Reviews

Hellboy #4 (of 6) — Writer: Mike Mignola;  Artist: Duncan Fegredo Fegredo’s art keeps getting better and better, as the story moves beyond the claustrophobic spookiness of the last few issues, opening out to a long fight and pursuit (when your opponent is called “Koshchei the Deathless,” you know you’re in trouble). Hellboy’s always been an acquired taste, but he’s such a great character — a stubborn splash of color against all of Mignola’s undercurrents of grimness and dread — that once he hooks you, you want to keep reading his adventures forever. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5 — Writer: … Continue reading →

Heroes for Hire #12 — (Main Story): Writer: Zeb Wells; Penciller: Clay Mann; Inker: Terry Pallot; (Back-up Story): Writer: Fred Van Lente; Penciler: John Bosco; Inker: Terry Pallot A World War Hulk tie-in. Only 16 pages to the main story, as the team gets in way, way over their heads (Humbug, particularly). Nice splash page at the end, but the art is otherwise undistinguished, and the back-up story, featuring Paladin and the new female Scorpion, has no compelling reason to exist; it presents unpleasant people doing unpleasant things in an unpleasant way. The Chemist #1 — Writer/Artist: Jay Boose The … Continue reading →

Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil #4 (of 4) — Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith A satisfying ending, as both Billy and Captain Marvel (and Mary) get to show smarts and heroism, and everyone ends up just about where they should be. I’m not too sure about the science (“Captain Marvel punched him too hard! The fabric of light has been compressed into a singularity! A small black hole has formed” — um, what?), although I suppose that it’s true to the genial, anything-goes fantasy of the original comics, and it certainly works in context. This has been a magical series, and … Continue reading →

Ghost Rider  #13 — Writer: Daniel Way;  Penciler: Javier Saltares;  Inker: Scott Hanna As a World War Hulk tie-in, this is better than I thought it would be — Way’s logic behind the “fight” makes sense (although I’m not sure I buy into Dr. Strange’s comments on GR’s power levels), and Saltares’s art is up to the big splashes and set pieces that are required; best of all, the whole “Satan-makes-GR-look-like-an-idiot” over-plot is put on hold for an issue. One of the better WWH crossovers, all told, and if you’ve been following that event you should probably give it a … Continue reading →

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 →