story, with many different and complementary elements, presented in just 22 pages.
S.W.O.R.D. #1 ~ An entertaining issue that does a good job of explaining S.W.O.R.D. and its resident characters well enough for a newbie like me to follow, but the 'twist' at the end is another of those Dark-Reign-tie-in things that I just don't feel is going to be satisfying, since it relies on factors beyond the scope of this comic (and the control of its creators) to work. The 8-page bonus story is a nice touch (the main story retains its full 22 pages), but not quite enough to tempt me to continue.
Farscape: D'Argo's Trial #4 ~ Same deal as has always been the case for this mini - it's written well, and drawn well (maybe it's just me, but I found the faces particularly well done this issue), but it's telling a story that we've seen all necessary information about already in the relevant TV episode. This is the work of good talent, but that talent would've been put to much better use telling another story.
Hulk #16 ~ Red She-Hulk, whoop-de-doo. There's lots of fighting and lots of would-be mysterious dialogue, but the fact that this title so blatantly tries to be 'shocking' undermines it - Red She-Hulk, for instance, claims to have killed Domino, Elektra, and Jennifer Walters, none of which I'd bet even a cent to be true. This comic wants to be a mystery thriller, but unless it's the most ambitious fake-out ever, the quality of writing just doesn't indicate enough subtlety to be worth all this mucking around in the end.
The Bomb ~ I really haven't had time to read this in full yet - or even in part - but I've skipped through it, and read a few of the shorts in it, and it looks like a cute, tongue-in-cheek selection of stories, well drawn (although black and white aside from a small colour section in the back). The 'Jungle Chick' segments are particularly funny, parodying Shanna the She-Devil and the like.
JSA vs Kobra: Engines of Faith #6 ~ A satisfactory wrap-up to this miniseries, but ultimately returning to the status quo without delivering anything especially profound in terms of resolution of the issues raised. The five-page preview of JSA All-Stars looks interesting; it's on my standing order already, so there'll be a review here when it's out.
Radical Preview ~ This issue - free, which I always approve of for promotional material - provides two-page ads for various upcoming Radical comics, mostly an art page (cover art) opposite a brief synopsis with creator credits. Of particular interest to me are Shrapnel: Hubris, the second volume of what I found to be a highly involving sci-fi war story, Legends: The Enchanted, a steampunk fairy tale concept that looks freakin' awesome, and Mata Hari, a historical comic which I probably won't get, but which sounds like it'd be a comic worth a look if the subject interests you.
|
