Author Archives: Phil

Jonah Hex #50 — Writers: Justin Grey and Jimmy Palmiotti;  Art: Darwyn Cooke An anniversary issue, featuring a 37-page story that acts as a coda to the last year or so of adventures, and wraps up the Tallulah/Jonah relationship in typically grim fashion. As always, when Palmiotti and Grey get a good artist (and Cooke, doing his deceptively-simple Toth impression, is one of the best), they turn their storytelling up a notch, and the result is an affecting, understated but blood-soaked tale of insanity, murder, passion, redemption and revenge — not necessarily in that order. Empowered Special — Writer/Artist: Adam … Continue reading →

X-Force Annual #1 — Writer: Robert Kirkman;  Art: Jason Pearson;  (Deadpool story/11 pgs.) — Writers: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost;  Pencils: Carlos Barberi;  Inks: Sandu Florea Kirkman (Invincible)/Pearson (Body Bags) sounds like it would be a winner for this title; both are known for flashy, sometimes-violent action stories, and that’s what this current incarnation of X-Force is all about. The plot mostly involves Wolverine slicing through a number of Hydra goons to kidnap one of them. The “why” is mildly interesting, but it’s an 8-page idea expanded into a 22-page story, insubstantial as smoke, that takes about three minutes to … Continue reading →

The Professor’s getting caught up on mail, so here’s a question from 11/16: hey phil, im new  or just getting back into comics after a long, long absence. can you tell me are there any comics about, Angels such as a fight between good and evil, maybe something dark.How about  elves, i used to read elfquest. Maybe as well paranormal comics. this might be a huge list but I feel I don’t even know where to start. HELP Well, if you’ve been gone for a long time, then Spawn might be a good place to start: angels, hell, and an … Continue reading →

Beasts of Burden #3 (of 4) — Writer: Evan Dorkin;  Art: Jill Thompson Everyone I’ve recommended this series to has liked it: everyone. It’s especially attractive as an entry drug for non-comics readers, because of its feisty characters and the compelling, gorgeous art by Thompson. This issue has a self-contained tale involving three cats vs. rats in a sewer, and if you know any cat lovers they’ll love it. It’s a crime that this comic only sells maybe 6,000 copies an issue in the superhero-centric direct market, but it’ll win awards in 2010, and the eventual collected trade will be … Continue reading →

Hulk #17 — Writer: Jeph Loeb;  Pencils: Ian Churchill;  Inks: Mark Farmer I checked in with this title to see if it had gotten any better; the short answer is “no.” There’s a red She-Hulk now, but otherwise everyone continues to be a cynical 13-year-old’s view of the world: they’re all mean, violent bullies, out for themselves (Churchill draws them all with perpetual scowls). This issue is mostly characters standing around talking, too — even as they’re trying to strangle one another or throw each other off tall buildings — and Loeb amplifies the talkiness by using a perpetual internal … Continue reading →