Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #7 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Mike Mignola; Art: Duncan Fegredo and Patric Reynolds
B.P.R.D.: 1947 #4 (of 5) — Writers: Mike Mignola and Joshua Dysart; Art: Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
Two entries from the Mignolaverse this week — the Hellboy is wrapping up a major turning point in the life of the character, while the B.P.R.D. is finishing a spooky post-war haunted-chateau tale. Both combine economical, sophisticated storytelling with wonderful art — Fegredo’s style is as inky and moody as Mignola’s, and gets better every issue, while the twin Brazilian brothers, Ba and Moon, show that their award-winning work is just as good at Gothic horror as it is over in The Umbrella Academy. High-quality stuff, and don’t be surprised to see both of these series up for Eisner and Harvey awards next year.
Fables #89 — Writer: Bill Willingham; Penciller: Mark Buckingham; Inkers: Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy
Speaking of high-quality stuff — Bufkin, the winged monkey, is trapped in the Fables’ business offices, a self-contained pocket universe that’s been cut off from the outside world, with Baba Yaga and an extremely-powerful genie. He’s just a panicky little guy, but, as another character says to Baba Yaga, “Once he decided he needed to destroy you, you were basically doomed.” Why, she says, what are his powers? “He reads. He reads everything.” Oh, yeah — just the affirmation that comic-book geeks like us live for. Look at the illustrated, lush art, with its ever-changing page borders and confident way of rendering both fantastic, magical monsters and small facial expressions; read the brainy, always-entertaining script: this is a typically-great issue of one of the best comics out there, and if you’ve never tried it before it’s a perfect place to jump on.
Liberty Comics #2 — Creators: John Romita Jr., Tim Sale, Jason Aaron, Ben Templesmith, Mike Allred, Paul Pope, Brian Wood, Paul Grist, Dave Gibbons, Chynna Clugston-Flores, Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee
All proceeds from this book go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and all the creators involved donated their work to it. The CBLDF defends comic book retailers, artists, writers, fans and publishers from politically-motivated prosecutors, religious nuts, and other idiots who wouldn’t know the First Amendment if it bit them in their butts; they’ve been protecting the rights of readers and creators for 20 years now. A look at the contributors’ list indicates just how many top comics pros appreciate their work, and you should too; buying this book lets you get some cool creations and do a good deed at the same time (and, if you live in the Phoenix area, it’s an even better idea — don’t think that our current county prosecutor and sheriff wouldn’t jump at the chance to make “dirty comics” a campaign issue, if they ever thought of it; it’s not like either one has shown any particular reverence for the Constitution up to now…).
The Marvels Project #3 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Art: Steve Epting
Brubaker and Epting, the Captain America team, continue their examination of the early-1940s origins of the Marvel Universe. Not flashy — it’s pretty dark and shadowy, actually, despite the presence of the Human Torch, Namor and others — but that’s to be expected from the creator of Criminal, Incognito and other noir work. Solid but unspectacular storytelling, and an interesting attempt to make those crudely energetic Golden Ages comics make more “realistic” sense — although, to be honest, it’s only up here, and not down in the “Stuff I bought but don’t have much to say about” list, because so few books worth buying came out this week.
DMZ #46 — Writer: Brian Wood; Art: Riccardo Burchielli
Another book that, in most weeks, would just be sitting quietly in the “Stuff I bought…” list — but worth noting because it’s up to issue #46 and still going strong; it’s managed to tell an ever-evolving, complicated story clearly, and give its main character a realistic learning arc while still making him sympathetic and surrounding him with an interesting supporting cast. Oh, and despite its long backstory it’s easily-accessible to new readers… and Wood and Burchielli have been delivering similarly-accomplished issues once a month, like clockwork, for the last four years. Would that all comics creators had that level of dedication and professionalism….
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
Uncanny X-Men #516 — Writer: Matt Fraction; Penciler: Greg Land; Inker: Jay Leisten
Secret Six #14 — Writer: Gail Simone; Pencillers: Nicola Scott with Carlos Rodriguez; Inkers: Doug Hazelwood and Mark McKenna with Carlos Rodriguez
Phil Mateer
