This is extremely late as it is, so let’s get right down to it.
• Countdown #49 –As I stated last week, this series will be reviewed monthly by me. Short review: good.
• Futurama #31 –This is my favorite property Matt Groening ever produced. I mean, I am a huge Simpsons fan and read Life In Hell for years, but as a card-carrying science nerd, Futurama appeals to every single part of my comedic psyche. The show was regrettably cancelled well before its time. Lucky for us, dvd sales were excellent, so we get all-new shows and movies at the end of this year. To fill that gap, Bongo Comics published the Futurama comic and what a series it has turned out to be. It not only expands on the silly, sarcastic, intelligent nature of the show, but includes many comic book references as well. Take this issue, for example, which deals with illegal immigration from other planets when numerous wormholes pop up in the Planet Express office. Appearing in cameos: Mork from Ork, Great Gazoo, Brak, Zoidberg as Man-thing (with Howard the Duck on the same page), and even a Skrull. For a long stretch of its’ run, Futurama the comic was written by writers of Futurama the show, but with them now working on the first of the movies, scripting is in the capable hands of Ian Boothby, writer of Simpsons Comics. I recommend this series highly.
• Hellblazer #232 –Some books I buy out of habit. This would be one of them. Let’s make myself feel old, shall we? When I was entirely too young to be reading anything remotely like Hellblazer, I bought the first twenty issues for dirt cheap while on vacation at my aunt and uncle’s house in Visalia, CA. They were the only twenty issues out. My parents essentially reared me as an adult so I wasn’t worried about getting in trouble for possessing them. I was absolutely floored by the storytelling and art. It was different. John Constantine was not really a hero but did have a small sliver of honor in him. He was brutal and liked to curse. Even at that age, I was fascinated by British culture. And so here we are, 212 issues later and DC is still publishing John’s extremely messed up life. I love Sandman. Fables is the best Vertigo book out there. Hellblazer is the true cornerstone of the little slice of violent heaven that is Vertigo Comics. This particular issue seems like we are finally getting back to John Constantine being an absolute ruthless bastard. No more homeless John and life shitting on him. He cleanses himself as only John can, gets some money and a new suit, and, most importantly, MAGIC. For personal gain. I buy this out of habit. My habit feels like it is about to get fun again.
• Shadowpact #13 –Really, I don’t have much to say about this issue. The last couple of issues wrapped up a whole bunch of storylines. This one features the titular magical hero team on only one page! Instead, we get set-up of the various villains that are lining up to face them. Overall, this series has a few things going for it: well-written by Fables’ scribe Bill Willingham, nice art by Scott Hampton, and the team has Detective Chimp and long-time favorite of mine, Blue Devil. I recommend this issue as it is a perfect jumping-on point.
• The Spirit #6 (current series) –I have always been a sucker for the history of comics and you you don’t get much better than Will Eisner’s The Spirit. I mean, it is what everything good about comics is based upon. When DC announced that they were going to be publishing this current series, I will admit that I was hesitant. Mr. Eisner had passed away and his writing and art were what made Denny Colt and his world so cool. That is, until I found out J Bone was on art chores. Man, he has been one of those artists that epitomize what I look for in comic art: cartoony, flashy, and a good sense of framing. And Darwyn Cook’s writing? Sold! This is some seriously talented stuff coming out. The best part is that there are no multi-part storyarcs. Anybody can pick up any issue and know what is going on, without really having to investing time digging through a backstory, as great as said backstory is. I think everybody who reads comics should get this series and then check out some of DC’s fine Spirit Archives to understand why they named the comics awards The Eisners.
• Madman #2 (current series) –I am a huge fan of Mike Allred and think he is one of the most talented artists alive. That being said, I think I might be out of my Madman phase of my life. I mean, this has been a good read so far but for the life of me I couldn’t remember what happened in issue one while I was reading issue two. And that usually isn’t a good sign for me. This issue was pretty and the metaphysical stuff was kinda intriguing, but I might give this another issue and then drop it. Let’s check back next month.
• X-Men #199 –I couldn’t stop buying this comic even if I wanted to, as long as Chris Bachalo is the artist. Se, he’s my wife’s all-time favorite comic book artist and his art on the two Death mini-series are what cemented her as a comics fan. I like him just fine, although I don’t think I particularly care for his work on this run of X-Men. Plus, the story, surprise surprise, is too convoluted. I know, big shock. An X-title with too much going on at once. Ehh. At least this storyarc is over. Next month is a “special” book being as it is #200. Sheesh. I remember buying #1 on the stands. That seems so long ago.
• Satan’s Sodomy Baby (one-shot) –OK Let’s get this outta the way first. I have never read a single page of The Goon. I hear good things, but this is called Comics On A Budget, remember? This here comic was recommended by good friend, Mike, of Progressive Ruin and my former employer, Ralph’s Comic Corner (25 years and still going strong!). This review is for him. Mike, what the fuck did you sell me? A baby antichrist with an ever-expanding monster cock? Copious amounts of redneck poop? Buggering a pig? A two-page splash of The Goon shoving said antichrist into an ass? Gratuitous, well-rendered lady boobs? Illustrations offending every major religion? So wrong. So crude. So offensive.
How did you know I would love it! Thanks, Mike! You’re the best!
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