Comic Book Review 16 August 2006

I'm sick right now, so you'll have to excuse me if today's reviews are especially short and beligerant, fuckers. Also, no images for right now. My editor at Sequart just reminded me that piece of shit I submitted as a "column" earlier today requires a ton more work. So let's start with the "crap":

Robin #153 Ok, those of you who know me know how much emotional investment I have in the character of Tim Drake. And you know that I will pretty much defend anybody's run on this book until the run has been completed for at least 3 months so that I have the opportunity to sit and read the whole thing as one complete work. But seriously, how many stories do we need about Tim Drake's reaffirmations? I hate to say it, but I do not recall a super stellar run on this book since Dixon left it, and those of you who I have been obnoxiously defending the Robin book to know how dirty I feel in my underwear any time I admit that Chuck Dixon is secretly one of my all-time favorite comic book writers... That being said, I am broke and I don't have the time or money to be wasting on pap when I could just be downloading it instead. A maybe download if you are a very dedicated fan of the Tim Drake character, or for some reason, Captain Boomerang II.

Nightwing #123 Bruce Jones is another one of those writers whose DC run I am constantly having to defend. My only problem with his Vigilante miniseries was the lack of resolution due to a very compressed ending. I appreciate that he is one of those writers who is not afraid to explore a singular idea or theme w/in the realm of superhero comics. Very few people are still willing to do that with any degree of subtlety or finese, and Jones is one of them. His books are all so weird and bizarre, and I think that is one of the reasons the last issue of Nightwing was such a satisfactory wrap up to the Jason Todd story-arc. That being said, even that arc seemed a little off in its take-off, so I'm hoping that the mildly lack-luster feeling I was left with after finishing this issue does not last more than two months on this book. Admittedly, while I deeply appreciate the more ambitious approach of new artist Robert Teranishi's panel design, it does detract from the flow of the story from time to time, but I will wait until the story is actually complete to make a final decision. Buy if your a big fan of the previous arc, download if you've already read the previous arc.

Now for the really great stuff:

Deadman #1 More Jones love. This book is great. The colors and inks on the cover can be a bit offputting at first, but trust me, John Watkiss' interior art is stellar. He's amazing at drawing a good explosion or demon, but what I particularly love, and this in any other context could be considered a bad thing, is the stiffness of his characters. Given the mood of the book, the scenes it appears most prevalent in make it work so damn well. There are also times when the figure just seem to float, or appear especially languid. I think Vertigo is a much better fit of Jones' quirky sensibilities and more adventurous story-telling ambitions. Read it. Definate download, buy if you feel lucky.

Phonogram #1 It's fun. It's british. It's got snobbish pop music references with a glossary in the back of the book. Paying $3.50 for a 22 page B&W story seems a bit steep, but it may be worth it for you. This book takes a very particular kind of personality type to really fall in love with it. Not for everybody.

Fell #6 Cassanova #3 JUST GO OUT AND BUY THESE BOOKS ALREADY!!! They're only a $1.99 each and they are so worth it. I love the art, and the writing is amazing. Created by some of the smartest and most talenented people making comics right now. Just buy it. Even the "back matter" is a great read.