BT06 – Yet More Comics Reviews

Review code format (ranked 1-5, blah to faboo): [writing / art / new reader? / non-comics reader?]

Dark Horse 20 Years (Dark Horse) [x/4/x/x]

A short one-shot, celebrating two decades of Dark Horse goodness.  The cover, by Mignola, has every single significant character produced by DH over its years, and it’s amazing how many of them I recognize.  It would make a nice poster.

Inside, each page is a major DH-published character … by someone other than the usual artist.  So there’s Hellboy drawn by Adam Hughes, whose character Ghost is on the next page drawn by Art Adams, whose characters Monkeyman & O’Brien are on the next page drawn by Doug Mahnke, whose character the Mask is on the next page drawn by …. and so it goes, with some odd, charming, and/or amusing results (Stan Sakai drawing Sin City is pretty cool, transposed with Frank Miller drawing Usagi Yojimbo …)

Daredevil #87 (Marvel) [4/4/2/1] (w. Ed Brubaker; a. Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano)

The mysteries around DD’s incarceration — and who’s been imitating DD on the outside, and why — begin to unravel, even as the Shock Ending of the Issue really makes things interesting.  While the book has gotten a lot less wordy since Bendis left, I’m not sure how long I’m going to keep up here.  There needs to be a direction they’re pushing the character, and it sure feels like he’s being backed into a creative corner if someone doesn’t put on their comic writers thinking cap Real Soon Now.

Daughters of the Dragon #6 of 6 (Marvel) [2/2/1/2] (w. Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmioti; a. Khari Evans)

What a waste of ink, paper, and two characters — Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.  Bleah.  The comedic timing is off, and parts that one would think would be played straight are handled jokingly, and sometimes vice-versa.  Very strange, and way to consciously hip.  It needed to lose the Kill Bill vibe about it.

Ex Machina #20 (Wildstorm) [4/4/2/3] (w. Brian Vaughan; a. Tony Harris)

Mayor Hundred takes a personal role in figuring out the terror plot stalking the city — which takes one final victim.  This book is a unique blend of personal, political, and heroic, that I feel justified in saying there’s nothing else like it out there.  I’m not so enamoured that I’m buying the trades — but I’m definitely buying the individual issues.

Exiles #84 (Marvel) [3/3/1/1] (w. Tony Bedard; a. J. Calafiore, Mark McKenna)

On Heather Hudson’s near-“normal” world, the team is taking a break — and a mission.  But the timekeepers are becoming irked at how the other deteriorating dimensions are being neglected, and are planning to take action themselves.

I keep thinking I should drop this title.  But there’s something very fun about it, when it’s on its stride, and I still like all the alternate dimensions.  We’ll see.

(listening to: Whites, “Sandy Land” from Down from the Mountain)
(listening to: Barry, John, “Mujahadin And Opium” from Living Daylights, The)
(listening to: Poddany, Eugene, “Let Us All Sing” from Cat In The Hat Songbook)
(listening to: TV, “HBO Feature Presentation” from Television’s Greatest Hits – VII)
(listening to: Beach Boys, “Do You Wanna Dance?” from Capitol Years, The)
(listening to: McCreary, Bear, “Battlestar Muzaktica” from Battlestar Galactica: Season 1)

(listening to: Dora The Explorer, “Backpack Song” from Nick Jr – Dance and Sing!)

(listening to: Simpsons, “The Simpsons End Credits Theme (“Hill Street Blues” Homage)” from Songs in the Key of Springfield)
(listening to: Birmingham, “Sym No. 6 in F, Op. 68 (Pastoral) – Andante molto mosso” from Beethoven – Complete Symphonies – Vol. II)