Wednesday Comics #1 (of 12)  — and you’re crazy if you think I’m listing the credits for 15 features…. This, kids, is what newspaper Sunday comics sections used to look like in their golden era, from the early 1900s through to sometime in the ’50s: one strip per page, full color, a variety of styles, and at least a couple of strips per issue that were absolute triumphs of design and storytelling. Not so today, of course — the Arizona Republic now fits five or six Sunday strips per page, and you need a magnifying glass — so Wednesday Comics … Continue reading →

President Evil #1 — Writer/Artist: David Hutchison Drafted: One Hundred Days #1 (of 1) — Writer: Mark Powers;  Breakdowns: Chris Lie;  Pencils: Junaidi and Faisal Your Obama exploitation books of the week. President Evil is the better one, just because it’s so cheerful about its pop-culture, anything-for-a-buck whoredom (the Army of Darkness pose on the cover, the cranked-it-out-over-the-weekend art, and the puns that start with the title, move on through “Ba-Rot” Obama, the zombie-fighting President, and end with “Stephen Corvair” on the last page: I’d compare it to a Mad movie parody, but that would imply too much quality; let’s … Continue reading →

Batman and Robin #2 — Writer: Grant Morrison;  Art: Frank Quitely Very high-quality comics storytelling, and a reminder that good comics usually require collaboration: Morrison’s Batman: R.I.P was fine, but it wasn’t knock-your-socks-off wonderful, and it’s clear now that one big reason was Tony Daniels’ art — it wasn’t horrible, but it was average superhero rendering. Compare that to what Quitely brings to the table here (as in New X-Men and All-Star Superman): the composition, the expressions (on Damion, especially), the lithe athleticism — and then, with all the pleasure added by the art, we’re also set up to appreciate … Continue reading →

Hey: I’m back (well,I actually didn’t go anywhere, but after two years of reviews I welcomed a break). Let’s have a big round of applause for Dan, who agreed to provide all the June reviews, and did an outstanding job: funny, dead-on, and comprehensive: he reviewed 25 books last week (granted, it was a big week, but you’re lucky to get 12-15 out of me…). If you all liked his style, too, let us know — maybe we can talk him into a few more guest reviews sometime down the line. For now, though, let’s gear up and see what’s … Continue reading →