Retro Review

The Random Review is late this week, and Created to Die was late too: I seem to be running late with everything, which I blame on my first autumn cold. I was even a day late getting in to look at the new comics, which usually means some of the low-selling titles are gone. However, this week, I was in luck, as none of the good stuff had sold out.

 For people in the US, new comic book day is Wednesday every week, but here in Europe, depending on the city, it may be a weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly affair. The excellent store in Dusseldorf, Nic’s Comics, gets its shipments every second week, so forgive me if some of these issues are last week’s news to you.
There were a few interesting books this week, and the one which brought the biggest smile to my face was Dark Horse Comic’s My Name Is Bruce, which was great. Starring Bruce Campbell, the nicest man in show business™, it’s an actually funny horror comic that stays true to the spirit of the Evil Dead movies, with a plot that’s just the right side of absurd. The art is a little ugly in places, but it’s a comic with Bruce Campbell in it, so I forgave it. (My Name Is Bruce one shot, Dark Horse Comics; Milton Freewater Jr. and Cliff Richards; B+)

The best cover I saw was Leonardo Manco’s Hellblazer #247, muted tones and a three-layer composition combining to draw the eye downward to the lurking danger that was not immediately apparent. The story itself is as twisted and winding as ever, a great first part to a new arc, but be warned that there’s a shockingly gory scene that fits the cover imagery. (Hellblazer #247, Vertigo/DC Comics; Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco; A)

Fables #76 is the first issue to be set after the end of the war between the free Fables and the Adversary. I had wondered if it would be the issue where things start to wind down towards an end to the series, as its main plot line is now concluded, but it seems that there are plans for many more stories to come. Michael and Laura Allred are the guest artists, and the book looks great, especially the scenes with Kay, who can see the evil in people’s pasts. (Fables #76, Vertigo/DC Comics; Bill Willingham and Michael and Laura Allred; A)

The third issue of Marvel’s True Believers limited series is disappointing. The first two issues were a fresh and different mix of espionage, gossip column journalism, and super-heroes caught on camera, but the third issue is a plodding super-hero origin story with a pointless fight sequence made worse because the artist’s style doesn’t fit that kind of action. Disappointing. (True Believers, Marvel; Cary Bates and Paul Gulacy; D)

Honorable mentions:

Marvel’s Nova #17 introduces the new head of Project: Pegasus, Project Director Gruenwald, the latest in a long line of deserved tributes to Mark Gruenwald, the Patron Saint of Marveldom. Continuing another long-standing in-joke at Marvel, the new head of security at Project: Pegasus isn’t doing very well, and gets into a fight with the hero.

Captain Britain is back in an ongoing title that’s actually set in Britain and written by a British writer, in Paul Cornell’s Captain Britain and MI13.

Superman #680 has a great painted cover of Krypto, the Dog of Steel. The issue itself is rather silly, with one line that wasn’t being played for laughs but which cracked me up, but the cover is worth a look for sheer over-the-top heroic posture. On a dog.

I’ve completely given up on:

Titans and Teen Titans. I flicked through them, and they both look dreadful. Titans is an ugly mess of ill-suited art and poor characterization, and Teen Titans seems to have forgotten who its potential audience is completely. One character gets a possible reprieve from last month’s ill-conceived slaughter, and a character no-one cares about gets reintroduced. The sooner they get cancelled, the better.

What are you reading this week?

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