Severe Magazine

Comical Reviews
By: Michael Grant
06/23/05

Dream Police
Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Art by: Mike Deodatos
Publisher: new Marvel offshoot

I've been reading a lot about this book for some time now and I was admittedly looking forward to it. The concept is pretty cool - - the dream world is regulated by cops - - with the two lead characters being Dragnet like. However, upon reading this oversized introduction, my faith in Straczynski is not what it once was. The best way that I can describe the storytelling is with one word - - forced. Basically the entire issue is about the two lead characters running around talking about the different kind of dream cases they can face in an average night's work. My problem is, in reading the book - - it really seems to me like Straczynski just Google'd the kinds of dreams people can have and then tried to incorporate them into a story. I'm not a professional dream doctor, but I do know the kinds of things that can put people to sleep - - pills, boredom, my reviews - - and now this book. I was extremely disappointed in this. That's the best I've got right now.

The New Avengers # 6
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: David Finch
Publisher: Marvel

I've been a fan of this New Avenger storytelling since the series was reinvented, but I feel like there has been a crack in the foundation with this most recent installment. The book was just kind of spastic and seemed rushed - - as if everything needed to be tied together and there weren't enough pages to get that done. There is a scene in particular where Iron Man lectures Cap on why Wolverine should be a part of the team and I have to say, it annoyed the hell out of me. I thought it was the worst dialogue that Bendis has ever written. I hate to say that, ol' great bald one, but I can't be kind in every case.

I don't expect the wheels to fall off of this title, but I can say that issue six is closer to a zero than a ten - - if you know what I mean. No? Yeah, I don't even know what I'm talking about half the time.
Skip it.

Girls #2
Written By: Joshua Luna
Art: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image

Those crazy Luna brothers are at it again, working their magic with the sisters - - or at least GIRLS. Issue 2 of the already impressive series is turning into one of my favorite kinds of stories - - dialogue heavy with a slow rise in the plot and with the tension between characters having multiple levels. Although there are no actual nipple and or meow meow shots in the book, for the most part you're getting a story about a naked girl - - starring a naked girl. Yeah, that's alright! Anyway, there's no real telling what this story is all about just yet, but I can say this - - the naked chick pukes up some kind of giant eggs and then on the last page, the eggs hatch. What hatches? Well, MORE NAKED CHICKS! And yes, this begs the question, what came first - - the half naked brunette or the egg?

Wow - - that was super cheesy. Shoot me now.

Nostalgic Book of the Week

Y The Last Man TPB 1
Written by: Brian K. Vaughan
Art: Pia Guerra
Publisher: Vertigo

Let me just get this out of the way - - Vaughan could write on a piece of toilet paper while setting up camp on the crapper and I would rush to the store (or his house) to read it. I am just a big fan of the way he crafts a story, which makes it a shocker that it took me so long to get onboard this little end of days nugget. (I only started reading about six months ago.) And the best part about this book is that - - it has converted! My girlfriend wanted to try a comic out, so I gave her this to read - - and - - she really dug it. Next thing you know, she's grabbing book two out of my hands before I could even read it.

Damn you Vaughan and your way with women. DAMN YOU!

Got a comic that you want reviewed - - write me with "Y The Third To Last Man" in the subject line and I'll see what I can do. mgrant@severemag.com

Comical Reviews By: Les Weiler 06/23/05
			Zed #6 By: Michel Gagne' Michel Gagne' isn't a household name, but you'll remember his work from your childhood. It's likely your kids will remember his work from their childhoods, too. Gagne' was an animator for Disney on everything from Black Cauldron to Lilo and Stitch (he animated Lilo), as well as other studio projects such as Iron Giant. His style, at once cute and vicious, has served him well in a variety of mediums. The Shadow Puppet flash animations that once graced his website were dark and amazing, while his comic work combines lovable character design with the occasional panel of dismemberment and death. Zed Issue 6 makes for a quick, chilling read about a little space creature who finds his home-world destroyed. I'm sure there is more back-story here, but I spent my time savoring all the little glorious things about Gagne's work. This guy even draws cute teeth, and the occasional spike of violence gives the comic an edginess I find charming.

			Promethea TPB #4 By: Alan Moore Art by:J.H. Williams Publisher: America's Best Comics Promethea is a comic book that transcends the standard comic stories, but then isn't that what Alan Moore has always done? His Watchmen was a super hero book that used the conventions of that genre to push us into a deeper story. His Promethea is no different. Or rather, it is different from anything else on the shelves. Promethea fights abstract philosophical constructs the way Spidey fights Green Goblin, and often she wins using her wits and some quick semantics. Oh, there's action…mostly the action of you scratching your head as the heroine of the tale ascends the Kabbalah to reach the Godhead. Yeah, it's that weird a book. Amazing, heady, and exquisitely drawn by J.H. Williams, Promethea is a thinking comic, a puzzle to ponder and reread. I loan them out every chance I get. How can you go wrong with a sci-fi near-future setting, a possessed multiple personality mayor, and a title character who is herself a work of fiction even in the pages of the book? Don't you dare dive into TPB #4 without reading the first volumes…the fool's leap comes later in the Tarot deck, don't you know?

