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By: Michael
Grant 06/23/05
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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By: Les
Weiler 06/23/05
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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.
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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?
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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…
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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
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By: Chris
Famulari (FAM) 06/23/05
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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…?
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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.
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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!
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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
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copyright © 2004-2005 Severe
Magazine.
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