Madman #3 — Writer/Artist: Mike Allred A fun tour-de-force by Allred, as he sets up the story so that his character is fighting to get back to “reality,” and has to pass through various fictional planes to do it. This becomes an excuse for drawing each panel in the style of a famous cartoonist, starting with the early newspaper strip cartoonists and working up to the present. Thus, the top of page four begins with a panel drawn in the style of Windsor McCay’s Little Nemo, followed by a Segar Popeye panel, a Gottfredson Mickey Mouse, Hal Foster, Frank King, … Continue reading →

Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular #1 — Writers: Fabian Nicieza and Dan Slott; Artists: (1st story) Nelson; (2nd story) Paul Pelletier/Dave Meikis; (3rd story) Clio Chang; (Interludes) Kieron Dwyer All the stories are played for laughs (as the title of the book should tell you), so whether you like this depends on your tolerance for Deadpool and the GLI’s brand of tongue-in-cheek humor (they’re the “GLI” instead of the “GLA” because they’re now called the “Great Lakes Initiative,” and if that seems funny to you, then you’re the audience for this book). There’s one good bit where Squirrel Girl confronts the … Continue reading →

Runaways #27 — Writer: Joss Whedon; Penciller: Michael Ryan; Inker: Rick Ketcham with Jay Leisten Here’s why I like Joss Whedon: at the beginning of this episode, the main characters have been transported back to New York City in June, 1907, and they verify this by buying a newspaper off a street kid. Now, a lot of writers would have tried to fake whatever headline the kid is crying out, but Whedon took the time to research just what news event would have been front-page material at that time (the hunt for Typhoid Mary) and so what the kid’s saying, … Continue reading →

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #5 — Writer: Jeph Loeb;  Art: John Cassaday Cap’s actual funeral takes up only half of this issue’s 22 pages — the rest is a series of single- and double-page pinups of various stages of his career (plus a few panoramic shots of the funeral itself). If you’re a Cassady fan, this will be worth it for the pretty art; if you’re looking for any kind of actual story, you won’t find much. This would be a nice tribute book if Steve Rogers actually stayed dead, but I think we can all agree … Continue reading →