			WE3 By: Grant Morrison Art by: Frank Quitely Published by: Vertigo One thing to note if you ever build a super weapon - don't teach it to talk, and don't get attached to it. Even if it's a fuzzy bunny. WE3 is the disturbing story of a missing dog, cat, and rabbit who become government killing machines after weapons engineers integrate them into cybernetic battle suits. At the end of their testing phase, the animals are to be destroyed, but both the animals and their loving scientist have other plans. This is The Incredible Warpath, depicted in the hyper-real style of Frank Quitely. WE3 is a chilling book, a slightly flawed (I would have enjoyed more setup) story with occasionally confusing pages (too many motion-blurred bullets) that none-the-less raises subtle questions about animal cruelty in an overall gorgeously drawn package. Mostly, it's made me wonder what my cat would do if it could level my neighborhood…

			Nostalgic Book of the Week X-Force #1 By: Rob Liefeld Published by: Marvel Comicss It's a fine line between nostalgia and regret. This crosses it. I'm sorry I ever supported Rob Liefeld, who appears to disdain physical proportions in favor of odd hatch marks and shapeless guns. Why does everyone have little leather pouches on their costumes in these books? Who went and scarred one eye of every male mutant? I'm sorry, comics industry. I helped to beat you down with chromium variant covers, polybags and trading cards. I helped usher in an age of collecting, not reading, when art and story could take a backseat to gimmicks and profiteering. I regret ever having bought this book, which sprang from the ashes of the New Mutants to show us just how stupidly commercial this medium could become. I doubly regret buying 2 copies, so I could leave one as a collector's item in its original bag. I'm going to go now and fill a bathtub with the artwork of Neal Adams and Alan Davis, then bathe in it until this nostalgia fades like the careers of hacks like Liefeld who couldn't draw realistic musculature if their lives depended on it. Got a problem with the fact that X-Force is a sad failure of the comic industry? Email me about it and see what happens.mailto:les@severemag.com

Comical Reviews By: Chris Famulari (FAM) 06/23/05
			Hello! Fam here! First let's say that due to a crisis of epic proportions, my reviews last week were written in invisible computer ink. Anyone that is interested in the books I reviewed last week can email me at the below address and I will send them to you. Now onto this weeks reviews. The New Avengers # 6 MARVEL By Brian M. Bendis Davis Finch This is one of the best drawn books in the Marvel stable. I am really digging New Avengers. New Avengers 6 is a good wrap up to the fist storyline. The Avengers are in the Savage Land fighting Suaron and the other Black Widow, as well as rouge Shield Agents. They also learn by issues end that someone is stockpiling weapons and super-human weapons. An intriguing beginning to what I am sure will be a continuing storyline. I do have a few beefs with this book. 1.) Speed it up... this storyline dragged on a bit. 2.) I wish and hope that all the crazy SHIELD activity around the Marvel Universe will one day be explained. And 3.) WHY KEEP SHOWING SENTRY ON THE COVER WHEN HE IS NOT EVEN IN THE BOOK!!!!! Now… when does Hawkeye come back…?

			Captain America # 7 MARVEL By Ed Brubaker John Paul Leon In this interlude issue we see the last few days of Jack Monroe, who was "shot" dead the last issue. This issue is what comics should be. Emotional, powerful, and by the end of the book you truly feel sorry for Nomad. I have felt sorry for him since the mid 90's when Nomad had long hair, a cool bike, cool shades… but had to travel around the country fighting crime with a baby name BUCKY strapped to his back… but that neither here nor there. Jack Munroe sorry life has just about come to an end. He has found out the one thing that made him special is killing him. Before he goes however, he's got a little more crime fighting to do. Featuring a surprise ending, well kind of, I mean if you read last issue you know he gets shot… but the little twist before is what make this a compelling read. If you are not checking out the ongoing Captain America book, you really should. Month after month it's a really great read.

			Teen Titans #25 DC Geoff Johns Michael Clark 25 months or so ago with Teen Titans #1 I said to myself… "Self… you do not want to like Teen Titans… how good can a book about the 2 tier sidekicks be?" WELL FANTASTIC THAT'S HOW!!! I am a big fan of this book. It receives my highest recommendation of the week. Smack dab in the middle of a cross-over with The Outsiders, the Teen Titans and the Outsiders are fighting 2 of their own. A brainwashed... or genetically programmed Superboy is given a secret code word by his half father… Lex Luthor - - and he's now pounding the two teams. As well, Outsiders member Indigo is revealed to be BRAINIAC 8.0 from the future. It all comes to a dramatic battle in which key points about the up coming "CRISIS" are discussed. (Not getting the return of Donna troy? You'll be sorry) So how does a book full of 2 tier sidekicks stack up against other DC book… well it seems these days that Teen Titans is at the top of a mountain of comic book goodness… that's how!

			Nostalgic Book of the Week ASTRO CITY In honor of the new Astro City book, Dark Age, my retro pick is ASTRO CITY. Astro City springs forth from the minds of Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross. Astro City takes on different approaches to those iconic superheroes and situations that have been in comics since the golden age. From Samaritan (Superman) to the First Family (the Fantastic Four), Busiek weaves a wonderful tapestry to create a Universe and a collection of characters that you really care about. Most of the Astro City comics have made it to collected editions, and all are great, however my favorite storyline is in a collection titled Confession. The Confessor (Batman like) with a secret and Alter Boy (Robin) a fresh faced new comer to Astro City, are involved in a plot of conspiracy among an Alien Invasion. Secrets are revealed and some of Astro City's history is explained. It's a bit darker than some of the other Astro City storylines, but that is the point. Mood and emotion play a very important part in all Astro City stories. Not just a great collection of stories for comic fans, but Astro City is a treat for fans of comics. Want to know a secret of mine… Comments, Questions... ANSWERS? Do you remember a story, but not where you read it? Have you always wondered why something is the way it is in comics? Do you want me to review a book or storyline you love? I can be reached at mailto:chris@severemag.com